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Egyptian
science reading + Quiz
| # |
Due
Date |
Pts |
Activity |
Time |
| 2 |
Thursday
11:59 p.m. |
10 |
Egyptian science reading + quiz
|
60-90
min |
This week two separate assignments on Egyptian and Presocratic science will
comprise the Reading 1 and 2 assignments. Note that the Egyptian assignment
is worth 10 points and the Presocratics assignment is worth 15 points (usually
the first assignment is worth more, but they always add up to a total of 25
points).
The assignments below present examples of science in ancient Egypt prior to
the first millennium B.C. We have just devoted an entire week to science in
ancient Mesopotamia; in contrast, the science of ancient Egypt will occupy us
only for the first half of this week. There are two reasons for this lesser
emphasis on ancient Egypt:
- First, because of their relatively primitive mathematics, there was nothing
in ancient Egypt comparable to the emergence of mathematical astronomy in
contemporaneous ancient Mesopotamia.
- Second, in Week 5 we will return to consider the science of Egypt during
the "Hellenistic" period in the last three centuries before Christ
(see timeline).
The "Hellenistic period" refers to the unified Greek-speaking culture
resulting from the conquests of Alexander the Great, extending from Mesopotamia
to Italy and beyond, that set the stage for an explosion of scientific discovery.
The most impressive contributions of North Africa, including Egypt, occurred
during the Hellenistic and Roman eras rather than the earlier periods we are
considering this week.
But even here, as usual, we only have time just to barely scratch the surface
-- there is so much more to consider, but this week we will briefly explore
only the following topics relating to the history of science in ancient Egypt:
- Introduction
- Egyptian pyramids
- Egyptian calendar
- Egyptian mathematics
- Egyptian medicine
Hint: Print out the quiz questions below and answer them as you work
your way through the above readings.
Optional:
- David Lindberg provides an extremely brief introduction to ancient Egyptian
science in our textbook.
- Explore the BBC's Ancient History pages on Egypt.
- C.W. Ceram. Gods,
Graves and Scholars, is a page-turning account of modern archaeological
discoveries.
- Otto Neugebauer, The
Exact Sciences in Antiquity (Providence: Brown University Press,
1957) is a classic introduction to ancient mathematics and astronomy.
- A good starting point for Egyptian web resources is the Washington
State University World Civilization website.
- There are countless interesting documentaries about Egypt, including the
following at iTunes:
- Egypt, "Engineering an Empire" (History
Channel, highly recommended)
- Rameses' Egyptian Empire, Lost Worlds (History
Channel)
.
- Ramesses: Visions of Greatness, Digging for the
Truth (History Channel)
.
- Nefertiti: The Mummy Returns, Digging for the Truth
(History Channel)
.
- King Tut: Secrets Revealed, Digging for the Truth
(History Channel)
.
- Who Built Egypt's Pyramids? Digging for the Truth
(History Channel)
.
- The Seven Wonders of the ancient World, Lost Worlds
(History Channel)
.
| TOPIC QUIZ: The statements are either True or False. When you take the quiz
at Janux,
you will see 12 of these statements, chosen at random, 2 points each.
|
-
T
or F? The Rosetta Stone
proved so important for the decipherment of ancient languages because
it contained three versions of the same text in Hieroglyphics, Demotic
Script, and Babylonian cuneiform.
-
T
or F? Naturalistic representations
of animals in Egyptian art first appeared in Egypt about 500 B.C.
-
T
or F? Air-shafts were
constructed by the ancient Egyptians to provide necessary ventilation to
the interior of the Great Pyramid.
-
T
or F? The circumpolar
stars, including the then-north star Thuban, were associated in later pyramid
texts with the eternal rule of the pharoah from the heavens.
-
T
or F? The stars of Orion
represented resurrection and the realm of Osiris in later pyramid texts.
-
T
or F? The heliacal rising
of Sirius occurred on the morning of the first day of the first decade of
each new year.
-
T
or F? The division of
the day into 24 hours was due to the Egyptians' division of the sky into
36 decans.
-
T
or F? Egyptian mathematics,
unlike Roman numerals, was based upon a place value system that made it
superior to Babylonian mathematics.
-
T
or F? Multiplication and
division, in the Egyptian system, were performed by an additive process
known as consecutive duplication.
-
T
or F? Egyptian astronomy
was superior to Babylonian astronomy.
-
T
or F? Because the ancient
Egyptians relied upon prayers and magic for healing, they did not attempt
surgical procedures.
- T or F?
Egyptian physicians often specialized in various fields of medical practice,
such as treating diseases of the eye, or of the abdomen.
- T or F?
Egyptian knowledge of human anatomy was greatly advanced by the dissection
of corpses during mummification.
- T or F?
Brain surgery was too difficult to attempt in ancient Egypt; those who submitted
to it invariably died as a result.
- T or F?
The ancient Egyptians treated many respiratory complaints with garlic.
- T or F?
The Temple of Sobek contains reliefs depicting ancient surgical instruments.
- T or F?
The Ebers medical papyrus from about 1600 BC is a handbook for early Egyptian
surgeons.
Do you have
a great quote for this page? Let me know! (If
used, a new quote is worth 1 point extra credit)
