Lesson 1:

Historical Antecedents in which social

considerations changed the course of Science
and Technology

In the world: Ancient, Middle, and Modern Ages

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a
tree without roots.”

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SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY

Hunting

According to researchers, the art of tracking and hunting

has had a great impact on the evolution of human beings. This is
because the art of tracking required creative and intellectual
abilities like physics and mathematics. This is why experts believe
that the tracking of animals might have been the origin of
science. Many believe that before they began hunting, the
humans first started tracking.
Identification Of Objects

The ancient people knew the difference between

edible and medicinal foods on sight. This was the kind of
information that was passed on to generation after generation.
According to modern researchers, losing this kind of detailed
information over time was one of the worst things that could
happen; due to the loss of this valuable information man forgot
the necessary survival skills. Nowadays, the best way to learn
whether a plant is safe to consume is to run it through the
universal edibility test. However, this test is not a 100% accurate,
as all plants do not have the same properties.
Navigation

It is really amazing to think of a time when people

travelled great distances without the assistance of a GPS or a
map. With the help of modern techniques, experts have found
out that people were able to travel distances of hundreds of
miles without maps. Although the human brain is very powerful
and can remember landmarks to make crude maps, modern
humans have suppressed this ability and rely a lot on
technological assistance to find their way.
Making Clothes

The types of clothes varied from region to region;

clothes would be thicker in a colder area, whereas people
from hotter areas wore lighter clothes. The techniques of
making clothes has changed over time, as according to
scientists the humans of the middle stone ages were already
hunting. This means that that would have been making
containers and other utensils using animal skins. This ultimately
means that they had many materials to make clothes as well.
Ancient Times inventions:

Steam Engine by the Hero of Alexandria

- Heron Alexandrinus was 1st century Greek mathematician

and Engineer who is known as the first inventor of the steam
engine.
- His steam powered devise was called the acolipile, named
after Aiolos, God of the winds.
- But forgotten and never used properly until 1577, when the
steam engine was “re-invented” by the philosopher,
astronomer and engineer.
Steam Engine by Hero of Alexandria
The Water Clock

- One of the oldest time- measuring instruments.

- Where and when invented is unknown.
The Number System of India

- Invented the number “0”

- The use of numerical system and of basic mathematical
operation developed in northern India.
Papyrus of Egypt

- When other civilizations used stones, clay, tablets, animal hide,

wood materials, or wax as writing surface, the Egyptians used
papyrus.
- Woven form papyrus plant.
- For over 3000 years papyrus was the most important writing
material in Asian world. It was exported all around the
Mediterranean and was widely use in the roman empire until the
7th century.
Ox- drawn Plough

- The fertile black soil along the banks of the river Nile provided a
very hospitable environment for growing crops.

- The Egyptians used the Ox plow as early as 2500 BC.

- Egyptian invention of the Ox- Drawn Plough revolutionize
agriculture.
Wheel

- The first wheels were not use for transportation.

- They were created to serve as potter’s wheels around 3500 BC in
Mesopotamia.
- The use of wheels for transportation only happened 300 years
later.
Water Mills

- Was invented around 3rd century BC. in Greece by Philo of

Byzanthium.
- The mill used water to power the wheel which eventually
milled the grains.
Middle Ages:

In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages (or medieval period) lasted from
the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman
Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery.

Science and technology in the middle ages flourished because of the

need of inventions to make life easier. This was a time for exploration in
new ideas and ways of doing things. Europe invented many things for
wars, time-keeping, and for everyday use. These inventions may be still
used today.
Inventions in Middle Age:

Magnetic Compass

- Was “re-discovered” in 1182 by European world for maritime use.

