What is science?
A body of knowledge from observations and experiments in nature.
What is technology?
The application of scientific knowledge to practical human aims.
What defines a society?
A large group living in the same territory sharing culture and institutions.
How does scientific knowledge relate to technology?
Scientific knowledge supports technology.
What does technology address?
Practical aims of human life.
How does society interact with science and technology?
Society both shapes and is shaped by them.
What are antecedents in science and technology?
Early beginnings, events, discoveries, or inventions leading to science and technology.
What major problems did ancient science and technology address?
Food production, agriculture, industry, communication, transportation, military, architecture, medicine, power, and aesthetics.
What was the primary challenge ancient people faced?
Conserving life.
How did science and technology help ancient people with health?
By discovering cures and preventing illness.
Where did Sumerian civilization develop?
In Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern-day Iraq.
What was the world's first writing system developed by the Sumerians?
A system using word pictures and triangular wedge-shaped symbols carved on clay.
What was Uruk known as in Sumerian civilization?
The first true city.
What materials were used to build Uruk's bricks?
Sun-baked bricks made from river mud, clay, and reeds.
What was the first use of the wheel by the Sumerians?
For pottery making.
How did the Sumerians adapt the wheel for transportation?
They attached solid wooden discs to axles for carts and chariots.
What was the purpose of Sumerian irrigation?
To control flooding and bring water to agricultural fields.
What is significant about King Ur-Nammu's law code?
It is the oldest known surviving law code, written around 2100–2050 BCE.
When did Babylonian civilization flourish in Mesopotamia?
From about 1900 to 539 BCE.
What did King Hammurabi create around 1754 BCE?
One of the earliest and most complete written legal codes.
What principle did Hammurabi's laws follow?
Reciprocal retaliation expressed as “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
Which areas did Hammurabi's laws address?
Justice, trade, property, family, and punishment.
What numerical system did Babylonians inherit and use?
The base-60 system.
What is the Babylonian Map of the World?
The oldest known world map on a sixth-century BCE clay tablet.
To whom were the Hanging Gardens traditionally attributed?
Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon.
Where do some scholars place the Hanging Gardens instead of Babylon?
In Nineveh under Sennacherib.
When did Ancient Egyptian civilization develop along the Nile?
From about 3100 BCE to 30 BCE.
Which plant was used to make papyrus for writing?
The Nile plant Cyperus papyrus.
What materials were used to make black and red inks in Ancient Egypt?
Black ink used soot or burnt vegetable material; red ink used iron oxide.
What did Egyptian hieroglyphs represent in their writing system?
Pictures and symbols representing sounds or words.
Which tools did Egyptians develop for construction?
Ramps and levers.
What devices did Egyptians use to measure time?
Obelisks and water clocks (clepsydra).
What was the shaduf used for in Ancient Egypt?
To lift water from a river or well for irrigation.
When did Ancient Greek civilization flourish?
From about 800 to 146 BCE.
Which city-states were part of Ancient Greek civilization?
Athens, Sparta, and Corinth.
What is Ancient Greece known as the birthplace of?
Western philosophy.
What mathematical concepts did Greek mathematicians contribute?
Basic geometry and the concept of mathematical proof.
What planetary model concept did Greek astronomers develop?
Heliocentrism, placing the Sun at the solar system's center.
What did the watermill enable in grain processing?
Large-scale milling of grains for mass production.
What was the Antikythera mechanism believed to predict?
Astronomical positions and eclipses.
What was Hero's engine and its significance?
A steam-powered turbine considered a precursor to the steam engine.
What was the Roman Empire regarded as politically and socially?
A powerful political and social entity.
What did Roman gazettes disseminate?
Important news, official decisions, legal notices, and appointments.
From which language does the term 'gazette' derive?
Italian.
Who began the tradition of stacking papyrus into book pages?
Julius Caesar.
What materials were used to protect early Roman book pages?
Wax first, then animal skin.
What did Roman builders combine in their structures?
Art and engineering.
What qualities did Roman structures like the Colosseum have?
Strength, functionality, and elegance.
What is another name for the Colosseum?
The Flavian Amphitheater.
Where was the Maya civilization mainly located?
In present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador.
What did the plow enable in agriculture?
Tilling of fertile but heavy clay soil.
What did the mechanical clock measure?
Time mechanically.
How did the spinning machine impact textile production?
It transformed fiber into yarn or thread.
What did Johann Gutenberg invent?
A more reliable printing method using cast type and a wooden machine.
Name one type of ancient melee weapon.
Swords.
Name one type of ancient ranged weapon.
Longbows.
Test your knowledge with 27 questions on Science Technology and Society.
1. What is science primarily concerned with acquiring?
2. Which situation best illustrates technology rather than science?
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