Science and Technology in the World  The transitional period between late Paleolithic

to early Neolithic was termed as Mesolithic by

Key Concepts John Allen Brown in 1892.
 Three-age system - A system of classifying
 Stone period are based mainly on technological
ancient ages into groups based on tools
advancement and not on actual date.
developmental stages.
 Scientific Revolution - Period of great scientific
intellectual achievements that contributed to
essential changes in scientific investigations. PALAEOLITHIC (Old Stone)
 Industrial Revolution - Period of complex
technological investigations that eventually
- Longest phase of human history.
replaced human and animal forces. - Humans evolve from ape-like creature to a
 Information Age - or digital age; the period true Homo sapiens.
characterized by the change from traditional - Hunters and gatherers.
industry to an economy that is founded on - Live in small bands and were
computerization of information. either nomadic or semi-nomadic
consistently or migrating between
Three-age system
temporary settlements, respectively,
depending on food availability.
Christian Jurgensen Thomsen

MIDDLE PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD

 A system of classifying ancient ages into
groups based on tools developmental
stages.
 An archeologist and a curator of the
National Museum of Denmark,
Copenhagen who introduced the Three-Age
System in early 19th century, through his book
entitled “Guide to Scandinavian Antiquity”.

ANCIENT AGE: Three – Age System  simple tools such as stone choppers
believed to be made more than a million
year ago by one of our earliest ancestors,
Australopithecus.
ANCIENT AGE  Neanderthals were cavemen known to use
fire, stone tools of flake types for hunting,
Stone Age and bone implements such as needles for
 Weapons made of stone, wood, sewing body coverings made of animal furs
bone or some other materials aside from and skins.
metals.
 Subdivided by John Lubbock into
“Palaeolithic” and “Neolithic” periods.
UPPER PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD
Homo sapiens groups like
Cro-Magnon man dominated
the Upper Palaeolithic
period. This period was
known for communal
hunting, extensive fishing,
supernatural beliefs, cloth
sewing, sculpture, painting,
and making personal
ornaments out of bone,
horns and ivory.
MESOLITHIC (Middle Stone)
 Mediterranean and Eastern European areas.
 P
e op
l e
began to learn fishing
along rivers and lake shores, make pottery
and use bow.
 They made use of stone tools known as
microliths which were comparatively
smaller and more delicate than those of
Palaeoliths.
 Cultural and technological development
was based primarily on agriculture.
 Characterized by domestication of plants
and animals.
BRONZE AGE
 Tools and weapons were already widely
made with copper and bronze.
 Smelting is a process of extracting metal
from or involving heating and melting.
 Sumerians of Mesopotamia discovered that
a harder and stronger metal could be made
by blending copper and tin.
DATE EVENT
3700 BC The Bronze Age (3700 BC-500 BC) The bronze
age started at different areas of the world at
different times. The knowledge of how to mix
the copper and tin moved slowly from place
to place, plus many areas had no tin and/or
copper to make the new metal.
3769 BC Near and Middle East (3769 BC) Bronze was
already in use at this time. No one knows
exactly where or how bronze was first
discovered. By around 3500 BC, farm tools
and weapons were being made of this new
metal in these areas.
3500 BC Bronze Age began in Bohemia (3500 BC-
3001 BC) Bronze was used in the
This new metal was expensive to make, plus
a craftsman was needed to make this new
alloy.
2500 BC Indus Valley (about 2500 BC) The Indus
Valley civilization in India was a large early
trading center. Bronze tools, weapons,
statuary, jewelry, and even toys were
discovered from this time period.
2400 BC China (2400 BC) The Longshan people of
China lived from around 3000 BC to 2400 BC.
Toward the end of this period, they used
bronze to make tools and weapons.
2300 BC Europe (2300 BC) The Bronze Age started
about 2300 BC in Europe. Few tools were
made in the beginning but by 1200 BC,
bronze replaced all stone tools.
1700 BC Yellow River Valley (1700 BC or so) The
Shang Dynasty of China used bronze
regularly. They even set up bronze-working
communities. Around 1200 BC, Lady Hao,
the wife of King Wuding, died and was buried
with many items for the afterlife including
bronze vessels, armor, bells, tools, knives,
 and tigers.

1650 BC Mycenaean Civilization (1650 BC) The MIDDLE AGE

Mycenaean civilization, located in present-
day Greece, used bronze until about 1100 BC.
The southern coastal community of Phylos
had 400 laborers in their bronze-working
industry.
 Began in 450 A.D. – 1450 A.D
 Subdivided into two smaller ages:
i) Dark (450-1000 A.D.)
ii) High Middle (1000-450 A.D.)

