Rivers and Civilization
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Purpose & Scientific Principle
In the late Neolithic Age, developed agricultural civilization gradually emerged in several fertile areas (large river basins). The exhibits aim to introduce the representative scientific and technological achievements of the four ancient civilizations, allowing the audience to understand the regular relationship between the world's ancient civilizations that originated in large river basins, and the relationship between the development of civilization and the material and social environment.
How to Operate
Water is not only an indispensable natural substance for human survival, but also an important carrier for building human civilization and the nurturer of human civilization. In several large river basins, the earliest developed cultures were born. It was on the basis of these ancient civilizations that mankind entered a more brilliant era of science and technology.
1. Mesopotamia
The oldest civilization in the world originated in the Euphrates and Tigris river basins. The Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans successively became the masters here, creating and inheriting highly developed civilizations, sometimes collectively referred to as the Babylonian civilization.
Cuneiform writing. As early as around 3500 BC, the Sumerians invented hieroglyphics. By around 2800 BC, hieroglyphics had basically taken shape and were called cuneiform. There are many cuneiform documents carved on clay tablets that have survived to this day.
Lunar calendar. Ancient Mesopotamia had extremely developed astronomy. Around 4000 BC, the Sumerians invented the lunar calendar, using the waxing and waning of the moon as the standard for timekeeping. By around 2000 BC, they had defined a year as 12 months, with small and large moons alternating, with 30 days in the big month and 29 days in the small month, for a total of 354 days. In order to coincide with the return year and fix the first day of each year (i.e. the beginning of the year) at the vernal equinox, they invented the leap method. The Sumerians invented the sundial for astronomical observations and used water clocks for timekeeping. They used the twelve and decimal systems when counting, which made them attach great importance to the number 60, and the 360 divisions of the circumference also started from here.
Timing system. The Sumerians defined a week as seven days based on astronomical observations. These seven days corresponded to the sun, moon, and the seven planets of fire, water, wood, metal, and earth. It also stipulates that a day is divided into 12 hours, each hour is 120 minutes, and each minute is 120 seconds. This timing system became the basis for all human timekeeping methods.
Zodiac and 12 constellations. In addition, the ancient Mesopotamians already knew the zodiac and divided it into 12 constellations, one for each month. Each constellation was named after a mythical fire animal and represented by a special symbol. They are:
This set of symbols is still used today to form the so-called zodiac, a common term in astrology. Due to the westward shift of the vernal equinox, the vernal equinox that was in Aries two thousand years ago has moved to Pisces today.
City construction. The ancient Mesopotamians established cities very early and paid great attention to urban construction. At that time, the city of Babylon had wide roads paved with stone slabs and also had sewers; there were many traditional architectural towers and temples in the city, which had appeared in 3000 BC; next to the royal palace in the city was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, known as one of the seven wonders of the world; the tallest building in the city was the Tower of Babel.
2. Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt in the Nile River Basin is one of the oldest ancient civilizations in the world. As early as 4000 BC, millions of people lived in the narrow strip of land on both sides of the Nile River. Every year the Nile River floods the valley with a thick layer of silt, making the land there extremely fertile and allowing crops to be harvested three times a year.
Hieroglyphics. Before the Early Kingdom (approximately 3100 BC - 2686 BC), the Egyptians invented graphic writing. After a long period of evolution, a composite hieroglyphic system consisting of letters, musical notes and phrases was formed.
The earliest solar calendar. In 4000 BC, the Egyptians created the earliest solar calendar in human history based on long-term observations of Sirius, the rising of the sun, and the flooding cycle of the Nile River, defining a year as 365 days. The Egyptians' precise calendar is closely related to their astronomical observations. They not only knew the North Star, but also the Swan, the Shepherd, the Faerie Queene, Orion, Scorpio, Aries, and the Pleiades.
