Forbes, R. J.
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Robert Jacobus Forbes or Robert James Forbes (21 April 1900,
Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...
– 13 January 1973,
Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...
) was a Dutch
chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
and
historian of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient history, ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural science, natural, social science, social, and formal science, formal. Pr ...
and professor in the history of applied science and technology at the
University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...
. In his days Forbes was internationally one of the best known and respected historian of technology, and recipient of the first
Leonardo da Vinci Medal The Leonardo da Vinci Medal is the highest award of the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), and was first given in 1962. In general this award is granted annually to scholars who have contributed outstandingly to the history of technology ...
, the highest award by the
Society for the History of Technology The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) is the primary professional society for historians of technology. SHOT was founded in 1958 in the United States, and it has since become an international society with members "from some thirty-five ...
(SHOT).


Biography


Family, youth and education

Forbes was born in Breda as son of William Forbes, a military engineer and later administrator at the
Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij or Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij (, colloquially known as BPM) was the Dutch East Indies and later Indonesian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell oil company established in 1907. History The BPM was established i ...
, and Maria Sara Johanna (van Houten) Forbes. The Forbes family was of Scottish origin and a descendant of the Scottish theologian John Forbes of Corse. He spent much of his childhood in China, where he attended the Public School of the International Settlement in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
. Back in the Netherlands from 1912 to 1917 he attended the
Hogere Burgerschool The ''Hogere Burgerschool'' (''HBS'') (Dutch: Higher Civic School) was a secondary school type that existed between 1863 and 1974 in the Netherlands and the Dutch Empire. These schools, with a five- or sometimes six-year program, continued in 1 ...
(HBS) in Leiden. From 1917 to 1923 he studied chemical technology at the
Delft University of Technology The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft; ) is the oldest and largest Dutch public university, public Institute of technology, technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. It specializes in engineering, technology, computing, design, a ...
, where he obtained his engineering degree.


Career

From 1923 to 1958 Forbes worked for
Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New ...
. The first two years he worked as chemist at the Shell Technology Centre Amsterdam. From 1925 to 1931 he worked in the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
as engineer at oil-refinery at Balikpapan,
Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
. After his return to the Netherlands in 1931 he did research about the application of
asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...
in the construction of roads. In the later years he moved into the development of analytic methods, and participated in the Standardization Committee of the Institute of Petroleum in London. In his last three years from 1952 to 1955 he managed the scientific publication department, and wrote about the history of the Royal Dutch Shell. In 1947 Forbes had also been appointed professor in the history of applied science and technology at the
University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...
. After his retirement from Shell in 1958 he was secretary of the
Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen The ''Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen'' (Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities), located on the east side of the Spaarne in downtown Haarlem, Netherlands, was established in 1752 and is the oldest society for the ...
in Haarlem as successor of the late Johannes Abraham Bierens de Haan. In 1960 he was appointed professor in the history of physics and chemistry at the University of Amsterdam. Forbes retired from the University of Amsterdam on 1 September 1967. He died at his home at
Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...
13 January 1971 at the age of 72.


Recognition

In 1953 Forbes was awarded an
Honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
by the
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is a public university, public research university located in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912 by Jews under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, the Technion is the oldest university in the coun ...
. He was appointed member of the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to various advisory a ...
in 1959. The
Newcomen Society The Newcomen Society is an international learned society that promotes and celebrates the history of engineering and technology. It was founded in London in 1920,The Newcomen Society. '' Journal of the Royal Society of Arts'' 72 (3709): 84 (19 ...
awarded him the Dickinson Memorial Medal in 1960, and elected him Honorary President. In 1962 Forbes was awarded the first
Leonardo da Vinci Medal The Leonardo da Vinci Medal is the highest award of the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), and was first given in 1962. In general this award is granted annually to scholars who have contributed outstandingly to the history of technology ...
by the
Society for the History of Technology The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) is the primary professional society for historians of technology. SHOT was founded in 1958 in the United States, and it has since become an international society with members "from some thirty-five ...
(SHOT).


