Unit 2 Lesson 2: Evidence of Science and Technology during Ancient Times

Tigris, Euphrates, Nile, Huang Ho valley

Enumerate the fertile rivers mentioned in each civilization.

Arthur Evans

A British archaeologist that rediscovered the Cretan/Minoan civilization at the beginning of the 20th century.

Crete

A mountainous island with natural harbors located midway between Turkey, Egypt, and Greece.

Obelisk

A tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top.

Sundial or shadow clock

An instrument used by the Egyptians about 1000-1500 BC that will tell time by means of the shadow casted by the object as reflected by the sun.

Cretan/Minoan civilization

Arose on the island of Crete and other Aegean islands such as Santorini and flourished from approximately 2600 to 1400 BC.

Akrotiri

Around 1600 BC, it was shaken by a violent earthquake.

Crete

Became the central exporter of wine, oil, jewelry, and highly crafted works. In turn, they became importers of raw material and food.

Hammurabi code

Collection of ancient Babylonian laws.

Sexagesimal system

Counting system invented by the Sumerians, in units of 60 which served as the basis of 360 degree circle and the 60 minute hour.

IMHOTEP

Devised the first 365-day calendar early in the Old Kingdom.

Hieroglyphics

Egyptian writing was in the form of pictorial symbols.

Papyrus reeds

Egyptian writing wrote with ink and brushes on paper made of...

Phases of the moon

Egyptians created the calendar, consisting of 29 and a half days. It was based on what?

Sirius' appearance and disappearance

Egyptians use this as a prediction of Nile river's annual flooding.

Giza Necropolis, Great Sphinx, Ruins of Memphis, Valley of the Kings

Enumerate the iconic monuments in Egypt that remain a significant focus of archaeological study.

Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, India

First civilizations that emerged independent of one another along fertile river valleys.

Mesopotamia

Former name of Iraq.

Wheel

Grew out of a mechanical device that the Sumerians invented shortly after 3500 BC—the potter's wheel. This was a heavy flat disk made of hardened clay that was used as means of moving heavy objects from one location to another.

Will Durant

He referred to it as "the first link in the European chain".

Sumerian clay tablet

It contains the Sumerian historical information and culture that began as a record-keeping for trade and evolved into the use of symbols for writing down laws and stories.

Cuneiform

It is the first writing system in which in which it is a set of word pictures depicted in symbols made of triangular marks around 3100 BC.

Pictograms or drawings

It represents actuals things that were the basis of cuneiform writing.

Sailboat

It was first invented by ancient Mesopotamia 5000 years ago since its geography is located between Tigris and Euphrates, in which they needed transportation for travel and trade.

King Minos

Led the Minoan civilization, an Aegean Bronze Age civilization.

Egypt

Situated in the northeastern part of the North African continent that is located along the Nile River which provided a fertile delta.

Seed plow, irrigation

Systemized techniques of farming.

Nebuchadnezzar II

The Neo Babylonian Emperor who ordered the construction of the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Isthar Gate.

Babylonia

The ancient region bordering the Tigris and Euphrates river.

Babylon

The capital of Babylonia that served as the commercial and religious center in the Tigris-Euphrates valley.

Knossos

The capital of Crete, the grandest site of Bronze Age places, built between 2100 and 1570 BC.

Hammurabi

The first leader of the old Babylonian Empire that promulgated the famous law code that served as rule and standards which helped maintain a period of stability in this region and also the establishment of science and technology.

Pyramids

The monumental evidence of the scientific expertise and and technical skills of the ancient Egyptians in geometry, architecture, engineering, and labor management.

Giza Necropolis

The oldest of the ancient wonders and the only one still in existence.

Tekhenu

The original name of the obelisk named by the builders of ancient Egyptians.

Mediterranean polyculture

The practice of growing more than one crop at a time. This method of farming would maintain the fertility of the soil, as well as offer protection against low yields in any single crop.

Earthquakes and fires

The reason why the Minoan civilization was wiped out 50 years later.

Gnomon

The shadow-producing device, usually a metal plate set parallel to the earth's axis and pointing toward the celestial pole.

Sumer

The southernmost region of ancient Mesopotamia and the cradle of the world's earliest known civilization established in the region in about 3600 BC. It is also known as the 'first cities' in the world.

Theran Eruption

Was one of the largest eruption in human history, blasting more than 10 million tons of ash, gas, and rock 25 miles into the atmosphere.

Minoans

Were primarily mercantile people engaged in overseas trade. They were also involved in the Bronze Age's important trade: tin, alloyed with copper apparently from Cyprus.