Aage Gerhardt Drachmann (22 October 1891 – 9 April 1980) was aDanish librarian andhistorian of science andtechnology, one of the 20th century's foremost experts on Ancient Greek and Romanmechanics.[1]
Drachmann was born in Copenhagen in 1891, the son ofclassicistAnders Bjørn Drachmann [da;de] (1860–1935) and teacher Ellen Sophie Drachmann (née Bentzon, 1866–1948). He studiedclassical philology andEnglish language andliterature at theUniversity of Copenhagen from 1909 to 1915.
Afterward, he took a job as a librarian at theCopenhagen 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 theUnited States as a fellow of theAmerican-Scandinavian Foundation, working in theJohn Crerar Library and theLibrary of Congress, and subsequently introduced some American library processes to Denmark, includingphotocopying. In 1943, he became chief librarian at the University Library. In 1948, he received a PhD studying ancientpneumatics. In 1956 he retired to focus full-time on research.[2][3]
Drachmann was a lifelong bachelor.[2]
Starting in the 1930s, Drachmann wrote scholarly papers, primarily on ancient technology, and papers on library science. From 1928–1949 he edited theIndex Medicus Danicus, acard-index bibliography of Danish medical literature. In the 1950s he was an editor ofCentaurus, in which many of his papers were also published.[4] He was a member of severallearned societies.
Drachmann's research focused on medicine, natural sciences and technology in antiquity. He wrote books on "pneumatic medicine",oil mills, ancient mechanics andCaesar's Rhine bridges, as well as several articles for theRealencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft and theDictionary of Scientific Biography.[2][3]
Drachmann's 1963 bookMechanical Technology of Greek and Roman Antiquity consisted of a critical translation and commentary onHero of Alexandria'sMechanics (fromQusṭā ibn Lūqā's Arabic translation), alongside study of other works by Hero,pseudo-Aristotle,Vitruvius, andOribasius.[5]
In mechanics, Drachmann's method combined careful textual analysis with practical mechanical experiments and constructions.[2] His writing was characterized by an insightful but unpretentious and commonsense style.[6]
In 1971 he received theLeonardo da Vinci Medal for his scholarship in the history of technology.[4]
Drachmann also studied English literature,Danish folk tales andornithology.
Stahl, William H. (1964). "A. G. DrachmannThe Mechanical Technology of Greek and Roman Antiquity".Isis (Book review).55 (2):236–237.doi:10.1086/349848.
