Science in the Ancient World
Science and technology have played a large role in the ancient world, and the systems of learning in many ancient cultures shared many characteristics in common. Here we will examine the scientific views of the ancient Egyptians, the Greek civilization, and the Roman Empire. ... Local religious beliefs, geography, culture, and climate all play major roles in the development of science, as necessity is the mother of invention. Here I will examine two important areas of science in particular, architecture and agriculture. ... Many concepts of modern architecture were first seen in the ancient world. The pyramid is a type of modern day skyscraper, exemplifying the “build it because we can” idea still prominent in to days world. This type of structure gives a sort of bragging rights to the state producing it, which could be seen in the 1900’s in American cities with the building of the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center towers, and the Sears Tower. No doubt that visitors to ancient Egypt were even more in awe of the gigantic pyramids sitting astride the desert. ... The Nile River made the other basic task of ancient civilizations, food production, take many times less labor than in other areas, and freed up the manpower for the state to use in the unproductive seasons. ... Unfortunately, for all ancient columns, the buildings they supported have long since been torn down, or decayed away, leaving only the columns standing the test of time. ... The ancient Egyptians had a very advanced system of irrigation based on the inundation of the Nile river. The importance of this science to the Egyptians was represented in many aspects of their daily life. ... The Nile made agriculture so easy in Egypt that very little science was needed to boost production. ... The ancient Greeks admired the agricultural practices of the Egyptians. ... The Greeks need for better agricultural science prompted the building of long tunnels to move water to where it was needed. ... It is quite possible that if an ancient Greek city was placed in the middle of a desert that they would turn to building pyramids and similar buildings, while the ancient Egyptian, if placed in a less harsh environment, would no doubt find other uses for the labor of his people than the construction of great artifacts for the departed.