Babylonian Innovations

Babylonian Civilization: Key Innovations

• Developed the concept of place value in numbers, significantly influencing modern mathematics.
• Used star charts and observational tables on clay tablets to track celestial bodies.
• Priests used astronomical knowledge to create astrological predictions and calendars.
• Famous engineering feat was the Hanging Gardens.
• Ziggurats were religious temples that also served as astronomical observatories.
• Measured time using water clocks (Clepsydra) and sundials.
• Commonly used bronze for tools and weapons.
• Pioneered the Code of Hammurabi, one of the first written legal codes.
• Used cuneiform on clay tablets to record scientific data.
• Made significant contributions to predictive astronomy and celestial mechanics.
• King Nebuchadnezzar II is credited with commissioning one of the earliest known maps.
• Clay tablet receipts and promissory notes influenced modern contracts and business transactions.
• Documented medical cases on clay tablets, systematically listing symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments.
• Designed cities with grids, walls, and drainage systems, developing early forms of urban planning.
• Created cuneiform record-keeping for recording commercial transactions.

Egyptian Civilization: Science and Technology

• Papyrus is considered the earliest form of paper.
• Constructed surgical scalpels from obsidian.
• Contributed the use of stone columns for structural support in architecture.
• Studied human anatomy through mummification and dissection.
• Developed the sailboat, which helped boats travel against the Nile’s current.
• Developed one of the first known written number systems for tax collection and trade.
• The plow helped farmers increase food production.
• The Ebers Papyrus contains some of the earliest recorded medical knowledge.
• Used surveying techniques with ropes and rods to measure land after flooding.
• Egyptian medicine included early forms of prosthetic limb creation.

Greek Contributions: Science and Technology

• Pythagoras is famous for the Pythagorean theorem (a² + b² = c²).
• Aristarchus of Samos first proposed heliocentrism (Earth orbits the Sun).
• Galen significantly influenced the field of anatomy and physiology.
• Greek amphitheater design improved theater acoustics and communication in large spaces.
• Thales of Miletus proposed that water is the fundamental substance of all matter.
• Eratosthenes calculated the Earth’s circumference with remarkable accuracy.
• The catapult was a Greek invention that improved war technology.
• The Greek water clock (clepsydra) measured time, especially in courtrooms.
• Anaximander contributed to the idea of evolution and natural selection.
• Euclid wrote "The Elements," a foundational text in mathematics.
• Hero of Alexandria invented the first known steam-powered device (Aeolipile).
• Plato proposed the idea that the universe is composed of five geometric elements (Platonic solids).
• Greek astronomers made early celestial maps used primarily for navigational aid and predicting celestial movements.
• Ptolemy introduced the concept of a geocentric universe (Earth at the center).
• Trireme, a fast and maneuverable warship, improved sea travel and exploration.