Science, Technology

and Society (STS)

 Introduction
Science
➢is a system of knowledge of the natural world
gained through the scientific method.

➢originally called “philosophy of the natural world”

since it stemmed from the ancient Greeks’ desire
to know about nature.
 Introduction
Philosophers as a Scientist
➢The first scientists were called “philosophers of
nature.”

➢They sought to discover the truth behind material

things and natural things.

➢They observed the world and beyond, and

discovered what makes materials the same and
what them different.
 Introduction
Philosophers as a Scientist
➢They were able to name and classify the objects
found in nature and was seen as the first step
towards knowledge.

➢They were able to recognized the usefulness of

language and the ability it gave to describe,
classify, and explain the different objects of study.
 Introduction
Technology
➢The term comes from Greek words “tekhne”
meaning art or craft and “logia” meaning a
subject or interest.

➢The term has come to mean “practical

applications of what we know about nature”
using scientific principles for the betterment of
the human situation .
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
ANCIENT TIMES

➢ With all these in mind, we can conclude that the

developments in science and technology, aside from
affecting the lives of the people, were the results of
many prior antecedents.

➢ Out of necessity, people in ancient times were able to

discover and invent things that would impact the lives of
the modern people.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION

➢ Sumeria is located on the southernmost tip of ancient

Mesopotamia.
➢ They are known for their high degree of cooperation
with one another and their desire for great things.
➢ They are not contented with the basic things that life can
offer.
➢ This desire pushed them to develop many things
connected with science and technology.
Historical Antecedents in the Course of
Science & Technology
THE SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
Cuneiform
➢ One of the major contributions of the
Sumerians is the development of the
first writing system.
➢ It is a system that utilizes word pictures
and triangular symbols which are
carved on clay using wedge
instruments and then left to dry.
➢ It allowed the Sumerians to keep
records of things with great historical
value or their everyday life.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of
Science & Technology

THE SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION

The Great Ziggurat of Ur
➢ It is an engineering and architectural feat of the Sumerians.
➢ It is also called the “mountain of god”.
➢ This structure was constructed using sun-baked bricks.
➢ It served as the sacred place of their chief god, where only their priests were
allowed to enter.
➢ This structure showcases the remarkable technology used to build it.
➢ Even until today, people still enjoy and marvel at the preserved Great Ziggurat
of Ur.
Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE SUMERIAN
CIVILIZATION
Irrigation and Dikes
➢ The Sumerian created dikes and
irrigation canals to bring water to
farmlands and at the same time
control the flooding of the rivers.
➢ This method was considered as one
of the world’s most beneficial
engineering works.
➢ Through the dikes and canals, the
Sumerians were able to enjoy year-
long farming and harvesting, which
increased their food production.
Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
Sailboats
➢ At that time, the wheel was not yet invented;
the main mode of transportation was through
waterways such as rivers and seas.
➢ Boats were used to carry large quantities of
products and were able to cover large
distances.
➢ Some sources attribute to the Sumerians the
invention of sailboats to address their
increasing demands.
➢ Sailboats were essential in transportation and
trading as well as in fostering culture,
information and technology.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION

Wheel
➢ In the latter part of the Sumerians’ history,
they were able to invent the wheel since the
specialized tools needed to create it were
already available.
➢ The first wheels were not made for
transportation but for farm work and food
processes.
➢ With the use of wheel and axle, mass
production was made easier.
➢ Farmers where able to mill grains with less
effort in less time.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION

The Plow
➢ Another farm technology invented
by the Mesopotamians is the plow.
Humans evolved from being food
gatherers to farm cultivators.
➢ The plow was invented to dig the
earth in a faster pace.
➢ With this tool, farmers could
cultivate larger parcels of land
faster, enabling them to mass
produce food without taking so
much effort and time.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION
Roads
➢ In order to facilitate faster and easier
travel, the Sumerians developed the
first roads.
➢ They made the roads with the same
technology they used in making sun-
baked bricks that they laid down on the
ground.
➢ They later poured bitumen, a black
sticky substance similar to asphalt, to
smoothen the roads.
➢ This invention was very useful
especially during the rainy season.
Historical Antecedents in the Course of
Science & Technology
THE BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION
➢ Babylonian civilization emerged near the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers.
➢ It is located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Baghdad in
modern-day Iraq, the ancient city of Babylon served for nearly two
millennia as center of Mesopotamian civilization.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION
➢ The Babylonians were great
builders, engineers and
architects.
➢ One of the great
accomplishments, if the ancient
stories are true, is the
construction of the Hanging
Gardens, a wonder of the ancient
world, which some believe was
built by the biblical king
Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife
Queen Amytis.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION

➢ The ancient scientists who lived in the city made important

discoveries in mathematics, physics and astronomy.

