Today’s Prayer

Our Almighty Father,

Every day is an opportunity for us to
live, thus we have to praise and
thank you each day.
Every hour is a chance for us to
love, be kind, and be better,
and we appreciate your guidance
and blessing each time.
Thank you for your compassion, for
sending Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen
Historical Antecedents in the
Course of Science and
Technology:
Greek and Roman Civilization
Consolidated by:
Mrs. Lorna C. Aban
Center for Natural Sciences
School of Health and Natural Sciences
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
GREECE
• An archipelago in the southern
part of Europe
• Known as the birthplace of
western philosophy
• Some major achievements of the
Greeks include in-depth works
on philosophy and mathematics;
on fields of science and
technology

Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
Alarm Clock
• Purpose is to tell an individual
when to stop or when to start
• Used large complicated
mechanisms to time the alarm
• Greeks made use of water (small
stones or sand) that dropped into
drums which sounded the alarm
• Plato was believed to have utilized Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., &
Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and
an alarm clock to signal the start of Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All
Rights Reserved

his lecture. http://www.ancientpages.com/2016/05/06/anci

ent-greeks-invented-alarm-clocks/
Water Mill
• Considered as one of the most
important contribution of the
Greeks
• Commonly used in agricultural
processes like milling of grains/
food processing
• invention started with the
Perachora wheel, which used both
the water wheel and the gear
technology that had already been
invented.
• was invented in around the 3rd
Century BC and Philo of Byzantium
made the earliest known reference
of it in his works,
the Pneumatica and Parasceuastica
• McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science,
Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All
Rights Reserved
• https://www.greekboston.com/culture/inventions/water-mill/
• http://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?entryid=3509
Odometer
• This ever-present instrument originated
in the time of ancient Greece.
• was first described by Vitruvius around
27 BCE, and evidence points to
Archimedes of Syracuse as its inventor
sometime around the first Punic war.
• Some historians also attribute its
invention to Heron of Alexandria.
• it was widely used in the late Hellenistic
time by Romans for indicating the
distance travelled by a vehicle.
• McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018)
• it helped revolutionize road building and Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
travel • https://thegreekobserver.com/greece/culture/article/29
888/10-ancient-greek-inventions-discoveries-still-used-
today/
Cartography
• is the study and practice of making
maps.
• has played an important role in
travel and navigation since ancient
times.
• The earliest known evidence of
cartography points towards ancient
Babylon, however, it was the
Greeks who brought cartography
into new light and discovered its
possibilities.
Anaximander was one of the pioneer
cartographers to create a world map.
Born between 611-610 BCE, this map
maker of the ancient world made
important contributions to astronomy
and geography.
McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science,
Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All
Rights Reserved
Earliest practice of medicine
• In the ancient days, diseases were
supposed to be the gods’ way of
punishing humans, and all possible
remedies were surrounded by
superstition.
• That all changed when Hippocrates of
Cos started to collect data and conduct
experiments, showing that disease was a
natural process; that the signs and
symptoms of a disease were caused by
the natural reactions of the body to the McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R.
(2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
disease. Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
Earliest practice of medicine
• Born in 460 BCE, Hippocrates was
an ancient Greek physician,
considered one of the most
outstanding figures in the history of
medicine. He was referred to as the
Father of Western Medicine
• The most famous of his supposed
contributions is the Hippocratic
Oath. It was this document that was
first proposed as an ethical standard
among doctors when doing their McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018)
Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing,
work. Inc. Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
Discoveries in modern science
• the ancient Greeks made some
outstanding contributions in various
branches of science.
• They broke contemporary stereotypes
in the fields of astronomy, biology, and
physics, and excelled in mathematics.
• The Greeks had so much influence in
the early concepts of science that
most symbols often used in physics
and higher math equations are
McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018)
derived from the Greek alphabet. Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
Discoveries in modern science
• Aristotle gave us the idea of
the Earth being a globe. He
also classified animals and
is often referred to as Father
of Zoology.
• Theophrastus was the first
botanist we know of in
written history.

McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
Discoveries in modern science
• The Pythagoreans not only made the
earliest of advances in philosophy and
geometry, but they also proposed the
heliocentric hypothesis with the Earth
revolving around the Sun. This idea was
so ahead of its time that it was
disregarded as blasphemy.
• Archimedes discovered that submerging
a solid object will displace an amount of
liquid that matches the object’s weight.

McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C &
E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
Roman Civilization
• The Roman Empire was
perceived to be the
strongest political and
social entity in the west.
• Considered to be the
cradle of politics and
governance
• Model of legislation and
codified laws
McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/5-important-cities-of-the-roman-empire.html
Newspaper
• First known as gazettes, contained
announcements of the Roman
Empire to the people
• Made before the invention of paper,
these gazettes were engraved in
metal or stone tablets
• With the advent of the paper,
government information as well as
minutes of the proceedings of the • McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science,
Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All
Roman senate were done in Rights Reserved
• Daily events (acta Diurna)
shorthand • https://earlychurchhistory.org/communication/acta-diurna-romes-
daily-newspaper/
Codex or Bound Books
• It was said that Julius Caesar
started the tradition of stacking up
papyrus to form pages of a book.
• Earlier covers of the compilation
were made of wax, then were later
replaced by animal skin
• This provided a safer and more
manageable way to keep the
information secure.
• This Roman invention was then
widely used by the Christians to • http://www.ancientpages.com/2017/09/25/ancient-
make codices of the bible. romans-invented-first-bound-book/
• https://interestingengineering.com/19-greatest-inventions-
of-the-roman-empire-that-helped-shape-the-modern-world
Roman Architecture
• One of the most visual
contributions of the ancient
Roman empire to the world
• A continuation of Greek
architecture
• Romans were able adapt
building and engineering
technology on architectural
designs which made their
infrastructure stronger
• The Colosseum is in the center of the city of Rome,
Italy.
• It was the largest amphitheater of the Roman
Empire, and indeed the world.
• Built between 70 and 80 AD under the emperor
Vespasian and then Titus, the Colosseum could
hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators.
• http://www.romecabs.com/blog/2012/07/seven-wonders-of-ancient-rome/
• https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/romes-colosseum-
condominium-medieval-times-001828
Aqueducts
• Roman aqueducts supplied fresh,
clean water for baths, fountains,
and drinking water for ordinary
citizens.
• Though earlier civilizations in Egypt
and India also built aqueducts, the
Romans improved on the structure
and built an extensive and complex
network across their territories.
• Evidence of aqueducts remain in
parts of modern-day France, Spain, McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science,
Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All
Greece, North Africa, and Turkey. Rights Reserved
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/roman-
aqueducts/
Roman Imperial Triumphal Arches
• symbolized the empire’s
power and greatness of the
emperor.
• The arches were decorated
with beautiful historical
scenes commemorating the
achievements of the Roman
leader to his people and the http://www.ancientpages.com/2017/07/12/triumphal-arch-of-roman-
emperor-constantine-and-its-great-vision/
empire. McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology,
and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
First Surgical Tools
• Romans weren’t just about
spears and dagger as they
also pioneered in precision
instruments that gave birth
to many modern-day
surgical tools.
• Roman emperors weren’t • To have a slight idea about the surgical skills of the
just keen on using such Romans, know that the cesarean section was
actually devised in Rome.
tool in hospitals or medical • They were intrigued to know that such tools could
centers. also become helpful to soldiers who have been
injured in battles there and then.

McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
https://interestingengineering.com/19-greatest-inventions-of-the-roman-empire-that-helped-shape-the-modern-world
Roman numerals
• Most probably, Roman
numerals history of coming
into conception rose from the
need for a communal means
of counting which is essential
to trade and communications.
• I, V, X, C, D, L and M are the
seven basic symbols used in
roman numerals which dates
back from 900 to 800 BC • http://romannumerals.info/roman-numerals-history/
• https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-roman-
numerals.html
How do you think the tools developed by
the Greeks and Romans influenced our
lives today?