Historical Antecedents of
Science and Technology
Module 1
Ancient Times (3000 BCE-500CE)
Mesopotamia
● “Between two rivers”
● Tigris & Euphrates
● First recorded civilization of
the world
● Corresponds to present
day Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, &
Turkey
● Sumerian, Babylonian, and
Assyrian civilizations
Sumerian Civilization
● “Black headed people‘
● Cuneiform writing system
● Sumerian number system
● Sailboat
● Wheel
● Irrigation system
● Plow
● Lunar calendar
Babylonian Civilization
● Tower of Babel
● Hanging Garden of Babylon
● Temple of Etemenanki
● Ishtar Gate
● Mathematics
● Devised lunar
calendar
● Sundial
● Water clock
Ancient Egypt
● Africa’s most famous civilization
● Kemet ‘Black Land’
● Nile River provided rich soil for
agriculture
● Crops (wheat & flax)
● Canal for Irrigation & Shadoof
Ancient Egypt
● Breath mint (frankincense,
myrrh, cinnamon, honey)
● Pyramids and the Great Sphinx
of Giza
● Papyrus Paper & Ink
● Hieroglyphics
● Medicines (- Imhotep)
Indus Valley Civilization
● Metallurgy
● Handcrafted carvings
● Mohenjo-daro
● Baked bricks houses
● Drainage system
● Water storage
● Writing system
● Advance agricultural practices
Ancient China
● Oldest and longest lasting civilization
● called Seres by Greeks and Romans
● Abacus
● Acupuncture
● Paper
● Moveable Printing Press
● Porcelain
● Silk (sericulture)
● Gunpowder
Aegean Civilization
● 800BC - 500BC
● Southeastern Europe (Hellas or Ellada)
● Greek Philosophers
○ Plato, Aristotle, Socrates
○ Pythagoras
○ Thales of Miletus
○ Hippocrates
● Water Mills (pioneered from Perachora
wheel)
● Aqueducts
● Water Alarm Clock
(Ctesibius)
● Odometer
Ancient Rome
● Surgical instruments (rectal
speculum, bone levers, cupping
vessels)
● Galen - describe diff. Diseases and
treatments
● Concrete
● Aqueducts
● Colosseum
● Pantheon
● Ballista & Greek fire
Mesoamerica
4 major civilizations:
1. Olmec - 1st civilization
2. Maya - hieroglyphics, codices, pagan, writing tools, calendar round (365- &
260-days), long count, pyramids and temples (Kukulkan Maya temple
pyramid), waterways
3. Aztec - present day Mexico, predict astronomical events, sun stone,
pictograms, massive stone temples
4. Inca - largest, elaborate road systems, bridges, canals, cranial surgeries
(trepanation) and amputation, textiles (tunics, long shirts, delicate clothing),
musical instruments (flutes, drums, panpipes, horns)
MEDIEVAL/MIDDLE AGES (ca. 500 – 1500)
● The period of history between the Ancient and Modern Times.
● It is considered to be one of the creative periods in the history of humans and said to be the start
of the first industrial revolution.
● Also known as the” Dark Ages” since there are few written records from the said era.
● Vertical windmills, spectacles, mechanical clocks were invented.
● Gothic style building techniques came about.
● Considered as one of the greatest inventions during this period was the mechanized printing
press by Johannes Gutenberg.
● Gunpowder was invented in China sometime between the 9th and 11th centuries, and it did not
take long for it to be used in weapons. It would revolutionize warfare and make previous military
technology obsolete.
Byzantine Empire
● Byzantium as its capital
● Peak ruled by Emperor Justinian
● Restoration of Rome - gave rise to
various reforms
● Greeks Fire
● Handheld trebuchet
● Tidal Mill
Islamic Empire
● Paper making - starch
● The House of Wisdom
● Golden Age - 8th century (scholars
emerge from various field) Ibn Al-Haytham (Alhazen)
● Koran - encourage dev. Of S&T
Abu Ali
Al-Biruni Al Zarawi al-Hussein ibn
Muhammas ibn Musa
al-Khwarizmi Sina (Avicenna)
Medieval Europe
● Carolingian Empire
● Viking Age
○ Axe
○ Magnetic compass
● High Middle Ages -
Europe began to
recover
○ Muslims vs Vikings
○ Crusades (recovery of
Holy land from Islamic
rule)- advancement in
weaponry
3. War weapons
For open- area battles, people developed cross bows
and long bows
In close range hand to hand combat, iron body armors
but limit movements but was solved by the invention of
chainmail
F. Modern Times
Booming world population during the 19th century onwards demanded that more
foods be produced at a faster rate.
