STAS111 Historical Antecedents

Sumerian Civilization

Divided the circle into 360 degrees.

Hyksos (Egyptian)

Egyptians learned military technology and system from them (horse driven light war chariots manned by warriors armed with bows, bronze swords and lances.)

Grosseteste, Dietrich, and Roger Bacon (Medieval)

Explained how a lens could focus light rays and magnify things.

Sumerian Civilization

Fabrication of copper.

Oracle bone (Chinese)

First Chinese writing was discovered incised on flat shoulder bones of cattle or on tortoises shells. This is called?

Ziggurats (Sumerian)

Mountain of god, served as the sacred place of ther chief god (Enlil)

Egyptian Civilization

Nobles, men and women wore wigs, they used a variety of preparations for the hair such as henna.

Great Sphinx (Egyptian)

Stone statue with a king's head and a lion's body to guard the pharaoh's tomb.

Ancient Egyptians (Egyptian)

Studied the heavens to record time, calculate distances/directions, forecast the seasons, and predict annual flooding of the Nile river.

Solid wooden wheels on axles (Sumerian)

Wheeled vehicle that is regarded as the greatest mechanical invention of all time.

Egyptian Civilization

Library of Alexandria

Windmill (Medieval)

was used primarily for blowing bellows, filling cloth, forging iron, sawing, weaving, and threshing

Medieval Times

This is the Age of Exploration

Chinese Civilization

- Considered to be the oldest civilization in Asia - Also known as "The Middle Kingdom" -Located on the far east of Asia

Empedocles (Greek)

According to him, nature was a mixture of four elements

Babylonia (Babylonian)

Ancient region bordering the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Southern Iraq)

Science of Hydrostatics (Greek)

Archimedes invented this, the measurement and use of water power.

Anaxagoras (Greek)

Argued that matter was composed of countless tiny particles, each made of dominant substances such as water mixed with other random substances.

Circus Maximus (Roman)

Chariot races and gladiatorial fights were held at this Rome's principal stadium, which accommodated 300,000 people.

Chinese Civilization

Chopsticks came to use

Medieval Times

Church, towns, irom-change suspension bridges, segmental arch structures were built.

Roman Civilization

Considered to be the cradle of politics and governance

Egyptian Civilization

Have knowledge of human anatomy, physiology and medical plants enabled them to master the art and science of embalming the dead.

Andreas Vesalius (Renaissace)

He described the anatomy of the brain's function. He also wrote the book "On the Fabric of the Human Body"

Pi Sheng (Chinese)

He invented the first movable type printer made form pottery.

Nicolas Copernicus (Renaissance)

He published the "On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres"

Salermo

In the 11th Century AD, medical schools had already been in existence here.

Sumerian Civilization

Intricate system of canals, dikes, and reservoir

Persian Civilization

Introduction of a uniform system of gold and silver coinage

Canon of Medicine by Avicenna (Medieval)

It contained a good summary of the period's medical knowledge and accurate descriptions of meningitis, tetanus, and other diseases.

Water mill (Medieval)

It was an integral part of the Feudal economy. By using suitable mechanisms, its rotary motion could be converted to reciprocal moton making it as a source of general power

Middle Ages (Medieval)

Its start as marked by massive invasions and migrations

Babylonian Civilization

Jewelry making originated here

Greek Civilization

Known as the birthplace of western philosophy

Egyptian Civilization

Obelisks and pillars

Code of Ur-Nammu (Summerian)

Oldest surviving law in the world and the earliest existing legal text.

flying buttress (Medieval)

One of the architectural innovations associated with Gothic churches. This allowed buildings to have much higher ceilings and larger windows.

Babylonian Civilization

Predicted Solar and Lunar Eclipses

Aristotle (Greek)

Proved the importance of critical observation and systematic eans to identify and classify organisms.

