SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORLD

KEY CONCEPTS:
THREE-AGE SYSTEM
SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
INFORMATION AGE

THREE-AGE SYSTEM
A system of classifying ancient ages into groups based on tool developmental stages.

SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
A period of great scientific intellectual achievements that contributed to essential changes in scientific
investigations

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
A period of complex technological inventions that eventually replaced human and animal forces.

INFORMATION AGE
or digital age; the period characterized by the change from traditional industry to an economy that is founded on
computerized of information.

ANCIENT AGE: THREE-AGE SYSTEM

-widely considered archaeology's first paradigm: a convention established in the early 19th century that said
prehistory could be subdivided into three parts, based on technological advances in weaponry and tools.
-was first fully introduced in 1837, by Christian Jürgensen Thomsen.

STONE AGE (2.5 MYA – 3000 BC)

-was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point or a
percussion surface.
-the longest period in the history of science and technology spanning over 3.4 million years, and ended between
8700 BCE and 2000 BCE.
-prehistoric cultural stage, or level of human development, characterized by the creation and use of stone tools.
-period of weapons made of stone, wood, bone or some other materials aside from metals.
-divided into three separate periods—Paleolithic Period, Mesolithic Period, and Neolithic Period—based on the
degree of sophistication in the fashioning and use of tools.

1. PALAEOLITHIC (“OLD STONE”) PERIOD

-the longest phase of human history which began approximately two million years ago and ended between 40,000
to 10,000 years ago.
-Throughout the Paleolithic, humans were food gatherers, depending for their subsistence on hunting wild animals
and birds, fishing, and collecting wild fruits, nuts, and berries.
-Paleolithic archaeology is concerned with the origins and development of early human culture between the first
appearance of human beings as tool-using mammals.

THREE SUCCESSIVE DIVISIONS OF PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD

A. LOWER PALEOLITHIC PERIOD

-evolution of the hominin ancestors of human beings, including Australopithecus, and especially Homo erectus /
Homo ergaster.
-Stone tools of the Paleolithic include Acheulean handaxes and cleavers; these suggest that most humans of the
earliest period were scavengers rather than hunters.

B. MIDDLE PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD

-is the period during which Archaic humans including Homo sapiens neanderthalensis appeared and flourished all
over the world.
- Handaxes continued in use, but a new kind of stone tool kit was created--called the Mousterian, it included
purposefully prepared cores and specialized flake tools.
-The living method in the Middle Paleolithic for both Homo sapiens and our Neanderthal cousins included
scavenging, but there is also clear evidence of hunting and gathering activities.

C. UPPER PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD

-was a period of great transition in the world.
-While the notion of a "creative explosion" has given way to a recognition of a long history of the development of
human behaviors.

2. MESOLITHIC (“MIDDLE STONE”) PERIOD

-The use of small chipped stone tools called microliths and retouched bladelets are the key factor to identify the
Mesolithic as a prehistoric period.
-continued the art forms developed during the UP, including cave paintings and engravings , small sculptural
artifacts , and early megalithic architecture.

3. NEOLITHIC (“NEW STONE”) PERIOD

-most frequently used in connection with agriculture, which is the time when cereal cultivation and animal
domestication was introduced.
-Pottery is another element that makes the dating of the Neolithic problematic.

BRONZE AGE
-The term also denotes the first period in which metal was used.
-this early period is sometimes called the Copper Age.

IRON AGE
-was a period in human history that followed the Bronze and Stone Ages.
- people across much of Europe, Asia and parts of Africa began making tools and weapons from iron and steel.

MIDDLE AGE
-It is subdivided into two smaller ages: Dark Middle Age (450-1000 A.D.) High Middle Age (1000-1450 A.D.)
DARK MIDDLE AGE
-a term often used synonymously with the Middle Ages.
-the Age of Discovery.
HIGH MIDDLE AGE
-tremendous growth in Europe. The foundations of Europe as it is known today were set.

