HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY
The history of technology is the history of the invention of tools and techniques for a practical purpose. Modern history is closely related to the history of science, since the number of new knowledge discoveries has made it possible to create new things and, reciprocally, new scientific discoveries have been made thanks to the development of new technologies, which have extended the possibilities of experimentation and acquisition of technological and scientific knowledge Technological artifacts are products of an economy, a force for economic growth, and a good part of life. Technological innovations are affected by the cultural traditions of society. They are also a mean to obtain military power.
Stone age A variety of stone tools During the Stone Age, humans were huntergatherers, a lifestyle that involved the use of tools and settlements that affected biotopes very little. The first important technologies were associated with survival, obtaining food and preparing it. Fire, stone tools, weapons, and clothing were major technological developments of this period. At this time music appeared. Some cultures developed canoes with batangas capable of venturing into the ocean, which led to migrations through the Malay archipelago, crossing the Indian Ocean to Madagascar and also crossing the Pacific Ocean, which required knowledge of ocean currents, weather patterns, navigation and star charts. The main phase of predominance of the
hunter-gatherer economy is called Paleolithic and the end is called Epipaleolithic or
Mesolithic; the later Stone Age, during which the rudiments of agrarian technology were developed, is called the Neolithic period. Copper and Bronze Ages The Stone Age led to the Metal Age after the Neolithic Revolution. This revolution brought about radical changes in agricultural technology, which led to the development of agriculture, animal domestication, and permanent settlements. The combination of these factors made possible the development of the smelting of copper and later bronze. This technological stream began in the Fertile Crescent, from where it spread. The discoveries were not, and still do not have, universal character. The three-age system does not accurately describe the history of technology for non-Eurasian groups, and cannot be applied to some isolated populations such as the Sentinelese, the Spinifex, and certain Amazonian tribes, who still employ ageof-the-age technology. stone. and some tribes use cannibalism Iron Age. The Iron Age began after the development of the necessary technology for the work of iron, a material that replaced bronze and made it possible to create more resistant and cheaper tools. In many Eurasian cultures the Iron Age was the last phase prior to the development of writing, although again this cannot be said to be universal. In agriculture, strong farming tools such as iron axes, picks, rakes, shovels, and plow tips made land clearing and food
production faster and more efficient and it allowed farmers to cultivate stronger land. The most efficient tools in all areas resulted in more technological advancements, industry development, and more time to rest as well. An Iron Age farmer working with an iron plow had significantly more time to devote to work, family, and other matters. More time spent hanging out with other people often also led to more time for the arts and sciences. In this way, iron age societies flourished with these cheaper iron tools. Combined with the development of alphabets and coins, iron began humanity's movement into our modern society. Inventions of ancient civilizations Ancient Egypt Main article: Ancient Egyptian technology The Egyptians invented and used many simple machines, such as the inclined plane and the lever, to aid in construction. Egyptian paper, made of papyrus, and pottery were exported from the Mediterranean basin. However the wheel would not appear until foreign invaders brought chariots with them. They also played an important role in the development of Mediterranean maritime navigation or maritime technology, both in ships and lighthouses.
number and its relationship to geometry and architecture. Aside from Heron's aeolipile, the Greeks were the first to invent wind and water mills, making them pioneers in three of the four non-animal propulsion methods prior to the Industrial Revolution (the fourth is navigation), although only hydraulic power was used. Rome Roman iron hoe, 2000 years ago. This artifact is on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. The Romans developed sophisticated agriculture, improved ironworking and masonry technology, improved road construction (methods that did not become obsolete until the development of macadam in the 19th century), military engineering, civil engineering, spinning and weaving with many different machines such as the combine [citation needed], which helped increase the productivity of many sectors of the Roman economy.
Ancient Greece Main article: Ancient Greek technology The Greeks invented many technologies and improved existing ones, especially during the Hellenistic period. Heron of Alexandria invented a basic steam engine and showed that he had knowledge of mechanical and pneumatic systems. Archimedes invented many machines. The Greeks were unique in the pre-inustrial age for their ability to combine scientific research with the development of new technologies. An example is the Archimedean screw, which was first mathematically conceived and later built. They also invented the ballista and primitive analog computers, such as the Antiquitera mechanism.1 Greek architects were responsible for the first domes and also the first to investigate the golden
Roman engineers were the first to build monumental arches, amphitheaters, aqueducts, public baths, stone bridges, and crypts. Some notable Roman inventions were the codex, blown glass, and concrete. As Rome is situated on a volcanic peninsula whose sand contains crystalline grains, Roman concrete was
especially resistant to time. Some of its buildings have stood for more than two thousand years. Roman engineering was able to excavate tunnels, crossing rocky massifs, intended for use as aqueducts or roads and using different techniques with which to break the rock and make openings. Despite the complexity of this type of infrastructure and the limited technology of the time, many of these tunnels still persist today. Roman civilization was highly urbanized by premodern standards. Many cities of the Empire had more than 100,000 inhabitants, Rome being the most populated of antiquity. Features of Roman urban life included multi-story buildings, paved streets, public cistern toilets, glass windows, and floor and wall heating. The Romans understood hydraulics and built fountains and hydraulic works, especially aqueducts. Some spas have been preserved until today. The Romans developed many technologies that were lost in the Middle Ages and were not reinvented until the 19th and 20th centuries. India The Indus Valley Civilization, located in an area rich in resources, is relevant for its early application of health and civil planning technologies. Valley towns have some of the earliest examples of public baths, closed sewers, and communal barns. Ancient India was also a leader in maritime technology. A panel found at Mohenjodaro shows a ship sailing. Ship building is described in detail in the Yukti Kalpa Taru, an ancient Indian text on ship building. Indian architecture and building techniques, called 'Vaastu Shastra', suggest a deep understanding of materials engineering, hydrology and sanitary services. Indian culture was also a pioneer in the use of vegetable dyes, such as indigo and those from cinnabar. Many of these dyes were used in paintings and sculptures. The use of perfumes demonstrates
chemical knowledge, especially of the distillation and purification processes. China Chinese armillary sphere. According to researcher Joseph Needham, the Chinese made many early discoveries and inventions. Some important Chinese technological innovations were the first seismographs, matches, paper, cast iron, iron plow, multi-tube seeder, suspension bridge, wheelbarrow, the use of natural gas as fuel, the compass, the map of relief, propeller, crossbow and gunpowder. Other Chinese discoveries and inventions, but from the Middle Ages, are the paddle boat, woodblock printing, movable type, phosphorescent paint, chain transmission, escapement mechanism, and spinning wheel. Incas The Incas had great engineering knowledge, even by today's standards. An example of this is the use of stones of more than one ton in their constructions (for example, in Machu Picchu, Peru), placed one next to the other, fitting almost perfectly. The villages had irrigation canals and drainage systems, which made agriculture very efficient. Although some claim that the Incas were the first to invent hydroponics [citation needed], agrarian technology, although advanced, was still based on the soil. This technology, which included the use of stepped terraces, made it possible to obtain high yields from the soil of lands located on steep slopes.
astrolabe, the compass, the lateen sail, and the codaste rudder. Significant advances in military technology were also made with the invention of full metal plate armor, steel crossbows, treadmill, and barrel, although the Middle Ages are perhaps best known for their architectural legacy: while the invention of the pointed arch, the ribbed vault supported the Gothic style, the omnipresent medieval fortifications gave this time the name of "Age of Castles."
