Module 1. Unit 2.

Historical
Antecedents of Science and
Technology
Intended Learning Outcomes
1. List down scientific and technological inventions across time.
2. Discuss the historical antecedents, e.g., social, cultural, economic,
and political contexts, which shaped and was shaped by the
development of S&T across time.
3. Discuss Philippine scientific and technological inventions and how
these, too, shaped and were shaped by various social contexts.
Watch an 18-minute Tedx Talk by Hannu Rajaniemi.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcWsjlGPPFQ
Historical Antecedents of S&T
 One of the key interests of Science, Technology, and Society as an
academic field
 focuses on how S&T changed across time and the impacts of
scientific and technological innovation on prevailing social, cultural,
political, and economic contexts across time
 pays attention to the contextual circumstances that shaped S&T
 interests lie in historical antecedents of scientific and technological
innovation
What’s in a historical antecedent?
 can be understood as a precursor of a thing
 an antecedent of a something unfolded or existed before it
 historical antecedents in S&T can be understood as the previous
state of science and technology or previous scientific or technological
tools that paved the way for more advanced and sophisticated S&T
to arise
Ancient Period
• The rise of ancient civilizations paved the way for advances in
S&T. The advances in S&T during the ancient period allowed
civilizations to flourish by finding better ways of living,
communication, transportation, and self-organization.
Ancient Period: Ancient Wheel

Figure 1. Sumerian Wheel  Figure 2. Potter’s Wheel 

Ancient Period: Paper

Figure 3a. The Edwin Smith Papyrus  Figure 3b. Rush plant 
Ancient Period: Shadoof

Figure 4. Shadoof
Ancient Period: Antikythera Mechanism

Figure 5. A fragment of the Antikythera mechanism 

Ancient Period: Aeolipile

Figure 6. An illustration of Hero’s engine 

Middle Ages
• Major advances in scientific and technological development,
including a steady increase of new inventions, introduction of
innovations in traditional production, and emergence of
scientific thinking and method, had taken place. Many
medieval universities at the time stirred scientific thinking and
provided infrastructure for scientific communities to flourish.
Some of humanity’s most important, present-day technologies
could be traced back to historical antecedents in the Middle
Ages.
Middle Ages: Heavy Plough

“The heavy plough turned

European agriculture and
economy on its head. Suddenly
the fields with the heavy, fatty
and moist clay soils became
those that gave the greatest
yields.” -University of Southern
Denmark professor Thomas
Bernebeck Andersen

Figure 7. An impression of the heavy plough  

Middle Ages: Gunpowder

Figure 8. Chinese using gunpowder in weapons

Middle Ages: Paper Money

Figure 9. The Chinese are credited for the invention of paper money
Middle Ages: Mechanical Clock

Figure 10. A medieval mechanical clock found in Prague, Czech Republic

Middle Ages: Spinning Wheel

Figure 11. Spinning Wheel

Modern Age
• As world population steadily increased, people of the modern
age realized the utmost importance of increasing the efficiency
of transportation, communication, and production.
Industrialization took place, but greater risks in human health,
food safety, and environment rose, which had to be
simultaneously addressed as scientific and technological
progress unfolded at an unimaginable speed.
Modern Age: Compound Microscope

Figure 12. Jansen’s compound microscope

Modern Age: Telescope

Figure 13. One of Galileo’s first telescopes

Modern Age: Jacquard Loom

Figure 14. Jacquard Loom

Modern Age: Engine-Powered Airplane

Figure 15. The flight of the Flying Machine of Orville and Wilbur Wright
Modern Age: Television

Figure 16. Baird’s television 

Inventions of Filipino Scientists
• The Philippines boasts of its own history and tradition of
scientific and technological innovation. Filipino scientists have
long been known for their ingenuity. As with all other
inventions, necessity has always been the mother of Philippine
inventions. Most Filipino inventions appealed to the unique
social and cultural context of the archipelagic nation. Even
during the ancient period, our Filipino ancestors developed
scientific and technological innovations focused on navigation,
traditional shipbuilding, textiles, food processing, indigenous
arts and techniques, and even cultural inventions.
Philippine Inventions: E-Jeepney

Figure 17. E-jeepney 

Philippine Inventions: Erythromycin

Figure 18. Abelardo Aguilar and his Erythromycin

Philippine Inventions: Medical Incubator

Figure 19. Dr. Fe Del Mundo and the medical incubator

Philippine Inventions: Mole Remover

Figure 20. Rolando dela Cruz’s commercial product – a mole

remover formula made of cashew nut extracts 
Philippine Inventions: Banana Ketsup

Figure 21. Orosa’s formula for Banana Ketsup is

brownish-yellow in color.
Trump Card Making (Individual Activity)
Instruction: For this activity, students will count off one to four until everyone is randomly
assigned a number.
• All students will be assigned a particular group of inventions depending on their random
number assignment: (1) ancient times, (2) middle ages, (3) modern age, and (4)
Philippine inventions.
• On a bond paper sized-material or any makeshift canvas of same size, the students will
draw, paint, or stick a photograph of an invention from the assigned era besides those
that had already been discussed in this unit.
• Students assigned the same group can come together and talk about a particular theme
they want to employ in designing their trump cards.
• After agreeing on the particular design, each student will work independently in
creating their own trump card. In front of the card, their chosen invention will be
drawn, painted, or stuck. Behind it, a 50-100 word historical antecedent will be written,
which specifically addresses the following questions:
Trump Card Making (Individual Activity)
1. What is the invention?
2. What came before your chosen invention? What tool existed prior it or how
was the activity carried out before its invention?
3. What was the social, political, cultural, or economic context within which
the invention was made?
4. What had been the social, political, cultural, or economic impacts of your
chosen invention?
Trump Card Making (Individual Activity)
• After making their individual trump cards, the students will present
their inventions in groups. They may employ creativity techniques in
presentation, but the rubrics will predominantly focus on the
student’s ability to demonstrate understanding of the historical
antecedents of their chosen invention.