STS - HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS

SCIENCE

• systematic body of knowledge

• basis for technology

TECHNOLOGY

• application of scientific knowledge

ANCIENT TIMES

• concerned with:

  a. transportation and navigation

  b. communication and record-keeping

  c. mass production

  d. security and protection

  e. health

  f. aesthetics and architecture

• Sumerian

• Babylon

• Egyptian

• Greek

• Roman

• Chinese

SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION

• 4500 - 4000 BC

• first Mesopotamian civilization

• Fertile Crescent Land (situated between Tigris and Euphrates River

• known for their high degree of cooperation with one another and their desire for great things

• Not contented with basic things - pushed them to develop many things connected to S&T.

• first to divide the passages of time

• cuneiform script

• Uruk City

• Great Ziggurat of Ur

• hydraulic engineering

• sailboat

• wheel

• plow

• roads

• fabrication of copper

• time

• sexagesimal

• lunar calendar

CUNEIFORM SCRIPT

• oldest writing form in the world (3400 BC)

• used word pictures and triangular symbols

• used clay tablets

• used to record things with great historical value or their everyday life

URUK CITY

• first true city in the world

• walled with sunbaked bricks (clay from river mixed with reed, then dried after)

GREAT ZIGGURAT OF UR

• mountain of God

• sacred place of their chief god

• only priests are allowed to enter

• non-priests that will enter will not be able to come back

IRRIGATION AND DIKE

• hydraulic engineering

• irrigation and agriculture were developed here because of the fertile soil found near these rivers

• for flood control

• uses floods in dry lands

SAILBOAT

• 5000 years ago

• for trading of productions and migrations

• make it easy to move in the waters

• lightweights sailboats made from wood and papyrus

• square-shaped and made up of cloth. 

WHEEL

• bronze age

• first made up of woods

• for easier movement of heavy objects

• used for chariots for battle

• for agriculture (animal transactions and irrigation), craft industries

• originally for milling

PLOWS

• turn and break up soil, bury crop residues, and control weeds

ROADS

• better transportation

• for trading

FABRICATION OF COPPER

• Sumerians were the first users of copper

• COPPER: earliest non-precious metals

• helped in significant growth of various Mesopotamia cities like URUK, SUMER, UR and al’UBAID

• used in arrowheads, razors, and harpoons

TIME

• 3000 BC

• passages of time were first divided by Sumerians

• introduced the passage of weeks, months, and years

• BEFORE: knowledge of Sumerians about astronomy was used to figure out approximate time

• sexagesimal system

SEXAGESIMAL SYSTEM

• divided a day into 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness

• further divided into 60 minute-hours and 60 second-minute

SEXAGESIMAL

• numeral system

• record of numerous subjects instead of naming all

LUNAR CALENDAR

• based entirely on the recurrence of lunar phases

• counting of 12 months

• two seasons observed: summer & winter

• To make up the difference between this year, and the year of seasons, they added an extra month to every year after four years

BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION

• 1844 - 1595 BC

• great builders, engineers, and architects

• hanging gardens of Babylon

• trigonometry

• astronomy

• jewelry making

HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON

• gift of King Nebuchadnezzar II to Amytis

• layers of garden of different kinds of plants, ferns, and flowering plants

• no physical existence

ASTRONOMY

• zodiac

• eclipses of the sun and moon could be foretold

• stars had been numbered and named at an early date

• Possessed tables of lunar longitudes and observations of the phases of Venus

JEWELRY MAKING

• originated from the Babylonians

• Led way for our modern designs as they were the first to incorporate precious gems and metals to make beautiful pieces of jewelry.

EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

• 3100 - 332 BCE

• their legacy is the engineering feats of the Egyptians, especially the infrastructure established by their Pharaohs

• The Civilization of Ancient Egypt began in the Nile River, Valley of Northeastern Africa

• death mask

• papyrus

• Pyramid of Giza

• hieroglyphics

• calendar system

• cosmetics

• wigs

• ink

• clepsydra

PAPER OR PAPYRUS

• paper

• 4th millenium BCE

• plant that grows abundantly along the Nile river

• stem of the papyrus plant was used to make sails, cloth, mats, cords, and paper

• chief writing material in Ancient Egypt

INK

• invented by combining soot with different chemicals to produce inks of different colors.

