Science flourished throughout many phases of ancient Chinese history. The achievements of Chinese scientists covered a number of areas. At least as early as 1700 B. C., China had entered the Bronze Age. Archaeologists have found Iron Age tools that date back to about 1000 b. c. It appears that by the 400s b. c., the Chinese had passed on to the next step, making steel from iron.
Around 1500 b. c., Chinese astronomers created a calendar that took into account the phases of the Moon and the length of time it took for Earth to revolve around the Sun—that is, a year. They also recorded eclipses, as well as a nova (NOH-vuh), a star that suddenly grows extremely bright before fading. Their observations of events in space make it possible for historians to be absolutely certain about dates in Chinese history after 840 b. c.
In 613 B. C., the Chinese made the first recorded sighting of what came to be
Known as Halley's Comet, which passes by Earth approximately every seventy-six years, most recently in 1986. By the 300s B. C., astronomers in China had compiled a chart showing various stars' location and had identified the procession of the seasons. The seasons are determined by Earth's position relative to the Sun.
Some time after 100 b. c., Chinese mathematicians prepared a textbook on math. Around the same time, Chinese technology produced one of their ancient culture's greatest gifts to the world: paper. Not all Chinese experiments in science yielded such practical results, however: from an early time, scientists in China were fascinated with alchemy (AL-kim-ee). Alchemy is based on the idea that through chemical processes an ordinary metal such as iron can be changed into precious gold. Of course this is not possible. Nonetheless, the study of alchemy, which continued in Europe throughout the Middle Ages, helped form the basis for the modern science of chemistry.
Near-constant warfare. The name of the Warring States Period leaves no doubt as to the constant upheaval that characterized this phase in Chinese history.
World History
