Historical Antecedents of Science and Technology

Ancient Period
Ancient Wheel
The earliest wheels, were much different than 21st century wheels or even those used in first
century battles. The concept of the wheel actually grew out of a mechanical device that the
Sumerians had invented shortly after 3500 B.C. this is known as the "potter’s wheel". This was a
heavy flat disk made of hardened clay. It was spun horizontally on an axis to allow the potter to form
evenly shaped jars and bowls from wet clay. The Sumerians didn’t, however, simply turn this clay-
splattered wheel on its end and hook it to a wagon to make a wheel. Instead, the concept of the
wheel went through many stages of development before it became a practical method for moving
heavy objects from one location to another.

Figure 1. The Wheel Figure 2. Potter’s Wheel

Paper
During 3000 B.C., the ancient Egyptians began writing on papyrus, a material similar to thick
paper. Papyrus was made from the pith of the papyrus plant cyperus papyrus. Some of its
characteristics are strong, durable, and portable. However, writing was initially done on stones. But
due to difficulty of writing in stones, this activity was reserved only for very important events.
Papyrus paved the way for efficient, widespread, and vast way of documenting and record-keeping.
Information dissemination became exponentially faster. Some records written in papyrus have even
managed to stood the test of time.

Shadoof / Shaduf
The ancient Egyptians invented a tool to enhance the way they irrigate their farm land. It is a
hand-operated device used for lifting water. Typically it consists of a long, tapering, nearly horizontal
pole mounted like a seesaw. A skin or bucket is hung on a rope from the long end, and a
counterweight is hung on the short end. The operator pulls down on a rope attached to the long end
to fill the bucket and allows the counterweight to raise the bucket. To raise water to higher levels, a
series of shadufs are sometimes mounted one above the other.

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Figure 3. Shadoof / Shaduf

Antikythera mechanism

More than 21 centuries ago (around 150-100 B.C.), a

mechanism of fabulous ingenuity was created in Greece, a
device capable of indicating exactly how the sky would look
for decades to come -- the position of the moon and sun,
lunar phases and even eclipses. But this incredible invention
would be drowned in the sea and its secret forgotten for two
thousand years. And in May 1902, Greek archaeologist
Valerios Stais found a corroded chunk of metal which turned
out to be part of the world's first computer and became
known as the Antikythera Mechanism.

Figure 4. Antikythera device

Aeolipile
The aeolipile was an ancient device, invented by Hero of Alexandria (also known as Heron),
which was based on the rocket principle of action and reaction, i.e. Newton's third law, and used
steam as a propulsive gas. It consisted of a specially-made sphere on top of a water kettle. A fire
below the kettle turned the water into steam which traveled through pipes to the sphere. Two L-
shaped tubes on opposite sides of the sphere allowed the gas to escape, and in doing so gave a thrust
to the sphere that caused it to spin. No practical use for the aeolipile was found at the time, it being

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an oddity similar to the clay bird of Archytas; however, it can be regarded as a precursor of the steam
engine. Like many other machines of the time that demonstrated basic mechanical principles, it was
simply regarded as a curiosity or a toy and was not used for any practical purpose.

Figure 5. The Aeolipile

Middle Ages
Some of the highly impressive technological advancements of the late medieval period which defined
the Middle Ages technology are as follows:

Heavy plough

The heavy plough was first used in the fifth century.

It was a modification of already existing mouldboard
plough. In the mouldboard plough, the depth of cut
was used to be adjusted by lifting the runner in
furrow. Because of this, the weight of the plough was
used to be limited. As a result, these ploughs were
fairly fragile and couldn’t be used to till and break the
heavier soils of northern Europe.

Figure 6. Heavy plough

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Historical Antecedents of Science and Technology

In order to modify it, the runner was replaced by a wheel

because of which, the weight of the plough was increased. As a
result, the heavy plough led to greater food production. This
heavy plough is still considered as one of the main reason of
significant population growth of Europe around 600 A.D.