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SOME PARTS OF THE WORLD

DURING THIS PERIOD

CHINA
Agriculture and Economy
-Farming largely began in Huang Ho and Yangtze Rivers.
-Large-scale silk production started.
-Bronze production became more sopsticated.
Astronomy
-Calendars with 365 and ¼ days in a year were developed.
-Circle was divided into 365 and ¼ degrees.
-Stars, planets, comets, meteors, and eclipses were catalogued and described.
-Various models of the universe were presented.
Mathematics
-Numbers were expressed in decimals.
-Knowledge on determining square roots was introduced.
-Sliding calipers were widely used in artisan works solutions on cubic, quadratic, and intermediate equations were
presented.

Major Chinese technological advancement during the Middle Ages:

1. Paper
2. Seismograph
3. Animal harness
4. Water-power
5. Mechanical clock
6. Hydraulic engineering works
7. Wheel barrow
8. Gun powder, guns and cannon
9. Printing press
10. Magnetic compass and stern-post rudder

EUROPE
Economy
-Feudal system fully developed in Europe and had defined its economic history. It depended on local agricultural
and handicraft production and was characterize by having the following hierarchical ranks in the society:
Peasant, Lord, Lay or clerical, Overloads, Kings and bishops, Pope or emperor
Education
Cathedral schools, which then became universities, were established to address the societal need for intellectual
advancement. Some of these universities arose in the following Europe areas:
Paris (1160) - Oxford (1170)
Cambridge (1209) - Padua (1221)
St. Andrew (1410) - Napples (1224)
Salamanca (1227) - Prague (1347)
Vienna (1367)

Major discoveries and inventions in Europe during the middle ages:

1. Horse-collar
2. Clock/watch
3. Magnetic compass
4. water-mill and windmill
5. Lenses with spectacles
6. Gunpowder and cannon
7. Paper and printing

Medicine
-Superstition and dogmatism flourished.
-Diagnosis was generally limited of urine inspection.
-Medical therapy involved magic, prayer, charms, faith healing and the use of different herbs.
-There was poor hygiene and sanitation in general.

INDIA
Science
-Information on diseases and drugs, and astronomical bodies were gathered.
-A year was divided into 12 months with a total of 360 days.
-Knowledge on solving square root and linear equations and the use of zero and decimal place values was
practiced.
-Medicine was naturally based and not supernatural, in which diagnoses were based on symptoms and
appearances.
-Metallurgy was developed.

PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICA
Mayan (Ancient natives of central America) Civilization

Infrastracture
-Pyramids made of limestone were built by the Mayans.
-Mayan houses were made of poles and leaves of palms.
-Large sculptures served for recording of significant Mayan events.
Economy
-Cocoa beans were used as monetary units
Astronomy
- Mayans used decimal notations with zero represented by an oval shape, while other numbers with dots and
dashes.
- Mayan solar calendar was developed consisting of 365 days in a year, comprising 18 months of 20 days.
Positions of different heavenly bodies were observed and recorded.

Aztec (pre-Columbian Indians of Mexico) Civilization

Infrastructure
-High temples were built for their deities
Astronomy
-Decimal notations were used, in which zero was similarly represented by an oval shape and other numbers by
dots and dashes.
-A social calendar was developed with 365 days for a total of 18 months.

Incas (pre-Columbian of Peru) Civilization

Agriculture
-Farming was practiced in terraced field with canals for irrigation.
-Chili and avocado were widely cultivated.
-Clothes from Ilama and alpaca wools were made.
Astronomy
-Decimal system of counting was used.
-A calendar of 365 days was developed.

SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION (1440-1690 AD)

- series of events that marked the emergence of modern science during the early modern period, when
developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology (including human anatomy) and chemistry
transformed the views of society about nature.
-refers to the period between Copernicus and Newton.
TOP 13 IMPORTANT THINKERS IN THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

13. ANDREAS VESALIUS (1514–1564)

-Spent years dissecting corpses and drawing detailed illustrations of the human body
-Spent years dissecting corpses and drawing detailed illustrations of the human body, became the personal doctor
to Charles V, king of the Holy Roman Empire

12. GIORDANO BRUNO (1548–1600)

-Italian Monk who spread Copernicus’ beliefs about a heliocentric universe governed by science
-He was burned at the stake by Catholic authorities for spreading heresy

11. ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK (1632–1723)

-“Father of Microbiology” who discovers bacteria because he loves playing with microscopes. Observes bacteria
as “little animals or animalcules”

10. WILLIAM HARVEY (1578–1657)

-Dissected a bunch of animal bodies and obsesses over the heart as an important physical and spiritual centerpiece
of the body. Discovers how the heart works like a pump, sending blood throughout the body with valves and
heartbeats

9. ROBERT BOYLE (1627–1691)

-Called the “Father of Modern Chemistry’’. Discovers Boyle’s Gas Law about gas pressures and volumes and
believes in the existence of atoms.