Sumerian Civilization

Sail boat

Chinese Civilization

Tea production was developed by them

Renaissance (14th-16th Century)

Technology for printing books was regarded as the most important invention that facilitated dissemination of knowledge and new ideas

Arabic/Islamic Civilization

The Arabs' interest in the pseudoscience of Alchemy encouraged them to mix and maniupulate chemical elements and conduct experiments to transform base metals into gold.

Mariner's Magnetic Compass (Medieval)

The ability of a natural magnet to show direction was known as the Chinese several centuries ago or about 6th century AD before it passed to the West or Europe

Renaissance (14th-16th Century)

The beginning of a cultural movement

Lenses and spectacles (Medieval)

The discovery of lenses resulted in the invention of spectacles in Italy around 1350 AD. This gave impetus to the study of light or optics. The demand for spectacles gave rise to lens grinding/trading and spectacle-makers

University of Paris, 1660 (Medieval)

The first and most famous of medieval universities.

Distillation and Alcohol (Medieval)

The first preparation of strong spirits of wine was made in Europe in the 12th century.

Arabic/Islamic Civilization

The most influential Muslim intellectual contribution to the modern world was their synthesis of the scientific and technological knowledge the learned from and transmitted to the various cultures they encountered.

Medieval Times

The period from 450 AD to 1450 AD

Renaissance (14th-16th Century)

The period of rebirth

Astrology (Babylonian)

The science of studying the position of celestial bodies.

Iron pillar of Delhi (Indian)

The world's first iron pillar

Shang Dynasty (Chinese)

Their outstanding contribution included the creation of magnificent bronze vessels, discovery of lacquer, the development of the horse-drawn war chariots, and the first known Chinese writing

Greek Civilization

Their wise men were the first to systematically separate scientific ideas from superstition an stressed the logical development of general principles or theories about natural phenomena.

Egyptian Civilization

They built pyramids such as Pyramid of Sakkara as Zoser's tomb and memorial and Pyramid of Khufu or Cheofs and Great sphinx

Chinese Civilization

They constructed the Great Wall of China and the great palace of the first emperor

Roman Civilization

They constructed the Pantheon as one of the world's greatest domed building and Colosseum, Rome's stage for individual gladiatorial contest which held 50,000 spectators.

Greek Civilization

They designed various mathematical models and mechanical systems to explain the planetary motions and mechanical systems to explain the planetary positions an movements on geometrical determinations and logical deductions

Indus-Hindu Civilization

They excelled particularly in medicine and mathematics

Arabic/Islamic Civilization

They introduced the Arabic system of numbers

Roman Civilization

They introduced the Roman Numeral

Indus-Hindu Civilization

They introduced the negative and positive quantities, square and cube roots, quadratic equations, mathematical implications of zero and infinity, value of pi up to nine decimal places.

Ramp and Lever (Egyptian)

They invented and used many simple machines such as these to aid construction processes.

Arabic/Islamic Civilization

They produced the first gun- a bamboo tube reinforced with iron that used a charge of black powder to shoot an arrow.

Indian surgeons (Indian)

They successfully performed various operations like repair of broken limbs, complicated bone setting, amputation, plastic surgery, and Caesarian section

Stempost rudder (Medieval)

This also came from china. This led to the development of sail that could be adjusted such that ship voyages could be made in rougher weather

Coffee House (Medieval)

This became popular in Arabic and ottoman lands.

Traditional Indian medication (Indian)

This had a very extensive pharmacopoeia and varieties of herbal remedies and drugs.

Hieroglyphics (Egyptian)

Writing in the form of pictorial symbols representing individual objects or actions.

