SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY
IN ANCIENT
CIVILIZATIONS
STS 0002 Science,
Technology, and Society

Camille C. Abendanio, R.Ch.

Lecturer III
College of Science
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

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OVERVIEW

• This chapter tackles the historical antecedents

of science and technology of early civilizations,
ancient Mesopotamian (Sumerian and
Babylonian), Egyptian, Greek, Roman and
Chinese civilizations.

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OBJECTIVES

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Identify the relationship between science and technology
• Determine the impact of science and technology in the society
• Know the historical antecedents of science and technology
• Cite the discoveries and inventions transpired during ancient times.

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OUTLINE

1.1 Early Civilization

1.2 Sumerian Civilization
1.3 Babylonian Civilization
1.4 Egyptian Civilization
1.5 Greek Civilization
1.6 Roman Civilization
1.7 Chinese Civilization

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EARLY CIVILIZATION

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EARLY CIVILIZATION
• People lived in area where there
the resources are plenty.
• Nomads – without permanent
home.
o Always looking for food

• Used stone tools for survival and © Smithsonian National Museum

of Natural History

for basic operations.

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EARLY CIVILIZATION

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SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION

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SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
• Founded in the Mesopotamia
region.
• Fertile Crescent
• Tigris and Euphrates rivers
• Civilization with the most
contributions in science

© Goran tek-en CC BY-SA 4.0

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SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
• Comprised of a group of city-states
o Uruk – the very first true city o Larsa
o Eridu o Isin
o Nippur
o Lagash
o Kish
o Kullah
o Adab
o Ur

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SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
1. Agriculture
A. Irrigation system
i. Levees – embankments created by deposited
river sediments as a river floods.
They constructed artificial levees higher than
the soil to control water flow.

Source: Google sites

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SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
1. Agriculture
B. Plow – enabled them to dig the soil land
where seeds would be planted at a faster
pace.
C. Seed sowing machine – enabled them to © Getty Images

plant seeds more quickly and evenly.

© Pinterest

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 SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
1. Agriculture
D. Wheels (~2000 B.C.)
• Started from the potter’s wheel
• Mainly used for transporting
agricultural products
• Led to the development of the
chariot.

© Getty Images

Image sources: ancientcivilizationlist.com; pinterest.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

 SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
2. Medicine
• Based on magic and herbalism
• Treatment of diseases were conducted
by priests through exorcism.
• Sumerians believed that diseases were
punishment from God and were caused
by bad spirits, demons, etc.

Image source: Pinterest.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

 SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
3. Trading/Transportation
A. Sailboats
• Used for transporting products for trading
and for travelling.
• These were made from lightweight
materials for easy navigation.
• Sailboats evolved to more advanced
structures as these became essential in
warfare.

Image source: sites.google.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

 SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
4. Writing System
A. Cuneiform
• First writing system invented by
Sumerians.
• Consists of wedge-shaped symbols and
pictographs
• Mainly used for trading, recording goods,
and temple activities.
• Written in soft clay tablets

Image source: dreamstime.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

 SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
5. Mathematics
Mathematics was developed out of necessity.
• Number system
o Sexagesimal system (Base 60)
o Assigning symbols to large numbers and
prepare the lunar calendar
o Elementary abacus

Image source: sciencesource.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
6. System of time
• Time – 60 seconds, 60 minutes
• Calendar based on lunar cycles – 12 months/year and 30 days/month
• Used in predicting natural disasters and plan their agricultural activities.
• Leap year

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 SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
7. Architecture
• Ziggurats
o Religious temple
o Made with mud bricks
o High structure – closer to God
• Sumerians expanded their
territories by building lots of
structures

Ziggurat of Ur

Image source: Khan Academy COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION

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 BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION
• Also emerged near the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers
• Considered as great builders,
engineers, and architects
• Led by Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.)

Image source: Pinterest.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

 BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION
A. Number System
• Sexagesimal system
• Positional number
system – place values

Image source: UCDenver COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION
B. Architecture
• Hanging Gardens of
Babylon
• Walls of Babylon
• Glazed bricks

© World History Encyclopedia

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BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION
C. Weapons
• Babylonian civilization transpired during the
Bronze age
• Weapons were made of bronze (alloy of
copper and tin)

Source: Pinterest.com

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EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

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EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
• Brought together under King Narmer
• Developed along the Nile River

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EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
1. Architecture
a. Temples
• Made of stones
• Carved with scenes
• Painted with bright colors
b. Pyramid © Boundless

• Served as both tombs and monuments for the kings

• Smooth and angled sides symbolizes the rays of the
sun.

