UNIT 1.

after, the technology was passed on to the Europeans

INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY and Arabs through nautical contact.
AND SOCIETY 4. The printing press- It was Johannes Gutenberg, a
German who invented the printing press around 1440.
LESSO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY Gutenberg was the first to have created a mechanized
N1 AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE TO process that transferred the ink from the movable type to
SOCIETY IN paper. Printing press exponentially increased the speed
CONTEMPORARY WORLD with which book copies could be made and thus led to the
rapid and widespread dissemination of knowledge for the
The Meaning of Science and Technology first time in history.
1. Science, technology and society (STS) also known as
5. The internal combustion engine- decades of
science and technology studies, is the study of how
engineering by many scientists went into designing the
social, political, and cultural values affect scientific
internal combustion engine which took its modern form in
research and technological innovation and how these, in
the latter part of the 19th century.
turn affects society.
2. Science, technology and society refers to the 6. Penicillin- In 1928, the Scottish scientist Alexander
interaction between science and technology and social Fleming noticed a bacteria-filled Petri dish in his history in
cultural, political and economic contexts which shape and his laboratory, the sample had become contaminated with
are shaped by them. a mold, and everywhere the mold was, the bacteria was
dead. That antibiotic mold turned out to be the fungus
Meaning of Science Penicillium, and over the next two decades, chemists
1. Science is a systematized body of knowledge. purified it and developed the drug Penicillin, which fights
2. Science is an organized and dynamic inquiry. a huge number of bacterial infections in humans without
3. Science is knowledge gained through observation and harming themselves. Penicillin was being mass produced
experimentation. and advertised by 1944.
4. Science is a human activity.
5. Science is a social enterprise. 7. Eco-friendly Technologies. These are sustainable
6. Science leads to formation of concepts, methods, technologies. This technology utilizes resources from the
principles, theories, law and procedures which seek to environment without causing negative effects to it.
describe and explain nature and its phenomena. Solar energy- use of solar panels to provide
electricity
Meaning of Technology Geothermal energy- this is the heat from the
earth
1. Technology as material products Wind power- wind mills as source of energy
2. Technology as the application of knowledge in solving
scientific and practical problems that will help humans to Disadvantages and Ethical dilemmas of Science and
survive and improve his life. Technology
3. Technology as modern technology based on the
advances of science since the end of WWII to the present 1. Threats to human survival- the invention of nuclear
weapons in 1945, like nuclear bombing of Nagasaki and
Some of the Notable Human Successes in the Field of Hiroshima that caused deaths of many people. This was
Science and Technology a product of chemical and biological warfare (bio-
warfare); toxic wastes produced by manufacturing
1. Humans are ingenious species. The homo sapiens companies that threaten human survival and stability of
have dreamed up and created some amazing and far-out the environment.
things. e.g. sharp edged tools
2. Ethical dilemmas- exploitation of advanced scientific
2. The Wheels- the concept of inventing the wheel came knowledge and technological devise and systems gave
during 3500 BC. The idea came to connect a non-moving rise to situations in which advances seem to have turned
platform to a rolling cylinder. People then invented the against their beneficiaries, creating moral dilemmas.
wheel and axle which is the concept of making wheels.
Wheeled carts facilitated agriculture and commerce by 3. Disparities in human well-being- there are advanced
enabling the transportation of goods to and from markets, countries enjoying science and technology based
as well as easing the burden of people traveling great successes and hold high esteem in contemporary
distances. society, versus millions of people in less developed
countries who have not partaken in these benefits.
3. The compass- The Chinese invented the first
compass sometime between 9th and 11th century; it was 4. Social cultural conflicts- military power is vital for
made of lodestone, a naturally-magnetized iron ore. Soon national security of many governments; Superior and