Figure 7. Modified heavy plough

Gunpowder Weapons
Gunpowder had long been known to Chinese. However, it became a serious battle material during
the fourteenth century as the people of European medieval period succeeded in developing and
advancing it as corned gunpowder and they also produced canons. According to recorded history,
canons were first used in Europe in 1324 during the seize of Metz. Corned gunpowder was first
practiced in Western Europe. It significantly increased the power of canons, making them more
lethal. During the fourteenth century, Europeans also invented the superguns and volley guns.

The Mechanical Clock

Another important achievement of the Middle
Ages technology was the mechanical clock
which was developed during the 13th century.
The first mechanical clocks with proper
references were large, weight-driven machines
which were used to be fitted into towers. These
clocks are now termed as the turret clocks. A
medieval mechanical clock can be found
mounted on the wall of Old Town City in Prague,
in the Czech Republic. It is the oldest working,
intact example of an astronomical clock. It is a masterpiece of medieval times.

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The clock’s mechanism is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial which
represents the position of the sky and the moon together with different cosmic details as well as
statues of saints standing on either side of the clock; the clock is also adorned by ‘the Walk of the
Apostles‘, and a calendar dial with medallions that represent the months.

Spinning Wheel

The origins of spinning wheel are obscure. However, it is

believed that the spinning wheel was invented in India. During
the European Middle Ages, the Indian spinning wheel reached
to Europe. It was improved and advanced by Europeans as it
replaced the older methods of hand spinning. The first step for
mechanizing the process of spindling was to horizontally
mound the spindle in bearings. As a result, the mount could be
rotated by a cord encircling a hand-driven large wheel. The
spinning wheel significantly reduced the time consumed in
transforming fiber into thread or yarn and eventually woven
into cloth on a loom. This invention ushered in a breakthrough
in linen production in Europe in 13th Century AD.

The Printing Press

Both the movable type and the paper printing

machines were first used in China. However, the
printing press was actually advanced and mechanized
by the Europeans during the Middle Ages. The earliest
mention of printing press was done in a lawsuit in
1439, in Strasburg. This lawsuit revealed the history of
construction of press for Johannes Gutenberg and his
associates. The printing press changed the society.
Printing press at that time was similarly great
technological advancement as the internet is in current times.

Apart from all these significant and important examples of middle ages technology and
advancements, there were many more other technological success stories of medieval period. For
example, the hourglass was first used in 9th century in Europe and in 1268 A.D.; Roger Bacon
mentioned the earliest recorded use of lenses for optical benefits.

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Historical Antecedents of Science and Technology

Modern Ages
The era known as the industrial revolution is a period in which fundamental changes occurred in
agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation and communication, as well as economic
policy. Factories and industries were incorporated into daily life and cities across the world. This time
period left many positive and negative lasting effects on the modern world, some of which are still
seen today, as well as the advances of different inventions from the era.

Compound Microscope

Most scholars agree that the invention of the compound

microscope can be credited to Zacharias Janssen in the late
sixteenth century. At that time eyeglasses were beginning to
enjoy widespread use and this focused a great deal of
attention on optics and lenses. The microscope illustrated
above was built by Zacharias Janssen, probably with the help
of his father Hans, in the year 1595. Janssen's microscope
consists of three draw tubes with lenses inserted into the ends of the flanking tubes. The eyepiece
lens was bi-convex and the objective lens was plano-convex, a very advanced compound design for
this time period. Focusing of this hand-held microscope was achieved by sliding the draw tube in or
out while observing the sample. The Janssen microscope was capable of magnifying images
approximately three times when fully closed and up to ten times when extended to the maximum.
Nowadays, the compound microscope is an important instrument in many scientific studies, such as
in the areas of medicine forensic studies, tissue analysis, atomic studies and genetics.

Telescope
In 1609 an Italian physicist and astronomer named Galileo
Galilei became the first person to point a telescope
skyward. Although that telescope was small and the
images fuzzy, Galileo was able to make out mountains and
craters on the moon, as well as a ribbon of diffuse light
arching across the sky -- which would later be identified as
our Milky Way galaxy. Galileo's remarkable technological
contribution drastically changed the study of astronomy. It became clear that the universe is far
larger than previously imagined and the Earth is far smaller as compared with the entire universe.

