Historical Antecedents in the Course of

Science and Technology

A/Prof. Jose Tolentino D. Olivar II

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Objectives of the Lecture

 Timeline of human history and the emergence and development of science including
science communication during the Ancient, Middle Ages, and Renaissance period. (STS
Syllabus, 2018, p.3)
 Explain how science and technology affected the society and environment and vice versa;
 Identify inventions and discoveries that changed the world over the course of history; and
 Discuss the scientific and technological developments in the Philippines. (McNamara, Valverde,
& Beleno III, 2018, pp.2-37)

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What is historical antecedent?

 Antecedent:
 Latin ante-, "before" + cedere, "to yield"

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The History of the World

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Wu0Q7x5D0&t=457s

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Historical Antecedents of S&T (McNamara, Valverde, Beleno III, 2018)

• Silk, Tea Production

Chinese • The Great Wall of China, Gunpowder

• Newspaper, Codex
Roman • Architecture and Numbers

• Alarm Clock
Greek • Water Mill

• Papyrus, Ink, Hieroglyphics

Egyptian • Cosmetics, Wig, Alarm Clock (Clepsydra)

Babylonian •Hanging Gardens of Babylon

• Cuneiform, Uruk City, The Great Ziggurats of Ur

Sumerian • Irrigation and Dikes, Sailboats, Wheel, The Plow, Roads

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Sumerian Science & Technology Cuneiform Uruk City Irrigation and Dikes

Sailboats Wheel The Plow

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 Babylonian Science &
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Technology

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Egyptian Science & Technology Papyrus Ink Hieroglyphics

Cosmetics Wig Water Clock

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 Greek Science & Technology

Water Mill

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 Roman Science & Technology Newspaper Codex

Architecture Numerals

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 Chinese Science & Technology Silk Tea Production

Great Wall of China Gunpowder

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Implications:

 Agrarian societies – food and basic necessities (McNamara, et.al., p.3)

 “hunters and gatherers” migrated with herds
 With development of agriculture, some people moved where good land for planting existed
 Other people began to move in groups together and settle down in one play to stay.

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 Growth of Religion
 People begin to believe in the same god
 Cultures begin to diversify
 People begin to display regional differences

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 Growth of specialized occupations
 As people live together, not everyone needs to do the same thing
 People begin to do what they are good at
 People do what they are able themselves and trade for other goods or service
 Birth of free market society

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 Age of enlightenment
 Study the stars and chart their movement
 Advanced math skills

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 Applying science to design (McNamara, et.al., engineering and architecture, p.4)
 Use of geometries to create monumental buildings
 Building placement determined by path of sun on specific days
 Ability to build monumental structures with simple machines

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 Civilizations in Contact
 There are studies that suggest the Egyptians and Pre-Incans made contact long before the Vikings
came to the Western hemisphere
 Similar architecture
 Similar tools
 Most importantly artifacts found in Egypt made of materials that only exist in South America

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Medieval/Middle Ages

Printing Press Microscope Telescope

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Modern Times

Pasteurization Petroleum Telephone Calculator

Refinery

• Ancient • Ancient • Alexander • Ancient

• Lazzarro • Samuel Kier Graham Bell • Blaise Pascal
Spallanzani (1850s) (1870s) (17th century)
(1768)
• Louis Pasteur
(1864)

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Philippine Inventions

Salamander / Amphibious Dr. Fe del Mundo - Medical

Salt Lamp
Tricycle Incubator

Mosquito Ovicidal / Larvicidal

EJeepney
Trap System

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 Four Eras of History

Ancient Middle Modern

Prehistory
Times Ages Era
Civilization arises in
The Big Bang Dark Ages in Europe Conquest of the Americas
Mesopotamia

Emergence of Humans Egypt of the Pharaohs Rise of Islam Liberal Revolutions

Tools Ancient India & China Maya Civilization Industrialism

Spoken Language Southern Ocean Trade Mongol Conquest World War

Classical Greece and

Agriculture Renaissance Space Age
Rome

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What is Civilization?

 Civilization:
 Latin words “civis” which refers to one who is inhabitants of a city and “civets” which refers to
the urban community in which one dwells.

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Conclusion:

 The history of science is the history of civilization

 The history of scientific cultures is the history of world civilization

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 Ancient Sumer to Renaissance Europe
 Advancement in science and technology
 Political and legal institutions
 Economy
 Religious coherence
 Social mores
 Literacy and artistic traditions

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Scientific Culture

 What is Scientific Culture?

 The collective knowledge and explorations of nature and its materials developed by a particular
people in response to the specific demands and opportunities of their society (Montgomery and
Kumar, 2016)
 What is Culture?
 Latin term ‘cult or cultus’ meaning tilling, or cultivating or refining and worship
 Culture is the socially transmitted knowledge and behavior shared by some group of people
(Peoples and Bailey, 1998)

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Themes in the World History of Scientific Cultures

Influence Crossroads and Travelers

• Growth of Scientific and Technological Influences • Knowledge is a mobile form of culture

Translation (as a historical force) Science and Art

• Process of Transfer and the Creation of New Texts • What, How, Why, When, and When of Images

Historical Continuity in Science The Science and the “Classic”

• Scientific Revolution • Canonical Works

Science and Religion The Needham Question

• Why did modern science develop only in the Western world?
• Science and Religion cannot be separated

The Idea of Order The history of Science is still a young field

• Mathematics in nearly all Scientific Cultures • Concentration of scholarship in Europe

The Libraries Science has always been International

• The Great Collections • Science was a diverse pluriculturall endeavor

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End of Presentation
Supplemental Readings for this PPTX:
Timeline of Science in World Cultures

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