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 1

highly technical weapons dictated the outcomes of some Ancient humans were able to discover and invent
recent wars. tools and methods as science developed and progresses.
With the availability of new scientific instruments and
5. Innovating technologies can have negative techniques, archaeology excavation has provided us with
consequences for certain sectors or constituencies: data and evidences. Facts have been unearthed and
 include pollution associated with production revealed that even during primitive time, people have
processes already developed skills and technologies which served
 increased unemployment from labor-saving new and supplied their needs for survival. Mankind existed
technologies before written records, there was no historical evidences
 conversion of agricultural land into urban areas of how people lived then because written records of any
 effect on human psychologically and emotionally kind dated only in about 5,000 BC. People then
 effect of overused technologies in medical discovered, learned and developed science and
industry that can cause fatal births and diseases technology as the consequence of their search for food,
 global warming and other survival needs, for practical reasons even
curiosity.
In the Philippines, people turn to science and
technology for warning advice and assistance during Discovery of mud plaster that led to pottery and
calamities and disaster: We have some government mud brick houses; first known pottery was in Japan
agencies responsible to giving us advice and information. around 10, 000 BC.
These are the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Department of Science and B. Evidence of Science and Technology during Pre-
Technology (DOST) and Philippine Atmospheric History Times
Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA). Man’s achievement in science can be
categorized as a. discovery (recognition and
Exercise: Explain the advantages and disadvantages observation); (b) invention (mental process wherein
of the following: man’s various discoveries, observation and experience
are put together to produce new ways and means of
1. Use of social media obtaining things.
2. Conversion of agricultural land to industrial
land Stone Age: This period was marked by which stone was
3. Use of robots/machines in industrial facilities widely used to make tools and implements. Dated roughly
4. Emergence of the different brands of cars 3.4 million years ago, and in about 8000 BC this era was
divided into three separate periods: Paleolithic Period,
UNIT 2. Mesolithic Period and Neolithic Period –based on the
degree of sophistication in the fashioning and use of
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY FROM
tools. The oldest stone tools, known as the Oldowan
THE PERSPECTIVE OF HISTORY toolkit, consist of hammer stones that show battering on
their surfaces. Hand axes are cutting tools as well as
LESSO EVIDENCE OF SCIENCE & other as other kinds of ‘large cutting tools’ are
N1 TECHNOLOGY DURING characteristics of an Acheulean toolkit.
PRE-HISTORIC TIMES
Bronze Age: The Bronze Age is the second principal
Early humans attempted to understand the period of the three-age Stone-Bronze-Iron system and
unknown world, they were curious about their nature. generally followed the Neolithic period. This period is
They observed and started to record patterns, cycles and marked with the beginning of mining and metallurgy.
repetitions of what was happening in their environment Bronze denotes the first period in which metal was used,
and started to look for answer. with their experience they man began smelting copper and alloying with tin or
were able to analyze and organize information and arsenic to make bronze tools weapons. Copper-tin ores
learned which led to the understanding of science. are rare, as reflected in the fact that there were no tin
bronzes in Western Asia before trading in bronze began
Because early humans were able to organize in the third millennium BC. Bronze itself are more durable
and study information, they used the information they than other metals available at the time, allowing Bronze
acquired in starting the primitive technology thus gave its Age civilizations to gain technological advantage.
way to the birth of technology. Therefore technology has
come to reality because of the desire of early humans to Man-made tin bronze technology required set production
thrive and survive, which later improved and made their techniques. Tin must be mined and smelted separately,
life easier. then added to molten copper to make bronze alloy. The
Bronze Age was a time of extensive use of metals and of
A. Dawn of the First Civilizations developing trade networks.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 2

