HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS OF

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ANCIENT AGES
Science comes from the Latin word Scientia meaning
“Knowledge”

A systematized body of knowledge urging people to find

answers to questions they have regarding the things
around them

About knowing how the world works

 ANCIENT AGES
Origins of Science in our world
 Mesopotamia
“ the cradle of civilization”

• Sumerian
• Babylonian
• Assyrian

Map of Mesopotamia
Ancient Civilization
Africa
Indus Valley

Ancient China
Aegean
Ancient Greek
Ancient Rome

Mesoamerica
• Maya
• Aztec and Inca
 Mesopotamia

First recorded civilization existed around 3300BC-750BC

From te reeks, meaning “between two rivers”

Signifies location between Tigris-Euphrates river system

Sumerian
 Known for inventing cuneiform, one of the
earliest writing systems, at around 3000BC

further strengthened their writing system due

to the need of long-distance communication Cuneiform Tablet

with merchants from other civilizations

This system was adopted by
surrounding civilizations until
the development of the
Phoenecian script
 further strengthened their writing
system due to the need of long-
distance communication with
merchants from other civilizations

developed number system using

base-60 with auxiliary base 10,
useful in their conduct of trade
Sumerian Number System
• Sailboats made of wooden planks and
cloth sails were built to facilitate trading
of goods with other civilizations
• Sumerians are credited to have invented Sumerian Sailboat
the wheel in 3500BC for pottery, used
later by chariots in 3200BC
• Through these inventions, Sumer served
as one of history’s earliest trading
grounds
Sumerian Wheel
• Believed to have developed agricultural
processes
• High levels and Flood Banks to collect
waters from Tigris and Euphrates
• One of the first civilizations known to use
the plow to make planting easier
Sumerian Flood Bank
• They are known for being the best astronomers
• Observed phases of the moons
• Developed a lunar calendar becoming
a basis of having 12 lunar months in a
year
• Observed movements of the planets and
stars Sumerian Wheel
Babylonian
• Babylon served as the center of Mesopotamia for nearly two millennia
• Term Babylon derived from bav-il or bav-ilim: “Gates of the Gods”
• Biblical references reveals its history from the time of Hammurabi in
2000BC to its downfall around 500BC
• Babylonian people, government, religion, culture, and military power are
mentioned all throughout the old testament
Ancient City of Babylon
• Genesis 10: Noah’s son Ham became father
of Cush, the father of Nimrod, becoming a
great warrior and building the city of
Babylon
• Genesis 11: Tower of babel was a structure
built “with its tops to the heavens”. God
disrupted its construction by confusing the
workers’ languages no longer able to
understand each other.

Tower of Babel
• References to Babylon in different biblical books prompted German
archaeologist Robert Koldewey to direct the excavation of Babylon
in 1899
• They unearthed the temple of Etemenanki, believed to be inspired
by the Tower of Babel, and Nebuchadnezzar’s palace.

Temple of Etemenanki
They discovered what are believed to be the Hanging Gardnes of
Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II’s gift to Amytis, his homesick wife
• Babylonians adopted the Sumerian Number
system, being known for advancing it becoming
the precursor for many present numbering
systems
• Archaeologists discovered different ways
Babylonians used mathematics in their daily
lives
• Fractions, Square and cube formulas, and
the Pythagorean theorem were found
written on cuneiform tablets Babylonian cuneiform tablet
 Babylonian priests were known to are
made astronomical calculations and
predictions on the sun moon and stars

They devised a lunar calendar with each

month being 29 days long, sundials, and
water clocks to determine time.

Babylonian lunar calendar

Assyrian
 In ancient times
their civilization was centered at the
city of Assur (also called Ashur), the
ruins of which are located in what is
now northern Iraq.

It was located in what is

now northern Iraq and southeastern
Turkey.
 They were a warrior society
where fighting was a part of life. It
was how they survived.

They were known throughout the

land as cruel and ruthless warriors.

famous for their fearsome army.

 Africa
• Ancient Egypt
Science and technology in the continent with Africans excelling in the fields
of agriculture, metallurgy, engineering, textile production, and medicine,
among others:

Agriculture: Production of coffee, palm oil, sugarcane, cotton, African

rice, and sorghum, that were adopted for cultivation around the world

Medicine: Such plants were used in the production of pain killers,

analgesics, antidotes, dewormers, and antimicrobials

Metallurgy and Tool making: Bows, arrows, knives, and axes were
created by local craftsmen for hunting
 Africa, beyond Egypt, don’t separate science from spirituality, culture,
religion, and everyday life

Whereas, the west separates science from religiosity, believing that

knowledge can only be gathered using the scientific method, basing ideas on
observation, and trial and error.