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 EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
1. Architecture

Image sources: Touropia; Third hour COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

 EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
2. Medicine
• They used herbs in treating
diseases
• They are knowledgeable in stitching
wounds, conducting eye surgeries,
and even extracting teeth.
• Practiced embalming the dead

Image sources: surgicaltechnologyhistory.weebly.com; Pinterest.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
2. Medicine
• Mummification
o Method of preserving dead bodies
o Belief in life after death - eternal life
is only possible if the individual’s
corpse remained intact
o Through the process, internal organs
are removed except for the heart.
o The body is preserved using a salt © Sunsear7

called “natron”

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 EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
3. Writing System
• Hieroglyphics
o Pictures of living creatures and objects used in
their daily living.
o Well-preserved

Image source: medium.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
4. Agriculture
• Irrigation system
o Canals and ditches
o Shaduf – hand operated device for
lifting water used for irrigating lands

© Britannica

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EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
5. Mathematics
• Decimal system (base 10)
• Introduced addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

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EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
5. Mathematics
• Geometry
o Their knowledge in geometry
allowed them to build
structures such as pyramids.
o Seked – reciprocal of the slope
we know today.

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EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
6. System of Time
• Egyptian calendar – first calendar known to use a year of 365 days (solar year).
o A civil calendar was developed mainly for administrative and accounting
purposes
o 12 months, 30 days/month
• Lunar calendar – used simultaneously with the Egyptian calendar.

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EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
7. Other Notable Inventions
• Wigs
o Used for beauty, vanity, and personal hygiene
o Symbol of social status
o Made from human hair, sheep’s wool, or vegetable fibers
• Cosmetics
• Papyrus

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GREEK CIVILIZATION

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GREEK CIVILIZATION
• Greek civilization has huge contributions in the field of Philosophy, Art, Architecture,
and Science
• They are considered as polytheistic society
• They believed in mythology to explain natural mysteries

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GREEK CIVILIZATION
1. Philosophy Socrates
•known to developed the "Socratic Method" of analyzing good
and justice
•The problem is broken down into series of inquiries that would
lead to answers to the problem.

Plato
•became student of Socrates
•laid the foundations of Western philosophy and science.
•founded The Academy of Athens, the first institution of higher
learning in the Western world.

Aristotle
•became student of Plato
•developed Empirical approach in studying nature
•founded Theory of Four causes (material, formal, efficient , final)

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GREEK CIVILIZATION
1. Philosophy Thales
•believed that water was the only substance that was souce of all
things

Pythagoras
•made important contributions in the field of mathematics
•developed the Pythagorean Theorem

Empedocles
•believed in the four fundamental elements (fire, air, earth and water)

Democritus
•established the concept of atomisim
•everything in nature is made up of indivisible elements called atoms

Archimedes
•known for his physical law of buoyancy
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GREEK CIVILIZATION
2. Architecture
• Temples
o Built to honor divinities
o Made of materials such as wood
and mud brick.
• Greek architectural orders

© Steven Zucker CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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GREEK CIVILIZATION
2. Architecture
• Theatre
o Large, open-air structures that
are capable of seating hundreds
of people
o Circular space for actors to
perform

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 GREEK CIVILIZATION
3. Agriculture
• Water Mill
o Powered by water, this is used to
grin grain products (rice, corn)
o Enabled mass production of
these products

Image source: ancienthistorylists.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

 GREEK CIVILIZATION
4. Trading
• Invention of coins
• Exporting of goods (cereals, honey, wine,
fine pottery)
• Importing of products and services
(metals, wood, textiles, etc.)

