Ancient woodwork again

[AndyT]

Anyone in reach of London might like to know that the British Museum's new blockbuster exhibition on Pompeii and Herculaneum includes some pieces of furniture not normally on display even in Italy. The website (http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/pompeii_and_herculaneum.aspx) includes this picture of a cradle:

It's not as old as the 7,000 year old well linings - a mere 2000 years - but it's another good reminder that ancient does not mean primitive!

Does anyone reckon they can work out the construction of this one?

 

[custard]

That's astonishing! I knew the Romans were masters of civil engineering, but making something like that would surely have required metal blades with fairly hard edges.

Makes you wonder why the world had to wait 1800 years for the industrial revolution. The Romans must have been so very close to the steam engine!

 

[Philjohn60]

The Romans certainly knew how to build! They were extremely competent in just about all they did and the saw(s) that were used in the construction of that cradle were complex/iron bladed and would be totally recognisable today. The Greeks paved the way and the Romans perfected things. Check out Archimedes Claw - truly astonishing!

I have some Irish Bog Oak that looks quite similar to the carbonised wood in the cradle and I'm tempted to make a miniature replica!

We're going to the exhibition next week and I'm really looking forward to it, a once in a lifetime opportunity to see these wonderful things up close.

 

[Fromey]

The Romans knew what they were doing. Bedrock anyone?

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread. ... uot-planes

 

[Dangermouse]

Such a lot of things were lost when the Roman empire fell in the west and it took hundreds of years to build it all back up again. What an amazing plane, if you saw one in perfect condition, one would think it was Victorian, not nearly 2000 years old !!!