Ancient sciences and their modern fate

The foundation of ancient sciences, and their application in our daily lives.

 

Since times immemorial, man has been searching for the ultimate truth around him. His quest for the eternal truth was diverse in nature. It included the truth regarding the creation of living beings in the universe, the truth regarding the quintessential nature of the universe and the eternal truth relating to the physical and biological phenomena that occurred in his living sphere. This gave birth to the study of sciences, or in other words, the pursuit of human explorations of the physical world and the universe around. For many decades, scientists looked upon creation stories as unexplainable myths, based solely on religious beliefs. However, in later years, logic and analytical thinking pervaded religious myths and the true pursuit of scientific studies, researches and inventions began to develop. Later on, as civilizations emerged, these scientific studies and researches were utilized to enhance various facets of human civilization, including industry, agriculture, plant and human life and also the arts.

Science and technology in ancient India, Greece, Egypt, China and many other countries of the world used to cover numerous major branches of human knowledge and activities, which included such diverse streams as mathematics, astronomy, physics, surgery, architecture and the bio-medical sciences. Incredible as it may sound, even in the ancient Greek and Egyptian civilizations, it has been found out that scholarship had supported the myriad advancements of science in a world where science and religious faith were sometimes seen as two distinct, irreconcilable entities. Had it not been, there would have been no Galileo and no Ptolemy to pioneer the ongoing scientific quests of our times. In a word, these great cultivators of ancient science have laid the essential foundations, on which thousands of innovators have built and are continuing to build new scientific disciplines and theories in every century, improvising time and again on their basic sources of data and methods.

 

The history of mathematics and astronomy in the ancient civilizations and their subsequent evolution:

It is absolutely true that due to the dearth of worldwide spread of knowledge, written examples of ancient mathematical and astronomical developments have come to light only some years back. However, there is ample proof that there was widespread research and development in these two disciplines in certain ancient civilizations. The most ancient mathematical texts those have been available in written form, including Babylonian mathematics circa 1900 BC), the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus (Egyptian mathematics ca. 1850 BC), the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus (Egyptian mathematics ca. 1650 BC), and the Shulba Sutras (Indian mathematics ca. 800 BC), are all texts which are based on the most popular ancient theorem of Pythagoras, considered as the father of basic arithmetic and geometry. While in later days, the Egyptian and Babylonian mathematics were further developed in Greek and Hellenistic mathematics, eventually both the method and the subject matter of mathematics have been greatly expanded and developed to form the basis of today’s complex theories of mathematics.

 

As for astronomy, ancient civilizations like the Mayan and Greek civilizations have been said to be notably advanced, inventing amazingly accurate calendars based on the regular patterns of the sun, the moon and the stars. Astronomy in the ancient ages, was not only an important part of religion, but also had its numerous practical advantages. With the study of astronomy, people in the Greek and Mayan civilizations were said to navigate not only at the sea (for which the Polynesians are the finest example), but also to be able to determine the way at night, in case of hunting or waging a battle at night.

 

Classical Indian astronomy, on the other hand, which has been documented in literature spanning the Maurya (ca. 5th century BC) to the Mughal (16^th century) periods, were basically developed on the basis of sidereal calculations (like measuring the position of the earth depending on its rotation around its axis), and sometimes on the basis of some tropical systems. The tropical systems have been well used, when in the ancient times, ‘Uttarayan’ was determined according to a tropical system in the Mahabharata. Besides, in the ancient Indian civilization, we find the groundbreaking theories of Aryabhatta and the lost Arya- siddhānta, where we find a predominance of geo-centric models (based on the theory that the Earth is at the center of the universe and the Sun and other objects go around it). Embraced by both Aristotle and Ptolemy and most other ancient Greek philosophers, this geo-centric method, combined with the theory of the spherical earth, displacing earlier beliefs in a flat earth, held sway well into the early modern age. Later, though, it has been replaced by the heliocentric model of Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler. However, the ancient geo-centric method is used till today for many everyday activities and most laboratory experiments. Today’s solar system mechanics and space travel, based on the heliocentric frame, relies heavily on the theory of the sun treated as not an entity which is the center of the universe, but as one entity that rotates around the center of our galaxy. Today’s researchers always emphasize on the details of ancient astronomical practices, tracing ideas from ancient Babylon to Renaissance Europe, often using the evidences to reconstruct ancient astronomy. Many of today’s scholars have adequately researched on how to pursue complex astronomical theories, using ancient methods to their advantage.

 

Medicinal sciences:

Speaking of ancient medicinal studies and inventions, ancient Egyptians have already been proved to be the true fathers of medicine. Scientists examining documents dating back 3,500 years say they have found proof that the origins of modern medicine lie in ancient Egypt. Some very relevant medical documents, first discovered in the mid-19th century, showed that ancient Egyptian physicians used to treat wounds with honey, resins and metals known to be antimicrobial. References also show that colic was treated with hyoscyamus, a therapeutic element still in use today, and that cumin and coriander were used as intestinal carminatives. Astonishingly, it has been discovered by researchers today by comparing the ancient remedies to modern pharmaceutical protocols and standards, that the prescriptions in the ancient documents were equivalent to the pharmaceutical preparations of today. Additionally, it has also been found out that many of the remedies of the ancient Egyptian civilization had immense therapeutic merits, which are very much used in today’s pharmaceutical sciences.

