The Americas and Time Keeping: Crash Course History of Science #5

CrashCourse
30 Apr 201812:48
EducationalLearning
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TLDRThis script delves into the rich history of science in Mesoamerica, focusing on the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. It highlights the Mayans' advanced understanding of time, their complex calendar systems, and their astronomical knowledge, which were deeply intertwined with their culture and daily life. The script also touches on the Olmecs' early contributions to writing and mathematics. The Aztecs' achievements in urban planning, agriculture, and medical knowledge are also discussed, along with their use of the Mayan calendar and architectural alignment with celestial events. The narrative underscores the sophistication of these civilizations and the challenges historians face in reconstructing their scientific knowledge from limited sources.

Takeaways
  • 📚 The history of systematic knowledge-making dates back to ancient civilizations, but written records are limited to a few thousand years old.
  • 🌏 Classical Greek and Indian cultures were pivotal in developing early systems for understanding the cosmos and its contents.
  • 🗓 Mesoamerican civilizations, like the Maya and Aztecs, had advanced knowledge systems, despite the scarcity of surviving written records due to Spanish imperialism.
  • 🗿 The Olmecs, an early Mesoamerican civilization, contributed significantly to art, writing, mathematics, and calendar systems.
  • 🔭 The Maya civilization was particularly advanced in astronomy, with a keen interest in the planet Venus and the construction of observatories.
  • 📈 The Maya had a base-twenty mathematical system with zero and large calculation tables, which were essential for their complex calendar system.
  • 📅 The Maya's time-keeping involved five interlocking calendars, allowing for precise measurements of solar, lunar, and Venusian years.
  • 📝 The Maya developed a sophisticated writing system with glyphs that had both symbolic and phonetic meanings, indicating a priest-scribe caste.
  • 🌱 Mesoamerican agriculture was based on intensive cultivation and included crop improvement and management of large-scale production systems.
  • 🏙 The Aztecs, successors to the Maya, were skilled in hydraulic engineering, creating canals and aqueducts to support their large capital city, Tenochtitlán.
  • 🌄 The Inka civilization in South America was known for its monumental architecture and sophisticated administrative systems, despite the absence of a writing system.
Q & A

  • What is the limitation historians face when studying ancient cultures' scientific knowledge?

    -Historians primarily rely on written records, which are only a few thousand years old, making it difficult to study systematic knowledge-making from cultures that existed before written records.

  • Why is it challenging to understand the daily life and scientific practices of ancient Mesoamericans?

    -It is challenging because most of their written records were destroyed after CE 1500 by Spanish imperialists, leaving only a few sources like stone engravings that mostly concern gods and wars.

  • What is the significance of the Olmec civilization in the history of Mesoamerican science?

    -The Olmecs are significant because they developed one of the earliest Mesoamerican writing systems, a mathematics system including the number zero, and a calendar system that influenced later civilizations.

  • How did the Maya civilization demonstrate advanced astronomical knowledge?

    -The Maya demonstrated advanced astronomical knowledge through the construction of step pyramids that served as temples and observation sites, and by creating a complex system of interlocking calendars for accurate timekeeping.

  • What is the tzolkin and how did it function in Mayan culture?

    -The tzolkin was a 260-day sacred cycle used by the Maya, which, along with the Vague Year solar calendar, made up the Calendar Round that repeated every 52 years.

  • What role did the Maya's Long Count calendar serve in their society?

    -The Long Count calendar allowed the Maya to reckon time in the millions of years, serving specific sacred functions, providing a sense of time for activities like harvests, and answering the question 'when are we?' across vast periods.

  • How did the Maya's writing system contribute to their scientific advancements?

    -The Maya's writing system, with hundreds of square glyphs depicting natural elements, carried both symbolic and phonetic meanings, indicating a priest-scribe caste and a complex system that facilitated scientific research and record-keeping.

  • What was the significance of agriculture in the Maya civilization?

    -Agriculture was significant as it supported a large population and involved knowledge-work such as crop improvement and management of large-scale production systems, which historians are still uncovering through archaeological evidence.

  • What challenges did the Maya civilization face that might have contributed to its decline?