Iron Age is the period of time in prehistory when the for moving heavy objects from one location to another.
dominant tool making material was iron. Preceded by the The oldest wheel discovered was found in Mesopotamia.
Stone Age and Bronze Age, the transition from Bronze
Age Technology is characterized but the production of 3. Sailboat. This was also first invented by Ancient
tools and weaponry using ferrous metallurgy or iron work Mesopotamia. Five thousand years ago, Mesopotamians
more especially from carbon steel. Meteoric iron has started using sailing boats. Since Mesopotamia was
been used by humans since 3200 BC, but ancient iron situated between two famous rivers, namely the
production did not become widespread until the ability to Euphrates and Tigris, they needed water transportation
smelt iron ore, remove impurities and regulate the for travel and trade.
amount of carbon in the alloy were developed. 4. Astronomy. The Sumerians were among the first
astronomers, mapping the movement of the stars, planets
The distinctive dark metal brought with it significant and moon into sets of constellations, many of which
changes to daily life in ancient society, from the way survived in the zodiac and were also recognized by
people grew crops to the way they fought wars. Iron ancient Greeks. One major achievement was the ability to
made life a lot easier in those days, much of Europe had predict the movement of several planets. By studying the
settled into small village life, toiling the soil with iron phases of the moon, the Mesopotamians created the first
farming tools, such as sickles and plough tips, made the calendar. It has 12 lunar months and was the
process more efficient and allowed farmers to exploit predecessor for both the Jewish and Greek calendars.
tougher soils, try new crops and have more time for other
activities. 5. Mathematics. The Sumerians developed the
Sexagesimal System, a counting units of 60 which
LESSO EVIDENCE OF SCIENCE & served as the basis of the 360-degree circle and the 60
N2 TECHNOLOGY DURING THE minute per hour. They had wide knowledge of
ANCIENT TIMES mathematics including subtraction, addition,
multiplication, quadratic and cubic equations and
fractions. This was important in keeping track of records
First civilizations emerged independent of one as well as in some of their large building projects. The
another along fertile river valleys in Mesopotamia (Tigris- Sumerians had formulas for figuring out the
Euphrates), Egypt (Nile River), China (Huang Ho Valley) circumference and area for different geometric shapes
and India. People from each civilization developed a like rectangles, circles and triangles. Some evidence
unique way of life, religion, form of government, language suggests that they even knew the Pythagorean Theorem
and system of writing, arts and crafts, advances of long before Pythagoras wrote it down.
science and technology, astronomy, agriculture,
medicine, mathematics, engineering and architecture. 6. Other inventions include systematized technique in
farming, seed plow and irrigation, wool from sheep made
I. SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION (Sumer, Mesopotamia) into textiles and they mastered the arts of bleaching and
dyeing.
Location. Sumer was the southernmost region of ancient
Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). It is the cradle of the 7. Sumerians were also recognized for building the
world’s earliest known civilization and was first foundations of logic, engineering, architecture,
established in the region in about 3500 BC. It is also agriculture, transportation and medicine.
known as the first cities in the world. It transformed
families into tribes that occupied territories which soon II. BABYLONIAN CIVILIZATION
became cities and later were called the states. Location. The word Babylon comes from the Acadian
Science and Technology Developments word “Babilani” which means Gates of God. The
etymology of the name Babel in the bible means
1. Writing System. Cuneiform is the first writing system, “confused” and throughout the bible, Babylon was a
a set of word pictures depicted in symbols made of symbol of confusion caused by godlessness. The name
triangular marks around 3100 BC. Pictograms or Babylon is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Babel.
drawings representing actual things, were the basis for Babylonia was the ancient region bordering the Tigris and
cuneiform writing. The Sumerian clay tablet contains the Euphrates River. Babylon is the capital and served as
Sumerian historical information and culture. It began as commercial and religious center in the Tigris-Euphrates
record keeping for trade and evolved into the use of valley.
symbols for writing down laws and stories which include
the Gilgamesh, the oldest epic in the world. Science and Technology Development

2. The Wheel. This is a mechanical device that the 1. Hammurabi. He was the first leader of the old
Sumerians had invented shortly after 3500 BC – the Babylonian Empire, promulgated the famous law code
potter’s wheel. This was a heavy flat disk made of that served as rue and standards which helped maintain
hardened clay. It was spun horizontally on an axis to a period of stability in this region, as well as the
allow the potter to form evenly. The Sumerians simply establishment of science and technology.
turn this clay-splattered wheel on its end and hook it to a 2. Nebuchadnezzar II. A Neo Babylonian Emperor who
wagon to make a wheel as a means of practical method ordered the construction of the famous Hanging Gardens

