The Precursors of Scientific Models in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Greek World: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This research traces and examines specific examples of the precursors of scientific models that were applied in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the ancient Greek world. The main purpose of the study is to compare the way that these different civilizations used models but also the purposes of their utilization in pre-Hellenic and ancient Greek science. A core question that arose is: Can we trace the roots of the utilization of what we nowadays call ‘‘scientific models’’ in ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Greek scientific activity? Another important question is how the application of models differs in the scientific activity of these civilizations. Based on an extensive review of historical books, papers, and web sources I inferred that ancient Egyptians and Babylonians utilized tools that nowadays we call mathematical and analogue or material models and the ancient Greeks utilized theoretical, fiction, and analogue models. Moreover, while the basic function of these tools seems to remain stable throughout the centuries, the core difference is detected in the purpose of their utilization in these civilizations and is related to the orientation of their scientific activity. Specifically, the scientific activity of Egyptians and Babylonians mainly aimed at solving practical problems related to spatial planning, architecture, and agriculture as well as issues related to religion while ancient Greek ‘‘episteme,’’ according to Plato, or ‘‘natural philosophy,’’ according to Aristotle, sought the acquisition of knowledge about the natural world, the understanding, description, and explanation of natural phenomena.