"At the time when the two great cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Persia were seeking dominance and fighting wars at Thermopylae and Platea, it is easy to forget that these two cultures also had a deep mutual respect, and traded ideas and knowledge.

Unsurprisingly, and fittingly, our history of the scientific method will start here, although we must point out that knowledge knows no boundaries. Whilst Babylonian, Indian and Egyptian astronomers, physicians and mathematicians developed some empirical ideas [and traded ideas between these cultures], the Greeks were the first to develop what we recognize as the scientific method.

Initially, the Ancient Greek philosophers did not believe in empiricism, and saw measurements, such as geometry, as the domain of craftsmen and artisans. Philosophers, such as Plato, believed that all knowledge could be obtained through pure reasoning, and that there was no need to actually go out and measure anything.

Aristotle, regarded as the father of science, was the first to realize the importance of empirical measurement, believing that knowledge could only be gained by building upon what is already known.

Measurement and observation, the foundations upon which science is built, were Aristotle's contribution. He proposed the idea of induction as a tool for gaining knowledge, and understood that abstract thought and reasoning must be supported by real world findings.

Aristotle's methods can be summed up as follows.

1. Study what others have written about the subject.

2. Look for the general consensus about the subject

3. Perform a systematic study of everything even partially related to the topic.

This is the first sign of a scientific method, with literature reviews, consensus and measurement. The Greeks were the first to subdivide and name branches of science in a recognizable way, including physics, biology, politics, zoology and, of course, poetry!

In about 200 BC, the famous library at Alexandria saw the first introduction of library cataloguing, essential for any scholar conducting a peer review." ~ Martyn Shuttleworth, explorable.com/history-of-the-scientific-method

Images Posted in Chronological Order

1st & 2nd images:
“Their written medical works dealing with medical issues are some of the oldest medicinal documented works in the world with the Edwin Smith Papyrus (1600BC) as the oldest known work on surgical techniques. Other best-known works are; Ebers Papyrus (1550BC) and London Medical Papyrus (1629BC) which contains a series of prescriptions that have added to medical knowledge.” ~ Chuka Nduneseokwu, libertywritersglobal.com/the-amazing-history-of-ancient-egyptian-science-medicine-and-astronomy/
...
3rd image
Credit: markazi
“Back in the early days of the Persian civilization, a rather well-designed and managed water supply system used to exist. Known by the name qanat, it was an underground channel that was used to carry water from the water well to fields and houses. Its origins can be traced back to the first millennium BC. The tunnels were several kilometers long and were hand dug. There were vertical shafts that served the purpose for ventilation and repair needs.” ~ Alex, historyly.com/miscellaneous/persian-inventions
...
4th image
“Acharya Kanada in around 6th to 2nd Century BCE presented his detailed atomic theory in Vaisheshika-Sutra.” ~ Drishith, vedicfeed.com/vaisheshika-sutra-objects-of-experience/
Image: allindiaroundup.com/india/8-amazing-inventions-of-ancient-indian-saints-that-will-take-you-by-surprise
...
5th image
“Acharya Sushruta, the father of surgery and the pioneer of ‘Sushruta Samhita‘, was born in Kashi in the sixth century BC. He got education from Dhanvantari. Sushruta Samhita has a special place in the Indian system of medicine.
…
Various aspects of surgery are explained in detail in Sushruta Samhita. For surgery, Sushruta used 125 types of instruments. These devices were discovered in view of the complexity of the operation. These tools include special types of knives, needles, tweezers etc. Sushruta discovered 300 types of operation procedures. Sushruta had specialized in cosmetic surgery. Sushruta also used to do eye surgery. The method of operating cataracts has been described in detail in Sushrutsamhita.

He also had knowledge of surgical delivery. Sushruta specialized in detecting and connecting broken bones. They used to give alcohol or special medicines to reduce the pain during surgery. Used to perform alcohol anesthesia. Therefore Sushruta is also called the father of anesthesia. Apart from this, Sushruta also had special knowledge of diabetes and obesity. Sushruta was a superior surgeon as well as a superior teacher. He told his disciples the principles of surgery and got the surgery done.

In the early stages they used fruits, vegetables and wax mannequins for the practice of surgery. To explain the inner structure of human body, Sushruta used to do surgery on the corpse and explain it to his disciples. Sushruta acquired amazing skills in surgery and made others aware of it. Along with surgery, he also gave information about other aspects of Ayurveda like body structure, Kayam, Pediatrics, Gynecology, Psychiatry etc.” ~ greatancientindia.com/sushruta-father-of-surgery-pioneer-of-sushruta-samhita
...
6th image
Persian Empire. BCE 559-404
shorthistory.org/ancient-civilizations/mesopotamia/persian-empire/persian-acheamenid-empire-559-404-bc
...
7th image
Greco-Persian Wars
brewminate.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/PersianWars11.jpg
...
8th image
“…a newly translated text reveals that these ancient stargazers also used a far more advanced method, one that foreshadows the development of calculus over a thousand years later.
…
“This shows just how highly developed this ancient culture was,” [astroarchaeologist Matthieu] Ossendrijver [of Humboldt University in Berlin], whose discovery appears in today’s Science, told Gizmodo. “I don’t think anybody expected something like this would be discovered in a Babylonian text.”

The text belongs to a collection of thousands of clay tablets, inscribed with cuneiform and excavated in Iraq during the 19th century. By translating and studying them over the past century, archaeologists have learned a great deal about Babylonians, including their advanced system of astronomy, which grew out of the development of the zodiac around 400 BCE.” ~ Maddie Stone, gizmodo.com.au/2016/01/this-babylonian-astronomy-text-changes-history/
...
9th image
Marduk, the patron god of Babylon during the height of Babylonian astronomy, was associated with the planet Jupiter. Via Wikimedia, gizmodo.com.au/2016/01/this-babylonian-astronomy-text-changes-history
...
10th image
Bust of Aristotle. Marble, Roman copy after a Greek bronze original by Lysippos from 330 BC; the alabaster mantle is a modern addition.
By After Lysippos - Jastrow (2006), Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1359807