From agriculture to early science and new technologies

Question 1

Why are Greeks important?

Answer 1

Greeks were the first to question why, creators of philosophy.

Question 2

What are 4 major components that make new technologies possible?

Answer 2

1. Free time
2. Record keeping
3. Standardized measurement system
4. Mathematics

Question 3

Why didn’t Sumerians, Babylonians, Egyptians evolve into discovering natural philosophy/science?

Answer 3

Restrictive religion/world view. Powerless in relation to gods, no negotiations, no correct discourse.

Question 4

What did Greeks have that encouraged a growth of philosophy that other civs didn’t?

Answer 4

A central square that encouraged free speech and communication if ideas. An Agora.

Question 5

What was different about the Religion of the Greeks as compared to other civs?

Answer 5

In a Greek world, humans interacted with gods. Religious institutions separate from government.

Question 6

What was Socrates’ approach to philosophy?

Answer 6

Question everything, “I know that I know nothing”

Question 7

Where was Miletus?

Answer 7

In Ionia, off the coast of modern day Turkey.

Question 8

Why did philosophy thrive in Miletus?

Answer 8

1. Food surplus
2. Spare time
3. Writing
4. Mathematics
5. Time keeping
6. Separation of divine from natural
7. Unrestricted communication

Question 9

Who was Thalus of Miletus? What was he known for?

Answer 9

• First philosopher
• First to openly reject divine intervention
• Pioneer of Greek Mathematics, used geometry to measure pyramids

Question 10

Who was Anaximander? What was he known for? When was he around?

Answer 10

• First to come up with a different origin of mankind, other than gods
• First to create a map
• First to come up with theory of evolution (humans came from fish)
• c. 511-546 BC

Question 11

Who was Pythagoras? What was he known for? When was he around?

Answer 11

• Believed everything is made of numbers
• Math is universal language
• Universe is powered by “Hestia” = eternal fire
• c. 569-475 BC

Question 12

Who was Parmenides? What was he known for? When was he around?

Answer 12

• Stoic philosopher, “change is an illusion”
• Everything stays the same
• c. 515 BC

Question 13

Who was Zeno of Elea? What was he known for? When was he around?

Answer 13

• Stoic philosopher, no change = no motion
• Paradox of a runner
• c. 490-425 BC

Question 14

Who was Plato? What was he known for? When was he around?

Answer 14

• Student of Socrates
• provided concrete evidence to stoic philosophy
• “true knowledge cannot be gained through senses, they are unreliable”
• Allegory of the cave
• Educational system
• c. 427-347 BC

Question 15

What is the allegory of the cave?

Answer 15

Prisoners are chained and stare at shadows on a wall of those passing by behind them in a cave their entire lives, not knowing that there is anything more to their lives.

The human condition is forever bound to the impressions that are received through the senses

Question 16

What was the first educational system? When was it founded and by whom?

Answer 16

The academy in Athens, 388 BC, by Plato.

Question 17

Who was Empedocles? What was he known for? When was he around?

Answer 17

• Experimental approach to science
• Volcanologist, jumped into a volcano to see what would happen, died.
• c. 492-432 BC

Question 18

Who was Democritus? What was he known for? When was he around?

Answer 18

• Experimental approach to science
• Crushed grain of sand between two rocks “can you still see the grain? How do you know?”
• Named and identified the atom, argued “nothing exists other than atoms and empty space”
• c. 460-370 BC

Question 19

Who was Aristotle? What was he known for? When was he around?

Answer 19

• Student of Plato
• c. 384-322 BC
• Geocentrism
• Introduced physics
• Father of biology

Question 20

How did Aristotle prove that earth was spherical?

Answer 20

Discovered through observation of a lunar eclipse that the earth would cast a circular shadow.

Question 21

What was the outer sphere in Aristotle’s universe?

Answer 21

The ‘prime mover’.

Question 22

What concepts of physics did Aristotle introduce?

Answer 22

• Concept of resistance, the greater the resistance, the slower the body moves.
• ‘no motion without a mover [in contact with the object]’

Question 23

What two books of biology did Aristotle write?

Answer 23

• History of animals

- On parts of animals

Question 24

What was Aristotle’s school? When was it founded?

Answer 24

Lyceum, 335 BC

Question 25

What did Aristotle argue in regards to sense and knowledge?

Answer 25

Sense leads to observation - mind leads to logic - logic leads to knowledge.

Question 26

What did Archimedes do when asked by the king to fetch a boat out of the water with one hand?

Answer 26

Invented a gearbox, reeled boat out with one hand.

Question 27

What was the Syracusia? What were some of its features?

Answer 27

Giant boat invented by Archimedes. Had steam boiler on it, heated water for passengers. Had pumps on it. Never completed.

Question 28

What was the Mechanical Planetaria?

Answer 28

Mechanical computer used to automatically display movements of the planets?

Question 29

What is the Antikythera?

Answer 29

World’s oldest remaining mechanical computer.

Question 30

Where was Archimedes from?

Answer 30

Syracuse, city on the island of Sicily.

Question 31

Why did the Romans siege and destroy Syracuse?

Answer 31

Rome-Syracuse alliance was broken after civil war in Syracuse ended with pro-Carthage result.

Question 32

Who was the Roman General in the fight against Syracuse?

Answer 32

Marcus Claudius Marcellus.

Question 33

Who was put in charge of the defense of Syracuse?

Answer 33

Archimedes.

Question 34

What were some of the defenses put in place by Syracuse?

Answer 34

• catapult
• iron claw (grabbing ships)
• crane (lifted heavy rocks and dropped them)
• death ray (mirror that concentrated sunlight)

Question 35

What was significant about the fact that a scientist was chosen to defend Syracuse?

Answer 35

For the first time it was revealed that if you pay scientists to come up with theory and put the theory to good use you can get actual practical application.

Question 36

How did Syracuse eventually fall?

Answer 36

Were drunkenly celebrating, thinking they won, left the gates open, Romans walked in.

Question 37

How did Archimedes die?

Answer 37

Killed out of impatience, Roman soldier didn’t want to keep waiting on him to finish a math problem.

Question 38

Why did the Romans want to keep Archimedes alive?

Answer 38

Wanted to use his scientific prowess for themselves, saw his potential in their siege attempts.

Question 39

Where did Archimedes study?

Answer 39

Alexandria.

Question 40

What did Miletus have by 600 BC that allowed philosophy to arise?

Answer 40

1. Food surplus
2. Spare time
3. Writing
4. Math
5. Time keeping
6. Separation of divine from natural
7. Unrestricted communication

Question 41

Who was the first Greek astronomer? What did he do?

Answer 41

Thalus of Miletus, predicted solar eclipses.

Question 42

Who was Anaximander? Why was he important?

When was he around?

Answer 42

A student of Thalus, c. 611-546 BC. First to come up with a different origin of mankind, first to come up with theory of evolution.

Question 43

Who was the first to create a map?

Answer 43

Anaximander.