HISTORICAL

ANTECEDENTS IN THE
WORLD
Objectives:
1. A greater understanding of how science and technology
developed through the years;

2. A better perspective of how science and technology

progressed in the Philippines; and

3. A thorough knowledge of the intricacies involved in man’s

search for new technologies.
THE ADVENT OF SCIENCE (600 BC to 1400 AD)
• It has been said that man’s bewilderment and scientific
view of the globe started in what was known then as
ancient Mesopotamia. **
• Onset of new discoveries in agriculture and writing.
• Man’s fascination with objects of the night.

• 4,000 BC; high priests of Sumeria scrutinized the stars;

tablets that were made of clay; great knowledge in
triangles with right-angle features **
The Science and Technology Practiced in
Ancient Greece
• Achievement of Thales of Miletus who was really
enamored with the stars; (585 BC) Thales foresaw the
occurrence of a rare solar eclipse (tremendous
knowledge) **

• Greece has a variety of city-states just bound together

by race.
• Athens as center of learning. **
• Aristotle, a keen learner but he did not engage in conduct
of experiments; reasoned to gather astute men then the
ultimate truth would have come out. **
• Archimedes, an engineer; able to detect the characteristics
of liquids, such as fluids. **
• Eratosthenes, tinkered with the Earth’s breadth and width
**
• Ctesibius, constructed precise clocks.

• Alexandrian library were able to make a collection of the

most precious books to be found in this time
The Onset of Science and Technology in
Asia
• The development of science happened at a different
pace in China.
• Gunpowders, fireworks, rockets, metals, and even
guns;
• Believed to have first invented the first seismograph
and compass. **
• 1054 AD, Chinese astronomers; passage of
supernova **
• India was not to be left behind as many of
the most advanced technology in the first
millennium AD.
• Spinning wheel
• Indian farming techniques
• Indian Mathematicians (Arabic number
system)
Ushering in the Golden Age of Islam **
• (750 AD) the Caliph of Islamic Caliphate founded the so-
called House of Wisdom, abiding with the Islamic
saying “the ink of a scholar is more holy than the blood
of a martyr.” **
• Great library; center of research (purpose)
• This library in Baghdad became a fine rival to the
Alexandrian library.
• The science of astronomy was of great use to Arabic
nomads, who used such knowledge of the heavenly
bodies to navigate their tireless camels across the
Arabian desert, especially in the middle of the night.
• Al-Sufi, an astronomer who was a fan on the works
of Ptolemy. **
• Alhazen, a great Arab scientists; wrote a book about
optics. **
• Al-Razi, a physician who formulated soap and made
distinctions between smallpox and measles **
 • Al-Khwarizmi, who introduced algebra and
algorithms **
• Al-Jazari, an engineer who was the first to use
rod systems **

• Some other Arab chemists discovered distillation

and formulated words, such as alkali and
alcohol. **
Thank you! God Bless 