Ancient Technology Research Paper

Ancient Technologies
During the growth of the ancient civilizations, ancient technology was the result from advances in engineering in ancient times. These advances in the history of technology stimulated societies to adopt new ways of living and governance. It was the growth of the ancient civilizations which produced the greatest advances in technology and engineering, advances which stimulated other societies to adopt new ways of living and governance. I will be discussing about the ancient technologies of Mesopotamian, India, China, Greek, and the Romans.
The peoples of Mesopotamia have been credited with the invention of the wheel but this is no longer certain. They lived in cities from 4000BC and developed sophisticated architecture
including use of the true arch. They developed extensive water systems. Writing was invented there, and many cuneiform texts survive on clay tablets and stone.
And, they were early adopters of bronze. The Babylonians were meticulous astronomers, keeping a series of records spanning 800 years. They were able to plot the motion of planets and predict eclipses. However, Mesopotamian people invented many technologies including metalworking copper working, glassmaking, lamp making, textile weaving, and flood control. They were also one of the first Bronze age people in the world. Early on they used copper, bronze and gold, and later they used iron. Palaces were decorated with hundreds of kilograms of these very expensive metals. Also, copper, bronze, and iron were used for armor as well as for different weapons such as swords, daggers, spears, and maces. And, The Mesopotamians used a number system with the base 60 like we use base 10. They divided time up by 60s including a 60 second minute and a 60 minute hour, which we still use today. They also divided up the circle into 360 degrees. The Mesopotamians had formulas for figuring out the circumference and area for different geometric shapes like rectangles, circles, and triangles. Some evidence suggests that they even knew the Pythagorean Theorem long before Pythagoras wrote it down. They may have even discovered the number for pi
in figuring the circumference of a circle. According to the assyriologist Dalley, the earliest pump was the Archimedes screw, first used by Sennacherib, King of Assyria, for the water systems at the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Nineveh in the 7th century BC. This attribution, however, is refuted by the historian of ancient water lifting devices Olseon in the same paper, who still credits, as well as most other scholars, Archimedes with the invention. For later medieval technologies developed in the Mesopotamian region, now known as Iraq, see Inventions in medieval Islam.
The history of science and technology in India dates back to pre modern times. The Indus Valley civilization yields evidence of hydrography, metrology, and sewage collection and disposal being practiced by its inhabitants. Among the fields of science pursued in India were Ayurveda, astronomy, and mathematics. However, the Indus Valley Civilization, situated in a resource rich area, is notable for its early application of city planning and sanitation technologies. Cites in the Indus Valley offer some of the first examples, of closed gutters, public baths, and communal granaries. The Takshashila University was an important seat of learning in the ancient world. It was the center of education for scholars from all over Asia. Many Greek, Persian and Chinese students studied here under great scholars including Kautilya, Panini, Jivaka, and Vishnu Sharma. Ancient India was also at the forefront of seafaring technology which is a panel found at Mohenjodaro, depicts a sailing craft. Ship construction is vividly described in the Yukti Kalpa Taru, an ancient Indian text on Shipbuilding. The Yukti Kalpa Taru, compiled by Bhoja Narapati is concerned with shipbuilding. The Yukti Kalpa Taru had been translated and published by Prof. Aufrecht in his Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts. Indian construction and architecture, called 'Vaastu Shastra', suggests a thorough understanding or materials engineering, hydrology, and sanitation. Ancient Indian culture was also pioneering in its use of vegetable dyes, cultivating plants including indigo and cinnabar. Many of the dyes were used in art and sculpture. The use of perfumes demonstrates some knowledge of chemistry, particularly distillation and purification processes.
The history of science and technology in China show significant advances in science, technology, mathematics, and astronomy. The first recorded observations of comets, solar eclipses, and supernovae were made in China. Traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and herbal medicine were also practiced. The Four Great Inventions of China are: the compass, gunpowder, papermaking, and printing were among the most important technological advances, only known in Europe by the end of the middle Ages. According to the Scottish researcher Joseph Needham, the Chinese made many first known discoveries and developments. Major technological contributions from China include early seismological detectors, matches, paper, the double-action piston pump, cast iron, the iron plough, the multi-tube seed drill, the suspension bridge, natural gas as fuel, the magnetic compass, the raised-relief map, the propeller, the crossbow, the South Pointing Chariot, and gunpowder. Other Chinese discoveries and inventions from the Medieval period, according to Joseph Needham's research, include: block printing and movable type, phosphorescent paint, and the spinning wheel. The solid fuel rocket was invented in China about 1150 AD, nearly 200 years after the invention of black powder which acted as the rocket's fuel. At the same time that the age of exploration was occurring in the West, the Chinese emperors of the Ming Dynasty also sent ships, some reaching Africa. But the enterprises were not further funded, halting further exploration and development. When Ferdinand Magellan's ships reached Brunei in 1521, they found a wealthy city that had been fortified by Chinese engineers, and protected by a breakwater. Antonio Pigafetta noted that much of the technology of Brunei was equal to Western technology of the time. Also, there were more cannons in Brunei than on Magellan's ships, and the Chinese merchants to the Brunei court had sold them spectacles and porcelain, which were rarities in Europe.
Ancient Greek technology developed at an unprecedented speed during the 5th century BC, continuing up to and including the Roman period, and beyond. Some inventions that are credited to the ancient Greeks are the following: the gear, screw, bronze casting techniques, water clock, water organ(hydraulis), torsion siege engine, and the use of steam to operate some experimental machines and toys. Many of these inventions occurred late in the Greek period, often inspired by the need to improve weapons and tactics in war. Roman technology is the engineering practice which supported Roman civilization and made the expansion of Roman commerce and Roman military possible over nearly a thousand years. The Roman Empire had an advanced set of technology for their time. Some of the Roman technology in Europe may have been lost during the turbulent eras of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Roman technological feats in many different areas like, civil engineering, construction materials, transport technology, and some inventions such as the mechanical reaper went unmatched until the 19th century. Greek and Hellenistic engineers invented many technologies and improved upon pre existing technologies, particularly during the Hellenistic period. Heron of Alexandria invented a basic steam engine and demonstrated knowledge of mechanic and pneumatic systems. Archimedes invented several machines. The Greeks were unique in pre industrial times in their ability to combine scientific research with the development of new technologies. One example is the Archimedean screw; this technology was first conceptualized in mathematics, and then built. Other technologies invented by Greek scientists include the ballistae, the piston pump, and primitive analog computers like the Antikythera mechanism. Greek architects were responsible for the first true domes, and were the first to explore the Golden ratio and its relationship with geometry and architecture. Roman civilization was highly urbanized by pre modern standards. Many cities of the Roman Empire had over 100,000 inhabitants with the capital Rome being the largest metropolis of antiquity. Features of Roman urban life included multistory apartment buildings called insulae, street paving, public flush toilets, glass windows and floor and wall heating. The Romans understood hydraulics and constructed fountains and waterworks, particularly aqueducts, which were the hallmark of their civilization. They exploited water power by building water mills, sometimes in series, such as the sequence found at Barbegal in southern France and suspected on the Janiculum in Rome. Some Roman baths have lasted to this day. The Romans developed many technologies which were apparently lost in the middle Ages, and were only fully reinvented in the 19th and 20th centuries. They also left texts describing their achievements, especially Pliny the Elder, Frontinus and Vitruvius.

By: James hennery http://www.questia.com/read/25005008/ancient-times-a-history-of-the-early-world-an-introduction

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