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 3

of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and 10). The following signs were used to represent numbers
the Ishtar Gate. in the decimal system.
3. Archimedes Screw. They used this to water the 3. The Egyptians knew about the fractions and used
plants of the hanging gardens. special signs. They also had some basic knowledge on
geometry, such as the fact that the area of a rectangle
4. The Sumerians contributed to the development of was equal to its length multiplied by its width, and they
science and technology such as: irrigation system of were able to calculate the area of a circle to the length of
canals flanked by earthen dikes; system of book keeping, its diameter.
double entry accounting, multiplication and division tables
and calculations using geometry. They adopted the 4. Medicine. The doctors of ancient Egypt combined with
Sumerian sexagesimal system of counting in units of 60, magic spells with remedies. If a person fell sick, the
made accurate predictions of solar and lunar eclipses and illness was thought to be caused by the wrath of the
other astronomical phenomena. gods or by an evil spirit that had entered the body. Both
priest and doctors were called upon to heal the sick,
5. The Babylonians performed complicated surgeries and combining their powers and their skills to fix the problem.
had extensive knowledge on medicine. They even did The most common cure for maladies was an amulet and
operations of the eyes. a magic spell to modify the incorrect behavior that had
III. EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION caused the illness in the first place. By the fifth century
BC, Egyptian doctors had their own specialization. Most
Location. Egypt is a country in North Africa, on the of the doctors were men and, within their ranks, there
Mediterranean Sea. The name Egypt comes from the was hierarchy. Throughout the pharaonic times, the most
Greek word Aegyptos which means house of the spirit of sough-after positions were in the royal court. These
Ptah, who was early god of the ancient Egyptians. In the doctors looked upon the health of the pharaohs, their
early Old Kingdom, Egypt was simply known as “kemet” families and members of the court.
which means Black Land so named for the rich, dark soil
along the Nile River where the early settlements began. 5. Women practiced contraception by using concoctions
such as honey and natron, which they injected to their
Evidences of overgrazing of cattle, on the land vaginas. The Egyptians also devised the earliest-known
which is now called Sahara Desert, has been dated to pregnancy test. Women moistened a sample of barley
about 8000 BCE. This evidence, along with artifacts and emmer (wheat) with their urine each day. If the
discovered, points to a thriving agricultural civilization in barley grew, it meant the child would be a male; if the
the region at that time. As the land was mostly arid even emmer grew, it would be a female. If neither grew, it
then, hunter-gathering nomads sought the cool of the meant the woman was not pregnant. The effectiveness of
water source of the Nile River Valley and began settle this test has been validated by modern science. The urine
there sometime. Organized farming began in the region of non-pregnant women will prevent barley from growing.
and communities began to flourish alongside the river.
6. Mummification. The ancient Egyptians believed in the
Science and Technology Developments resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. As long
1. Calendar. The Egyptian Calendar was based on a 365 as the order was maintained, life after death could be
days with twelve months and three seasons. Each month achieved provided certain conditions were met. The body
has three ten-day weeks, for a total of thirty days. The had to be preserved through mummification and given a
last five days of the year corresponded to the birthdays of properly furnished tomb with everything needed in the
five deities: Osiris, Iris, Horus, Seth and Nepththys. afterworld. The practice of mummification began in Egypt
The three seasons corresponded to the cycle of the Nile in 2400 BC. During the Old Kingdom, it was believed that
and agriculture. New Year’s Day was on July 19 and only the pharaohs could attain immortality. Around 2000
marked the beginning of the first season, akhet. This was BC, attitudes changed, however, everyone could live in
the time of the flooding of the Nile. The next season, the afterworld as long as the body was mummified and
during which the crops began to emerge, was called the proper elements were placed in the tomb. But since
peret and started on November 16. The last season, mummification was expensive, only the wealthy were
Shemu, began on March 17, at harvest time. The able to take advantage of it.
Egyptian calendar was devised by Imhotep. The 7. Pyramids. The Great Pyramids of Giza are located on
Egyptians were the first to divide the day into 24 hours. a plateau on the west bank of the Nile River, on the
Their interest in Astronomy was focused on the stars and outskirts of the modern Cairo. The oldest and largest of
early calendar was based on the appearance and the three pyramids at Giza, known as the Great Pyramid,
disappearance of stars Sirius, the brightest in their is the only surviving structure out of the famed seven
horizon which coincide with the annual rise and fall of the wonders of the ancient world. It was built for Khufu,
Nile River, which helped them forecast the seasons and second of the eight kings of the fourth dynasty. The sides
predict the annual flooding of the Nile River. of the pyramid’s base average 755.75 feet (230 meters)
and its original height was 481.4 feet (147 meters),
2. Mathematics. Although the Egyptians lacked the making it the largest pyramid in the world. Like other
symbol for zero, they calculated numbers based on the pyramids, Khufu’s is surrounded by rows of mastabas,
decimal and repetitive (numbers based on the power of where relatives or officials of the king were buried to