Horse Harness and Horse shoe (Medieval)

allowed the horse to increase its "attractive" effort five times and for protection. This innovation came from the 7th Century AD China reaching Europe early in the 11th Century. This resulted in the horse taking taking the place of oxen at the plough. In addition, the introduction of the horses' modes put the horse on the road for pack and wagon

Greece

an archipelago in the Southeastern part of Europe

Earthquake weathercock (Chinese)

detects earthquake occurence

Gunpowder and canon (Medieval)

appeared around the 9th Century AD, followed by vigorous development of explosive weapons from 1040 AD about three centuries before it appeared in Europe. From fire-lance using a rocket combination and bamboo tube as close combat weapon, all barrier guns and cannons were constructed at the beginning of the 12th century AD

Vitruvius (Roman)

believed to be the first to describe the odometer as being used for measuring distance around 27BC.

Watermills (Greek)

considered as one of the most important contributions of the Greek civilization to the world. They were commonly used in agricultural processes like milling grains which was a necessary form of food processing.

Hellenistic Egypt

lighthouse technology was developed

Mechanical clock (Medieval)

tells time using gears driven by weights that pull the gears at the right pace

Persian Civilization

the first regular postal system in the world was here.

Chinese civilization

the use of toilet papers were also traced here back in the sixth century

Indus-Hindu Civilization

they developed the steps in sine functions, spherical geometry, and calculus

Babylonian Civilization

Measurements made use of fractions, squares, and square roots.

Sulphur and Mercury (Renaissance)

Medieval alchemists worked with these two main elements

Codex (Roman)

First books

Rope trusses (Egyptian)

Was used to stiffen the beam of ships.

Calendar based on the moon phases (Egyptian)

A calendar consisting of 29 and 1/2 days

Code of Hammurabi (Babylonian)

A collection of 282 laws. One of the first (but not THE first) examples of written law in the ancient world.

Waterclock (Egyptian)

A conical earthen vessel with hours equally marked off on the inside and spout at the bottom.

Qanat (Persian)

A gently sloping underground channel that carries water from an aquifer or water well to houses an fields. It is used for drinking water and irrigation of crops

City of Uruk (Sumerian)

A great wonder not only because it is considered to be the first true city in the word.

Lighthouse of Alexandria

A port for the ships that traded the goods manufactured in Egypt or imported in Egypt

Arabia

A rocky peninsula in Southwestern Asia

Cuneiform (Sumerian)

A set of word pictures depicted in symbols made of triangular marks.

Potter's wheel (Sumerian)

A technological advance in pottery making; invented circa 6000 B.C.E.; encouraged faster and higher-quality ceramic pottery products

Babylonian Civilization

Adopted the Sumerian sexagesimal system of counting in units, Ziggurat, and cuneiform.

Printing press by Johann Gutenberg (Medieval)

After the Chinese, he developed a more reliable and way of printing using a cast type. He utilized wooden machines that extracted juices from fruits, attached to them a metal impression of the letters, and pressed firmly the cast metal into a piece of paper, which then made an extract impression on paper

Paracelsus (Renaissance)

An alchemist and physician of the Renaissance.

Taxation system (Persian)

An important component of the Achaemenid state administration

Claudius Ptolemy (Renaissance)

Astronomy was based on his geocentric model

Egyptian Civilization

Both sexes wore jewelries, sandals, perfume and cosmetics-eye make-up and Kohl around the eyes to prevent or even cure eye diseases.

Universities and Scholastics (Medieval)

By the 12th Century, these schools swelled to become universities with set of courses and teaching the seven liberal arts, philosophy, and theology.

Library of Malatesta Novello in Cesena (Medieval)

Considered to be the first ever public library in the world

Indus-Hindu Civilization

Considered to the most remarkable accomplishment of the Indus civilization was the construction layout of its cities which featured water wells (that piped water supply), bathrooms, and wastepipe or drains in nearly every house.

Gazettes (Roman)

Contained anouncements of the Roman Empire to the people, made of metal or stone tablets and then publicly displayed

Sumerian Civilization

Developed advances in mathematical functions to permit accurately plot and forecast.

Chinese Civilization

Development of calligraphy, water colorr, painting, and block printing were invented

Hippocrates (Greek)

Father of Greek Medicine. He regarded medicine as science separate from religion. He also taught that diseases have natural causes and that somehow, the human body is capable of healing or repairing itself.