 

Apart from the ancient Egypt, medicinal studies were also said to be highly esteemed in ancient Greece. When today’s researchers trace the early works of Homer, Aristotle, Hippocrates, Alcaemon and others, they say that all these works show an advanced knowledge of physiology, surgical and medicinal practices, some of which are incorporated even today. As for the ancient Greek medicinal studies, most of the inventions were based on the theory of Essentialism, according to which every living organism (applied to humans first) contained certain mixtures of the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) categorized as ‘humors’. These humors were believed to consist of the other four elements-- Black Bile, Phlegm, Yellow Bile, and Blood. It was believed that an individual would have specific intellectual and physiological traits ascribed to them, depending on the amalgamation of these four humors. However, by the time Hippocrates came (5^th century BC), human diseases were accepted as coming from an identifiable source, and concepts such as prognosis (the eventual outcome of a disease) and case histories were introduced. Undoubtedly, these form the basis of today’s medicinal studies and research. Often cited and credited with the invention of modern medicine, Hippocrates’ works have been studied well into the 19^th century AD, and is being studied till today.

 

In the orient, on the other hand, developed yet another revolutionary healing technique, the “Pranik Healing” device. Based on the art of using “prana” (vital universal energy or life force) to heal human ailments, the ancient oriental practitioners of Pranik Healing sought to strengthen and equalize the “pranik” flow in living organisms. Basically, it has been regarded as a combination of a broad array of therapeutic approaches, both modern and ancient, which relies heavily on the notion that the illness of the body or mind involves an imbalance or blockage in the flow of vital life energy. It has been proved by numerous researchers today that in the ancient civilizations in China and India, there was the utilization of various healing treatments for a wide variety of ailments which were based on the Pranik Healing techniques. Even today, there are diverse arrays of ancient therapies, all of which fit into the umbrella of Pranik Healing and are vastly used to prevent, alleviate, and heal a whole spectrum of physical, emotional, and mental ailments. Among them, we have the Reiki, an ancient healing technique involving gentle massage therapy and deep relaxation with the help of Experts, as well as Acupuncture, a 2500 years old Ancient science, procedure or healing tradition of the orient, which has been adopted from Chinese Ancient medical science. Again, under the umbrella of Pranik Healing, we have Pranayama or Yogic Breathing, a therapeutic exercise originated in ancient India which considers ‘prana’ as a kind of nutrient that one can take in through the breath, thereby soothing the nervous system, inducing relaxation, regulating respiration and balancing the hemispheres of the brain.

 

Ayurveda, Yoga and Meditation:

When we speak about the ancient Pranik Healing techniques being used today for treating human ailments, we must, in the same breath, mention the age-old practices of Ayurveda and Yoga, the other two most important subheads under Pranik Healing, both of which view health and disease in terms of blockage and flow of vital energy. While Ayurveda is an ancient medical treatise summarizing the oriental art of healing and prolonging life by using various diagnostic techniques, herbs/diet and other treatments to stimulate and balance energy flow in the body, Yoga, the ancient Hindu system of therapeutic exercises, is practiced all across the globe to promote control of the body and mind. Additionally, today there are numerous researches conducted to study and evaluate the therapeutic benefits of meditation, yet another subhead under Pranik Healing, which involves the combination of breathing, special postures, and mental exercises to produce enhanced or altered states of being. Together, the ancient oriental techniques of Yoga, Ayurveda and Meditation represent various forms of Pranik Healing, emphasizing on the concept of wellness, as opposed to a mere absence of diseases. In a word, this is the very essence of today’s therapeutic sciences and research.

 

In today’s age, when we see the utilization of ancient sciences in treating human ailments, such as in Ayurveda and Yoga, in reforming the home décor and the surroundings, such as in Vastu Shastra, or in determining the blueprint of human life, such as in numerology and palmistry, it becomes obvious to us how all of these ancient sciences hold their sway in human lives even after ages. Scientific studies, researches and inventions, based on the model of Greek or Egyptian science, or Oriental scientific techniques is immensely rewarding even today, as it teaches us about classical antiquity as well as about ourselves. Moreover, as most of the ancient sciences were based on logical thinking, mathematics, technology and everyday life, most of today’s scientists and exponents of technology are able to incorporate them in their areas of research. In fact, the highly acclaimed University of Stanford is encouraging young students to pursue studies and researches in ancient sciences. It has been reported recently that due to the inherently interdisciplinary nature of the field, a decision has been made to encourage students to pursue their studies of ancient science within any of the relevant tracks: Ancient History, Ancient Philosophy or even (in some cases) Literature or Archeology. After all, science was, is and will continue to be a relentless pursuit of the truth about nature. As long as this remains the basic philosophy behind the pursuit of science, the study of ancient and modern sciences will continue to be inextricably linked to each other.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

Man search for knowledge will do us in. Science had done a lot of damage and a lot of good also. History should be very important. Should stop the repeat of the same errors and mistakes. A very interesting chapter.
Coyote