Science in prehistory
Many prehistoric peoples had a much richer understanding of scientific principles regarding astronomy, mathematics, and medicine than many people realize!
As early as 4800 BC, there is evidence of astronomical calendar stones at the Nabta plateau in Egypt. Six megaliths were erected to mark the spot where the bright morning star Sirius rose every spring solstice. Evidence of numberals and pictographic writing in Sumerian, Proto-Elamite, and Egyptian cultures can be found that date back as early as 3000 BC.
The scientific method is also inherent in the prehistory of science. The ancient Greeks utilized a method of empiricism in order to determine scientific truths. But the first time the experimental scientific method as we know it today was used was by Muslim scientists around 1300 BC. They began using experimentation in order to test out competing scientific theories.
The ancient Egyptians must have employed similar processes, because a papyrus dated back to 1700 BC, described many head and neck injuries, as well as how to treat these injuries. This papyrus was the first known document that points to the brain as the organ which controlls the other limbs and organs of the body.
Around 2000 BC, the sacred Indian Hindu text the Rig-Veda was written, and it stated that the Earth was a globe. Another sacred Hindu text, the Yajur-Veda, describes the fact that the Earth circles the Sun.
Finally, as early as 1500 BC, Babylonian mathematicians had discovered the Pythagorean theorem. Our stereotypes about prehistoric cavemen are probably unfair; prehistoric peoples were curious about the world around them and discovered many scientific truths!