1640 BC Egypt (1640 BC) The Egyptians did not have CHINA
bronze until they were invaded by the Hyksos
around 1640 BC. Farming largely began in Huang Ho and
Yangtze Rivers.
1500 BC Start of the Middle Bronze Age (1500 BC) Agriculture
Large-scale silk production started.
and
Bronze started to be found in Western
Economy
Europe. The undeveloped areas of Northern Bronze production became more
Europe did not use bronze until about 1000 sophisticated.
BC. Physics
1250 BC Alps and Central and Eastern Europe (1250
● Weight is force.
● Motion is caused by force and
BC) Around this time, bronze swords and
stops by obstruction.
helmets were made in these areas.
● Convex and concave mirrors give
3700 BC Yellow River Area, China (1122 BC-221 BC) virtual and an inverted image,
After the defeat of the Shang Dynasty, the respectively.
Chou Dynasty continued to use bronze- ● Studies on magnetism arose.
working techniques until iron was introduced Astronomy
after 770 BC. ● Calendars with 365 and ¼ days in
a year were developed.
3769 BC Korea (100 BC) The Chinese were the ones ● Circle was divided into 365 and ¼
who eventually introduced bronze-working degrees.
to the Koreans around 1000 BC. ● Stars, planets, comets, meteors
and eclipses were catalogued and
3500 BC Japan (300 BC) The Japanese used bronze
described.
and iron tools at this that might have been Science ● Various models of the universe
brought over from South Korea. The Bronze 2500 BC presented.
age, though it developed slowly, was a
tremendous time of technological Mathematics
advancement that helped early civilizations ● Numbers were expressed in
flourish and expand. decimals.
● Knowledge on determining square
roots was introduced.
● Sliding calipers were widely used
in artisan works.
● Solutions on cubic, quadratic and
AGE intermediate equations were
 1500 BC – 450 BC presented.
 Began when smelting pits made sufficient
advancement to produce higher
Medical Biology
temperatures that could smelt iron ore.
● Diseases were believed to
 be caused by excess of:
Science heat, cold, light, darkness,
2500 BC wind and rain.
● Exercise, water therapy and
wine anesthesia were
usually prescribed by
physicians to patients.
● Diagnoses involved
observations, auscultation,
questioning and pulse
counting.
● Acupuncture began to
effectively cure the most
known body illness.
The following were some of the
major Chinese
technological advancements during
the Middle Ages.
1. Paper – for writing and
even clothing, wall décor,
art.
2. Seismograph – a vibration-
Technology sensitive device for
earthquake detection.
3. Animal harness.
4. Water-power – for grinding
and metallurgical bellow
operations.
5. Mechanical clock.
6. Hydraulic engineering
works – include waterway
controls, irrigation and tax
grain transport.
7. Wheel barrow.
8. Gun powder, guns and
cannon – as part of
explosive weapon
development.
9. Printing press – led to mass
production of paper money
and Confucian works.
10. Magnetic compass and
stern-post rudder – made
of loadstones, a naturally
occurring magnetic iron.
EUROPE
Feudal system fully developed in Europe
and had defined its economic history. It
depended on local agriculture and
handicraft production and was
characterized by having the following
Economy hierarchical ranks in the society:
Peasant->Lord->Lay or Clerical->Overlords-
>Kings and
Pope or Emperors<-Bishops
The Church provided the intellectual and
administrative
expression of the feudal system.
Cathedral schools, which then became
universities, were established to address the
societal need for intellectual advancement.
Some of these universities arose in the
following European areas:
● Paris (1160)
Education ● Oxford (1167)
● Cambridge (1209)
● Padua (1221)
● St. Andrew (1410)
● Napples (1224)
● Salamanca (1227)
● Prague (1347)
● Vienna (1367)
EUROPE Technology
Listed below are the major discoveries and inventions in
Europe during the Middle Ages:
1. Horse-collar – pulls on the horse’s
shoulders which enabled them to be used
for ploughing and for wagon; a Chinese
innovation which came to Europe.
2. Clock/watch – a European development
from a Chinese clock form which introduced
the to-and-fro motion, thus giving birth to
mechanical clock.
3. Magnetic compass – a piece of magnetic
device originating from China that showed
direction and helped European mariners.
 4. Water-mill and windmill – a Stone Age-
invention which was used widely in Europe
during the Middle Ages; used a rotary
motion converted to reciprocal motion to
Pre- Columbian America
generate power.
5. Lenses with spectacles – helped in optical  Thrived in by three groups of people:
studies by aiding in focusing light rays and MAYAN, AZTEC and INCAS.
in magnification.
6. Gunpowder and cannon – originally from
China; aided in various military activities.
7. Paper and printing – originated from China
and reached Europe; widely used as writing
material and for book production.

Superstition and dogmatism

flourished.

Diagnosis was generally limited for

urine inspection.

Medical therapy involved magic,

Medicine prayer, charms, faith

healing and the use of different

herbs.

There was poor hygiene and

sanitation in general.

INDIA
Information on diseases and drugs, and Mayan Civilization
astronomical bodies (Ancient natives of Central America)

Pyramids made of limestone were

Science
Diagnosis was generally limited for built by the Mayans.
urine inspection.
Mayan houses were made of poles
Medical therapy involved magic, prayer, Infrastructure and leaves of palms.
charms, faith healing and the use of
different herbs. Large sculptures served for recording
There was poor hygiene and sanitation in of significant Mayan events.
general.

Economy Cocoa beans were used as monetary

units.
 Mayans used decimal notations with Astronomy A calendar of 365 days was
zero represented by an oval shape, developed.
while other numbers with dots and
dashes.

Astronomy Mayan solar calendar was developed

consisting of 365 days in a year,
comprising 18 months of 20 days.

Positions of different heavenly bodies

were observed and recorded.

Aztec Civilization
(pre-Columbian Indians of Mexico)

Infrastructure High temples were built for their

deities.

Decimal notations were used, in which

zero was similarly represented by an
oval shaped and other numbers by dots
Astronomy and dashes.

A social calendar was developed with

365 days for a total of 18 months.

Inca Civilization
(pre-Columbian of Peru)

Farming was practiced in terraced

field with canals for irrigation.

Agriculture Chili and avocado were widely

cultivated.

Clothes from llama and alpaca

wools were made.

Decimal system of counting was

used.