- It was first used by the Chinese around 200 A.D mainly for fortune telling. The Chinese
used the magnetic compass for sea travel in 11th century.
Windmills

- The earliest recorded used of Windmills found by archaeologists

is 1219 in China.
- Early windmills were used to power grain mills and water pumps.
- The concept of the windmill spread to Europe after the
Crusades.
- The Earliest European designs, documented in 1217. In general
this mills had four blades mounted on a central post.
Mechanical Clock

- The knowledge of not only what hour was, but even what
minute and second it was, would change the way people
schedules their days and work patterns.
Printing Press

- The basic form of printing was developed in 11th century China,

but it was 15th century German Johannes Gutenberg invention of
the printing that revolutionize the spread of knowledge.
- With this machine, Gutenburg made the very first printed book,
which naturally a reproduction of the Bible.
Gun Powder

- Ironically, the quest for elixir, a potion to prolong life resulted to the
infection of gun powder in china around 850 AD.

- This explosive invention became the basis for almost every

weapon used in war from then on.
Eye Glasses

- The first eye glasses were invented in the late 13th century in
northern Italy.
They consisted of two framed glass or crystal stones, and were
held up to the eyes using a handle. Their used soon spread
through out Europe.
 The Society

• The Village was the central place where people lived, worked, socialized, married,
attended festivals and church, gave birth to and eventually died. Villagers rarely ever
ventured beyond its boundaries.
• People depended on the village for protection.
• Villagers wore simple dress and lived on a meager diet.
• Villagers were busy, living and working mostly outdoors.
• Villagers mostly worked the land, trying to grow enough food to survive another year.
People in Medieval villages were almost entirely farmers.
• Some villages were temporary. The society would move on if the land proved infertile
or weather made life too difficult.
• Every village had a Lord, even if he didn’t make it his permanent residence. After the
1100's, castles often dominated village landscapes.
• Some villages continued to exist for centuries.
 People of Medieval Ages

Peasants- were the poorest people in the medieval era and lived primarily in the country. Serfs
were the poorest of the peasant class, and were a type of slave. Lords owned the serfs who lived
on their lands. In exchange for a place to live, serfs worked the land to grow crops for themselves
and their lord. In addition, serfs were expected to work the farms for the lord and pay rent.

Farmers- were a bit better off than peasants, as some owned their own farms. Most worked the
farm lands themselves or with the aid of peasants and serfs.

Carpenters- ere highly skilled and were elite tradesmen. One had to gain the knowledge of math,
woodworking and the use of tools so it was necessary to join a guild as an apprentice and learn
the craft to become a carpenter.

Kings and nobles used the finest carpenters and kept them employed on their staff as specialists.
After all, castles and estates needed to be decoratively furnished to show their great prestige and
status. A master carpenter was always in demand and could earn high wages.
The metalsmith- sometimes called blacksmith, had to first make his tools before he could make
metal parts such as horseshoes, nails and door hinges. A blacksmith was named because he was
a 'smith' who worked in the "black" metal, namely iron. The "white" metals were tin, silver or gold.
Modern Period (15th Century onwards)

Inventions:

Electric Dynamo (1831)

- The invention of Electric Dynamo by Michael Faraday paved the
way for the use of electricity.
- The Dynamo generated electricity by moving a magnet across a
wire coil. This powered the first electric motor, and later, electric
generator and transported.
Analytical Engine/ Computer (1860s)

- British Mathematician Charles Babbage conceived and designed

the analytical engine, the first computer resembling today’s
modern machine. The analytical engine can calculate and
programmed.
Pasteurization (1864)

- It was invented by French scientist Louis Pasteur.

- He discovered that heating beer and wine was enough to kill most
of the bacteria that caused spoilage, preventing the beverages
from turning sour.
- In honors of Pasteur, the process became known as
“Pasteurization”.
Telephone (1876)

- Scottish-born American scientist Alexander Graham Bell

discovered electrical current can duplicated sound waves
transmitting multiple sounds by vibrating in the air in a series of
frequencies.
- Telephone- one of the most influential machine ever invented.
Phonograph (1877)

- The first phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison on Monlo

park.
- His device originally recorded sound unto a tinfoil sheet wrapped
around a rotating cylinder. The phonograph was Edison’s favorite
invention although he lost most of his hearing.
- Edison’s phonograph could reproduce the recorded sound and
play it back.