MODULE 3.2: Historical Antecedents - Civilizations and Eras

Prelim

Mesopotamia ( 3000 BCE - 500 BCE)

• Developed early Math, Astronomy, and Writing (Cuneiform)

• Invented the wheel, plow, and irrigation systems

• Created calendars and recorded astronomical observations

Egypt

• Advanced Engineering (ex. Pyramids)

• Medical Knowledge (Surgery, Embalming)

• Use of papyrus for writing and recordkeeping

Indus Valley Civilization

• Urban planning and sanitation systems

• Standardized weights and measures

• Metallurgy (copper, bronze tools)

China

• Four Great Inventions: paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass

• Early medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture)

• Seismograph invented by Zhang Heng (132 CE)

Greece

• Philosophy and Rational Inquiry (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)

• Mathematics: Euclid (geometry), Pythagoras (Theorem)

• Natural Sciences: Hippocrates (medicine), Archimedes (physics)

Rome

• Engineering and Architecture (aqueducts, roads)

• Applied science: military technology and civil structures

• Legal and organizational frameworks that supported knowledge preservation

Islamic Golden Age (8th-13th Century)

• Preservation and translation of Greek texts into Arabic

• Advancements in algebra (Al-Khwarizmi), astronomy, and medicine (Avicenna)

• Development of scientific methods, optics (Alhazen), and chemistry (Jabir ibn Hayyan)

Medieval Europe (5th - 15th Century)

• Knowledge primarily preserved in monasteries

• Scholasticism tried to reconcile faith and reason

• Universities began to emerge in the 12th century

The Renaissance (14th - 17th century)

• Rebirth of classical learning and humanism

• Printing Press (Johannes Gutenberg) revolutionized information dissemination

• Artists like Leonardo da Vinci applied scientific principles in art and invention.

• Scientific figures like Copernicus, Galileo, and Vesalius, questioned old views

The Scientific Revolution (16th - 18th Century)

• Key figures: Galileo, Newton, Kepler, Bacon, and Descartes

• Development of the scientific method (Bacon, Descartes).

• Shift from geocentric to heliocentric worldview

• Physics, Astronomy, Biology, and Chemistry became formal disciplines

The Enlightenment Era (18th Century)

• Emphasis on reason, empiricism and skepticism of tradition

• Scientific academies and societies flourished

Industrial Revolution (18th - 19th Century)

• Massive technological advancements: steam engine, textile machinery, iron production.

• Rise of factories, urbanization, and mechanization

• Innovations based on applied science.