Work

As science historian Forbes wrote about the history of technology, particularly oil technology in the
ancient world Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...
. In the 1930s he had studied the use of
bitumen Bitumen ( , ) is an immensely viscosity, viscous constituent of petroleum. Depending on its exact composition, it can be a sticky, black liquid or an apparently solid mass that behaves as a liquid over very large time scales. In American Engl ...
,
asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...
,
petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
and building of roads in the Ancient world. Subsequently he had studied metals and mining from 1935 to 1950, and in between also ancient
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
and
water resource management Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either Fresh water, freshwater from natural sources, or water produ ...
in the years 1938 to 1941. Forbes also wrote a book about
Simon Stevin Simon Stevin (; 1548–1620), sometimes called Stevinus, was a County_of_Flanders, Flemish mathematician, scientist and music theorist. He made various contributions in many areas of science and engineering, both theoretical and practical. He a ...
, describing Stevin's
mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...
building and
hydraulic engineering Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the move ...
work. His work ''A history of science and technology'', written with Eduard Dijksterhuis, proposed a synthesis of the
history of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient history, ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural science, natural, social science, social, and formal science, formal. Pr ...
. In total Forbes published over thirty books and about two hundred articles.


History of ancient roads and their construction

In his youth Forbes had developed an interest in
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
, which became of interest when he started to study the application of asphalt in the construction of roads at Shell in 1931. Under guidance of the Dutch archaeologist and orientalist
Henri Frankfort Henri "Hans" Frankfort (24 February 1897 – 16 July 1954) was a Dutch Egyptology, Egyptologist, archaeologist and orientalism, orientalist. Early life and education Born in Amsterdam, into a "Reform Judaism, liberal Jewish" family, Frankfort stud ...
, Forbes went to Iraq to collect samples of ancient mastic, which he analyzed in the Shell laboratory. This research first let to the 1934 publication of ''Notes on the history of ancient roads and their construction.'' This work was reviewed in multiple publications. In 1936 Forbes also published ''Bitumen and petroleum in antiquity.'' In this work Forbes summarize the use of
bitumen Bitumen ( , ) is an immensely viscosity, viscous constituent of petroleum. Depending on its exact composition, it can be a sticky, black liquid or an apparently solid mass that behaves as a liquid over very large time scales. In American Engl ...
and
petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
in antiquity, as Hassan (2013) described, that: According to Hassan (2013) Forbes had also pointed out, that "by 347 AD the Chinese local oil and gas industry had developed considerably, because oil wells up to 800 feet were being drilled using bits connected to bamboo poles."


Cooperation at the University of Amsterdam

At the University of Amsterdam he became befriended with David Cohen (1882–1967), professor of Ancient History, who became his mentor. He became supporter of the Allard Pierson Stichting with its
Allard Pierson Museum The Allard Pierson Museum is the archaeological museum of the University of Amsterdam. It is situated at the Oude Turfmarkt 127 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Artifacts from the ancient civilizations of ancient Egypt, the Near East, the Greek W ...
, the archaeological museum of the University of Amsterdam, and joined the Vooraziatisch-Egyptisch Gezelschap Ex Oriente Lux. Their annual publication gave Forbes a forum to publish his work. In Shell his historical work became known to its chairman
Henri Deterding Henri Wilhelm August Deterding, (19 April 1866 – 4 February 1939) was one of the first executives of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company and was its general manager for 36 years, from 1900 to 1936, and was also chairman of the combined Royal Dutc ...
, who supported the publication of his work. With Deterding Shell supported the Allard Pierson Stichting, which initiated the chair for the history of applied science and technology at the University of Amsterdam in 1946 for Forbes.


''Bibliographia Antiqua: Philosophia Naturalis'' 1940–1963

From 1940 to 1963 Forbes published his first book series, entitled ''Bibliographia Antiqua: Philosophia Naturalis,'' in 10 parts with 6 volumes and 2 supplementary volumes in Dutch. The subjects of these works were: ::1. Mining and geology ::2. Metallurgy ::3/4. Building materials; Pottery, faience, glass, glaze, beads ::5/8. Paints, pigments, varnishes, inks and their application; Leather, manufacture and application; Fibrous materials; Paper, papyrus, and other writing materials. ::9. Man and nature ::10. Science and technology ::Supplement I: 1940-1950 ::Supplement II: 1950-1960 The latest work, ''Supplement II'' was reviewed by Eugene S. Ferguson 1964.


