MESOAMERICA
N, ASIAN,
MIDDLE-EAST,
AFRICAN
TIMELINE ARTICULATING THE WAYS IN WHICH SOCIETY
WAS TRANSFORMED BY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
MESOAMERICAN
There are several civilizations in Mesoamerica, some were Olmec, Zapotec, Toltec, Huastec and
many more. But there are 2 fanous civilizations that had give great contribution to science and
those are: Azlec and Maya.
AZTEC CIVILIZATION
The Aztec Empire, Native American state that they ruled much of what is now Mexico from about
1428 until 1521. They controlled a region stretching from the valley of Mexico in Central Mexico
East to the Gulf of Mexico and South to Guatemala.
Here are some of its contribution:
The Aztec Calendar
- The calendar system used by Aztecs. It is consignated of a 365 dat calendar cycle called
XIUHPOHUALLI (year count) and a 260 day ritual cycle called TONALPOHUALLI (day count).
Chapultepec Aquedect
built to provide portable water. Fresh water transported from the Chapultepec springs. It is
built by Aztecs during the 15th century. This waterways is destroyed by flood and spanish
conquerers. Also established schools like astronomy, theology, mathematics and more. The
doctors at this time learned to set broken bones and dentist learned to treat dental cavities.
Mayan Civilization
- An ancient Native American culture that represented one of the most advance civilizations in
the Western hemisphere before the arrival of Europians. They encompassed all of the Yucatan
Peninsula in the present-day Mexico and parts of the present-day Guatemala, Hunduras and El
Salvador.
Maya Astronomy
- Maya Astronomers could make difficult calculations, such as finding the day of the week of a
particular calendar date many thousand years in the past or in the future.
Mayan Civilization calculated the length of the solar calendar or tropical solar year or also
called as solar year is the time that the sun takes to return to the same position in the cycle of
seasons. It is with 365 days divided into 18th months with 20 days each with 5 extra days at the
end.
Lunar Calendar – is based on the movement of the planet venus. It is also called as a sacred
calendar with 260 days and 13 weeks of 20 days each.
MIDDLE-EAST
A geographical region that has been brought great importance in history since ancient times.
Birthplace of 3 great religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam
In recent times, its enormous deposits of oil have made the Middle-East more important than
ever. The discovery of vast oil deposits revolutionized the Middle-East’s economy more than
half of the world’s known oil reserves are found in the region although they are not equally
distributed.
Saudi Arabia has the largest deposit and world’s leading oil exporter
HERE ARE SOME MUSLIM INVENTIONS THAT HELPED SHAPE THE WORLD:
SURGERY
- around the year 1000 the celebrated doctor Al Zarawi, published a 1500 pages illustrated
encyclopedia of surgery that was used in Europe.
- discovered the use of dissolving cat gut to stitch wounds
created the first pair of forceps
ALGEBRA
comes from the title of a Persian Mathematician’s famous 9 th Century “Kitab al-jabr wa l-
Mugabala” which translates roughly as “The Book of Reasoning and Balancing”
HOSPITAL
comes from the 9th century Egypt
the first medical center was the Ahmad ibn Tulim Hospital, founded in 872 in Cairo
provided free care – policy based on the Muslim tradition of caring for all who are sick
UNIVERSITY
Fatima al-Firhi founded the first degree granting university in Fez, Morocco
Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University (operating almost 1200 years later)
ASIA
The general conception is that many of the cutting-edge technological developments and to a
lesser extent scientific advancements emanate from Asia.
For instance, Japan > Taiwan > South Korea > China = 90 % world’s digital gadgets
Today the focus which is the three of Asia’s most important and promising countries and their
place in global technology and scientific community.
Japan – typically a country synonymous with amazing technological innovation. It may come
as a surprise that many experts believe that Japan’s period of technological supremacy is in
some ways a thing of the past.
Kazuhiro Suga, president of Panasonic is working hard to implement wholesale changes to the
company so as to make it competitive once more emphasizing the need to speed up the decision-
making process in particular.
China – throughout the history, China has been the origin of countless technologies we take for
granted in the modern age.
paper, matches, iron cloud, propellers and rocket are all product of chinese research and
innovation from times past.
China was a world leader in science and technology until the early years of Ming Dynasty.
Ming Dynasty
• 1368-1644 A.D.
• known for trade expansion
• established cultural ties with the West
• also remembered for its drama, literature and world-renowned porcelain
Chinese Discoveries/Chinese Innovations:
✓ papermaking, printing, compass, gunpowder
These 4 great inventions contributed to the economic development in East Asia, Middle-East and
Europe.
Historians think China may have been the first civilization to develop a magnetic compass that
would be used for navigation. Chinese scientists may have developed navigational compasses
as early as the 11th or 12th century.
China’s technology in the electronic sector has sweeping impact on its economy and the rest of
the world. Chinese high-tech firms have been leading the way in innovation for many
technologies such as 5g.
India – technological developments in India differ from the two nations mentioned above
without the impact will be more beneficial to the overall well-being of the country providing
more than just economic growth, already cheap vaccines and sundry other drugs have enabled
India to establish itself firmly in international pharmaceutical industry to such an extent 80 %
of charity medicine stands frontiers and HIV drugs are from indian generics.
India has also made great strides in its scientific endeavors in recent years most notably in the
form of the 2008 and 2014 moon mission CHADRAYAAN-1 and the mars orbiter Mangalyaan.
AFRICA
Has the world’s oldest record of human technological achievement. The oldest stone tools in
the world have been found in Eastern Africa and later evidence for tool production by our
homimid ancestors has been found across Sub-saharan Africa.
Benjamin Banneker – Mathematician Astronomer
George Washington Carver – Agricultural Chemist
Country in Africa that has the best technology:
Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia – exporting industrial goods to Americas, Asia,
Europe and Middle-East
African Inventions and Discoveries:
Mathematics (Egypt)
placed firmly in African prehistory
discovered in the Lebombo mountains of Swaziland (approximately 3500 B.C.)
C.A.T. Scan Machine (South Africa) - Allan Cormack
Cybertracker (South Africa) – Louis Liebenberg
Quiet Cellular Antenna Technology – Paul Van Jaarsveld and Gordon Mayhew
Changing Shoes (Kenya)
• Dolosse, Heart Transplants, Penile, Pratly Putty, Speed Guns, Medical, Military, Safety,
Health, Educational Inventions, Power Barges, Armoured Vehicles, TV SE Lighting
Protectors, Electronic Outlet Protectors, Husking Machines, Mini-hydroelectric Dams,
Generators, Ballistics, Space Rockets, Military Drones, Planes, Boats, Dry Both Gel,
Pathogen Detection Systems, Cancer Treatment Robotic Surgery, Humanoids Robots,
Anti-collision Systems, High-tech Prosthetes
