Ancient Science 40 Time-Traveling, World-Exploring, History-Making Activities for Kids Jim Wiese Illustrations by Ed Shems John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Ancient Science 40 Time-Traveling, World-Exploring, History-Making Activities for Kids Jim Wiese Illustrations by Ed Shems John Wiley & Sons, Inc. For all the parents and teachers who help make science come alive This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright ©2003 by Jim Wiese. All rights reserved Illustrations copyright ©2003 by Ed Shems Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada Design and production by Navta Associates, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appro- priate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, email: [email protected]. The publisher and the author have made every reasonable effort to ensure that the experiments and activities in this book are safe when conducted as instructed but assume no responsibility for any damage caused or sustained while performing the experiments or activities in the book. Parents, guardians, and/or teachers should supervise young readers who undertake the experiments and activities in this book. For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Wiese, Jim, date. Ancient science : 40 time-traveling, world-exploring, history-making activities for kids / Jim Wiese. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-471-21595-3 (pbk. : acid-free paper) 1. Science, Ancient—Study and teaching (Elementary) 2. Science—Study and teaching (Elementary)—Activity programs. I. Title. Q124.95 .W54 2003 372.3'5—dc21 2002032428 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Acknowledgments v Introduction 1 How to Use This Book 1 Being a Good Scientist 1 Increasing Your Understanding 2 Using This Book to Do a Science Fair Project 2 AWord of Warning 3 1 Science from the Dawn of Time The First Humans 5 Project 1: The Stone Age 6 Project 2: Make It Grow 9 Project 3: Sweet Tooth 11 Project 4: Sky Sign 14 Project 5: Pop Music 16 2 Science from the Fertile Crescent Ancient Mesopotamia 19 Project 1: Scrubbing Bubbles 20 Project 2: Free Wheeling 23 Project 3: Where in the World 26 Project 4: Money, Money, Money 28 3 Science among the Pyramids Ancient Egypt 31 Project 1: Sticking Together 32 Project 2: Pyramid Power 34 Project 3: Measure Up 37 Project 4: Keeping Time 1 39 Project 5: Hieroglyphics 43 4 Science from the City-States Ancient Greece 46 Project 1: Keeping Time 2 48 Project 2: The Sound of Music 49 iii Project 3: Eureka! 52 Project 4: Diving Bell 54 Project 5: Surprise Attraction 56 Project 6: Knowing All the Angles 58 Project 7: Measuring the Earth 61 Project 8: ANice Reflection 64 Project 9: Seeing the Light 67 5 Science from Republic to Empire Ancient Rome 70 Project 1: Seeing Better 71 Project 2: Clever Clippers 74 Project 3: Powerful Wheels 75 Project 4: Stronger Structures 78 Project 5: Stronger Materials 80 6 Science from the Far East Ancient China 83 Project 1: Flying High 84 Project 2: Going Up with a Bang! 87 Project 3: Write On 89 Project 4: Cool Treats 92 Project 5: True North 94 Project 6: Count on It 97 Project 7: Earthquake! 99 7 Science from the Americas Aztec, Mayan, and Native North American 102 Project 1: Sun Block 103 Project 2: Paddle Along 105 Project 3: Grow It 108 Project 4: North and North 111 Project 5: Sun Track 114 Glossary 117 Index 120 iv Acknowledgments When I went to George Washington High School in Denver, Colorado, I had the chance to fulfill my high school history requirements by taking a class called Ancient History. I was fascinated by the stories my teacher told me of the beginning of human history. I learned about past civilizations that gave us democracy, great cities, and many scientific achievements. Ancient civilizations also built monu- ments, explored new worlds, and gave us great leaders. I learned that what and who we are today is the result of a process that began thou- sands of years ago. It was that thought that started this book. The purpose of this book is to show how different civilizations contributed to the world we live in today, to show the connections between history and science. Through the activities and stories, I hope you, too, will see how these subjects are linked and appreciate the influence each has on the other. Again, I would like to thank the team of people at John Wiley & Sons who worked to make this book a reality. I would especially like to acknowledge the support and work of my editor, Kate Bradford. Her professionalism in every aspect of the publishing process continues to bring out the best in my writing. v Introduction Have you ever wondered where paper came from? Or who made the first clock? Or who invented the compass or the magnifying glass? If you’ve ever asked yourself questions like these but don’t know where to begin to find the answers, Ancient Science is the place to start. Science ideas have come from all over the world and from many different civilizations and cultures. Advances in science and technol- ogy have helped shape human history since ancient humans first learned to use tools, plant crops, and study the heavens. Ancient Science lets you investigate some of the greatest scientific dis- coveries and the people who first introduced them to the world, from Egyptian clocks, Greek lighthouses, and Roman bridges to Chinese kites and Mesopotamian soap. So get ready for 40 exciting activities that will let you learn more about the people and cultures that helped make so many modern things (including books!) possible. How to Use This Book Every ancient civilization contributed something to science, so this book is divided into chapters based on civilization, including Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Mayan and Aztec, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and others. In each chapter there are groups of projects that teach you about some of the scientific contributions of each culture. Each project has a list of materials and a procedure to follow. You’ll be able to find most of the materials needed around the house or at your neighborhood hardware or grocery store. Some of the projects have a section called More Fun Stuff to Do that lets you try different variations on the original activity. Explanations are given at the end of each project. Words in bold type are defined in the glossary at the back of the book. Being a Good Scientist Read through the instructions once completely and collect all the equipment you’ll need before you start the activity or experiment. 1