Technology Throughout the Ages
By Natalie Gallagher
Today, we often think of technology as electronic, like our mobile phones and computers, but technology is actually a much broader topic. Technology is the use of tools and the idea of how to use them. We have been developing technology since humanity began.
Some of the earliest technology is from the Stone Age. The Stone Age is divided into three periods: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic eras. Each era developed new technologies which advanced the human race.
During the Paleolithic, a primitive animal called the homo sapien started creating tools that started to differentiate them from the other animals on the planet. They created tools, such as digging sticks, wooden spears, and fire. In this time, they lived in nomadic groups and it is believed that they were experiencing the end of an ice age. They used their wooden spears to hunt large animals, such as mammoths, giant bison, and deer for their food, skins, and tools. They also had stone tools, also known as the Oldowan toolkit. Throughout the Stone Age they refined these technologies and gradually shifted to stable communities that lived in one place. The refined technologies included harpoon points, bone and ivory needles, and bone flutes.
As the Stone Age ended, the Metal Age began with the Copper Age. The Copper Age or Chalcolithic Age lasted for about 1,000 years. Originally, the Copper Age was seen as a transition period, but it was actually very important for developing the technologies used in the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. During this time, metallurgy and smelting were developed, which allowed them to start making metal tools and jewelry. The Copper Age started and ended in different places, one of the most important places during this time was Cyprus because it was known as the “Island of Copper.” Cyprus had a lot of natural copper used for metallurgy.
The second part of the Metal Age was the Bronze Age, which was named for the creation of the metal alloy called bronze. Bronze is a mixture of tin and copper, which was slightly more durable than copper on it’s own. More advances were made in metallurgy and eventually led to the Iron Age which would be divided into two parts.
During the Early Iron Age, the first iron mines and tools started to appear. It also marked the first appearance of different weapons, such as swords. Moving into the Late Stone Age, new technology started rapidly being created. They discovered new ways to make fire that were easier to use, created the first wheels, and started building boats and ships. Although the Iron Age was flourishing, it eventually came to an end with the decline of mammal populations, which was possibly caused by Climate Change.
The Iron Age transitioned into the time of the Ancient Age, which depended more on agriculture and had complex civilizations. Some very important technological advancements came to be, such as paper, makeup, advanced forms of government, concrete, chocolate, and writing. These inventions came from a variety of areas around the world like Egypt, Rome, Greece, Summaria, and the Mayans (Central America).
Finally, in the Middle Ages many new inventions provided the backbone for modern technology. One of the most important was the printing press, or the Gutenberg Press, in the 15th century, but it was actually created in China in the 3rd century. Another invention that came from China to Europe, was gunpowder, which became the basis for modern warfare. Other important inventions included paper money, the heavy plow, wheelbarrows, spinning wheels, glasses, and cannons.
These technological changes provided the basis for our lives today and led to our modern technology. It is important to understand that the idea of technology is much larger than our electronics today and the technological changes that from prehistory helped create the inventions we have today.
Sources
History.com
Factsanddetails.com
Study.com
Interestingengeneering.com
