The gnomon or sun-shadow disk- operated like a sundial, enabling the user to determine his latitude by the length of the sun's shadow cast on a disk floating level in water.…
This chapter opens up with the mysterious Phaistos disk that was found by archaeologists on the island of Crete in 1908 and its interesting technological aspects. Many inventions were made not for need but for mere curiosity and hobby. Diamond makes two main conclusions about technology is that it develops cumulatively and that most technology seems to have been invented for curiosity, therefore its uses are developed after it is made. To determine if an invention will be accepted there are four influential factors. The first is to ask whether it is economically advantageous over other inventions. The second is whether it has social significance or esteem. The third is whether it is compatible with the interests of the people. Jared Diamond…
The mechanical clock- To help tell time efficiently and more accurately (Used mainly by nobles)…
In 1753, a 22 year old Benjamin Banneker sat industriously carving cogs and gears out of wood, and he pieced the parts together to create the complex inner workings of a striking clock, that would hopefully chime every hour. All he had to help him was a pocket watch for inspiration and his own calculations, and yet his careful engineering worked. Striking clocks have already been around hundreds of years before that time, but Banneker's may have been the first created…
C) He made a clock that would help to solve the longitude problem but it was never tested.…
Sailors used an astrolobe to determine their latitude.…
These lightweight battery-powered precision instruments were designed to give surgeons freedom and versatility in the operation room, allow carpenters and other skilled workers to efficiently produce goods, and more. They also led to today’s electric screwdrivers, drills and other portable and chargeable devices, all of which are also used to help build the International Space Station on orbit. Also created were vacuum cleaners and the dust buster, which helped the Apollo crew in picking up rock dust, drilling beneath the lunar surface, and more. The discovery of quartz as a time-telling ingredient was made during the Space Age, and the mineral began being placed in clocks and watches. Quartz helps stabilize the time keeping to the expense of one minute per…
Sophocles’ Antigone has always been a beloved classic, and its tragic conflict between familial duty and both overarching divine laws and legal institutions raises many questions regarding the hubris of mankind. However, cherished as Antigone is, values evolve in conjunction with the passing of time, and as certain turns of phrases and values become obsolete, it is crucial that various translating methods keep these ancient texts relevant. In Antigonick, translated by Anne Carson, throughout the novel, individual words are thrust into the spotlight by various characters (most notably, Kreon), as Carson uses clusters of legal jargon, grandiose made-up diction, and empty spaces to convey the gradual character development of Kreon. Through the…
The inventor of this apparatus was the Greek Dionysius the Elder of Syracuse. He invented it about 400 BCE. The inventor was trying to create a new weapon for warfare, and…
The Mayans and the Aztecs continually watched the stars as a way of predicting the future and interpreting religious phenomena. The Mayans built a number of observatories in their various city states, with a notable one in the city of Chechen Itza. Through the careful and detailed observations the Mayans made, they were able to accurately to predict the transit of Venus as well as construct a clock that, by some accounts, was more accurate than today’s atomic clock. The Mayans furthermore used the stars to schedule sacrifices, write the Mayan Codices, and orient buildings. The impact of celestial alignment on culture is not unique to this area; archaeoastronomy focuses on how ancients used astronomy around the world, in places like Stonehenge and the great pyramids in Egypt. The Aztecs likewise used the stars as a means of scheduling religious holidays that required human sacrifice, as well as to predict the future and to orient pyramids, just…
This Hebrew astrolabe is an ancient astronomical device which was used to interpret time by the positon of the sun and the stars in the sky. Apart from finding the time of the day or night, astrolabes were used for mathematical calculations and predicting horoscopes. The very first astrolabes were made in 150B.C in Greece. By 800 B.C the astrolabe was well developed in the Islamic world and was used for various purposes such as timekeeping, survey and determining prayer time. Also, it was used as a navigational tool to determine the direction of Mecca. Since astrology has always been an essential part of the early Muslim culture, Islamic scholars used the astrolabe to make astrological predictions.…
This is a spherical trigonometry. It was developed by Greek mathematicians. This is used today to measure outer space. It allows us to measure where stars are and predict when eclipses are going to occur.…
One of the most important achievements of the Aztecs was the “Aztec calendar”. They based their calendar in astronomic observation, as well as the seasons of the year, and that is how they developed an amazing sense of cyclic time. The Aztecs had two calendars: the calendar with 365 days and the calendar of 260. It is impressive to think that the calendar we use now a days is based on the one the Aztec develop hundreds years ago. The accuracy the Aztec developed with astronomy and observation is remarkable and worthy of recognition. The famous calendar stone is a brilliant combination of artistry and geometry. It reflects the Aztec understanding of time and space as wheels within wheels. The detailed surface of the stone combines the understanding of the gods the people had created over the centuries as well as their observations of the heavens.…
[ 1 ]. Cordoba and Sarkis state that electronic theodolites calculate angles automatically and then send them to calculated angles to a computer for analysis (25)…
Stephanie Dalley and John Peter Oleson (January 2003). "Sennacherib, Archimedes, and the Water Screw: The Context of Invention in the Ancient World", Technology and Culture…