A History of Science in World Cultures: Voices of Knowledge 1st edition

A History of Science in World Cultures: Voices of Knowledge explores the developments in premodern science from a global perspective, demonstrating that scientific thought and influence cannot be confined to any one time period or culture. Modern science is rooted deeply in a pluricultural past. Every major civilization has relied upon knowledge of the natural world to build its cities, feed its people, and heal its sick, and every great culture has had to answer the demands for scientific understanding ? for measurement and time-keeping, charting the stars and planets, determining the properties of Earth materials, and learning the medicines of native flora. 

Covering Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China, Greece, early Islam, and Mesoamerica, this volume discusses the scope of scientific and technological achievement in each civilization and how the knowledge it developed came to nourish the European Renaissance. Topics include the uses of writing for science and medicine in Mesopotamia, the chemistry of mummification and development of alchemy in Egypt, urban planning and rust-free iron in India, printing and acupuncture in China, algebra and optics in Islam, and sustainable agriculture of the Mayas.

Clearly presented and containing a variety of intstructive illustrations, A History of Science in World Cultures is the perfect text for all students of the history of science.