Mayas Although the Mayan Civilization did not have metallurgical technology or invented the wheel, they developed complex systems of writing and astrology and created stone sculptural works. Like the Incas, they had good construction and agrarian technologies, although they already had various astronomical knowledge. Middle and Modern Ages Half Medieval knuckle The technology of the Middle Ages can be described as a symbiosis of traditio et innovatio. Although medieval technology has long been considered a step backwards in the evolution of Western technology, in some cases in an attempt by some authors to denounce the church as an antagonist of scientific progress (see the myth of the flat earth), a generation of medievalists of whom Lynn White may be their most visible head have emphasized since the 1940s the innovative character of many medieval techniques. Some medieval contributions are for example mechanical watches, glasses and windmills. The people of the Middle Ages also invented some more discreet objects, such as the button or the watermark. In navigation, the foundations of the Age of Discovery are laid in the introduction (though not an invention) of the
• Early Modern Age • Original print of the book Two New Sciences by Galileo in 1638 The beginning of the modern age extends from the Taking of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 to the French Revolution in 1789, or a period of 336 years. The Turks in 1300 conquered South Asia under the command of the Sultan, Osman (hence the Ottoman name). His son Orjà n manages to assemble a powerful army, like a kind of foreign legion, and conquers greater territories in the Balkan area. Many Catholics in those territories convert to Islam. In 1389 the Turks defeat the Serbs (Catholics) in the Campo de Mirlos, as revenge for the death of the sultan at the hands of a Serbian terrorist. That battle is considered sacred by Serbs and even today they remember it. They also do not forgive the families who at that time converted to the Muslim religion. As said, in 1453 they take Constantinople, leading to the final fall of the Eastern Roman Empire. Historians consider this event as the
end of Ancient History. The Ottoman Empire will endure until the end of the First World War in 1918. The appearance of the modern printing press, towards the middle of the 15th century, is one of the fundamental milestones in the history of current civilization. It supposed the passage from the medieval culture of the manuscript, in which knowledge was restricted to a small part of men, to a new culture of distribution of knowledge to large layers of society, since many copies were made of the new books. After the printing press will come the encyclopedic knowledge, the scientific revolution, and a new social structure, in which the Church gives up its place as conservator and transmitter of culture, and with this, part of its power. Industrial Revolution Main article: Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution is a historical period between the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, in which the United Kingdom in the first place, and the rest of continental Europe later, suffered the greatest set of socio-economic, technological and cultural transformations of the History of mankind, from the Neolithic. The economy based on manual labor was replaced by one dominated by industry and manufacturing. The Revolution began with the mechanization of the textile industries and the development of iron processes. The expansion of trade was favored by the improvement of transport routes and later by the birth of the railroad. The most important technological innovations were the steam engine and the socalled Spinning Jenny, a powerful machine related to the textile industry. These new machines favored huge increases in production capacity. The production and development of new models of machinery in the first two decades of the nineteenth century facilitated
manufacturing in other industries and also increased their production. XIX century The 19th century produced great advances in transportation, construction, and communication technologies. The steam engine, which had been around in its modern form since the 18th century, was applied to the steamship and the railroad. The telegraph was also used for the first time with practical results in the 19th century. Another technology that saw the light in the 19th century was the incandescent lamp. It was at the Portsmouth shipyard that, by manufacturing boat pulleys entirely by machine, the era of mass production began. Machine tools began to be used to make new machines in the first decade of the century, and its main researchers were Richard Roberts and Joseph Whitworth. Steamboats were eventually made entirely of metal and played a major role in opening up trade between Japan, China, and the West. Charles Babbage conceived mechanical computing, but succeeded in bringing it to fruition. The Second Industrial Revolution of the late 19th century saw the rapid development of chemical, electrical, oil, and steel technologies and their connection to highly structured technological research. Twentieth century The technology of the 20th century developed rapidly. Communication technologies, transportation, the spread of education, the use of the scientific method, and investment in research contributed to the advancement of modern science and technology. A very important contribution to our current civilization was the intention of the first airplane developed by the Wright brothers, this would be a great improvement to the transport of resources or people by improving airplanes and aviation machines. Some technologies such as computing developed as fast as they did in part because of war or the threat of war, as there were many scientific advances associated with military research and
development, such as electronic computing, radio communication, radar, and sound recording; they were key technologies that paved the way for the invention of the telephone, fax, and magnetic data storage. The improvements in power and motor technology were also enormous and include the use of nuclear energy, an advance resulting from the Manhattan Project. Through the use of advanced computers and laboratories, modern scientists have recombined DNA. XXI century In the few years that have passed in the 21st century, technology has advanced rapidly, progressing in almost every field of science. The rate of development of computers is an example of the acceleration of technological progress, leading some to predict the advent of a technological singularity in this century. Measure of technological progress Many sociologists and anthropologists have created social theories concerning social and cultural evolution. Some, such as Lewis H. Morgan, Leslie White and Gerhard Lenski, start from a more modern approach and focus on information. The more information and knowledge a society has, the more advanced it is. Identify four stages of human development, based on advances in the history of communication. In the first stage the information is transmitted by genes. In the second, humans can learn and transmit information through experience. In the third they begin to use signals and develop logic. In the fourth they create signs, develop language and writing. Advances in communications technology translate into advances in the economic system, the political system, the distribution of assets, social inequality, and other aspects of social life.
PRODUCED BY:
JOSÉ MANUEL BLONDEL MOYA
INSTITUTO UNIVERSITARIO POLITECNICO SANTIAGO MARIÑO