- Importance of ancient civilizations in the development of mathematics
- Development of astronomy
- Architecture development
- Culture development
- References
The importance of ancient civilizations clearly follows from the impact that is still felt in the contemporary world. His contributions to science and culture are the foundation on which the modern world is built.
On the one hand, ancient civilizations such as the Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Mayan or Inca, left knowledge of architecture, philosophy, agriculture, livestock, astronomy, mathematics and technology. On the other hand, as a society, they had ideas and beliefs that have been shared by many later cultures.
Hanging gardens of Mesopotamia.
In addition, it is important to study the decline of these civilizations so as not to make the same mistakes. The Roman, Inca, Mayan or Egyptian Empire had a rise, development and final decline and disappearance. Our modern civilization could also have a similar decline, and studying past mistakes is one way to prevent it.
The term ancient civilizations refers to the first permanent human settlements that gave rise to cities, nations, and empires. Early civilizations include Mesopotamia, China, ancient Egypt, and the Mesoamerican empires.
Many of the ideas conceived during that period of history are preserved today. An example of this are the concepts of democracy and philosophy.
Importance of ancient civilizations in the development of mathematics
One of the key elements in the development of science and technology has been mathematical calculation and algebraic operations. Its origins date back to the ancient era.
There is evidence that the Egyptians, for example, used a decimal number system. Although they did not develop mathematical formulas, they did do simple arithmetic operations such as adding and subtracting. They also knew fractions and could calculate area and volume of shapes.
The Indian civilization developed numbers and the decimal notation that is used today: Arabic numerals. They are also owed the introduction of zero.
The Babylonians (a region in south-central Mesopotamia) divided the circle into 360 0 and came quite close to the value of pi.
Development of astronomy
The study of the celestial bodies played an essential role in the ancient world. Although charged with mysticism, the foundations of astronomy as it is known today are found in those early observations.
The Babylonians calculated the courses of the planets and traced the orbits of the sun and the moon. The Hindus divided the year into twelve lunar months.
Chinese astronomers could calculate the occurrence of eclipses exactly. And the Mayans designed a 365-day calendar just like the Egyptians.
Architecture development
There are several mysteries that surround many of the great constructions of antiquity. It is not known for sure how they were carried out, when they were built, what their purposes were and what they meant for them. But their contributions are undeniable.
The Greeks mixed lime, clay, sand, and water to form a novel building material: cement.
The Romans used volcanic lava instead of clay and small fragments of volcanic debris and it resulted in a much stronger material: concrete.
Other contributions from the Romans include ornamentation and the construction of public baths, sewers, viaducts, aqueducts, and bridges.
The impact of Mayan architecture can be seen in Central America, especially in the use of color, open spaces, and textures.
Modern architecture finds inspiration in the ecological techniques used by these.
Culture development
One of the great inventions of humanity is writing. This has its beginnings in the Ancient Era and since then it has served to record the culture of the different civilizations. Thanks to her, history has also been preserved.
Artistic manifestations were also numerous in that era. The art of the Greeks, represented in their temples, sculptures and ceramics, was intended to highlight the importance and achievements of human beings.
For its part, Egyptian art sought to reflect the perfection of the world at the time of creation and represent the correct relationship between humanity, the king, and the pantheon of gods.
Today, despite the time that has passed, many contemporary artists still find inspiration in the art of ancient civilizations.
References
- Tyldesley, J. (2011, February 17). Ancient Egypt and the Modern World. BBC. Recovered from bbc.co.uk
- Mathematics. (S / f). Egyptian civilization sciences. Canadian Museum of sciences. Recovered from museedelhistoire.ca
- Mastin, L. (2010). Egyptian Mathematics. The story of mathematics. Recovered from storyofmathematics.com
- Mastin, L. (2010). Indian Mathematics. The story of mathematics. Recovered from storyofmathematics.com
- Violatti, C. (2014, May 28). Science. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Recovered from ancient.eu
- Moffat, C. (2007, December). Reaching for the Sky. Ancient Architecture.The Art History Archive - Architecture. Recovered from arthistoryarchive.com
- The Impact of Mayan Architecture. (s / f). Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery. Recovered from Encyclopedia.com
- Art and Architecture (2017). Ancient Civilizations Online Textbook. Recovered from ushistory.org.