8. PARACELSUS (1493–1541)
-A doctor who has the crazy idea not to treat people’s “imbalance in the humors” with leeches and traditional
remedies, he instead looks at the chemical causes behind sicknesses to treat patients.

7. TYCHO BRAHE (1546–1601)

-Was the one major Scientific Revolution physicist who believed in a geocentric universe, rejecting Copernicus’
idea that the Earth revolved around the Sun.
-make 20 years of detailed observations, proving that the stars in the sky were not fixed.

6. JOHANNES KEPLER (1571–1630)

-Tycho Brahe’s assistant, who used his master’s data to confirm that the earth revolved around the sun
-Used his master’s data to develop the 3 Laws of Planetary Motion:
1. planets rotate in ellipses, not perfectly divine circles, around the sun
2. how fast the planets are moving depends on how far they are from the sun
3. proved that the orbits of planets can be calculated mathematically

5. NICOLAUS COPERNICUS (1473–1543)

-The first guy to prove that the earth was not stationary in space and revolved around the sun.
-Copernican Revolution.

4. FRANCIS BACON (1561–1626)

-had an influential philosophy that rejected reliance on authority in favor of developing one’s world view based on
one’s own concrete observations.
-became a supporter of the empirical method and inductive reasoning where people piece together truths from their
own experience.

3. GALILEO GALILEI (1564–1642)

-Promoted experimental physics and observational astronomy by discovering more about inertia and discovering
new moons and planetary laws with his mad telescope skills.
-Galileo challenged the church by promoting a heliocentric universe where the sun and moon had blemished
surfaces

2. RENÉ DESCARTES (1596–1650)

-wrote Discourse on Method (in French, rather than Latin so that more people could read it), where he promoted
the practice of deductive reasoning.
-thought we shouldn’t assume anything unless it could be proven through a chain of reasoning and the scientific
method.
-“I think, therefore I am”

1. ISAAC NEWTON (1642–1726)

-Discovered calculus and 3 Laws of Physics
1. Inertia (An object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced, outside force)
2. Force = mass x acceleration
3. Action & Reaction: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
-The main features involved in the Industrial Revolution were technological, socioeconomic, and cultural.
The technological changes included the following:
(1) the use of new basic materials, chiefly iron and steel, (2) the use of new energy sources, including both fuels
and motive power, such as coal, the steam engine, electricity, petroleum, and the internal-combustion engine, (3)
the invention of new machines, such as the spinning jenny and the power loom that permitted increased production
with a smaller expenditure of human energy, (4) a new organization of work known as the factory system, which
entailed increased division of labor and specialization of function, (5) important developments in transportation
and communication, including the steam locomotive, steamship, automobile, airplane, telegraph, and radio, and (6)
the increasing application of science to industry. These technological changes made possible a tremendously
increased use of natural resources and the mass production of manufactured goods.

There were also many new developments in non-industrial spheres, including the following:
(1) agricultural improvements that made possible the provision of food for a larger nonagricultural population,
(2) economic changes that resulted in a wider distribution of wealth, the decline of land as a source of wealth in
the face of rising industrial production, and increased international trade, (3) political changes reflecting the shift
in economic power, as well as new state policies corresponding to the needs of an industrialized society, (4)
sweeping social changes, including the growth of cities, the development of working-class movements, and the
emergence of new patterns of authority, and (5) cultural transformations of a broad order. Workers acquired new
and distinctive skills, and their relation to their tasks shifted; instead of being craftsmen working with hand tools,
they became machine operators, subject to factory discipline. Finally, there was a psychological change:
confidence in the ability to use resources and to master nature was heightened.

INFORMATION AGE
-The Information Age began around the 1970s and is still going on today. It is also known as the Computer Age,
Digital Age, or New Media Age. This era brought about a time period in which people could access information
and knowledge easily.