Western Civilization - Essay Example

and Section # of Western Civilization Modern civilization today seems to be far from the world of ancient history where stone and man were the fundamental building blocks of technology, but when examined closely, that is not actually so. Modern civilization can trace its routes quite clearly to ancient history, one civilization after the other, with each influencing the next and all subsequent empires, in terms of both innovation and invention. Perhaps one of the most advanced empires of its time, in terms of technological development and innovation, was the Persian Empire, which occupies the area now held by modern Iran. This was perhaps due to the fact that their own technological innovations and ideas were greatly helped in development due to the natural resources available in the area. The Persian empire can not only be attributed to inventions such as the Qanat, a water irrigation system, windmills, or even the earliest batteries – which were possibly used for purposes such as electroplating – but also to a great number of technological advances, in terms of weapons as well as art and architecture. The Persians had managed to develop their ancient tools of knives and bows and arrows into stronger, more advanced weapons made of hard metal by the rule of Darius. This included both weapons, such as the metallic dagger and swords, as well as armor, such as shields and helmets. Persian architecture included the use of cider instead of stone, allowing them to create tall, high structure, supported by thinner and more delicate, yet stronger, beams than other buildings of the era. The Persians can also be attributed to having invented history’s first pontoon bridge. Many of these inventions served as inspiration for future development and some of them are in fact still used today, but in a technologically more advanced form. As advanced as the Persians might have been in their own time however, there is absolutely no doubt as to incredibly advanced level of innovation and invention held by the Greeks. Inventor and mathematicians such as Heronas, who was the mind behind modern day hydraulic systems as well as many other machines and automation systems, was also attributed to having invented and developed the world’s first steam engine. The steam engine, in its developed modern form, was one of the most milestone inventions for modern western civilization as it provided a complete turn of mechanism from the ancient days of doing everything by hand. It created a clear divide between the age of man and the age of machines, with modern civilization developing rapidly and dramatically after its invention. Indeed many of our inventions today can trace its route back to the steam engine, or can at least accredit it to being the inspiration behind them. The principal behind jet propulsion is indeed the exact principle behind the ancient Greek version of Heronas’s steam engine. Rotary mills, screw presses and the use of gears and screws may also be attributed to the Greek inventors of 5th Century BC. Perhaps the most significant period of Greek impact on modern civilization is the Hellenistic period, or the Age of Alexander, where the modern western of civilization finds its roots in not only technological impacts, but also in terms of philosophy, science, politics and literature. In the Hellenistic period, scientist focused more on the practical aspect of science, dwelling into practical experiments, rather than focusing only on theoretical debate, which was more the focus of classic era scientists such as Plato and Aristotle. Early writings indicated evidence that the Hellenistic scientist Strato had in great detail described the principal and construction of a vacuum, an innovation that would not properly be considered and developed until centuries later in the Renaissance Period. Strato also worked on the principals of acceleration, force, gravity and momentum, all of which are fundamental principals in physics and technology. What made these scientists stand out was their concept of questioning ancient beliefs and theorems, searching for proofs to confirm them and loopholes to correct them. The scientist Eratosthenes, attributed for calculating the circumference of the earth to astounding accuracy some 1800 years before Columbus would propose the earth was round, can also be attributed to laying the roots of the modern day system of geographical measurements. Archimedes, known for his work on water, pressure and density, also invented many great engines and machines. He innovated on the use of a system of pulleys to transfer force and move large bodies of considerable force, as well as creating missiles that fired stones with incredible force and velocities. Military engines, water irrigation systems through the use of screws and pulleys, catapults and water pumps are just a few of the many fundamental inventions of Archimedes. All find incredible use even in today’s modern technology and it is needless to emphasize on the roots of impact that they find in these inventions. The fundamental principles of science that were developed in this era are all remarkably close the confirmed beliefs and theorems we have in today’s age. It is therefore those innovations that scientists of today work on and develop, to simply create more advanced versions of their ancient inventions. Ancient Rome also contributed a great deal towards the modern technology, but a lot of this can be attributed to the ancient city-state of Carthage, located in the Mediterranean (on what is now Tunis, Tunisia) for over 600 years before taken over by Rome. The Carthage Empire had a strong military army, with many fleet-ships and a strong navy, but they faced constant threat from the ever expanding Romans, and eventually found themselves a part of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire were masters of technology, making great advances in engineering and development, both in terms of military and science, and otherwise, particularly in 1st and 2nd Century BC. Aqueducts, dams and bridges were commonly used throughout the empire. The Romans had an excellent system of construction when it came to roads and sanitation, and many of their methods are still employed today. The Romans used machines such as cranes in their construction, which indicates the change that was taking in place in civilizations, with classic Greeks focusing on theory, Hellenistic Greek focusing on investigating the theory, and Rome then using their inventions to start developmental work. Work was being done less and less by primitive means of hand technology and machines were being inculcated more and more into their activities. As well as developing a great number of materials that are all used today, including concrete, cast iron, and pewter, the Romans were also vast developers of military technology. They can be attributed to inventing engines that operated ballistas and catapults, as well as modern day siege engines. All these inventions indicated a change that was taking place in the western civilization, with man being used to operate machines, not do the work tasks themselves, thus resulting in results on a larger, more effective scale. By AD 330 Rome had expanded enough to christen the Greek city of Byzantium as ‘New Rome’, creating what is now known as the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Rome. Byzantine architecture included the use of pillars, domes, arches and bridges, with buildings becoming more and more sophisticated as the civilization progressed towards what is the modern western civilization today. Even military inventions were beginning to reflect weapons that were used in modern wars, such as grenades, trebuchets and a naval weapon called ‘Greek-fire’ which was used in ship-to-ship war in sea. Ship mills were also used in the empire, again indicating how technology was seeping into everyday innovations and into systems that were once devoid of any machine technology. It can thus be seen that through civilizations in history, little by little contributed towards making the western civilization today into what it is. Almost all modern inventions and innovations can trace its routes to ancient history, and indeed this is not surprising at all when you consider that technology has simply developed over thousands of years. Nothing is invented out of thin air, rather it is all innovation and development on already invented technology, starting right back to the time the wheel was invented and fire was discovered. References Derry, Thomas Kingston and Trevor I. Williams. A Short History of Technology: From the Earliest Times to A.D. 1900. New York : Dover Publications, 1993 Greene, Kevin "Technological Innovation and Economic Progress in the Ancient World: M.I. Finley Re-Considered", The Economic History Review, 2000 Hodges, Henry., Technology in the Ancient World, London: The Penguin Press, 1970 Landels, J.G., Engineering in the Ancient World, University of California Press, 1978 White, K.D., Greek and Roman Technology, Cornell University Press, 1984 Read More