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Science of the Past
Science in Ancient India
This Series meets National Curriculum Standards for: Science: History and Nature of Science Science as Inquiry Social Studies: Culture Global Connections Science, Technology, & Society Time, Continuity, & Change
64 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1999
18 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Stewart
293 books184 followersMelissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 180 science and nature books for children. She offers a wide range of programs for schools, libraries, nature centers, and conferences. www.melissa-stewart.com"
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 26, 2020
This was not my favorite of this series, but my 6 year old really likes to know how ancient civilizations understood scientific and mathematic concepts, so it was still worth it for us to read it. She was a little bit disappointed by this one because much of what the Ancient Indians believed was accurate - she much prefers to point out where ancient peoples went wrong.
May 24, 2025
A brief history of ancient India for kids
This is a book for kids about the scientific contributions of ancient India, which sounds interesting but also has serious errors. In the opening section, it states that “around 3,500 years ago, a group of light-skinned people called Aryans came to India through passages in the Hindu Kush mountains. Unlike the Dravidians, the Aryans were wandering herders. Over the next five hundred years, the Aryans slowly moved southward until they reached the Ganges Valley in central India. As the Aryans invaded, they pushed the Dravidians farther and farther south. Eventually, the Aryans began to settle down and farm.” This has strong racial overtones and subordination of the Indian population. 19th-century European scholars proposed this to support colonization of India by the British Empire, which claimed that Indo-European-speaking "Aryans" invaded and conquered the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) around 1500 BCE. Suggested that this invasion led to the decline of the IVC and the rise of Vedic culture in northern India. In fact, there's no clear evidence of violent invasion or large-scale destruction in Indus Valley sites. Recent genetic evidence, such as Rakhigarhi DNA studies, shows no marker of a sudden, large-scale migration or invasion. However, there is interesting section that describes the work of Indian astronomers like Brahmagupta who described the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter long before telescope was invented in the 1600s. The work of Aryabhata describes planetary movements in great detail. It is amazing that this scientific was known long before Europeans claimed to have discovered them.
This is a book for kids about the scientific contributions of ancient India, which sounds interesting but also has serious errors. In the opening section, it states that “around 3,500 years ago, a group of light-skinned people called Aryans came to India through passages in the Hindu Kush mountains. Unlike the Dravidians, the Aryans were wandering herders. Over the next five hundred years, the Aryans slowly moved southward until they reached the Ganges Valley in central India. As the Aryans invaded, they pushed the Dravidians farther and farther south. Eventually, the Aryans began to settle down and farm.” This has strong racial overtones and subordination of the Indian population. 19th-century European scholars proposed this to support colonization of India by the British Empire, which claimed that Indo-European-speaking "Aryans" invaded and conquered the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) around 1500 BCE. Suggested that this invasion led to the decline of the IVC and the rise of Vedic culture in northern India. In fact, there's no clear evidence of violent invasion or large-scale destruction in Indus Valley sites. Recent genetic evidence, such as Rakhigarhi DNA studies, shows no marker of a sudden, large-scale migration or invasion. However, there is interesting section that describes the work of Indian astronomers like Brahmagupta who described the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter long before telescope was invented in the 1600s. The work of Aryabhata describes planetary movements in great detail. It is amazing that this scientific was known long before Europeans claimed to have discovered them.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews