The author, after extensive study, introduces the reader of this volume to the knowledge of Byzantine technology and engineering.
Despite contrary opinions, the Byzantines made significant progress in these fields and created remarkable achievements, either in the form of simple and specialized instruments or in buildings that featured complex hydraulic installations. The development of astronomy led to the solution of the problem of time measurement with various types of mechanisms, and to astronomical instruments such as astrolabes.
The research on time measurement and astronomy in Byzantium has provided us with an initial record of the technology and science of this period. The recording of scientific progress in other fields, which will follow in subsequent volumes, will provide a more complete picture and shed more light on this period.