1. Indian Achievements Key Terms Metallurgy Alloys Hindu-Arabic numerals
Inoculation
Astronomy
Questions to ponder…
How do you think the
following achievements
effected life in ancient
India?
effect you today?
3. What would life be like
without these scientific
advancements?

2. Metal working Advances
The pillar is very
resistant to rust
and is studied even
today.
The ancient Indians were pioneers of metallurgy, the science of working with metals.
Ancient Indians understood how to mix metals and create alloys.
These alloys were often stronger and easier to work with.
Ancient Indians
created the
Iron Pillar
near Delhi.
How do you think alloys helped ancient Indians?

3. Mathematics
Ancient Indians
are also believed
to have had an
important role
in the creation of
“0,”
Ancient Indians developed many elements of our modern math system (such as the zero).
The very numbers we use today are called the Hindu- Arabic numerals
They were created by Indian scholars and brought to Europe by the Arabs.

4. Indian doctors
Fixed broken bones,
Removed tonsils,
And reattached
Earlobes.
Medicine
As early as the AD 100s, doctors in India were making medicines from plants and minerals.
Besides curing diseases, doctors were able to protect others from disease through inoculation.
Indian doctors also performed surgeries.
Inoculation is when a small dose of a virus is injected into a person
to help him or her build up defense to the disease and protect itself.

5. Astronomy
Ancient Indians were very interested in astronomy, the study of stars and planets.
They were aware of seven of the eight planets.
They knew the sun was a star.
They could even predict eclipses of the sun and the moon.