SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY

3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Historical Antecedents in the Course

of Science and Technology:

Babylonian and Egyptian Civilization

Consolidated by:
Mrs. Lorna C. Aban
Center for Natural Sciences
School of Health and Natural Sciences
Saint Mary’s University
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Objectives
• Explain how science and technology affected
the society and environment and vice versa
• Identify inventions and discoveries that
changed the world over the course of history
• Discuss the scientific and technological
developments in the Philippines

Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Babylonian Civilization

• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/magazine/2020/07-08/know-where-7-wonders-ancient-world-except-one-hanging-gardens-babylon/
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Babylonian Civilization
• Emerged near the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers
• the ancient city of Babylon
served for nearly two millennia
as a center of Mesopotamian
civilization
• The term Babylon is thought to
derive from bav-il or bav-ilim
which, in the Akkadian language
of the time, meant ‘Gate of God’
https://www.livescience.com/28701-ancient-
or `Gate of the Gods’ and babylon-center-of-mesopotamian-civilization.html
`Babylon’ coming from Greeks. https://www.ancient.eu/babylon/
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Babylon, the jewel of the ancient world

• Babylon’s history truly begins with Hammurabi, an
Amorite prince, who began his reign over the city in
1792 B.C.
• Through war and diplomacy, Hammurabi subdued all of
Mesopotamia under Babylonian rule by 1755 B.C.
• His empire stretched from Syria to the Persian Gulf.
Hammurabi called his empire Babylonia.
• Then, it was restored by Nebuchadnezzar, then
conquered by Cyrus, this city was both desired and
despised, placing it at the center stage of the dawn of
history. https://www.historyonthenet.com/the-wonders-of-ancient-babylon
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Babylon, the jewel of the ancient world

• Babylon intrigued Greek and Roman writers, who added to
the rich store of legends that have come down to the
present day.
• The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about Babylon in the
fifth century B.C. A number of inconsistencies in his
account have led many scholars to believe that he never
traveled there and that his text may be closer to hearsay
than historical fact.
• Popular tales of Babylon’s fantastic structures, like the
Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens, may also be
products of legends and confusion.
https://www.historyonthenet.com/the-wonders-of-ancient-babylon
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

• One of the seven wonders
of the ancient world
• From the stories of
historians and paintings, it
is a structure made up of
layers upon layers of
gardens that contained
several species of plants,
trees, and vines
Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_Gardens_of_Babylon
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

• The Hanging Gardens
were the fabled gardens
which adorned the
capital of the Neo-
Babylonian Empire
• built by its greatest king
Nebuchadnezzar II (r.
605-562 BCE) for his wife,
Queen Amytis

Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
https://www.ancient.eu/Hanging_Gardens_of_Babylon/
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

• From the Babylonians, we learned the system of book-

keeping, a simple but adequate system of double-
entry accounting.
• They adopted Sumerian sexagesimal system of
counting in units of 60, which served as basis of the
360-degeree circle and the 60-minute hour. (Dauben,
1990).
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

• Their measurements made use of fractions, squares, and

square roots.
• Their models of planetary motions and other heavenly
bodies proved their ability to compute complicated
mathematical problems. Their detailed observation of
the sky enabled them to make accurate predictions of
solar and lunar eclipses and other astronomical
phenomena (Dauben, 1990).
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/magazine/2016/01-02/egypt-book-of-the-dead/
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

• Egyptians are known of their

Egyptian civilization infrastructures such as pyramid
and other practical contributions
to the world.
• The Great Pyramids of Giza,
located on a plateau on the west
bank of the Nile River, on the
outskirts of modern-day Cairo.
• The oldest and largest of the
three pyramids at Giza, known
as the Great Pyramid, is the only
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/archaeol surviving structure out of the
ogy/giza-pyramids/
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/the- famed seven wonders of the
egyptian-pyramids
ancient world.
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Egyptian civilization
• they introduced paper or
papyrus to make writing,
safe-keeping, and
transporting records
easier
• Papyrus, a plant that grew
abundantly along the Nile
River in Egypt, was
processed into thin sheet

https://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/papyrus.html
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

https://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/papyrus.html
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Ancient Egyptian Papyri

• A variety of documents written
on papyrus
remain preserved to this day.
The various documents contain
a range of subjects, from
biographies, to maps, religious
texts and scientific or medical
documents.

