Gale - Science and Its Times Vol 01 (2000 BC to AD 699).pdf

Preface
The interaction of science and society is
increasingly a focal point of high school
studies, and with good reason: by exploring
the achievements of science within their historical
context, students can better understand a
given event, era, or culture. This cross-disciplinary
approach to science is at the heart of Science
and Its Times.
Readers of Science and Its Times will find a
comprehensive treatment of the history of science,
including specific events, issues, and trends
through history as well as the scientists who set
in motion—or who were influenced by—those
events. From the ancient world’s invention of the
plowshare and development of seafaring vessels;
to the Renaissance-era conflict between the
Catholic Church and scientists advocating a suncentered
solar system; to the development of
modern surgery in the nineteenth century; and
to the mass migration of European scientists to
the United States as a result of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi
regime in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s,
science’s involvement in human progress—and
sometimes brutality—is indisputable.
While science has had an enormous impact
on society, that impact has often worked in the
opposite direction, with social norms greatly
influencing the course of scientific achievement
through the ages. In the same way, just as history
can not be viewed as an unbroken line of everexpanding
progress, neither can science be seen
as a string of ever-more amazing triumphs. Science
and Its Times aims to present the history of science
within its historical context—a context marked
not only by genius and stunning invention but
also by war, disease, bigotry, and persecution.
Format of the Series
Science and Its Times is divided into seven
volumes, each covering a distinct time period:
Volume 1: 2000 B.C. to A.D. 699
Volume 2: 700-1449
Volume 3: 1450-1699
Volume 4: 1700-1799
Volume 5: 1800-1899
Volume 6: 1900-1949
Volume 7: 1950-present
Dividing the history of science according to
such strict chronological subsets has its own
drawbacks. Many scientific events—and scientists
themselves—overlap two different time
periods. Also, throughout history it has been
common for the impact of a certain scientific
advancement to fall much later than the
advancement itself. Readers looking for information
about a topic should begin their search by
checking the index at the back of each volume.
Readers perusing more than one volume may
find the same scientist featured in two different
volumes.
Readers should also be aware that many scientists
worked in more than one discipline during
their lives. In such cases, scientists may be
featured in two different chapters in the same
volume. To facilitate searches for a specific person
or subject, main entries on a given person or
subject are indicated by bold-faced page numbers
in the index.
Within each volume, material is divided
into chapters according to subject area. For volumes
5, 6, and 7, these areas are: Exploration
and Discovery, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Medicine,
Physical Sciences, and Technology and
Invention. For volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4, readers
will find that the Life Sciences and Medicine
chapters have been combined into a single section,
reflecting the historical union of these disciplines
before 1800.
S C I E N C E A N D I T S T I M E S V O L U M E 1
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