Aage Gerhardt Drachmann (22 October 1891 – 9 April 1980) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

librarian and historian of science and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

, one of the 20th century's foremost experts on Ancient Greek and Roman

mechanics Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to objects r ...

Life and career

Drachmann was born in Copenhagen in 1891, the son of

classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

(1860–1935) and teacher Ellen Sophie Drachmann (née Bentzon, 1866–1948). He studied

classical philology Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

from 1909 to 1915. Afterward, he took a job as a librarian at the Copenhagen University Library (one of the two most important libraries in Denmark), for which he worked from 1917 until 1956. He spent nine months in 1926–1927 in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

as a fellow of the American-Scandinavian Foundation, working in the John Crerar Library and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

, and subsequently introduced some American library processes to Denmark, including

photocopy A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers u ...

ing. In 1943, he became chief librarian at the University Library. In 1948, he received a PhD studying ancient

pneumatics Pneumatics (from Greek ‘wind, breath’) is a branch of engineering that makes use of gas or pressurized air. Pneumatic systems used in industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A centrally located and elec ...

. In 1956 he retired to focus full-time on research. Drachmann was a lifelong bachelor.

Research and published work

Starting in the 1930s, Drachmann wrote scholarly papers, primarily on ancient technology, and papers on library science. From 1928–1949 he edited the '' Index Medicus Danicus'', a card-index bibliography of Danish medical literature. In the 1950s he was an editor of '' Centaurus'', in which many of his papers were also published. He was a member of several learned societies. Drachmann's research focused on medicine, natural sciences and technology in antiquity. He wrote books on "pneumatic medicine", oil mills, ancient mechanics and Caesar's Rhine bridges, as well a several articles for the '' Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft'' and the '' Dictionary of Scientific Biography''. Drachmann's 1963 book ''Mechanical Technology of Greek and Roman Antiquity'' consisted of a critical translation and commentary on

Hero of Alexandria Hero of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἥρων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, ''Heron ho Alexandreus'', also known as Heron of Alexandria ; 60 AD) was a Greece, Greek mathematician and engineer who was active in his native city of Alexandria, Roman Egy ...

's ''Mechanics'' (from Qusṭā ibn Lūqā's Arabic translation), alongside study of other works by Hero,

pseudo-Aristotle Pseudo-Aristotle is a general cognomen for authors of philosophical or medical treatises who attributed their work to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, or whose work was later attributed to him by others. Such falsely attributed works are known as ps ...

Vitruvius Vitruvius (; c. 80–70 BC – after c. 15 BC) was a Roman architect and engineer during the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work entitled ''De architectura''. He originated the idea that all buildings should have three attribute ...

, and Oribasius. In mechanics, Drachmann's method combined careful textual analysis with practical mechanical experiments and constructions. His writing was characterized by an insightful but unpretentious and commonsense style. In 1971 he received the Leonardo da Vinci Medal for his scholarship in the history of technology. Drachmann also studied English literature, Danish folk tales and

ornithology Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Selected bibliography

* ''Ledetraad i Biblioteksarbejde for Ikke-Fagmænd''. Copenhagen, 1931 * ''Ancient Oil Mills and Presses''. Copenhagen, 1932 * ''Hvad var det for en Fugl?'' Copenhagen, 1938. (2nd ed. 1948) * ''Ktesibios, Philon and Heron: A Study in Ancient Pneumatics.'' Copenhagen, 1948 (PhD thesis) * ''Dorothy L. Sayers som Dramatiker: Essayist og Æstetiker''. Copenhagen, 1959 * ''Antikkens Teknik: Redskaber og Opfindelser i den græske og romerske Oldtid''. Copenhagen, 1963
''Mechanical Technology of Greek and Roman Antiquity: A Study of the Literary Sources''
Copenhagen/Madison, 1963 * ''Cæsars Bro over Rhinen''. Copenhagen, 1965 * ''Grosse griechische Erfinder''. Düsseldorf, 1967 * ''De Navngivne Sværd i Saga: Sagn og Folkevise''. Copenhagen, 1967 * ''Hævnmotivet i Kiplings Fortællinger''. 1969 * ''Lægæst og hans Guldhorn''. 1972

References

External links

* {{Authority control, state=collapsed 1891 births 1980 deaths Historians of science Historians of technology Danish librarians 20th-century Danish historians People from Copenhagen University of Copenhagen alumni Leonardo da Vinci Medal recipients