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 4

accompany and support him in the afterlife. and architecture which were applied scientifically and
Approximately 2.3 million bocks of stone had to be cut, artistically. They constructed well the drainage system,
transported and assembled to build Khufu’s Pyramid. The public halls, courtyards, and religious shrines. They were
ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that it took 20 skilled in ship building. The Minoans raised cattle, sheep
years to build and required the labor of 100,000 men, but and goats and grew wheat, barley, lettuce, celery,
later archeological evidence suggests that the workforce asparagus, carrots, peas, grapes, pears, figs, olives, and
might actually have been around 20,000. poppies for poppy seed and perhaps opium. The Minoans
also domesticated bees.
8. Alexandria is a port city on the Mediterranean Sea in
northern Egypt founded by Alexander the Great. It is the They developed Mediterranean polyculture, the
most famous in antiquity as the site of the Pharos, the practice of growing more than one crop at a time. Their
great lighthouse, considered as one of the seven more varied and healthy diet resulted in the growth of
wonders of the ancient world, which was part of the population. Theoretically this method of farming would
legendary library at Alexandria, as a seat of learning and, maintain the fertility of the soil, as well as offer protection
once, the largest and most prosperous city in the world. against low yields in any crop.
The city attracted many scholars, scientists, philosophers,
artists and historians. Euclid and Archimedes taught at Around 1600 BC, Akroti was shaken by a violent
the university there. Hero (Heron), greatest engineer earthquake. Sometime later, an eruption occurred. The
and mathematician, was born and lived in Alexandria. Theran eruption was one of the largest in human history –
Hero/Heron was credited with amazing feats in blasting more than 10 million tons of ash, and rock 25
engineering and technology including the first vending miles into the atmosphere. Incredibly, despite Crete’s
machine, the force-pump, and theatre of automated close proximity to the volcano, the debris from Theran
figures who danced. largely missed the major Minoan towns. Fifty years later
the civilization was wiped out. Earthquakes and fires
9. Glass. Ancient Egyptians have been the first people to destroyed Knossos and the other palaces and the towns
learn how to make glass (glass blowing). They learned were deserted.
how to heat sand in very hot furnace and then blow the
molten sand into glass. They made glass jars and glass
beads.
10. Weapons and Utensils. Early Egyptians learned to
heat metal ore (gold, copper, bronze) and made weapons
and utensils such as shields, spears, cudgels, maces,
bows and arrows, chisels mallets and saws.
11. Writing System. Egyptian writing wrote with ink and LESSO THE CONTRIBUTION OF
brushes on paper made of papyrus reeds; their writing N3 GREEK, PERSIAN AND
was in the form of pictorial symbols known as ROMANS IN THE
hieroglyphics.
DEVELOPMENT OF
12. Other significant Egyptian works were ship building, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
construction of canals, dikes, and ditches with outlet
system. They planted wheat and barley, their food was I. THE CLASSICAL GREEK PHILOSOPHERS (400 BC-
broiled, baked, stewed, fried, grille or roasted. They also 400 AD)
bred ducks, geese, pigs, goats, cattle and sheep, Greece is a country in Southern Europe located at the
manufactured soaps, creams, oils, perfumes and eye crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. Its mainland is
makeup. located at the southernmost tip of the Balkan (Asia
Minor/Byzantine/Constantinople- Turkey) Peninsula.
IV. CRETAN/ MINOAN CIVILIZATION
Location. Arose on the island of Crete and other Aegean Science and Technology Developments
islands such as Santorini and flourished from
approximately 2600 to 1400 BC. It was rediscovered at Here are some of the great Greek philosophers that
the beginning of the 20th century through the work of helped in the development of science and technology
British archaeologist Arthur Evans. Minoan civilization during the ancient times.
was an Aegean Bronze Age civilization, ruled by King
Minos. Knossos was the capital of Crete, the grandest 1. Thales of Miletus developed the theory of matter
site of Bronze Age palaces, built between 2100 and 1575 based upon water.
BC. Crete is a mountainous island with natural harbors
located midway between Turkey, Egypt and Greece. 2. Socrates emphasized the study of human nature in
relation to society, established the theory of skepticism.
Science and Technology Development (Know thyself)
Minoans made sophisticated carved statues,
ceramics, frescoes, jewels, and inscriptions on these
showed their knowledge of mathematics, engineering,

