Invention and Societies Our goal in this lesson is to learn how...

Invention and Societies

Our goal in this lesson is to learn how science and technology have progressed throughout time, particularly during the ancient times and the middle ages.

Periods in History (https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/splitting-history/) Humans began to evolve about seven million years ago, and progressed through four stages of evolution. Research shows that the first modern humans appeared 200,000 years ago. That's a lot of time! Historians often split history into periods. Periodization is the process of categorizing the past into discrete, quantified, named blocks of time in order to facilitate the study and analysis of history. This results in descriptive abstractions that provide convenient terms for periods of time with relatively stable characteristics.

The common general split between prehistory (before written history), ancient history, Middle Ages, modern history, and contemporary history (history within the living memory) is a Western division of the largest blocks of time agreed upon by Western historians and representing the Western point of view. For example, the history of Asia or Africa cannot be neatly categorized following these periods. However, we shall adopt these periods in this course. The ancient world covers the period between 3500 BC to 500 AD, the Middle Ages was from 500 to 1500 AD, while the modern period began from 1500 AD (http://www.essential-humanities.net/history-overview/world-history-timeline/).

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Activity I

1. Please download "World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500" from https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/history-textbooks/2/.

2. Fill in the table below (see images) with the necessary information that may be obtained from the book (or other sources in some cases). Look at the item in the "Invention/Discovery" column. Go to the page indicated. Read about the item. Learn about what it is and how it is used (you may consult other resources if necessary). Browse the book for information about the civilization that developed the item to understand why the item/s needed to be developed. In the last column, try to justify the invention of the item/s.

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Image transcription text

THE SONG DYNASTY Moveable-type "during the Song Dynasty, moveable-type Movable type was never widely used printing (p. 161) printing also began to be widely used;" in China because whole-block "contributing to an increase in literacy and printing was less expensive, but broader exposure to these new ideas;" when movable type reached Europe "Chinese characters Page | 162 were carved in the 15th century, it revolutionized on wood blocks, which were then arranged in the communication of ideas. boxes that could be dipped in ink and printed on paper;" [Source: World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500] Gunpowder (p. 162) The Peloponnesian War (431 - 404 BCE)

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Image transcription text

Rise of the Hoplite Hoplon (p. 187) "Armed in the same way - with a helmet, Phalanx and the Polis spear, and the round shield, the hoplon, which gave the hoplites their name - the soldiers were arranged in rows, possibly as much as seven deep.;" Pharos (p.212) Heat ray (p. 212) Heavy plow (p.434) Three field system of agriculture (p.435) Eyeglasses (p. 461) *Please find out more information about eyeglasses from other sources

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