STS Reviewer
Antecedents - Define as precursor to the unfolding or existence of something.
Antecedents of science and technology are factors that pave way for the presence of advanced and
sophisticated scientific and technological innovations today.
Ancient Period
The rise of Ancient Civilization paved the way for advances in science and technology.
Human artifacts were the earliest form of science and technology.
These advances during the ancient period allowed civilizations to flourish by finding better ways of
communication, transportation, self-organization and ways of living.
Evolution of Telecommunications
Drumming ---> Smoke Signals ---> Carrie Pigeons ---> Pony Express ---> Telegraph --->
Ancient Wheel
> People from ancient civilization used animals as mean of transportation.
> The invention of ancient wheel is credited to the Sumerians.
Nails
> This major invention dates back to the ancient Roman era more than 2000 years old, and until the
early 1800s, using handcrafted nails was still the norm.
Paper
> Papyrus paper is the first paper in the history. Found in the tombs and temples of Ancient Egyptians.
>It was made by Ancient Egyptians from Papyrus plant. The amazing part about papyrus paper is that
it’s very strong, durable, elastic and is made naturally.
>The ancient Egyptians began writing on a papyrus.
> It is made up from a pith of plant called cyperus papyrus.
Shadoof
> A shadoof is a hand-operated tool used by ancient Egyptians to lift water, consisting of a seesaw-
like pole with a bucket on one end and a weight on the other to move water from canals to fields.
Aeolipile
> An aeolipile, aeolipyle, or eolipile, from the Greek, also known as a Hero’s engine, is a simple,
bladeless radial steam turbine which spins when the central water container is heated. Torque is
produced by steam jets exiting the turbine.
> It is the world's first steam engine.
> These advancements include the constant increase of new inventions, innovations in traditional
production and the emergence of scientific thinking and method.
Heavy Plough
> The invention of the heavy plough made it possible to harness areas with clay soil, and clay soil was
more fertile than the lighter soil types.
> This led to prosperity and literally created a breeding ground for economic growth and cities
especially in Northern Europe.
Gun Powder
>Gunpowder was invented in China
> The earliest possible reference to gunpowder appeared in 142 AD during the Eastern Han dynasty
when the alchemist Wei Boyang also known as the “father of alchemy”, wrote about substance with
gunpowder like properties.
Paper Money
> A sophisticated system of production, issued and withdrawal was gradually developed to an
admirable perfection achieved during the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1260-1368),
Mechanical Clock
>The mechanical clock, which derived from water clock, was born in medieval Europe.
> The first mechanical clocks were large devices made of iron. By the fourteenth century, they were in
widespread use across Europe.
Spinning Wheel
> Used to transform fiber into thread or yarn and eventually woven into cloth.
>Spinning wheels are believed to have originated in India between 500 and 1000 A.D. By the 13th
century, they were seen in Europe, and were a standard piece of equipment for those making fiber
into yarn.
> By the 17th century they were commonly found in homes in the colonies of North America.
Compass
> The Chinese invented the first compass between the ninth and eleventh centuries, and it was a
stone made of magnets, which is a naturally magnetized iron ore. Then the technology was
transferred to the Europeans and the Arabs through maritime contact.
Modern Ages
> Historical period when people realized the importance of efficiency of transportation,
communication and production.
> Industrialization took place but with greater risk on
Telescope
> Invented by Galileo Galilei that can magnify 20 times larger than regular glasses.
> This is used to discover important astronomical features like moon’s creates and stars.
Compound Microscope
> Invented by Dutch name Zacharias Janssen in 1590’s
> Nowadays, microscope is used in many scientific studies in the areas of medicine, forensics and
genetics.
X-ray machine
> The discovery of technology involve with X-ray machines was discovered by German scientist
Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen.
> While working in a lab in Wurzberg, Germany in 1895, Rontgen was testing cathode rays (part of the
technology behind what would later become television).
Television
> Invention by Scottish engineer John Logie Baird 1920s
> With a mechanical television system he invented, he became the first person to televise pictures of
objects in motion.
Engine-Powered Airplane
> Invented by Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright.
> They demonstrated that slightly tilted wings are the key features of flying aircraft.
First Automobile
> The first stationary gasoline engine developed by Carl Benz was a one-cylinder two-stroke unit
which ran the first time on New Year’s Eve 1879
Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science, Technology and
Society
I. PREHISTORY
Stone Age ---> Paleolithic Age ---> Neolithic Age
Paleolithic Age
- Palaios - old ; Lithos - stone
- Coined by john Lubbock in 1865 -Old stone age -hunters and gatherers
Barter
> Exchange of goods or services for other goods or services without using money.
> Obsidian
- New Guinea -17,000 BC -Hunting arrowheads
BARTER SYSTEM
-Types-
Goods for Goods
> Goods for goods in barter means exchanging one product directly for another product without using
money.
Example:
A farmer trades rice for a fisher’s fish — rice for fish, goods for goods.
Goods for Services
> Goods for services means exchanging a product for someone’s work or skill without using money.
Example:
A person gives vegetables to a mechanic in exchange for fixing a bike — vegetables for repair service.
Silent Barter
>Trade between strangers or distant tribe.
> Used when two groups do not speak the same language or wanted to avoid direct contact.
Gift giving
> Happened as a reciprocal gift exchange not as immediate trading
Using Natural Currencies
PROTO - CURRENCIES
1. Shells (cowries)
2. Precious stones
3. Salt
4. Beads
5. Animals teeth or bones
Neolithic
- Neo - new ; Lithos -stone
- New stone age -Settlers -First agricultural revolution
Neolithic Age
-From hunters to settlers
Metal Age
Copper Age ---> Bronze Age ---> Iron Age
Copper Age
- Chalcolithic Period
- an era of transition between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age
- first use of pure copper for small and precious objects.
Bronze Age
- Alloy of Copper and Tin
- Use of bronze for tools and weapons
- Wheels was invented
- First system of writing started
Cuneiform
> It is the first writing system to keep record of information.
> It is the Sumerian’s main contribution.
Hieroglyphics
> Egyptians also established a writing system that used symbols known as hieroglyphics.
Cuneiform
- Sumerian (Mesopotamia)
- Written on clay tablets
- Syllables
- Abstract shapes
Hieroglyphics
- Egypt
- Written on temple walls
- Consonants
-pictures
PREHISTORIC HEALTH CARE PRACTICES
- Used the process of “Trial and error”
- Plant materials were among the treatments for their diseases
- Believed in a combination of natural and supernatural causes and treatments for conditions and
diseases.
1. Trepanation
- to bore or to auger
- a process in which a hole is drilled into the skull.
- one of the earliest neurosurgical inventions
> For treating head trauma, brain tumor, epilepsy, headaches and mental illness.
> Exorcism
2. Sorcery
- The practice of malevolent magic derived from casting lots as a means of divining the future in the
ancient Mediterranean world.
3. Geophagy
- Traditional cultural activity
- The deliberate consumption of earth materials, soil or clay.
- Pregnant, children and ill
- To add needed minerals and salts that potentially aid digestion and absorb toxins.
> For non-human primates:
- Used for protection from parasites, to provide minerals supplements and to help metabolized toxic
compounds from leaves.