    -The Maya civilization faced challenges such as deforestation for lime production, which may have changed rainfall patterns leading to famines, and the Long Count fell into disuse after 1200, contributing to the civilization's decline.

  • How did the Aztecs demonstrate advanced knowledge in agriculture and city planning?

    -The Aztecs demonstrated advanced knowledge through the construction of canals, floodgates, and aqueducts for intensive lake-marsh agriculture, and the planning of the capital Tenochtitlán on Lake Texcoco, which supported a large population.

  • What was unique about the Inca civilization's method of record-keeping?

    -The Inca civilization used a sophisticated system of tying strings of knots called khipu, which used a decimal system for record-keeping related to taxes, the census, the calendar, and military organization, and may have functioned like a writing system at times.

Outlines
00:00
📚 Mesoamerican Civilizations and Their Scientific Achievements

This paragraph delves into the history of science in Mesoamerica, focusing on the civilizations that developed complex systems for understanding the cosmos. It highlights the limitations of historical records due to the destruction by Spanish imperialists after CE 1500, with only four Mayan bark books surviving. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of stone engravings and the recent decoding of Mayan hieroglyphs. It discusses the Olmecs' contributions to art, writing, mathematics, and calendar systems, and the Maya's advanced astronomical knowledge, including their unique base-twenty mathematical system and their obsession with calculating future calendar dates. The Maya's five interlocking calendars and their significance in astrology, medicine, and daily life are also covered, showcasing their extraordinary understanding of time.

05:02
🌟 Mayan Astrology, Agriculture, and the Rise of the Aztecs

The second paragraph explores the Mayan's intricate understanding of time and their writing system, which featured hundreds of glyphs with symbolic and phonetic meanings. It describes the role of the priest-scribe caste and their academy at Mayapán, as well as their detailed lunar calculations and eclipse predictions. The paragraph also touches on the Maya's long-term research into planetary movements and their complex astrological system that influenced military campaigns and daily life. Moving on to agriculture, it discusses the Maya's intensive cultivation methods and their densely populated civilization revealed by recent LiDAR technology. The paragraph concludes with the rise of the Aztecs, their advanced hydraulic engineering, and their extensive knowledge in botany, medicine, and astronomy, which was maintained by their priest-astronomers.