Surgical medicine. In addition, the medical achievements of the Egyptians are relatively outstanding, which is related to the fact that the Egyptians made mummies due to their religious beliefs. Mummification increased the Egyptians' knowledge of anatomy and promoted the development of surgery. Evidence of surgeons performing surgical operations can be found in sculptures dating from around 2500 BC.
pyramid. The pyramids are the representative achievements of Egyptian science and technology. There are more than 50 pyramids known today. The largest pyramid is the tomb of King Khufu in 2700 BC. It is included in the seven wonders of the ancient world. The jury is still out on how the pyramids were built.
3. Ancient India
The alluvial plain formed by the Indus River in the northwest of the South Asian subcontinent and the Ganges River in the north-central part has fertile soil and a humid climate. It is one of the birthplaces of the world's oldest civilizations. The prehistoric era of ancient India is also called the Harappan cultural era, because this era was completely determined and named by archaeological discoveries in the Harappan area on the Indus River, which lasted from 2500 to 2000 BC. The Indus Valley Civilization is also known as the Harappan Civilization.
medicine. India's theoretical natural sciences are relatively poor, but medicine is quite advanced. Medical knowledge has been recorded in ancient Indian literature for a long time. There is a wealth of knowledge about clinical treatments, human anatomy, phytomedicine, etc. in the Atharva Veda.
Medical writings. Sushruta (about 7th or 6th century BC) was a doctor in ancient India who invented and developed surgery and is now known as the "Father of Indian Medicine" and the "Father of Plastic Surgery." His book "Sushruta Samhita" (Sushruta's Compendium) is considered the world's oldest text on plastic surgery and is highly regarded as one of the trilogy of Ayurvedic medicine. It lists more than 300 surgical procedures and more than 120 surgical instruments, in addition to 1,120 diseases, injuries, conditions and their treatments, and more than 700 medicinal materials and their applications, flavors and effects.
During the time of Buddha (5603 BC - 483 BC), medical schools and full-time doctors had appeared in India.
4.China
China is also one of the birthplaces of the oldest civilizations in the world. The two mother rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, nurture the Chinese nation. The Chinese ancestors created a brilliant civilization on their own in a relatively closed geographical environment, and it lasted for thousands of years without interruption. It is a rare miracle in the history of world civilization.
Rice cultivation. China was the first civilization in the world to domesticate and grow rice. About 10,000 years ago, the rice originally cultivated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China was domesticated into japonica rice and then spread to Japan, South Asia and Southeast Asia. About 5000-4000 years ago, cultivated japonica rice was introduced to South Asia and hybridized with local wild rice to gradually form indica rice, which has become the main crop in South Asia today.
Smelting. The most important technological achievements in ancient China were smelting and silk weaving technology. The Shang and Zhou dynasties were the heyday of the use of bronzes. Not only did they include bronze farm tools and other production tools, but they also had ritual vessels for sacrifices and a large number of weapons.
On the basis of long-term copper smelting practice, people have realized the relationship between alloy composition, properties and quantity. The "Kaogong Ji", written during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, recorded in detail the "Six Qi" rules of different alloy proportions. The so-called "Qi" means "preparation", which means formula. At that time, people realized that the weight ratio of copper to tin was six to one, which was most suitable for making bells and tripods, five to one for axes, four to one for axes and halberds, three to one for swords, five to two for arrowheads, and two to one for bronze mirrors. These generally correct alloy proportioning rules are the earliest experience summaries in the history of world metallurgy.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, pig iron smelting technology and cast iron softening technology appeared in our country. These two major breakthroughs in the history of metallurgy were thousands of years ahead of Europe. The popularization of the use of iron tools promoted the rapid development of agriculture, handicrafts and social economy, and greatly promoted the development of social productivity.
Silk weaving technology. China is the first country in the world to utilize silk. As early as 5,000 years ago, my country had relatively developed sericulture and silk weaving industries. Ancient documents recorded a large number of mulberry planting and silkworm raising. Westerners understand China largely through silk, which opened up the Silk Road, the main channel for Sino-foreign exchanges.
In the late Neolithic Age, developed agricultural civilization gradually emerged in several fertile areas (large river basins).
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