Scientific achievement was also minimized due to lack of scientific

dominance

Racist attitudes minimized scientific merit from Africa

African scientists failed to keep (western styled) written records of findings,

with any form of documentation ruined by the lack of storage facilities
 Africa
• Ancient Egypt
Egypt was one of Africa’s most famous
civilizations

Known as Kemet, named after the rich dark

soil along the nile river

Agriculture was a an area of vast innovation

Egyptian Agriculture Depiction

First scientific innovation was construction of

a canal for irrigation

Used and further developed the plow for

easier farming

Developed shadoof, an irrigation tool made Shadoof

of a pole and bucket, used to lift water.
Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt (c. 2613-2181
B.C.) was rich in architectural feats

Constructed Great Sphinx of Giza

Great Sphinx of Giza
Constructed Pyramids
Djoser built the first Step Pyramid in
Saqqara

Great pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and

Menkaure were also constructed

Step Pyramid of Djoser

Papyrus, made from the pith of the papyrus
plant, was used as a writing surface
Plant itself was used to make mats, baskets,
rafts, ropes, and more

Egyptians developed medicines to treat

different kinds of illnesses Papyrus Plant

Imhotep, a physician, wrote texts describing

over 200 diseases and corresponding
treatments

Egyptians are responsible for cosmetic inventions

Wigs Statue of Imhotep
Make-up
 Indus Valley

This civilization was located in present-day

Pakistan and northwest India
Flourished in the basins of Indus and
Ghaggar-Hakra River

In 1920, archaeologists unearthed the 4600-

year-old city of Mohenjo-Daro, ruins of the
Indus valley civilization
Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro

Also unearth nearby city of Harappa

Proved the civilization had an advanced
urban life
Introduced new techniques of metallurgy
and handicraft

Metallurgy: Bronze, tin, copper, and

lead

Handicraft: Seal Carving and

Carnelian Products Metallurgy
 Ancient China

Known as one of the oldest and longest lasting civilizations of the world

Has a very long and rich history of science and technology

Made many important advancements in science, technology,

mathematics, and astronomy

First to record astronomical phenomena such as solar eclipse

One of the few to witness a guest star supernova at 1054BC

creating the crab nebula
Responsible for introducing and developing
medicinal treatments
Acupuncture – practice of inserting metal
needles for relieving pain, healing illnesses,
and improving general wellbeing of a
person
Herbal Medicine
Paper was invented in 105AD greatly affecting Acupuncture
the manner China recorded history and made
literature

Created first movable printing press in 960AD,

allowing the production of printed works to
flourish around the world

Chinese Printing Press

Porcelain was also invented in China and is a
type of ceramic used in crafting vases, plates,
cups and decorative furniture treasured by other
nations at the time

Silk has its origins in China, being produced by

Porcelain
silkworms feeding on mulberry leaves, leaving a
cocoon made of silk.

Eventually lead to the creation of the Silk

Road, a trade network connecting different
countries

Silk Making Process

Gunpowder was invented by mixing
sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate in
the hopes of finding immortality

Originally used for fireworks

Used in the Mongol wars
Used in the European domination of
China in the 1800s
Gunpowder
 Aegean
• Greek
• Roman

Ancient Greece refers to a time between 800BC-500BC after the so-called Greek
dark ages

Ancient Greece is characterized by expansion of villages and development of

marketplaces and meeting places

Greeks are known for their achievements in politics, art, philosophy, and science
Greece was able to democratize education, enabling them to nurture great philosophers
and scientists

Such thinkers and their inventions brought ancient Greece unparalleled influence
among the budding western civilizations
 Greek Philosophy is undeniably the most
renowned contribution of the Greeks to western
civilization

Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates questioned

human existence and how the world came to be

Them and many after denied the explanation

of religion, superstition, and myths in decoding
the human condition and mechanisms of the
world

Rationality replaced common unscientific

Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle
notions in society
 Pythagoras, a mathematician and philosopher,
is best known for the Pythagorean Theorem

Thales of Miletus, became popular for his Pythagorean Theorem

precise prediction of a solar Eclipse on
May 28, 585BC

Hippocrates (Father of Western Medicine),

observed the veins and arteries of the body and
correlated diet and lifestyle to diseases

Formed the Hippocratic Oath

Hippocratic Oath
 Engineering and Mechanics also
flourished
Water mills – used to grind grain,
originating from the Perachora wheel