Industrial age
Modern Times
Renaissance (14th-17th century)
● The term renaissance refers to the period of the rebirth as age of preparation for the seventeenth
century scientific developments and achievements.
● Johannes Gutenberg introduced the metal movable type printing press.
● Isaac Newton made the first reflecting telescope.
● The musket was developed in Spain in the 1500’s.
● Polish mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus presented the theory of heliocentric
● where he said that the sun is the center of the solar system instead of the earth.
● Galileo Galilei improved the telescope, discovered new celestial bodies, and found support for a
● heliocentric solar system. He also invented the thermometer in 1593.
Modern Times
Industrial Revolution (18th century)
● It is the transition to new manufacturing processes.
● This transition included going from hand production methods to machines, the increasing use of
steam power, the development of machine tools, and the rise of the factory system.
● Scottish inventor James Watt’s refinement to the steam engine began the revolution.
● Robert Fulton invented the steamboat using one of the engines of Watt.
● Light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison.
● George Stephenson developed the first steam powered locomotive.
Modern Times
In the 19th Century
● The rise of modern industry was witnessed in the 19th century.
● The effects of scientific and technological developments are evident in the areas of
communication, transportation, and electricity.
● Samuel Morse invented the telegraph and the Morse Code.
● Telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
● Facsimile was invented by Alexander Bain.
● Charles Wheatstone invented the microphone.
● William Burt invented the typewriter and typographer.
● John Tyndall demonstrated the principles of fiber optics.
● Guglielmo Marconi proved the feasibility of radio communication.
● Jean Lenoir invented the internal combustion engine.
Modern Times
In the 19th Century
● Count Alessandro Volta invented the battery.
● Electro-magnet was invented by William Sturgeon.
● Michael Faraday invented the dynamo.
● Mechanical calculator was invented by Charles Babbage.
● John Walker invented the modern matches.
● Hamilton Smith patented the rotary washing machine.
● Nikola Tesla invented the AC motor and transformer.
● Louis Pasteur invented the process of pasteurization.
● Alfred Nobel invented the dynamite.
● The first safety elevator was introduced by Elisha Otis.
● Jesse Reno invented the escalator.
Modern Times
In the 20th Century
● In the face of an ever growing complexity, technology has become more scientific and natural
science more technological.
● It is in this context that scientific research laboratories were established in order to cope up with
the demands of the times.
● Air conditioner was invented by Willis Carrier.
● The Wright brothers invented the first gas motored and manned airplane.
● Albert Einstein published the Theory of Relativity and made famous the equation E=mc
● 2 The very first piloted helicopter was invented by Paul Cornu. But it was Igor Sikorsky who
● invented the first successful helicopter.
● Henry Ford revolutionized automobile manufacturing.
● Thomas Edison demonstrated the first talking motion picture.
● Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.
Modern Times
In the 20th Century
● German inventors invented the electron microscope.
● The photocopier was invented by Chester Carlson.
● There had been a lot of claims on who invented the television but it was in 1940 that the modern
● color TV system was invented by Peter Goldmark.
● Nuclear fission research began in the 1930’s resulting to the development of the atomic bomb
● used in the Second World War. Post war researches by the superpowers to develop nuclear
● industries led to the generation of electricity of the first Russian nuclear reactor in 1951.
● It was in 1942 that the first electronic digital computer was made.
● Personal computer resulted in the development of a microprocessor in 1971 that made the
● computer smaller, easier to use, and more affordable
● Mobile phone was invented in 1947 but cell phones were not sold until 1983.
● 1989 saw the advent of the World Wide Web.
● The field of artificial intelligence research was born at Dartmouth College in 1956