''Studies in Ancient Technology,'' 1955–1964

From 1955 to 1964 Forbes published his second book series, entitled ''Studies in Ancient Technology,'' in nine volumes. This work was reprinted and new editions occurred from 1964 to 1993. The titles and subjects of the nine volumes are: # Bitumen and petroleum in antiquity; the origin of alchemy; water supply # Irrigation and drainage; Power; Land transport and road-building; The coming of the camel. # Cosmetics and perfumes in antiquity; Food, alcoholic beverages, vinegar; Food in classical antiquity; Fermented beverages 500 B.C. - 1500 A.D.; Crushing; Salts, preservation processes, mummification; Paints, pigments, inks and varnishes. # The fibres and fabrics of antiquity; Washing, bleaching, fulling and felting; Dyes and dyeing; Spinning; Sewing, basketry and weaving; Weaving and looms; Fabrics and weavers. # Leather in antiquity; Sugar and its substitutes in antiquity; Glass. # Heat and heating; Refrigeration, the art of cooling and producing cold; Light. # Ancient geology; Ancient mining and quarrying; Ancient mining techniques. # Metallurgy in antiquity, part 1; Early metallurgy, the smith and his tools, gold, silver and lead, zinc and brass. #Metallurgy in antiquity, part 2; Copper and bronze, tin, arsenic, antimony and iron. Over the years these works were subject of multiple reviews.


Other publications

After the Second World War Forbes published multiple specialized and more general books on the history of technology and engineering, which received several reviews, such as: :* ''Short History of the Art of Distillation from the Beginnings up to the Death of Cellier Blumenthal'' (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1948) :* ''Man the Maker. A History of Technology and Engineering'' (New York: Henry Schuman, 1950) :* ''Studies in Early Petroleum History'' (Leiden: Brill, 1958.), and: :* ''More Studies in Early Petroleum History, 1860-1880'' (Leiden: Brill, 1959.) With E. J. Dijksterhuis in 1963 Forbes published a ''History of Science and Technology'' with
Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...
in two volumes. The first volume covered Ancient Times to the Seventeenth Century, and the second the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. Two of his latests works were ''The principal works of Simon Stevin'' published in 1966, and ''The Conquest of Nature: Technology and Its Consequences'' published in 1968.Forbes, R.J. The Conquest of Nature: Technology and Its Consequences. New York: Praeger, 1968. Print, .


Selected publications

* Forbes, Robert James. ''Bitumen and petroleum in antiquity.'' 1936. * Forbes, Robert James. ''Bibliographia Antiqua: Philosophia Naturalis.'' 10 volumes and 2 supplements, 1940–1963. * Forbes, Robert James. ''Metallurgy in antiquity: a notebook for archaeologists and technologists.'' Brill Archive, 1950. * Forbes, Robert James. ''Studies in Ancient Technology. Vol. 1-9.'' Brill Archive, 1955-64. * Forbes, Robert James, and
Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis (28 October 1892 in Tilburg – 18 May 1965 in De Bilt) was a Dutch historian of science. Education Dijksterhuis studied mathematics at the University of Groningen from 1911 to 1918. His Ph.D. thesis was entitled "A Contri ...
. ''A history of science and technology.'' Vol. 1. Penguin books, 1963. * ;Articles, a selection * Forbes, Robert James. "Short history of the art of distillation." ''British Journal for the Philosophy of Science'' 3 (11):273-275 (1952). * Forbes, Robert James. "Metallurgy in antiquity." ''Studies in Ancient Technology'' VIII. Leiden. 1971.


References


Further reading

* H. Gabriëls, "Ter herdenking – prof. dr. ir. R.J. Forbes," ''De Ingenieur'' 85 (20) (17 mei 1973) 407–409. (with bibliography). * Rupert Hall, A. (1976); Robert James Forbes (1900-1973). ''Archives internationales d'histore des sciences'', 26 (1976), pp. 160-162. * White, Lynn Townsend Jr. (1974); "Robert James Forbes (1900-1973)." ''Technology and Culture,'' 15, #3 (July 1974), pp. 438-439. * Wittop Koning, D.A. (1975); "Robert James Forbes, *Breda 21-4-1900, † Haarlem, 13-1-1973," ''Janus'', 62 (1975), pp. 217-221. Complete Bibliography on pages 221-233.


External links

*
Biography
in the
Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland The ''Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland 1880–2000'' (BWN) is a Dutch biographical dictionary, in which short biographies of well-known and less well-known but still notable Dutch people are listed. The BWN supplements the '' Nieuw Nederl ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, Robert Jacobus 1900 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Dutch historians Historians of science 20th-century Dutch chemists Delft University of Technology alumni Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Academic staff of the University of Amsterdam People from Breda Leonardo da Vinci Medal recipients