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Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the historical origins of system, modelling, and automatic control concepts as well as to follow their development. An attempt is made to place the early formation and evolution of these concepts within the framework of their current understanding. Our research focuses on ancient Greece and involves searching through the primary sources and the literature on archaeological findings related to system, modelling and control ideas.

Nowadays, the application fields of system, modelling, and control concepts are mostly associated with complex, industrial or business processes and problems. However, the emergence of the system and modelling concepts is to be found in the early scientific and technological human thought, when the under consideration issues are the creation and the structure of the world, the natural processes and phenomena, or the functions of human body. On the other hand, the mythical intention of constructing automatic machines that imitate the living beings at the beginning, and the realisation of them in the Hellenistic times, give birth to the concept of feedback and control. The study of the primitive appearance of system, modelling, and control concepts and their evolution from the Mythical period to the Hellenistic era serves the purposes of: a) the in depth understanding of these concepts, b) placing them in a proper historical setup, c) highlighting aspects of the current advanced system theories, modelling methodologies and control methods from a historical perspective, and d) expanding their application in more and more complicated problems.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DF Greece T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Departments:	School of Science & Technology > Engineering School of Science & Technology > School of Science & Technology Doctoral Theses Doctoral Theses

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