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 5

3. Empedocles assumed that there were more than one parts of Greece and Libya in the west. The culture of
kind of matter and postulated four roots of elements: Persians is one of the oldest in the Middle East.
earth, air, fire and water.
Science and Technology Development
4. Hippocrates started the science of medicine and is
known as the greatest physician of antiquity and regarded 1. Nas’taliq is the most beautiful Persian Calligraphy
as the father of medicine. He also stated that diseases style and also technically the most complicated.
have natural causes and the body has the power to repair
itself. 2. Pottery- The taste and talent of the Persian people
can be seen through the designs of their earthen wares,
5. Aristotle regarded as the father of biology, undertook ceramic art objects such as figures, tiles and tableware
a large-scale classification of plants and animals. He made from clay and other raw materials.
introduced the method of scientific thinking that still plays
a role today. 3. Domes were an important part and constructed on the
first large-scale in Persia. The outer surfaces of the
6. Archimedes performs experiments which led him to domes are mostly mosaic faced, which creates a magical
discover the laws of the lever and the pulley that resulted view.
in the invention of machines which could easily move
loads. He also calculated the value of pi (3.14159), which [Link] structures such as mosques,
was a geometrical calculation that helped determine the mausoleums/tomb, bazaars/market, bridges and different
width, or circumference of a circle. palaces have mainly survived from this period.

7. Ptolemy – one of the greatest astronomers who 5. A wind tower is a chimney-like structure positioned
founded the Geocentric theory and wrote the Almagest. above the house to catch the prevailing wind.

8. Democritus- developed atomic theory; elaborated idea III. ROMAN CIVILIZATION (ROMULUS AND REMUS)
that a matter consisted of atoms. A matter is composed of
discrete units called atoms. Each atom is composed of Rome is the capital of Italy. Roman civilization is
proton, electron, neutron) characterized by a government headed by emperors and
large territorial holdings around the Mediterranean Sea in
9. Pythagoras – a Mathematician who held that numbers Europe, Africa and Asia. Today it is known as ‘eternal
were basic to matter; the Pythagorean Theorem. city.’ Latin is the language spoken by Romans.

10. Plato – dealt with the nature of the universe, ascribed Science and Technology Development
geometric forms composed of bounding planes to the
elements of earth, fire, air and water based upon their 1. The Romans used water power/Hydroelectric power,
physical properties. ad watermills for making cereals milling, saving timber
and crushing one. They exploited wood and coal for
11. Aristarchus – discovered new theories about the heating.
way planets move in their orbits.
2. The Romans made great use of aqueducts, dams,
12. Hipparchus – discovered the length of the month bridges and amphitheaters.
which is only one second off from the length that we used
today. 3. The Romans constructed numerous aqueducts to
supply water. The city of Rome itself was supplied with
13. Eratosthenes – determined that the circumference of eleven aqueducts made of limestone that provided the
the earth was 28,000 miles, which is only three thousand city with over 1 million cubic meters of water each day,
miles more than what we know today. sufficient for 3.5 million people even in the modern-day
times.
14. Theophrastus – regarded as the father of plant
science, wrote “History of Plants” in which he described 4. Ancient Romans used sundials to tell time and even
the forms, behavior, morphology and properties of some created portable versions.
500 food and medicinal plants. Most outstanding botanist
of the early botany. 5. Advanced glassblowing techniques brought new
technology to Rome in the form of window glass, hanging
II. PERSIAN CIVILIZATION/ IRANIAN CIVILIZATION glass oil lamps, and other objects made of glass.

Persia is the former name of Iran. The Persian 6. Rome’s military benefited from technological
Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC, improvements to weapons, shields, armor and other
was the largest empire of the ancient world, stretching items.
from the borders of India and China in the east to large
7. Some notable Roman scientists are:

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 6

  Galen- great physician and surgeon. Galen 7. Haaroon Ar-Rasheed was associated with the story of
influenced the development of various scientific the invention of the pendulum and the presentation of a
disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, water clock to Emperor Charlemagne.
pathology, pharmacology, and neurology as well
as philosophy and logic. 8. The development of science of mechanics in Islam is
an act of genius. Moosaa bin Shaakir described one
 Vitruvius – another writer whose work has hundred pieces of mechanical equipment in his book of
provided us with important knowledge about artifices.
Ancient Rome. He was also an architect and an
engineer, sometimes referred to as the first 9. Camera Obscura- In the field of optics, this was
architect. invented by Ibn Haytham in 1038.

