Bull Lyre invented by Ancient Sumarians of Iraq

The bull lyre is one of three excavated from the royal cemetery of Ur. Each lyre had a different animal head protruding from the front of the sound box to denote its pitch: the bull lyre was bass, the heifer lyre was tenor and the stag lyre was alto, with all three being made of wood. The bull lyre stood roughly 1.2 meters high. The sound box was defined by a broad border of mosaic in shell, lapis lazuli and red paste, and this border continued onto the rectangular upright arms. The strings were tied to the crossbar and strung down over the bridge to connect at the base of the sound box. Researchers believe the notes constituted the same scale as Queen Shub-Ad’s harp and were achieved by the tension of the strings rather than the length.

The Sumerians were also believed to have invented their own system of writing, as well as the wheel. However, it can be difficult to give distinct credit because other civilizations have also “invented” the wheel and systems of writing, without prior contact to the Sumerians. As such, it can be assumed that they were invented independently of one another.

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1. Assyrian Inventions

During the Zhou reign, Chinese territory nearly doubled, in large part due to the introduction of iron weapons to the Chinese military. They were also the first to use horsemen and chariots for war – as such, warfare progressed from a more respectful upper class fight to brutal foot soldier war.  They also started building clay walls around their cities to protect from barbarian invasions.



Perhaps the biggest advancements came in the realm of philosophy and culture.  The Zhou dynasty is home to the Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism schools of thought.  Poetry an dprose were created, and iron was also introduced to agriculture, allowing for increased productivity.

The Zhou dynasty also introduced the concept of irrigation, copper coins, chop sticks, and developed a more robust trading system.

Zhou Dynasty Innovations & Advancements

Artisanry:
- perfection of bronze casting, development of lost wax technology
- gold and silver inlays in metal and wooden/lacquered objects
- begin of iron casting technology and widespread use of iron tools during Warring States Period
- development of warfare technology like iron weapons, armament, chariots and fortifications
- engineering technology for irrigation, drainage, waterways, canals, dikes, dams
- development of music temperation by pipes and bells
- dyeing of yarns and woven materials like silk and linen
- glass production
- multi-color lacquering of wooden or bamboo objects
Astronomy, Astrology, Geography, Physics:
- perfection of the calendar
- regular observation of the starry sky and recording of irregular astronomical events
- maps of the starry sky; first geographical maps
- division of China into the Nine Provinces
- discovering of magnetism
Mathematics:
- description of basic arithmetics and fractions
- calculating with chips or tallies
- geometry and trigonometry
Agriculture:
- amelioration of ploughing methods
- use of fertilizers and pesticides
Medicine:
- descriptions of healing methods like acupuncture and moxibustion

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Given that the Egyptians gave to us the wonderous pyramids, it should come as no surprise that they also had a number of inventions that were no small feats.  The Egyptian civilization spanned thousands of years, and during that time they made numerous advances in the fields of agriculture, academia, and astrology.

As simple as it may seem, the advent of black ink was very important.  Ink and papyrus were more convienent than having to carve something into stone, and as evidenced from the numerous scrolls recovered, the Egyptians ink was extremely durable, lasting thousands of years.



Any society that thrives for an extended period of time must have at least a somewhat advanced system of agriculture.  Egypt was no different, inventing the first ox-drawn plow.  These were seen as early as 2500 BC.  This relates to two other areas that most people don’t consider the Egyptians experts in – blacksmithing (for making the plows) and husbandry.

As other ancient civilizations did, the Egyptians also had their own calendar system.  What differentiated theirs was that it happened to be 365 days long, and included leap years.  238 BC was the year that the Egyptions derived that every fourth year would have 1 extra day.

Relating again to ink, Egyption papyrus was the first paper of its kind.  It was made by taking fibers from the papyrus plant, and was the precursor to what we call paper.

Although the construction of the pyramids will likely remain a mystery, there is one obvious fact that cannot be overlooked – it took a lot of people working together to build them.  As such, the Egyptians can be said to be the first people to employ a large scale, organized labor force.  Taking into account that constructing even a single pyramid can take several decades, it was truly impressive how they were able to manage so many people for such an extended period of time.

The Egyptians were one of the premier civiliations of ancient times – it should come as no surprise that they had numerous inventions that we still see today.

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3. Ancient Rome Inventors – Spurius Carvilius Ruga

Other distinctions Ruga can claim are being the first recorded person in history to open a private elementary school.  It was actually during this time that he dropped the letter “Z” and added “G”, because the “dz” sound that “Z” was used for was deemed unneeded.



Plutarch is the only source found that credits Ruga with these inventions.

He can also claim the rather dubious distinction of being the first man in history to divorce his wife – the father of divorce if you will.  Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Aulus Gellius both confirm this, with Dionysius relating the story:

Spurius Carvilius, a man of distinction, was the first to divorce his wife … yet because of his action, though it was based on necessity, he was ever afterwards hated by the people.

However, both of their dating for this is 230 BCE, which conflicts with the twelve tablets (450BCE), which contain a provision for divorce.

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The notable inventions of the Assyrians included excavations, which were used to undermine city walls (seige), battering rams to knock down walls, the concept of a corps of engineers, who would help to bridge rivers, as well as other engineering tasks.

The above inventions suggest that the Assyrians were devoted to the art of war. This is also evident in their rapid advance of mathematics and science. They were the first to divide a circle into 360 degrees, and invented the concept of longitude and latitude as it refers to geographical locations. Again, it is easy to see these advancements as results of obssession with war and invasion.

It should also come as no surprise that they developed medicine that eventually influenced doctors as far away is middle Europe (Greece).

There is discussion among academics about the Nimrud Lens – a piece of rock crystal unearthed in 1850 by John Layard. It was discovered in the Nimrud palace (hence the name) in the Northern Iraq region. The debate is over if the lens was used as an ancient telescope, with advocates pointing to the Assyrians advanced understanding of Astronomy.

Like many other ancient societies, the Assyrians made advancements that were primarily based upon their desire to go to war.

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