HIEROGLYPHICS

• complex system of writing using symbols (logographic and alphabetic elements)

• language that tells the world of the history and culture of Egyptians

• record historical events, religious texts, and admin record

• written in papyrus and walls of pyramids and other Egyptian structures

COSMETICS

• used for aesthetics and health purposes

• beauty is a sign of holiness

• they wore kohl around their eyes

KOHL

• created by mixing soot and malachite with mineral galena

• believed to cure and prevent eye diseases

WIG

• for health wellness rather than aesthetic

• used to protect shaved heads of healthy Egyptians from the harmful rays of the sun

CLEPSYDRA

• water clock

• timekeeping device during ancient times

• utilizes gravity that affects the flow of water from one vessel to another

• they also made sundial (shadow clock)

PYRAMID OF GIZA

• royal tombs for pharaohs

DEATH MASK

• believed to lead the dead’s spirit to the body

CALENDAR SYSTEM

• devises the earliest known calendar

• included 12 months of 30 days each, with five additional days at the end of the year

• serves as the basis for the later calendar system

GREEK CIVILIZATION

• birthplace of Western Philosophy

• major achievements in the field of mathematics and philosophy

• built coliseums and pioneered the olympics

• parthenon

• alarm clocks and odometer

• the alarm clock of plato

• watermill

• rhetoric

• democracy

• theater

ALARM CLOCKS

• still in use

• created by Ctesibius (Hellenistic engineer and inventor)

CTESIBIUS’ WATER CLOCK

• world’s first alarm clock

ALARM CLOCK OF PLATO

• invented in 427 to 348 BC

• first human awakening device in history

• you need water in it to make it work

• may whistle

ODOMETER

• measures the distance traveled by a vehicle

• Helped Greeks to create roads and bridges for travelling, set milestones at specific distances, and helped developed their empire, boosting their economic standing

WATER MILL

• used to grind flour

RHETORIC

• art that aims to improve the capability of writers or speakers to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences

DEMOCRACY

• first form of self-rule

ROMAN CIVILIZATION

• the strongest political and social entity in the west

• cradle of politics and governance

• founded when Augustus Caesar proclaimed himself the first emperor in Rome (31BC)

• Came to an end with the fall of Constantinople (1453 CE)

• newspaper

• bound books / codex

• roman architecture

• aqueduct

• roman numerals

• roman alphabet

• concretes

• roads

• medical advancements

• public baths

• military innovations

• caesar cipher

• roman library

NEWSPAPER

• gazettes

• contained announcements of the Roman Empire to the people and is engraved in metal or stone tablets and then publicly displayed before the invention of paper

• ACTA SENATUS: minutes of official business

• acta diurna

• ACTA: things that have been done

ACTA DIURNA

• gazette of political and social events

• only available to the senators

CODEX

• bound books

• JULIUS CAESAR: started the tradition of stacking up papyrus to form pages of a book

• earlier covers were made of WAX, then later on replaced by animal skin

• first books

ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

• continuation of the greek architecture

• large churches (cathedrals and basilicas), aqueducts, coliseums, amphitheaters, and residential houses

• The Maison Carrée

• Roman Forum (Forum Romanum)

• The Pantheon

AQUEDUCT

• used to supply water to the town of Nimes (about 30 miles away from the Mediterranean Sea)

• ended up on homes and baths in Nimes

• was about 31 miles in length

ROMAN NUMERALS

• symbols used in a system of numerical notation based on the ancient Roman system

ROMAN ALPHABET

• writing system originally used to write the Latin language

CHINESE CIVILIZATION

• oldest civilization in Asia (if not in the world)

• ancient writing systems

• cultural continuity and heritage

• territorial boundaries

• philosophical duration

• dynastic successions

• silk

• silk road

• great wall of china

• gun powder

• tea production

SILK

• resulted for a creation of a product for trade

• the trade opened China to the outside world

• paved way for cultural, economic, and scientific exchanges

• bridged the gap between the western world and the middle kingdom

• silkworm farming: restricted to women

• silk-making: many women were employed

• from silkworms

SILK ROAD

• boosted trade

• paved way to Hindi religion, spices, art and science innovations

TEA PRODUCTION

• first tea was believed to be drunk by a Chinese empreror

• China became known for tea exports aside from silk

GUN POWDER

• made originally to prolong life

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

• only man-made object visible from space

MEDIEVAL PERIOD

• middle ages

• 5th - 15th century

• early middle ages, high middle ages, late middle ages

• age of expxloration

• heavy plow

• horse collar

• medieval surgical instrument

• herbal medicine

• compound microscope

• lancets and trepanation tools

• windmills

• shipbuilding

• road construction

• magnetic compass

• telescope

• crossbow

• chainmail and plate armor

EARLY MIDDLE AGES

• 5th - 10th century

• fall of western roman empire in the 5th century

• catholic church hindered scientific advancement due to the fear that it would be a threat to its authority

• FEUDALISM: system in which rulers granted land to lower nobility in return for military service (became the prominent political system in central Europe

HIGH MIDDLE AGES

• 11th - 13th century

• revival of learning and culture

• Renaissance of the 12th century

• emergence of universities and scholars

• decline of feudalism

LATE MIDDLE AGES

• 14th - 15th century

• black death: bubonic plague

• hundred years war

• saw development of early forms of renaissance art and humanism

HEAVY PLOW

• Allowed for more efficient tilling of heavy, clay-rich soils, improving agricultural productivity

HORSE COLLAR

• Made it possible for horses to pull heavy loads, increasing in agricultural efficiency

MEDIEVAL SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS

• ex. lancets and trepanation tools

• developed for medical procedures

HERBAL REMEDIES

• botanical knowledge

• treating ailments

COMPOUND MICROSCOPE

• 1950

• Zacharias Janssen

• features two convex lenses in a tube for higher magnification and improved microscopy

WINDMILLS

• grinding grain

• pumping water

• reduces labor required

MAGNETIC COMPASS

• used for transportation, especially on navigation

CROSSBOW

• advancement in ranged weaponry

• offered greater accuracy and power

CHAINMAIL AND PLATE ARMOR

• provided improved protection for soldiers who went to countless wars

MODERN AGES

• 16th century - 19th century (?)