Aqueducts – constructed for water

management in Samos and Athens

Clepsydra (by Ctesibius) or water clock –

Used water droppings and clay vessels to
track time; bells were also used being hit by
pebbles to make sounds
Ancient Odometer
Odometer (Archimedes of Syracus) –
Measures the distance covered by a vehicle
 Ancient Greece was originally a small town near the Tiber when
Augustus Caesar became its first Emperor, becoming greater and stronger
from trade

Rome enriched the culture of Greece becoming a powerful empire,

encompassing most of continental Europe, Britain, Western Asia, the
Mediterranean, and Northern Africa

Roman legacy can be traced to civil and military engineering

Led to construction of roads, bridges, aqueducts, arenas, monuments,
and more
 Aegean
Roman

Galen the Physician

First do describe and diagnose symptoms of
different diseases and corresponding treatments
Surgical instruments were used by Roman physicians
Rectal Speculum, bone levers, and cupping
vessels which were maid of lead, steel and
Roman Surgical Instruments
bronze
Rome’s innovations may be attributed to use of
concrete
Known for durability due to volcanic ash in mixture
Used in road, building, and aqueduct

Roman Concrete in Colosseum

 Appius Claudius Caecus first
Roman aqueduct called Aqua
Appia in 312BC

Aqua Appia
 Mesoamerica

A historical region and cultural area in North America

spanning from Mexico to Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El
Salvador

Earliest known Mesoamerican civilization is the Olmec

civilization established in the north-eastern part of Mexico
around 1200 BC

Mesoamerican civilizations were able to thrive until the

arrival of Spanish conquistadors in Mexico
 Mesoameric
Maya
Scholars considered Mayans as one of the most
scientifically advanced civilizations in
Mesoamerica
Maya hieroglyphics (glyphs) with 1000
characters were used as a system of writing
Writing tools are crafted from animal hair and
feathers
Text was written on tree bark called codices Mayan Hieroglyphs
Contained records of Maya culture, rituals,
and scientific observations

Burned by Spaniards since it was

considered as pagan literature

Mayan Writing Tools

• Their civilization built a number of
observatories were astronomical events were
studied
• Knowledge and accuracy of Mayans on eclipses
and celestial events were very accurate

• Mayans were able to refer their 365-day

solar year and 260-day sacred year thanks
to their knowledge in Astronomy and
Mathematics
• Known as calendar count
• Also devised long count
• Measured days by cycles/sets
• Numbers were in base-20 Mayan Calendar
• Their civilization was technologically
advanced for its innovations in architecture,
art, and warfare
• Build large pyramids and temples from
limestone bricks
• Used mica, plants, and other minerals to
decorate temples Mayan Pyramid

• Built complex waterways using hydraulic

technology aiding agricultural practices
• Produced textiles using looms to weave
colorful patterns
• Rubber was used in binding books, gluing
materials, and manufacturing cloth Mayan Water System
 Mesoamerica
Aztec Aztec Astronomy

• These civilizations persisted for 200 years

behind being conquered by Spaniards
• Used Maya calendar in agricultural and
religious activity
• Aztecs were able to predict astronomical
events and performed celestial
observations
• They were able to preserve their
literature through codices describing
culture and valuable scientific Aztec Codices
observations
• Sun Stone is a notable artifact of
the Aztec civilization
• They used pictographs as system of
writing, and their language was
called Nahuatl, whose modern Sun Stone

variation is being used today

• Built massive stone temples where
religious rituals and offerings were
made before the statues of their
gods Aztec Temples
 MESOAMERICA
INCA
• Incan Empire was the largest Mesoamerican
civilization
• Known for being great and innovative engineers
• Built an elaborate system of roads from
mountains to valleys
• Built bridges over mountains and valleys
• Architectural buildings were designed to be
robust and pleasing to the eye, with some of
these structures still standing to today

Incan Architecture
• In medicine, they performed cranial surgeries
(trepanation) is a surgical intervention in which
a hole is drilled or scraped into the human
skull, and amputation for injured warriors
Incan Trepanation

• They were also able to produce textiles

• Tunics, long shirts, and delicate clothing

Incan Textiles
• Their civilization had musical instruments
• Flutes, drums, panpipes, and horns

• Official Language is Quencha still being

spoken by natives today
Incan Musical Instruments

• They developed the Quipu

• A set of strings which were knotted
to represent numbers used for
recording information (tax records,
census records, calendar
information) Quipu
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• Casas et al (2020) Science, Technology and
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