STS 2

• In the ancient times, people were concerned with transportation and navigation, communication and record-keeping, mass production, security and protection, as well as health, aesthetics, and architecture
• Transportation


  • Significant during that time because people were trying to go places and discover new horizons
  • They traveled to search for food and find better locations for their settlements
  • They also traveled to trade their surplus goods in exchange for things that they lacked
• Navigation


  • Assisted them in their journeys to unfamiliar and strange areas in the world
  • It allowed them to return home after they discovered new places or completed an important trade with another group of people
• Communication


  • Essential in their endeavors to discover and occupy new places
  • They needed a way to communicate with the natives of the areas they visited so as to facilitate trade and prevent possible conflicts
• Record-keeping


  • They needed to remember the places they had been to and document the trades they made with each other
  • It was also vital to keep records of their history and culture so they could establish their identities as they tried to relate with other cultures and civilizations
• Mass production


  • The increase in size and number of nations connoted increased demand for food and other basic necessities
  • People must be able to produce food at a given time and space since resources were getting scarcer as more people struggled to share the basic necessities
  • They needed a form of technology that would enable them to increase food supplies and other survival needs without them traveling more or working harder
• Security and protection


  • Weapons and armors were important as well in the discovery of new places or the establishment of new alliances with other tribes
  • There was always a risk of conflict when people met others with different culture and orientations
  • Conflicts were common especially if different groups struggled to control vital resources
  • Stronger nations tended to invade weaker ones so they could take much needed resources
• Health


  • A primary challenge they faced was the conservation of life
  • Different illnesses and diseases, both natural and man-made, hampered the full potential of a human being
  • Science and technology played a major role in the discovery of cures to, if not the prevention of, illnesses
• Engineering


  • People ventured into this field to integrate their needs for better transportation, establishment of structures for protection from human attacks and natural disasters, and construction of bigger and stronger infrastructures
  • The development in this field allowed humans to build structures that would address their specific needs and wants
• Architecture


  • Elaborate architectural designs were signs of technological advancement of a particular civilization
  • Architecture would be considered a status symbol among nations of how advanced their technology is
  • It may also establish the identity of a nation
• Aesthetics


  • Being able to prolong life with the mass production of food and advancement of medical technology, as well as raise the quality of life by making complicated and difficult tasks easier, humans later on developed the technology to improve how they look
  • They discovered that people looked more visually presentable and appealing by adding some features and decorations in their body
• The developments in science and technology, aside from affecting the lives of the people, were the results of many prior antecedents
• Out of necessity, people in ancient times were able to discover and invent things that would impact the lives of the modern people
• Sumerians


  • Known for their high degree of cooperation with one another and their desire for great things
  • They are not content with the basic things that life can offer
  • This desire pushed them to develop many things connected with science and technology
• Cuneiform


  • The first writing system developed by the Sumerians
  • It utilizes word pictures and triangular symbols which are carved on clay using wedge instruments and then left to dry
  • Cuneiform allowed the Sumerians to keep records of things with great historical value or their everyday life

  
• Uruk City


  • The first true city in the world built by the Sumerians
  • It was a great engineering feat as they used only mud or clay from the river, which they mixed with reeds, producing sun-baked bricks to build houses and a wall around the city
• Great Ziggurat of Ur


  • Another engineering and architectural feat of the Sumerians
  • It was constructed using sun-baked bricks without much building materials
  • The ziggurat served as the sacred place of their chief god, where only their priests were allowed to enter
• Irrigation and dikes


  • The Sumerians created dikes and irrigation canals to bring water to farmlands and at the same time control the flooding of the rivers
  • This method was considered as one of the world's most beneficial engineering works
  • Through the dikes and canals, the Sumerians were able to enjoy year-long farming and harvesting, which increased their food production
• Sailboats


  • The Sumerians invented sailboats to address their increasing demands for transportation and trading
  • Sailboats were essential in fostering culture, information, and technology
• Wheel


  • The Sumerians invented the wheel, which was first used for farm work and food processes
  • With the use of the wheel and axle, mass production was made easier
• Plow


  • The Mesopotamians invented the plow to enable farmers to dig the ground where seeds would be planted faster
  • With this tool, farmers could cultivate larger parcels of land faster, enabling them to mass produce food without taking so much effort and time
• Roads


  • The Sumerians developed the first roads to facilitate faster and easier travel
  • They made the roads with sun-baked bricks and poured bitumen to smoothen them
  • The invention of roads was very useful especially during the rainy season when traveling on soft and muddy roads proved to be too difficult
• The Babylonian civilization emerged near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon


  • One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, built by the Babylonians
  • It was said to be a structure made up of layers upon layers of gardens that contained several species of plants, trees, and vines
  • It was built by the great Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife, Queen Amytis
• The exact location of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is unknown and its existence is debated
• The Egyptian civilization located in North Africa is famous for its engineering feats and other practical contributions aside from the pyramids
• Papyrus


  • The Egyptians invented paper or papyrus, which was lighter and thinner than clay tablets and easier to carry and store
  • This invention was a major accomplishment in Egyptian record-keeping and communications

  
• Ink


  • The Egyptians invented ink by combining soot with different chemicals to produce inks of different colors
  • The ink must withstand the elements of nature since it was used to record history
• Papyrus


  Thin sheets on which one could write, lighter and thinner than clay tablets, less breakable
• Papyrus was a major accomplishment in Egyptian record-keeping and communications
• Papyrus allowed people to send letters or correspondences anywhere in the world since the pieces of paper were very light that they could be carried and delivered by birds
• Papyrus made record-keeping easier since documents would not take huge storage spaces, and they could be kept away from raiders who often destroyed records
• Ink


  Egyptians invented by combining soot with different chemicals to produce inks of different colors
• The ink must withstand the elements of nature since it was used to record history, culture, and codified laws, and must also be tamper-proof
• Hieroglyphics


  Egyptian writing system using symbols, adapted from the early writing system established in Mesopotamia
• Hieroglyphics can still be seen today and remains as famous as the pyramids

  
• Cosmetics


  Used in ancient Egypt for both health and aesthetic reasons, believed to protect from evil and signify holiness
• Kohl


  Mixture of soot or malachite with mineral galena, used by Egyptians around the eyes to prevent and cure eye diseases
• Wig


  Used by wealthy Egyptians to protect shaved heads from the sun, allowed heat to escape and prevented head lice
• Water clock/Clepsydra


  Device that utilizes gravity to measure time by the amount of water flowing from one vessel to another