Image source: sites ngc coin.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

ROMAN CIVILIZATION

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ROMAN CIVILIZATION
1. Mathematics
• Roman Numerals
o Numbers are represented by letters from the Latin Alphabet
o Used for trading and communication
o Replaced by Hindu-Arabic numerals
• System of time
o Julian Calendar

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ROMAN CIVILIZATION
2. Architecture The Pantheon
• temple of all the Roman gods

Colosseum
• largest amphitheater
• seating capacity of 50,000

Arch of Septimius Severus

• monumental arch
• built in recognition of Roman victories over Parthians

Maison Carree
• the only temple that is completely preserved up to this day

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ROMAN CIVILIZATION
2. Architecture
• Building materials
o Volcanic native stone – tufa
o Sun-dried and fire-dried mud bricks
o Travertine white limestone
o Cement – slaked lime and volcanic ash
o Concrete

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 ROMAN CIVILIZATION
3. Water System
• Aqueduct
o Conveys water from far away
springs and mountains into cities
and towns
o Used in supplying water in
communities (public and private
baths, gardens, agricultural lands,
houses of wealthy Romans)
o Aqua Appia

Image source: sites.google.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

ROMAN CIVILIZATION
Source: ancient-origins.net
4. Communication
• Bound books
• Newspapers

Source: History hit

Different sections of
Ancient Roman newspaper

Early Roman codex from

wood
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CHINESE CIVILIZATION

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 CHINESE CIVILIZATION
1. Agriculture
• Tea Production
• Silk
• Seed drill

Image sources: ancient.eu; ancienthistorylists.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

 CHINESE CIVILIZATION
2. Navigation
• Compass – uses lodestone (mineral
magnetite) to point the south direction
• The Chinese began to use the compass
for navigation between the 9th and 11th
centuries.

Compass during Song Dynasty (960-

1279)

Image source: sciencesource.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

 CHINESE CIVILIZATION
3. Chemicals/Materials
• Gunpowder – used for fireworks to drive
away evil spirits, as well as for artillery
o 75% potassium nitrate, 15%
charcoal, 10% sulfur
o Generates large amounts of heat
o Originally developed by Chinese
alchemists to achieve immortality

Image source: php.scripts.psu.edu COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

 CHINESE CIVILIZATION
4. Architecture
• Great Wall of China
o Constructed in order to
protect the country from
northern invaders.
o 5,500 miles wall
o Glutinous rice flour was
used as a binding material

Image source: ancienthistorylists.com COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

REFERENCES
• Astorga, et al. (2019) Science, Technology, and Society. T & E Publishing.
• Kiger, P. (2019). 9 Ancient Sumerian Inventions That Changed The World. History.
https://www.history.com/news/sumerians-inventions-mesopotamia
• Andrews, E. (2021). 10 Innovations That Built Ancient Rome. History.
https://www.history.com/news/10-innovations-that-built-ancient-rome
• Vyas, K. (2018). 18 Historical Roman Inventions That Helped Shape the Modern World. Interesting
Engineering. https://interestingengineering.com/19-greatest-inventions-of-the-roman-empire-
that-helped-shape-the-modern-world
• History.com Editors (2019). Mesopotamia. History. https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-
east/mesopotamia#section_9
• Cartwright, M. (2018). Trade in Ancient Greece. World History Encyclopedia.
https://www.ancient.eu/article/115/trade-in-ancient-greece/

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REFERENCES
• Vyas, K. (2018). 11 Greek Inventions That Changed the World for Good. Interesting Engineering.
https://interestingengineering.com/11-greek-inventions-that-changed-the-world-for-good
• Lohnes, K. (n.d.). That’s a Wrap: Methods of Mummification. EncyclopediaBritannica.
https://www.britannica.com/story/thats-a-wrap-methods-of-mummification
• Knorr, W. R. , Berggren, John L. , Fraser, Craig G. , Gray, Jeremy John and Folkerts, Menso (2020,
November 9). Mathematics. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/science/mathematics
• Hornblower, S. (2020, June 8). Ancient Greek civilization. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Greece
• Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2017, June 8). Egyptian calendar. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/science/Egyptian-calendar

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REFERENCES
• Becker, J. (n.d.). Introduction to Greek architecture. Khan Academy.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/beginners-guide-
greece/a/introduction-to-greek-architecture
• History.com Editors. (2009). Ancient Egypt. History. https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-
history/ancient-egypt
• Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2019, April 11). Babylonia. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Babylonia
• Bickerman, E. , Ziadeh, . Nicola Abdo , Proskouriakoff, . Tatiana , Ronan, . Colin Alistair , Schmidt, .
John D. , Lin, . Chao , Buitenen, . J.A.B. van and Wiesenberg, . E.J. (2020, December
24). Calendar. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/calendar

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