Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Discoveries

   

After reading Science: Its History and Development Among the World's Cultures by Colin A. Ronan, I found some interesting discoveries of ancient civilizations.

    For example the ancient Egyptians may have unintentionally applied science in very innovative ways despite their limited knowledge of science. The ancient Egyptians exhibited extensive biological knowledge by performing brain, dental surgery and embalming. To even attempt brain surgery is a surprising practice especially from a civilization that did not truly venture in to the scientific basis of things focusing rather on practical uses. Mummification is truly fascinating since it delays decomposition and gives us a well-preserved human body to study. The ancient Egyptians were able to explore anatomy of both humans and animals with their ability to identify, remove and preserve organs.

        The ancient civilizations of China discovered different uses of insects and other organisms. For example during Shang times about 1500 BC, silk worms were used for their ability to form silk, the fabric we often regard as very precious and luxurious.  Another insect they “domesticated” was the bred scale insects that obtained wax from to use for candles and medicinal purposes. The cochineal was another insect they acquired color for dyeing purposes. Cricket fighting is another example of mastery with insects though this was regarded as a popular sport.

    Lastly the classification of species is also another discovery made by the ancient Babylonians. It is astonishing that they were able to identify species and attempt to classify them in systematic manner. This is truly an early example of classification which is significant aspect of biology. Of course this also stemmed from a practical reason since it is necessary to classify organisms when they sold different types of fish and other animals for consumption.

Mummy of Queen Hatshepsut, National Geographic

Silkworm webcastr.com