Of Stones and Man

Looking back across many centuries and civilizations to trace the same mistakes made over and over again, Of Stones and Man explores how obsession with grandeur resulted in a series of disastrous constructions and consequences for builders of the Pantheon in Paris, the collapsed Beauvais Cathedral, medieval bell-towers, and more. This book examines these disasters and explores the errors in judgment made by both ancient and modern civilizations all over the world. Analyzing from a scientific as well as a historical-sensitive perspective, this text also highlights the hydro-geological background to repeated infamous disasters, including faults inherent in the Sphinx and the leaning Tower of Pisa.