 Pliny – described almost a thousand species of 10. Theory of Relativity – Quaadhi Abu Bakr developed
plants, most of which were highly valued for their the theory of relativity in the 8th century in terms of time
medical uses. and space by means of mathematical equations and
astrophysics.
LESSO THE CONTRIBUTION OF
N4 ARABS AND CHINESE IN 11. Paper Making- This was one of the earliest skills
THE DEVELOPMENT OF attained by the Muslims.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
12. Advances in Industry – Muslims were leading in
I. ARABIC CIVILIZATION weaving wool, producing silk, pottery, jewelry, and in
leather and perfume industry.
Arabic is the spoken and written language of the Arabs.
At present, there are 22 Arabic-speaking countries: II. CHINESE CIVILIZATION
Algeria, Bahrain, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq,
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Ancient China was built along the two main rivers- first
Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, the Yellow River in the north, and later the Yangtze in the
Tunasia, UAE and Yemen. Their religion Islam means south. China is one of oldest civilizations and the world’s
“submission to the will of God.” God Allah conveyed to most populous country, with a population of over 1.35
Muhammad, a tradesman, a series of revelations which billion.
were to form the basis of the new faith.
Science and Technology Development
Science and Technology Development
1. Paper and Chinese calligraphy began writing about
1. Trigonometry, Sine, Tangent, Co-Tangent – Ibn 1500 BC. The earliest writing that we know from China
Moosaa’s work Hisaab-Al Jab-Wal Muqaabala (The was on animal bones, which are called “oracle bones”
Calculation of Integration and Equation) presented 800 because they were used to tell the future.
examples in the 8th century. His work was translated from
Arabic into Latin and until he 16th century, it was Europe’s 2. The earliest invention was the abacus, a calculator
main textbook on the subject. that used sliding beads to help compute math problems
quickly.
2. Astronomy – invented an instrument used to observe
star called Astrolabe 3. The first recorded observations of comets, solar
eclipses were done in China.
3. Architecture – built before the great Mosque of
Damascus 4. Invented kites and lanterns

4. Water Wheel 5. Gunpowder: Scientists made gunpowder by mixing

5. Water Irrigation Sulphur, charcoal and potassium nitrate.

6. Algebra and Geometry – Muhammad bin Moosaa Al- 6. Fireworks were actually bamboo cases filled with
Khawaarizmi is considered to be one of the founders of gunpowder with a fuse on the side. Fireworks were
Algebra. The word algorithm or algorism is a corruption of initially used only for shows. Later on they were used to
his name or the town Khwaarizm, in what is now scare off enemies during the war.
Uzbekistan, where he was born.
7. Kites were first invented in China during the Chu
Physics and Chemistry – Kamaaluddeen examined the dynasty. Kites were first made of bamboo and silk.
refraction of sunlight in raindrops and offered an Chinese people flew kites for fun and also during war to
explanation of the genesis of primary and secondary carry messages to signal people and also to carry
rainbows. explosives in besieged cities. Chinese put the kites to use

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 7

as hand gliders by cutting the cord. The gliders were
strong enough to sustain the weight of a man.
8. Zhang Heng invented the earthquake detecting tool
called seismoscope.

9. Cross bow

10. Fans –made of bamboo spines

11. Paper and Printing – The early script contained

80,000 different characters. There were three different
kinds of paper, the first being silk rags, the cheap kinds
were the wooden strips, and the most expensive was the
silk cloth.

12. Seed Drill – Seed drills were used by farmers to plant

seeds into the soil at a uniform depth.

13. Iron Plough – This was one of the major

developments in ancient Chinese agriculture.

14. Porcelain – This is made of special white clay which

has a lot of kaolin in it.

15. Silk was made from cocoons of silkworms. The

Chinese managed to keep the process for making silk a
secret for hundred years.

16. Wheelbarrows are basically hand driven vehicles

with two handles on the rear side for a person to push
ahead. Chuko Liang was the inventor of the wheelbarrow.

17. Other inventions included umbrella, matches, stirrups

for riding horses and acupuncture.

18. Paper money was first developed and used in China

during the Tang dynasty (7th century)

References:
Aldea, K.I. [Link]. (2018). Science, technology and society.
Mandaluyong City: Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.
Prieto, N. (2019). Science, technology and society.
Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY 8