WEEK 2 - SCIE 101 - Course Module Template 2
WEEK 2 - SCIE 101 - Course Module Template 2
WEEK 2 - SCIE 101 - Course Module Template 2
LESSON PROPER
Introduction
Science may be defined as the system of knowledge of the natural world gained through
the scientific method. It was originally called “philosophy of the natural world” since it stemmed
from the ancient Greeks’ desire to know about nature. Thus, the first scientists were called
“philosophers of nature.” They sought to discover the truth behind materials and natural things.
It was the task of the philosophers of nature to observe the world and beyond, and to discover
what makes materials the same and what makes them different.
In their quest for understanding the natural world, the ability to name and classify the
objects found in nature was seen as the first step towards knowledge. Thus, the scientific
search for truth early on recognized the usefulness of language and the ability it gave to
describe, classify, and explain the different objects of study.
Meanwhile, the term technology comes from Greek words “tekhne” meaning “art or craft”
and – logia, meaning a “subject or interest.” Taken together, the term has come to mean
“practical applications of what we know about nature” using scientific principles for the
betterment of the human situation.
Science and technology indeed play major roles in the everyday life. They make difficult
and complicated tasks easier and allow people to do more with so little effort and time. The
developments in this field are not just products of people’s imagination or a one-time thought
process; they are also brought about by gradual improvements to earlier works from different
time periods. The driving force behind this continuous progress is the desire to raise the quality
of life of the people.
In the ancient times, people were concerned with transportation and navigation,
communication and record-keeping, mass production, security and protection, as well as health,
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aesthetics, and architecture (McNamara, Valverde and Beleno (2018). Science, Technology and
Society).
Fig. 3. www.google.com.ph
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.
Fig. 4. www.google.com.ph
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 were able to mill grains with less effort in less time Fig. 5. www.google.com.ph
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.
Fig. 6. www.google.com.ph
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.
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Fig. 7. www.google.com.ph
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. 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.
Fig. 8. www.google.com.ph
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 (www.livescience.com).
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.
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INTRODUCTION
Ancient Egypt is a land of mysteries. No other civilization has so captured the
imagination of scholars and laypeople alike. Mystery surrounds its origins, its religion and its
monumental architecture: colossal temples, pyramids and the enormous Sphinx. The Egyptian
pyramids are the most famous of all the ancient monuments, the only remaining wonder of the
seven wonders of the ancient worlds.
While much of the world was living in primitive conditions, the ancient Egyptians were
inventing writing and advancing the sciences of mathematics, medicine and astronomy. They
developed ways to measure time and distances, and applied their knowledge to monumental
architecture.
Today, Egyptian archaeologists are still making important discoveries, and the scientific
study of royal mummies is shedding new light on the genealogy of the pharaohs. The ongoing
deciphering of hieroglyphics writings and research on the life of the peasants are also
answering many questions related to the evolution of the Egyptian culture. The pharaonic
religion gives the impression that the Egyptians were preoccupied with death; however there are
ample indications that they were a happy lot who knew how to enjoy life.
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.
Table 1. Egyptian Civilization Contributions in the Development of Science and Technology
Contribution Illustration
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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. Fig. 1. The Trustees of the British Museum
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
Fig. 2. www.google.com.ph
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.
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
Fig. 3. www.google.com.ph
queen Hatshepsut (1479-1458 BCE) actually
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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
Fig. 6. www.google.com.ph
farms and villages as well as to maintain even
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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. Fig. 8. www.google.com.ph
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.
Fig. 9. www.google.com.ph
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. Fig. 10. www.google.com.ph
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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.
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. Fig. 13.by Dennis Jarvis (CC BY-SA)
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. Fig. 14. www.google.com.ph
Medicine
Medicine in ancient Egypt was intimately tied to
magic. The 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
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Dentistry
Dentistry does not seem to have evolved at the Fig. 16. www.google.com.ph
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.
Activity #1 in
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (STS)
Direction: Based on what you have learned from the first synchronous session, construct a
Venn diagram that will show the similarities and differences of the contribution of the Sumerian
and Babylonian civilization in the development of science and technology (refer to lesson ppt).
Similarities The identified character The student highlights 2 The identified character traits
traits provided is only 1. character traits and does not are 3 or more and do not repeat.
repeat. They include well describe They include well describe examples.
examples.
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Differences The identified character The student highlights 3 to 4 The identified character traits
traits provided are 2 or less. character traits and does not are 5 or more and do not repeat.
repeat. They include well describe They include well describe examples.
examples.
Organizatio The Venn Diagram is very The Venn Diagram is legible The Venn Diagram is very neat
n sloppy and unreadable. and organized. and well-organized.
Activity #2 in
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (STS)
Direction: Based on the module that you have read (refer to asynchronous module 1), create
your own concept map that shows the Egyptian civilization’s contribution to science and
technology. Use arrow(s) and phrases to show connection of one contribution to the others.
Note: Use all (16) the contributions found in the asynchronous module 1 in creating the concept
map.
Relationship among Does not use arrows and Connections are somewhat Connections indicate
concepts phrases to show connection clear and convey some superior organization and
Connections are not clear meaning understanding and enhance
and do not promote clarity Only some connections are meaning
Most of the connections are incorrect Connections are clear and
incorrect logical.
They connect concepts to
promote clarity and convey
meaning.
REFERENCES
Brier, B & Hobbs, H. (2013). Ancient Egypt: Everyday Life in the Land of the Nile. Sterling
Bunson, M.(1991). The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Gramercy Books.
David, R. (2007). Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt Revised. Oxford University Press
James, G. (2014). Stolen Legacy: The Egyptian Origins of Western Philosophy. CreateSpace
Independent Publishing Platform
Lewis, J. E. (2003). The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Ancient Egypt. Running Press
McNamara, SJ, D.J.(2018). Science, technology and society. Quezon City:
C&E Publishing, Inc.
Perry, M. (1989). A history of the world. Houghton Mifflin Company. USA
Shaw, I. (2016). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford
Wilkinson, R. H. (2000). The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson