The Camel And The Wheel Analysis

History of Technology: Interpreting the Context around the Camel In The Camel and the Wheel, by Richard W. Bulliet, Bulliet argues that the camel replaced the wheel in certain regions of the world. Bulliet discusses the domestication of camels, using them for transporting loads, and people. Bulliet argues that due to the camel’s ability to survive in desert climates, and its usefulness as a pack animal, it replaced the wheel entirely until currently. In History: Neglected Clue to Technological Change, Lewis Mumford argues that history of technology is too focused on objects. Mumford argues that the history of technology needs to zoom out from the objects, and inspect the context around the information. In Rationality, Agency, Contingency: …show more content…
When reading Mumford, he argued the problem with the history of technology is the focusing on objects. Bulliet focuses his book around the animal the camel, its relation to societies, and to the disappearance of the wheel in certain areas. “The role of the camel in human history and explain why camel utilization had a profound impact on the course of Middle Eastern and North African history in particular.” Bulliet centers his argument on one object, the camel. Mumford argues that historians need to focus on the context around the object, not the interpretation of the object itself. Bulliet does not only focus on the camel, he studies the context around camels also. Bulliet looks at the history around technological advances in saddles, and in cart pulling mechanisms. There is an argument that Bulliet took a tunnel vision view at camels. There is also an argument that Bulliet focused on camels, however included the historical context around the camels, in relation to the history of …show more content…
Bulliet is knowledgeable in the content, and the context surrounding the history of the camel. Bulliet focuses on the camel as object, however also looks at the history as a whole. Bulliet aids his argument by being an expert on saddles, and cart mechanisms, giving the reader reason to believe his argument. Bulliet interprets pictorial evidence to his advantage, to bring the reader to his side of the argument. Some interpretations are not a sound argument, however the majorty if Bulliet’s pictorial evidence is convincing. Bulliet’s interpretations of evidence shows enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject at hand. Bulliet’s argument is convincing and takes into account the history of technology in regards to context, and interpretation of evidence to aid his