Thales of Miletus (Greek)

Father of philosophy, he taught that nature was composed of or convertible into water.

Archimedes of Syracuse (Roman)

First inventor of odometer.

The Babylonian Map of the World (Babylonian)

First map of the world

Arabic/Islamic Civilization

First to manufacture the black power

Arabic/Islamic Civilization

First to use glass lens for magnification.

Egypt

Located in the Northeastern part of the african continent, a desert country thriving on an agricultural economy.

Materia medica (Sumerian)

Made of assorted botanical, zoological, and mineralogical ingridients.

Archimedes (Greek)

Made planetarium powered by water to demonstrate the movements of the sun and planets around the stationary earth (geocentric belief). He also discovered the concept of gravity.

Galen (Greek)

Made the first steps for the advancement of the science of anatomy

India

Mainly in the Northwestern regions of South Asia

Nebuchadnezzar (Babylonian)

Ordered the construction of the famous "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" and the Isthar Gate

Chinese Civilization

People learned the technology of silk production

Thales, Phythagoras, Euclid (Greek)

Perfected Geometry as a single logical system

Archimedes (Greek)

Performed experiments which led him to discover the laws of lever and the pulley.

Babylonian Civilization

Pioneered the concept of horoscope and Zodiac signs

Imhotep (Egyptian)

Possible deviser of the first 365-day calendar.

Renaissance (14th-16th Century)

Rediscovery of the ancient texts that was accelerated after the fall of Constantinople in 1453

Sumerian Civilization

Seed plow

Greek Civilization

Some of the major achievements of them include in-depth works on philosophy and mathematics

Medieval Times

This is generally known as the period of history between Ancient Times and Modern Times

Medieval Times

This is usually divided into the so-called Dark Ages and the High Middle Ages

Water (Greek)

This was dropped into drums which sounded the alarm

Sulfurin Acid (Persian)

This was first discovered by Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Jakarta al-Razi

Great technology (Indian)

This was needed in the fields of weaponry, navigation, mass food and farm production, and health.

Greek Civilization

Transition from the Bronze Age to Iron Age

Zodiacal map of Sumer (Summerian)

Used for practical mathematical and observational purposes of heavenly bodies.

Alarm clock (Greek)

Used large complicated mechanisms to time the alarm.

Apothecaries and Acupuncture (Chinese)

Used to treat illnesses or pain by pricking the patient's body with needles at points believed to be connected with the visceral organs causing the pain

Egyptian Civilization

Used tweezers and razors to remove unwanted body hair

Sexagesimal (Sumerian)

Using the number 60 as base, it is a system of counting and a form of place notation

Medieval Times

War Weapons such as cross bows, long bows was developed so that they could attack the enemies at long ranges, keeping themselves safe with the protection of wall and fortresses. Soldiers wear body armors and chainmail to protect themselves.

Anaximander

Was one of the first pioneer cartographers to create a map of the world

Roman Empire

Was perceived to be the strongest political and social entity in the west.

Stupa (Indian)

Was used as commemorative monument associated with storing sacred relics

Roman Government (Roman)

Were able to implement major projects such as large churches (cathedrals and basilicas), aqueducts, amphitheaters, and even residential houses.

Olympics

Were dedicated to the Olympian Gods

Egyptian Civilization

Wrote ink and brushes on paper made of Papyrus reeds.

Ptolemy (Greek)

Wrote the Almagest, wherein he presented his ideas and summarized those of the earlier Greek astronomers about the universe. He also postulated the geocentric theory of the universe

Escapement (Chinese)

a basic device used to regulate clocks

Islamic world

had become a civilization of colossal expansive and had imposed a unity of religion and culture on much of Southwest Asia and North Africa

Chinese Civilization

had one of the most advanced systems of pharmacology - discovery of healing drugs and herbs