NATS 1775 Lecture 2: NATS 1775 Unit 2 - Technology in Ancient and Greco-Roman Civilizations
8 Nov 2017
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At least six different centers around the world: mesopotamia (after 3500 bc); Egypt (after 3400 bc); indus river valley (after 2500 bc); yellow river in china (after. Causes this type of hierarchal political system: this association between irrigation and the political systems present in these civilizations is very technologically deterministic, critics argue that centralized political power did not just center around irrigation activities. In fact places like mesopotamia and mesoamerica had centralized states even before they began having large-scale irrigation projects; large cities were already developed. In hellenistic era new institutions fostered this type of thinking and learning. Invention of cement, water mills: military technology: engineers play significant role in empire but very little greek science was translated into latin. Internal and external causes for decline: high taxes, rich versus poor, revenge of the conquered, diminished military power, civil wars and political fighting. Science (natural philosophy) is more superior to technology.
