The innovative ancients

Plato's Alarm Clock, fascinating and easy to read, ends on a sobering note

Plato’s Alarm Clock And Other Amazing Ancient Inventions  

James M Russell 

Hachette India

192 pages; Rs 399

In Plato’s Alarm Clock, James M Russell describes hundreds of ancient devices, inventions and breakthroughs from around the world and across the centuries. He has attempted to provide a glimpse into past eras that he says were far more technologically complex than we realise. The inventions are grouped into six categories — everyday life, mechanical and industrial technology, breakthroughs that remain mysteries to this day, military inventions, medical knowledge, and scientific advances — with a chapter devoted to each. 

He says in the Introduction: “We’re not necessarily