10:02
🌱 South American Trade and the Inka Empire's Knowledge System

This paragraph examines the extensive trade networks of South American cultures, including evidence of contact with Polynesians around CE 1000. It then focuses on the Inka Empire, which thrived in the Andes Mountains and is famous for sites like Machu Picchu. The Inka had a sophisticated administrative system with tax and census records, standard measures, medical specialists, and astronomical data integrated into their architecture. However, unlike other civilizations, they did not have a traditional writing system but used a system of knotted strings called khipu for record-keeping. The paragraph also discusses the challenges historians face in understanding the khipu and the impact of Spanish colonization on these native cultures, which disrupted their complex knowledge systems and left a legacy of limited historical records.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica refers to a historical region and cultural area in the Americas that includes modern-day Mexico and Central America. In the video, it is highlighted as the cradle of classical civilizations such as the Maya, Olmecs, and Aztecs, which developed advanced systems for understanding the cosmos and timekeeping. The script mentions Mesoamerican cultures as having a significant impact on astronomy, mathematics, and monumental stone works.
💡Mayan civilization
The Mayan civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization developed by the Maya peoples, known for its impressive cities, monumental architecture, and complex writing system. The video discusses the Mayan's advanced astronomical knowledge, their unique base-twenty mathematical system, and their intricate calendar systems, which were deeply connected to their religious practices and daily life.
💡Astrology
Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world. In the context of the video, Mayan astrology is mentioned as playing a significant role in their culture, influencing medicine, military campaigns, and individual daily life through the correlation of celestial positions with historical events.
💡Calendar Round
The Calendar Round is a Mesoamerican concept referring to a cycle that combines two calendars: the 260-day sacred tzolkin and the 365-day 'Vague Year' solar calendar. The video explains that this system was used by the Maya to track time over extended periods, with the Calendar Round repeating every 52 years, providing a sophisticated method for dating and timekeeping.
💡Long Count
The Long Count is a dating system used by the Maya to measure time in large units, ranging from one day to sixty-three thousand years. As mentioned in the script, the Long Count allowed the Maya to reckon time in the millions of years, giving them an accurate way to understand and record historical events and predict future occurrences over vast periods.
💡Hieroglyphs
Hieroglyphs are a type of writing that uses pictures to represent words or concepts. The video script discusses the Mayan use of hieroglyphs, which were carved on stone and have been recently decoded by linguists. These glyphs are crucial for understanding Mayan culture, as they carry both symbolic and phonetic meanings, indicating sounds and directly representing ideas.
💡Aztec civilization
The Aztec civilization was a Mesoamerican culture that existed in central Mexico during the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521 CE. The video highlights the Aztecs as great builders, particularly noting the planning and construction of their capital, Tenochtitlán, which was situated on Lake Texcoco and supported a large population through advanced hydraulic engineering and agriculture.
💡Hydraulic engineering
Hydraulic engineering pertains to the design and construction of structures to control and utilize water resources. In the video, the Aztecs' hydraulic engineering is discussed as a key factor in their ability to support the large population of Tenochtitlán. They created a system of canals, floodgates, and aqueducts to manage water for agriculture and city needs.
💡Inka civilization
The Inka civilization, also known as the Inca Empire, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, extending from the 15th century until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. The video mentions the Inka's sophisticated administrative system, including tax and census records, and their architectural achievements, such as Machu Picchu, although they did not have a traditional writing system.
💡Khipu
A khipu is a recording device used in the Inka civilization, consisting of a series of knotted strings. The video explains that khipus were used for administrative purposes, such as tax collection and census data, and may have functioned similarly to a writing system, although their full meaning and use are still being studied by researchers.
💡Spanish colonization
Spanish colonization refers to the period of overseas exploration and settlement by the Spanish, which had a profound impact on the indigenous cultures and civilizations of the Americas. The video script describes the devastation caused by Spanish imperialism, including the destruction of native societies and the imposition of new social, economic, and political structures.
Highlights

Systematic knowledge-making likely dates back to the earliest humans, but historians rely on written records that are only a few thousand years old.

Ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, and Chinese cultures had writing and useful sciences, but classical Greek and Indian cultures developed systems for understanding the cosmos.

Mesoamerican civilizations, without contact with Africa, Asia, or Europe, developed unique knowledge systems, including understanding of time and astronomy.

Mayan books, called codicees, were largely destroyed by Spanish imperialists after CE 1500, leaving only four surviving examples.

Mayan stone engravings, which have endured, are a rich source of information about their society and are still being decoded by archaeologists and linguists.

The Olmecs, an early Mesoamerican civilization, invented a mathematics system including the number zero and a calendar system.

The Maya civilization had advanced astronomical knowledge, building step pyramids that served as temples and observatories.

The Maya used a base-twenty mathematical system and created large tables for calculations, particularly for predicting future calendar dates.

The Maya had an extraordinarily complicated system of five interlocking calendars to measure time accurately across millions of years.

Mayan writing consisted of hundreds of square glyphs that carried both symbolic and phonetic meanings, indicating a priest-scribe caste.

Mayan scribes were highly knowledgeable, determining lunar months to three decimal places and predicting eclipses.

Agricultural practices of the Maya, including intensive cultivation and irrigation, supported a densely populated civilization.

The Aztecs, a Nahuatl-speaking people, were great builders who planned the capital of Tenochtitlán, which still exists as Mexico City.

The Aztecs practiced advanced hydraulic engineering, creating a system of canals and aqueducts for intensive lake-marsh agriculture.

Aztecs had a complex astrological system that influenced military campaigns and daily life, and they maintained a wealth of botanical and medical knowledge.

The Inka Empire in the Andes Mountains developed a sophisticated system of tying strings of knots, called khipu, for record-keeping.

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Mesoamerican HistoryMayan ScienceAztec CivilizationInka EmpireAncient AstronomyCalendar SystemsMathematicsAgricultural PracticesHistorical AnalysisCultural Heritage