Ancient Egyptian and Greek Agriculture Quiz

Development of Science & Technology Throughout History

• Learning Outcomes: Students will identify significant technological discoveries impacting human life and communities throughout ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and modern times.
• Timeline of Human Development: Includes key stages of human evolution, highlighting Homo habilis (skillful human), Homo erectus (upright human), Homo sapiens (wise human), and Homo sapiens sapiens (modern human).
• Early Technology: The Stone Age (2.5 mya - 3000 BC) is divided into Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods. Technological advancements in tool-making progressed through these periods, leading to a shift from hunter-gatherer to farming cultures.
• Paleolithic Period (2.5 mya–10,000 BC): Early humans lived in caves or simple shelters, were hunters and gatherers, utilizing basic stone and bone tools. They used fire for cooking and warmth.
• Mesolithic Period (10,000 BC – 8,000 BC): Humans used smaller, polished stone tools, often living near water sources, and agriculture was introduced.
• Neolithic Period (8,000 BC – 3,000 BC): Ancient humans transitioned from hunters and gatherers to agricultural production. Polished tools, like hand axes, became common. Settling and farming developed.
• Stone Age Breakthroughs in Hunter-Gatherer Tools: Details various stone tools, their characteristics, and timelines. Includes Oldowan tools (2.6 million years ago) and Acheulean handaxes (1.6 million years ago).
• New kinds of knapping (Levallois technique): 400,000 to 200,000 years ago; This involved carefully shaping stone cores to produce sharp flakes.
• Cutting blades (Aurignacian industry): 80,000 to 40,000 years ago; Involved creating long, rectangular blades from stone.
• Small, sharp micro blades (Magdalenian culture): 11,000 to 17,000 years ago; Characterized by geometric microliths.
• Axes, celts, chisels (Neolithic tools): 12,000 years ago; These tools helped humans clear land for agriculture.

The Bronze Age (3000 BC to 1300 BC)

• Metalworking advances using bronze (copper and tin alloy) replaced earlier stone tools and weapons.
• Innovations included ox-drawn plows and the wheel.
• Village life and settlements further developed.

The Fertile Crescent

• Geographic region in the Middle East.
• Cradle of civilization, with early agricultural and urban development.
• Regions were home to the earliest civilizations - Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians and Phoenicians.

Mesopotamian Civilization

• Geographic area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• Home to some of the earliest human civilizations.
• Includes circular dwellings made of mud and brick, along with agricultural practices.
• Domesticated animals and early plants were prevalent.
• First known use of irrigation.

Sumerian Civilization

• Developed in Mesopotamia.
• Notable for its achievements, including: Mass-produced pottery through the potter's wheel, writing systems (cuneiform), hydraulic engineering, the chariot and the plow.
• Created early cities and administrative structures.

Akkadian Empire

• First unified empire in Mesopotamia.
• Created administrative firsts like systems of weights and measures.
• Faced frequent uprisings.

The Assyrians

• Expanded Mesopotamian territory.
• Became a powerful empire, known for their sophisticated military and bureaucratic systems.
• Developed advanced agricultural technologies.

Assyrian Contributions: Agricultural Technology

• Extensive canal systems to manage floods and irrigation.

Babylonian Civilization

• Significant contributions in mathematics.
• Developed a code of laws.
• Known for architectural innovations, such as arches and the dome.

Babylonian Mathematical Techniques

• Cuneiform script for writing.
• Utilized a sexagesimal system.
• Significant discoveries in mathematics, such as quadratic and cubic equations, fractions and the Pythagorean theorem.

Babylonian Architecture and Art

• Utilized adobe and molded bricks.
• Developed arches and domes, particularly in palaces.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

• Fabled gardens in the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
• Their existence is disputed by historians.
• A significant example of Babylonian engineering.

The Egyptians (3100 B.C. to 332 B.C.)

• Long-lasting civilization with significant contributions to various areas of study.

Ancient Egyptian Science and Technology: Engineering and Construction

• Precise construction methods were used in creating temples, obelisks and large-scale structures.
• Knowledge of architectural forms, exact procedures (that often persist on a large scale), and mastery of detailed surveying.

Medicine and Dentistry

• Medical practices included incorporating magic and herbal remedies.
• Early texts (Ebers Papyrus, Edwin Smith Papyrus) from the time of Egypt.
• Medical practices focused on diagnosis, prediction of disease.

The Iron Age (c. 1200 BCE to c. 900 BCE)

• Discovery of methods for heating and forging iron that made tools sharper than those made of bronze.
• Development of new styles of housing, including four-room structures and stables for livestock.

Persian Empire

• Development of the Empire during the Iron Age.
• Steel weapons used.
• Developed armored cavalry.

Persian Contributions to Science, Technology, and Culture

• Developed various contributions in mathematics and other fields.

The Qanat system

• Water management system developed in Persia used for irrigation.

The Baghdad Battery

• Devices that may have been used for electroplating in ancient times, though their precise function was debated.

The Windmill

• Developed the basic windmill design for water pumping and grain grinding.

Mathematics of the 12th Century

• Expansion using Persian and Indian arithmetic.
• Creation of algebraic and logarithmic Tables(by Muhammad Ibn Musa-al-Khwarazmi).
• Contributions impacted mathematics in the medieval West.

Greek Civilization

• Earliest known civilizations impacted modern science and other fields.
• Included advances in agriculture, architecture, philosophy and more.

Greek Agriculture

• Farming practices in Greece, focusing on cereals, olives, and wine.

Greece Architecture

• Architecture's stylistic elements, including simplicity, proportion, perspective and symmetry.
• Use of marble for public buildings.
• Use of the cross-in-square and pendentive dome architectural designs.

Notable Greeks in Science and Technology

• Thales, Democritus, Hippocrates, Plato and Aristotle each had profound impacts on the developments happening during their time.
• Examples of great Greek thinkers and their contributions.

Roman Engineering

• Roman innovations in engineering and infrastructure.
• Advanced technologies such as aqueducts, tunnels, bridges, amphitheatres developed.
• Use of the treadmill and waterwheel for lifting and irrigation purposes.

Roman Architecture

• Roman Empire continued to incorporate architectural influences from other empires.
• Developed brick and tile techniques as well as stone and cement.
• Utilized vaults and domes.

Notable Roman Figures

• Cato, Varro, Lucretius, Vitruvius and Galen offered advancements in their diverse fields.
• Examples of scientific advancements they made.

The Fall of Rome

• The fall of Rome.
• The impacts of the fall of Rome on society and knowledge.

The Middle Ages

• Period between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance
• Development of feudalism, Christian societies and scholasticism.
• Examples of notable developments during the Medieval period.

The Scientific Revolution

• Emerged in the 17th and 18th Centuries.
• Advancements in mathematics, physics, astronomy, and new methodologies for scientific exploration.
• Key figures including: Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton.

Renaissance Exploration

• Exploration expeditions from Europe and across the globe.
• Focus was on expanding commerce and discovering new lands.

The Renaissance and the Reformation

• The Renaissance influenced ways of thinking, through art, writing and scientific exploration.
• Major religious change and movement that occurred in Europe.

Other Scientific Advances

• Diverse fields of scientific study and notable advancements.
• Including notable individuals and their contributions.

Test your knowledge on the irrigation techniques and agricultural practices of ancient Egypt and Greece. From understanding the role of livestock to identifying key crops, this quiz covers important elements that shaped agricultural life in these civilizations.