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Jacquard Loom

Invented by Joseph Jacquard and demonstrated in 1801, the

Jacquard Loom is an attachment for powered fabric looms. It uses
a chain of punch cards to instruct the loom on how to make
intricate textiles. For example, a loom could have hundreds of
cards with holes in each of them that correspond to hooks that can
be raised or lowered to make a textile brocade. Below is an
illustration of the Jacquard Loom attachment on top of a textile
loom.

The Jacquard Loom is important to the history of computers

because it is the first machine to use interchangeable punch cards
to instruct a machine to perform automated tasks. Having a
machine that could perform various tasks is similar to today's
computer programs that can be programmed to perform different tasks. The Jacquard Loom was
also an inspiration to Charles Babbage planning to use perforated cards in his analytical engine.
Herman Hollerith also used the idea of punch cards to not only store information but be used to
input information into a computing device and is what help create the company IBM.

Engine-Powered Airplane
The Wright brothers, Orville (August
19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and
Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30,
1912), were two American aviation
pioneers generally credited with
inventing, building, and flying the
world's first successful airplane. The
brothers' breakthrough was their
creation of a three-axis control
system, which enabled the pilot to
steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method remains standard on fixed-
wing aircraft of all kinds. The Wright Brothers were able to prove that slightly-tilted wings were the
key features of a powered aircraft which they called "aeroplane". This invention paved the way for
modern aircraft technology.

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Historical Antecedents of Science and Technology

Television

If one regards the definition of “television” to

be the live transmission of images with
continuing variation in tone, the credit to
who invented the television belongs to
Scottish engineer John Logie Baird. He built
and demonstrated the world’s first
mechanical television. Baird also invented
and demonstrated the first color television in
public as well as the first electronic color television picture tube. But Baird's TV was criticized for its
fuzzy and flickering images, mainly due to its composition being mechanical unlike its successors
which are electronic. The first functional, all electronic TV was credited to Philo Taylor Farnsworth
successfully demonstrated the first television signal transmission on September 7, 1927 with his own
scanning tube.

Inventions by Filipino Scientists

Throughout the Philippine history, Filipinos are responsible for developing many scientific and
technological innovations focused on navigation, traditional shipbuilding, textiles, food processing,
indigenous arts and techniques, and even cultural inventions. The following are some of the most
important inventions by Filipino Scientists:

Electronic Jeepney (e-jeepney).

Electric Jeepneys (eJeepneys), the first

public transport of its kind in Southeast
Asia, were launched on July 1, 2008 in a
historic drive along Ayala Avenue in
Makati.

The eJeepney runs on pure electricity

supplied by rechargeable automotive
batteries. It can be charged overnight for about eight hours on an ordinary wall outlet, much like
charging a cellphone and run the next day for a minimum of 65 kms. Since electric powered it does
not consume either gasoline or diesel to operate. It therefore has no noise, no fumes, and no harmful
emissions.

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Erythromycin

Abelardo Aguilar, a doctor from Iloilo, and

worked for the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly
and Company as a researcher. Then in 1949, he
submitted samples of his work to the company’s
research team who in 1952 declared the discovery
of a new kind of antibiotic. The research team
confirmed that the new drug was capable of
treating several kinds of infections minus the
common side-effects of antibiotics. What’s more,
the drug was available to those who were allergic to penicillin.

Generically named erythromycin, the company christened it Ilosone (it was also called Ilotycin) to
commemorate its origin in Iloilo and marketed it under that name worldwide. As can be expected,
Eli Lilly and Company raked in billions of dollars. Abelardo Aguilar made his employer filthy rich yet
was never duly compensated nor recognized for his efforts.

Medical Incubator

Doctor Fe Del Mundo dedicated her life to the cause of

paediatrics in the Philippines. She was credited with studies that led
to the invention of an improved incubator and a jaundice relieving
device.