➢ Among their many accomplishments, they developed

trigonometry, used mathematical models to track the planet
Jupiter and developed methods of tracking time that are still used
today.

➢ Ancient Babylonian records are still used by modern-day

astronomers to study how the rotation of the Earth has changed
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION

➢ Michael Seymour, a research associate at the Metropolitan

Museum of Art, writes in his book “Legend, History and the
Ancient City of Babylon” (I.B. Tauris, 2014) that an irrigation
system that distributed from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers had
to be used to grow crops.

➢ Once established, however, such a system could reap the benefit

of rich alluvial soils and support extremely productive agriculture
on the levees of canals.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course
of Science & Technology
THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
➢ Another early civilization famous for its legacy is the
Egyptian civilization located in North Africa.
➢ Many stories tell about the engineering feats of the
Egyptians especially regarding the infrastructures
established by the pharaohs.
➢ Aside from engineering technology, the Egyptians have
contributed other practical things that the world now
considers as essential.
➢ It is thus safe to say that the pyramids are not the only
contributions of the Egyptian civilization to the modern
world.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Handheld Mirror

➢ The simple handheld mirror one finds so

commonplace in the present day was created by the
Egyptians.

➢ These were often decorated with inscriptions and

figures, such as that of the protector-god Bes, and
were owned by men and women alike.

➢ More ornate wall mirrors were also a part of middle-

and upper-class homes and were likewise decorated.

• The ancient Egyptians were very aware of their self-

image and personal hygiene and appearance was an
important value.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology
THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
Toothpaste

➢ Toothpaste was made of rock salt, mint, dried iris petals, and pepper,
according to one recipe from the 4th century CE, which dentists in 2003 CE
tried and found to be quite effective (although it made their gums bleed).

➢ Another earlier recipe suggested ground-up ox hooves and ash, which, mixed
with one's saliva, created a cleansing paste for the teeth.

• This recipe, lacking the mint, did nothing for one's breath and so tablets were
created from spices like cinnamon and frankincense heated in a honey
mixture, which became the world's first breath mints.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Toothbrushes
➢ Toothbrushes and toothpaste were invented because of the
grit and sand which found its way into the bread and
vegetables of the daily meals.
➢ The image presented in the modern day by art and movies of
Egyptians with exceptionally white teeth is misleading; dental
problems were common in ancient Egypt, and few, if any, had
an all-white smile.
➢ Dentistry developed to deal with these difficulties but never
seems to have advanced at the same rate as other areas of
medicine. While it appears doctors were fairly successful in
their techniques, dentists were less so.
• To cite only one example, the queen Hatshepsut (1479-1458
BCE) actually died from an abscess following a tooth
extraction.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology
THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
Paper or Papyrus

➢ One of the earlier contributions of the

Egyptian civilization was the paper or
papyrus.
➢ Papyrus was a plant that grow abundantly
along the Nile River.
➢ The invention of paper was a major
accomplishment in Egyptian record-keeping
and communications.
➢ People then were able to send letters or
correspondences anywhere in the world.
➢ Documents would not take huge storage
spaces.
• It was easier to keep them away from raiders
who often destroyed records of the nations
they invaded.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Ox-drawn plow

➢ Among the many inventions or innovations of

the ancient Egyptians was the ox-drawn plow
and improvements in irrigation.