A short list of papyri from ancient

Egypt with subject matter is shown:

https://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/papyrus.html
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Other Uses of Papyrus

• as a food source, to make rope, for sandals, for boxes and
baskets and mats, as window shades, material for toys such
as dolls, as amulets to ward off throat diseases, and even to
make small fishing boats.
• It also played a part in religious devotion as it was often
bound together to form the symbol of the ankh and offered
to the gods as a gift.
• Papyrus also served as a political symbol through its use in
the Sma-Tawy, the insignia of the unity of Upper and Lower
Egypt. This symbol is a bouquet of papyrus (associated with
the Delta of Lower Egypt) bound with a lotus (the symbol of
Upper Egypt). Mark, J. J. (2016, November 08). Egyptian Papyrus. Ancient History
Encyclopedia. Retrieved from
https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Papyrus/
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Egyptian black ink

• the ancient Egyptians made ink by grinding brightly

colored minerals into powder, then mixing the powder
with liquid so that it was easier to apply.
• This must withstand the elements of nature since it was
used to record history, culture, and codified laws.
• writings on papyrus must be tamper-proof

• www.ancientegypt.co.uk › writing › explore › scribe

 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

hieroglyphics • Said to be adapted from the early

writing system established in
Mesopotamia
• The script was developed about
four thousand years before Christ
and there was also a decimal
system of numeration up to a
million.
Egyptian system of • Hieroglyphs were called “the
writing using symbols words of God” and were used
mainly by the priests.
• https://discoveringegypt.com/egyptian-hieroglyphic-writing/egyptian-hieroglyphic-alphabet/
• http://www.historyshistories.com/egypt-hieroglyphs-and-the-rosetta-stone.html
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Hieroglyphs
• are written in rows or columns
and can be read from left to
right or from right to left.
• includes information on the
history of Egyptian writing
and mathematics, the use of
the different types of symbols,
how to write name, how to
recognize kings names and
the story of the scribe
https://discoveringegypt.com/egyptian-hieroglyphic-
• ‘sacred carving’ writing/egyptian-hieroglyphic-alphabet/
http://www.historyshistories.com/egypt-hieroglyphs-and-the-
rosetta-stone.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zvw3mfr
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

• Their function in ancient Egypt was

Cosmetics for both health and aesthetic reasons
• Egyptians wore Kohl around the eyes
to prevent and even cure eye
diseases.
• Kohl was created by mixing soot or
malachite with mineral galena
• Egyptians believed that wearing
make-up was a protection from evil
and that beauty was a sign of holiness
Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
http://www.historyofcosmetics.net/cosmetic-history/ancient-egypt-cosmetics/
https://www.egyptravel4you.com/makeup-beauty-in-ancient-egypt/
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Egyptian Wig
• Worn for health and wellness during the
ancient times
• To protect the shaved heads of the
wealthy Egyptians from the harmful
rays of the sun
• It was considered cleaner for it
prevented the accumulation of head
lice and allowed heat to escape
• Upper-class Egyptian men and women
considered wigs an essential part of
their wardrobe.
• https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports-and-everyday-life/fashion-and-
clothing/clothing-jewelry-and-personal-adornment/wigs
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

• Wearing a wig signaled a person's

Egyptian Wig rank in Egyptian society.
• Although a shaved head was a sign
of nobility during most of the
Egyptian kingdoms, the majority of
Egyptians kept their heads covered.
• Wigs were worn in place of
headdresses or, for special
occasions, with elaborate
headdresses.
• Egyptian law prohibited slaves and
• https://www.ancient-
origins.net/history-ancient- servants from shaving their heads
traditions/changing-beauty-use-
elaborate-wigs-ancient-egypt-005484 or wearing wigs.
 SAINT M ARY’S UNIVERSITY
3700 Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Philippines

Water clock/ • It utilizes gravity that affects the

clepsydra flow of water from one vessel to
the other
• The amount of water remaining in
the device determines how much
time is elapsed since it is full.
• Widely used as time keeping
device in the early times
• the oldest known example is dated
to 1500 BC, and is from the tomb
• https://www.britannica.com/technolog
y/clepsydra of the Egyptian pharaoh
• https://www.ancient-
origins.net/ancient-technology/ancient-
Amenhotep I.
invention-water-clock-001818