• 19th century: world population hit 1 billion

• people needed more means of goods and services, transportation to trade, machines to upgrade, faster and easier communication, medicine and vaccine, food safety and preservation

• resulted in the making of the industry

• steam locomotive

• telegraph

• sewing machine

• rubber vulcanization

• internal combustion engine

• light bulb

• typewriter

• process for making steel

• cash register

• elevator

• electric motor

• petroleum refinery

• calculator

• telephone

• pasteurization

• stethoscope

• development of modern vaccine

STEAM LOCOMOTIVE

• 1814

• George Stephenson

• revolutionized transportation

• played a key in the development of the modern railways system

• Type of railway vehicle that moves itself using the expansion of steam

TELEGRAPH

• 1837

• Samuel Morse

• transmit messages electronically over long distances

SEWING MACHINE

• 1846

• Elias Howe

• made it possible to quickly and accurately sew clothing and other textile

• contributed to the clothing industry

RUBBER VULCANIZATION PROCESS

• 1839

• Charles Goodyear

• made it possible to produce durable and long-lasting rubber products

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

• 1876

• Nicholaus Otto and Eugene Longen

• powered the first automobiles

• still used in many transportations today

LIGHT BULB

• 1879

• Thomas Edison

• provided reliable source of electric light

• revolutionized the way we live and work

TYPEWRITER

• 1867

• Christopher Latham Sholes

• made it possible to quickly and accurately type documents

• revolutionized the way we communicate and do business

PROCESS OF MAKING STEEL

• 1856

• Henry Bessemer

• made it possible to produce large quantities of high-quality steel

• developed the modern steel industry

ELEVATOR

• 1853

• Elisha Otis

• made it possible to transport people and goods between levels of a building

CASH REGISTER

• 1879

• James Ritty and Charles Kettering

• recorded and stored information about sales transactions

• made it easier for business to keep track of their finances

ELECTRIC MOTOR

• 1821

• Michael Faraday

• used electricity to generate mechanical motion

• led the development of many modern appliances and machines

TELEPHONE

• 1876

• Alexander Graham Bell

PETROLEUM REFINERY

• kerosene

• for transpo and household

PASTEURIZATION

• Louis Pasteur (also focused on vaccination development of animals to avoid diseases)

• created to combat wine’s diseases and later on applied to other spoilable substances like milk

STETHOSCOPE

• 1816

• Dr. Rene Laennec

• medical instrument used in listening to sound produced within the body (heart and lungs)

DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN VACCINES

• later 18th century

• Edward Jenner

• Started with his discovery of smallpox immunization

• This pivotal step led to substantial progress in prevention of infectious diseases

PHILIPPINE INVENTIONS

• pre-colonial period

• spanish-colonial period

• american-colonial period

• post-colonial period

PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

• marked by indigenous knowledge and invention

• suited with their needs

• balangay

• baybayin script

• agricultural techniques

• pottery and earthenware

• metalworking

BALANGAY

• wooden boat for transporting

BAYBAYIN SCRIPT

• ancient script used by various ethnic groups

• for writing in inscription to various artifacts

AGRICULTURAL TECHNIQUES

• ex. Banaue Rice Terraces

POTTERY AND EARTHENWARE

• for cooking, storage, and other domestic purposes

METALWORKING

• casting of gold, copper, and other metals into ornament, jewelry, and tools

SPANISH-COLONIAL PERIOD

• inventions were introduced and adapted in local context

• printing press

• irrigation system

• agricultural techniques (introduced crops)

• cultural and linguistic studies

• medical practices

• architectural innovation

PRINTING PRESS

• Friar Juan de Placensia

IRRIGATION SYSTEM

• spanish authorities improves and expanded it for agriculture

CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES

• preserving indigenous cultural knowledge

MEDICAL PRACTICES

• introduced hospitalization

• european and philippine remedy

ARCHITECTURAL INNOVATION

• techniques were earthquake resistant

• use of coral stone

AMERICAN-COLONIAL PERIOD

• electricity and street lightning (late 19th century)

• telegraph and telephone system (early 20th century; enhance communication)

• railroads (1902-1906; Manila-Dagupan Railroad)

• higher education institution (UP)

• cinematography (Manila [1897] - first documented film)

POST-COLONIAL PERIOD

• biosafety net

• molave super

• Philippine genome center

• coconut oil as bio-diesel fuel

• magbanua rice

BIOSAFETY NET

• 1950S

• Gregorio Zara

• automatically shuts power when detect abnormalities