➢ The ox-drawn plow was designed in two

gauges: heavy and light. The heavy plow
went first and cut the furrows while the lighter
plow came behind turning up the earth.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Irrigation
➢ Egyptian irrigation techniques were so effective
they were implemented by the cultures
of Greece and Rome.
➢ New irrigation techniques were introduced
during the Second Intermediate Period by the
people known as the Hyksos, who settled in
Avaris in Lower Egypt, and the Egyptians
improved upon them; notably through the
expanded use of the canal.
➢ The yearly inundation of the Nile overflowing its
banks and depositing rich soil throughout the
valley was essential to Egyptian life but
irrigation canals were necessary to carry water
to outlying farms and villages as well as to
maintain even saturation of crops near the river.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Ink

➢ The Egyptians invented the ink by combining soot

with different chemicals to produce inks of different
colors.

➢ The ink must withstand the elements of nature since

it was used to record history, culture and codified
laws.

• It must also be tamper-proof so that people could not

simply tinker with those written down by authorities.
Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Hieroglyphics

➢ Like the Sumerians, the Egyptians

also developed a system of writing
using symbols, the hieroglyphics.

➢ The Egyptians believed that this

writing system was provided to them
by their gods.

• This form of writing can still be seen

today and was the language that tells
the modern world of the history and
culture of the ancient Egyptians.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology
THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
Cosmetics

➢ Cosmetics in the ancient Egypt was used

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 also believed that a person

wearing make-up was protected from evil

and that beauty was a sign of holiness.

Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Wig
➢ During the ancient Egyptian times, wigs
were worn for health and wellness rather
than for aesthetic purposes.
➢ The wigs were used to protect the shaved
heads of the wealthy Egyptians from the
harmful rays of the sun.
• It was considered cleaner than natural hair
because it prevented the accumulation of

head lice.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology
THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
Water Clock or Clepsydra

➢ This device utilizes gravity that affects the

flow of water from one vessel to the other.

➢ The amount of water remaining in the

device determines how much time has
elapsed since it is full. In the process, time
is measured.

• The water clock was widely used as a

timekeeping device during the ancient
times.
Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Pyramids

➢ Pharaohs of the Old Kingdom has immense

pyramids built to serve as their tombs.

➢ These demanded not only the greatest skills

of Egypt’s architects and engineers but also
the labor of thousands of workers.
Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Obelisks

➢ The creation of an obelisk, for example,

seems to have always involved the exact
same procedure performed in precisely the
same way.

• The quarrying and transport of obelisks are

well documented (though how the immense
monuments were raised is not) and shows a
strict adherence to a standard procedure.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology
THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
Embalming (Mummification)

➢ The bodies of people who had died were

carefully preserved before their burial.
Chemicals were used to dry out or
mummify the body.

➢ The mummy was then painted, wrapped in

fine linen, and adorned with jewelry.

• Egyptian embalmers were so skillful that

modern archaeologists have found
mummies that still have hair, skin and
teeth after thousands of years of burial.
 Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Medicine
➢ Medicine in ancient Egypt was intimately tied to magic.
There are three best-known works dealing with
medical issues of medical knowledge.
➢ The Ebers Papyrus is a text of 110 pages treating
ailments such as trauma, cancer, heart disease,
depression, dermatology, gastrointestinal distress, and
many others.
➢ The Edwin Smith Papyrus is the oldest known work on
surgical techniques and is thought to have been
written for triage surgeons in field hospitals. This
work shows detailed knowledge of anatomy and
physiology.
• The London Medical Papyrus combines practical
medical skill with magical spells for the treatment of
conditions ranging from eye problems to miscarriages.
Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Dentistry

➢ Based on the evidence of mummies who have been

examined, as well as letters and other documents,
ancient Egyptians seem to have experienced fairly
severe and widespread dental problems.

➢ Dentistry does not seem to have evolved at the

same pace as other branches of medicine but still
was more advanced and showed a greater
knowledge of dealing with oral pain than later
remedies practiced by other cultures.
Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science & Technology

THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

Dentistry
➢ The first known dental procedure dates to 14,000
years ago in Italy, according to evidence published in
2015 CE, but the first dentist in the world known by
name was the Egyptian Hesyre (c. 2660 BCE) who
held the position of Chief of Dentists and Physician
to the King during the reign of Djoser (c. 2670 BCE)
showing that dentistry was considered an important
practice as early as Djoser's reign and probably
earlier.

➢ This being so, it is unclear why dental practices did

not evolve to the same degree as other medical
fields.