Historical Antecedents in the

Course of Science and

Technology
Ancient Inventions
 The Six (6) Major Themes of Innovation

• Transportation - allowed people to go places and discover new

horizons. People travelled in search for food and better locations for
settlement.
• Communication – people needed a way to communicate with the
natives of the areas they visited to facilitate trade and prevent
possible conflicts. Record-keeping is also an important aspect to
document trades made, and to keep records of their history and
culture.
 The Six (6) Major Themes of Innovation

• Weapons and Armors – for the establishment of alliances with other tribes.
Developed for security and protection.
• Conservation of life – for the prevention and cure of illnesses.
• Engineering – allowed men to build structures to address their specific
needs and wants.
• Architecture – considered as the status symbol among nations on how they
advanced their technologies.
 Sumerian Civilization
Located in the southernmost tip of ancient Mesopotamia or the Fertile Crescent
Sumerian Civilization

1. Cuneiform –first writing system that utilized word pictures

and triangular symbols carved on clay using wedge
instruments.
2. Uruk City – considered to be the first true city. Used mud or
clay that is mixed with reeds to produce sunbaked bricks.
3. The Great Ziggurat of Ur – also called the mountain of
god, built like the Uruk City. Served as a sacred place for their
chief god.
 Sumerian Civilization
4. Irrigation and Dikes – brings water to farmlands and at the
same time control the flooding of the rivers.
5. Sailboats
6. Wheel – made not for transportation but for farm work and food
processing (i.e. milling of grains).
 Sumerian Civilization

7. Plow – to dig the ground where seeds would be planted.

8. Roads – facilitates faster and easier travel. Made of sunbaked
bricks laid on the ground, then poured over with bitumen – a black
sticky substance similar to asphalt.
 Babylonian
Civilization

Emerged near the Tigris and

Euphrates Rivers. Known as
great builders and architects.
 Babylonian Civilization

1. Hanging Gardens of Babylon –

structure made up of layers of
gardens that contained several
species of plants, trees, and vines.
Built by King Nebuchadnezzar II
for his wife, Queen Amytis.
 Egyptian Civilization

Emerged on North Africa, along the Nile River Delta.

Known for engineering, architecture, and practical
things that are still in use today.
 Egyptian Civilization
1. Paper/ Papyrus – addressed the issues on the use
of clay tablets. This is a more portable and stronger
material for record-keeping. Made from papyrus – a
plant (reed) that grew abundantly along the Nile
River.
2. Ink – created by combining soot with different
chemicals to produce different colors. Also used for
record-keeping.
3. Hieroglyphics – system of writing using symbols.
 Egyptian Civilization
4. Cosmetics – to improve and highlight the facial features of a
person, functioned as both for health and aesthetic reasons. Kohl –
created by mixing soot or malachite with mineral galena.
5. Wig – worn for health and wellness rather than aesthetic
reasons. Protected the bald heads from sun’s rays.
6. Water Clock/Clepsydra – utilizes gravity to use for time-
keeping.
 Greek
Civilization

Emerged in an archipelago in
the southeastern part of Europe.
Birthplace of Philosophy,
Democracy and Mathematics.
 Greek Civilization

1. Alarm Clock – designed by Plato to signal

the start of his lectures.
2. Water Mill – used the flow of water to
propel mills used in milling grains for food.
Minimized the need for raising of livestock
used for milling.
 Roman
Civilization
Perceived to be the
strongest political and
social entity in the West
during the Ancient
Times.
 Roman Civilization

1. Newspaper – known as gazettes. This

contained announcements of the Roman
Empire to the people.
2. Bound Books/ Codex – stacked papers
bound by wax, at first, then animal skin.
Roman Civilization

3. Architecture – considered to be
a continuation of the Greek
Architecture. Characterized by the
use of arches, domes, and columns.
4. Roman Numerals - standardized
the counting method to meet the
increasing need for communication
and trade concerns.
 Chinese
Civilization

Considered to be the oldest

civilization in Asia, if not the
world. Also known as the Middle
Kingdom.
Chinese Civilization

1. Silk – developed the

technology to harvest silk.
2. Tea – beverage produced by
pouring hot or boiling water
over crushed or shredded dried
tea leaves.
 Chinese
Civilization

3. Great Wall of China

4. Gunpowder – a mix of
charcoal, sulfur, and
potassium nitrate. Initially
thought by the Chinese to
be an elixir (a potion for
eternal life).
 Mesoamerican Civilizations

Mayan Civilization
1. Looms – a device used to create fabrics from fibers.
2. Rubber Products – utilized the sap of rubber trees
(latex).
 Mesoamerican
Civilizations

Incan Civilization
1. Quipu – a system of knotted ropes
to keep records that only experts can
interpret.
 Mesoamerican
Civilizations
Aztec Civilization
1. Chinampa – agricultural
technology in which the land is
divided into rectangular areas
surrounded by canals.
2. Chocolates – from the Aztec
word xocolatl
3. Canoe
 Indian Civilization

1. Ayurveda – a system of
traditional medicine.
2. Hindu-Arabic Numerals
3. Sexual Wellness system
(Kamasutra) – the oldest
surviving Hindu text on erotic
love.
 Other Middle Eastern
Civilizations

1. Al-jabr – Arabic term that is considered to be the

origin of the word Algebra.
 Other African
Civilizations

1. Lebombo Bone – a
mathematical tool found
between the mountains of
Swaziland and South Africa.
 Other Antiquity
Inventions

Shadoof/ Shaduf – a tool used

by ancient Egyptians to irrigate
the land. Used the concept of
counterweights.
 Other Antiquity Inventions
Antikythera Mechanism – ancient world’s first analog
orrery/device. Used by the Greeks to display celestial time,
predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar
and astrological purposes. The earliest known antecedent
to modern clockwork.
Antikythera Mechanism
 Other Antiquity
Inventions

Aeolipile/ Hero’s Engine – a

steam-powered turbine which
spun when the water container
at its center was heated. The
earliest antecedent to modern
steam engines. During its time,
it served no practical purpose.