Fe Del Mundo’s medical career started after she joined the medical
school of the University of the Philippines. She joined the school in
1926. She earned her medical degree in 1933, and graduated as a
valedictorian. She was then awarded an unexpected scholarship
offer under President Manuel Quezon and was accepted to Harvard
University Medical school for postgraduate work. Doctor Fe Del Mundo was the first woman to
attend Harvard Medical school. She joined Harvard Medical school in the year 1936, that was still
when Harvard was a men’s only institution. It was until 1945 when women were accepted into
Harvard.

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Mole Remover

Rolando dela Cruz, a Filipino inventor, who

was able to formulate a cream from raw cashew
nut to remove warts and moles on the skin. Later,
the cream was certified as a viable treatment for
basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common
type of skin cancer.

Dela Cruz's invention earned for DeBCC, a gold

medal award as an Outstanding Invention from
World Intellectual Property Office.

Dela Cruz and his family started marketing his

products in 1997 as DeWart, a cream to remove warts, and DeMole, a cream to remove moles. In
2003, Dela Cruz reformulated DeMole by adding other ingredients and increased the strength of the
cashew extract. He renamed the cream DeBCC.

Doctors from Philippine General Hospital (PGH) have certified the DeBCC cream as a possible
treatment for Basal Cell Carcinoma or skin cancer after completing clinical trials and studies on
patients. It was documented in the study, “Anacardium Occidentale (Linn, Cashew Nut Extract,
DeBCC in the Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma or Skin Cancer” by the University of the Philippines
doctors Eric Talens, Orlando Ocampo, Daniel de la paz, Horacio Estrada and Porfirio Tica.

Banana Ketchup

Filipina food technologist, pharmaceutical chemist, humanitarian and

war heroine, Maria Y. Orosa (1893–1945) is credited with inventing a
banana ketchup recipe. She was born on 29 November 1893, in Taal,
Batangas, the fifth child of Simplicio Orosa and the former Juliana Ylagan.
In 1915, she studied at the University of the Philippines’ College of
Pharmacy. A year later, she left the country to study at the University of
Seattle as a government scholar. There, she first earned a Bachelor of
Science in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 1917, following this up one year
later with a degree in Food Chemistry.

In 1942, Maria Y. Orosa formulated the banana ketchup or banana sauce.

It is a popular Philippine fruit ketchup condiment made from mashed
banana, sugar, vinegar, and spices. Its natural color is brownish-yellow, but it is often dyed red to

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resemble tomato ketchup. Banana ketchup was made when there was a shortage of tomato ketchup
during World War II, due to lack of tomatoes and a comparatively high production of bananas.

On the same year, banana ketchup was first mass-produced commercially by Magdalo V. Francisco,
Sr. who founded the brand name Mafran (a portmanteau of his given name) which he registered
with the Bureau of Patents. Jufran, another famous banana ketchup brand, was taken from the
nickname of Francisco’s son, Magdalo Jr. or “Jun”. Francisco sought funding from Tirso T. Reyes to
expand his business and thus, the Universal Food Corporation (UFC) was formed 1960.

References:
 https://antiquitynow.org/2013/08/20/kids-blog-the-invention-of-the-wheel-how-the-
ancient-sumerians-got-humanity-rollin/
 https://www.britannica.com/technology/shaduf
 https://www.tes.com/lessons/A-GJT0vwY1xQ6A/copy-of-egypt-day-3
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpLcnAIpVRA
 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/05/17/antikythera-mechanism-discovered-
115-years-ago/
 http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/A/aeolipile.html
 https://www.britannica.com/technology/aeolipile
 http://www.thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/technology-in-the-middle-ages.html
 https://curiosmos.com/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-oldest-still-operating-
astronomical-clock-on-earth/
 https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/timeline/people/janssen.html
 https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/9-12/features/telescope_feature_912.html
 https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/j/jacquard-loom.htm

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 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers
 https://www.historyonthenet.com/who-invented-the-television
 http://www.ejeepney.com.ph/
 https://filipiknow.net/abelardo-aguilar-erythromycin/
 https://kami.com.ph/84059-who-fe-del-mundo-greatest-achievements.html#84059
 https://www.worldvillage.com/outstanding-cream-invention-to-fight-warts-moles-even-skin-
cancer/
 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_ketchup
 https://www.batangashistory.date/2018/03/orosa.html

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