HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE

WORLD
KEY CONCEPTS
 Three-age System – a system of classifying ancient ages
into groups based on tool development stages.
 Scientific Revolution – period of great scientific intellectual
achievements that contributed to essential changes in
scientific investigations
 Industrial revolution – period of complex technological
inventions that eventually replaced human and animal forces
 Information Age- or digital age, the period characterized
by the change from the traditional industry to an economy
that is founded on computerization of information.
 The Stone Age

The Stone
Age is the
period of
human
history before
the Bronze
Age and the
Iron Age.
 The Stone Age

The Stone Age gets its

name from stones.
But why?
It is the age when
early humans first
started using stones
for their tools and
weapons. This was a
game changer helping them
hunt, build and make their lives easier.
 The Stone Age

Archaeologists study artifacts to determine

when and where the Stone Age started.
Not all places on the planet
had development at
the same time so dates
vary. But, people
started using tools
about two million
years ago.
 The Stone Age

Archaeologists divide the Stone Age into three

periods, depending on the sophistication of the
tools used.
The three periods are
the Paleolithic Age
(Old Stone Age), the
Mesolithic Age (Middle
Stone Age) and the
Neolithic Age (New
Stone Age).
 The Stone Age

The Paleolithic Age

(Old Stone Age) took
place during the last
ice age.
It may come as a
surprise to learn, the
Paleolithic Age lasted
so long it accounts for
99% of all human
history!
 The Stone Age

In the Paleolithic Age, tools

were also made from wood
and bone.
Languages developed and
people even began to express
themselves
with art on
the walls of caves.
 The Stone Age

The Mesolithic
Age (Middle
Stone Age) was
the period of
time between the
ice age and the
introduction of
farming.
 The Stone Age

During the Mesolithic Age,

weapons were more refined
and smaller. This included
arrows and spears.
Man’s best friend,
the faithful dog, was
domesticated at this
time from wolves!
 The Stone Age

The Neolithic Age

(New Stone Age) was
the time between the
start of farming and
the beginning of the
Bronze Age.
By this time, people
also had cows and
sheep.
 The Stone Age

Farming permitted
people to stay in one
location instead of
constantly moving in
search of food.
Communities grew,
different roles in the
community developed
and trade connected
people to other parts
of the world.
 The Stone Age

North
America
Europe

Asia

Africa

South
America
Australia

Earliest human findings are in Africa. From there,

early humans migrated into Europe and Asia before
they continued on to the rest of the world.
 The Bronze Age

The Bronze Age

is the period of
human history
after the Stone
Age and before
the Iron Age.
 The Bronze Age

The Bronze Age gets its

name from the metal
bronze. But why?
Bronze is a metal Bronze
made when a lot of
copper as well as a
little tin are mixed
together.
That little bit of tin makes the copper harder. And,
harder copper was used for knives and swords.
 The Bronze Age

Greece
2900 – 1500 BC Mesopotamia
3000-1700 BC China
Egypt Indus 3000-700 BC
3300-1200 BC 3300-
1500 BC

Bronze was first smelted in western Asia as early as 3800 BC.

The technology for smelting developed at different times in
different parts of the world. So, there are different dates for the
Bronze Age depending on if you discuss China, Indus, Egypt,
Greece or Mesopotamia.
 The Bronze Age

Bronze replaced stones for

weapons, but it was also
used for agricultural tools.
With other advances like
the wheel and irrigation,
life for the people of the
Bronze Age was better
than the Stone Age.
 The Bronze Age

The use of bronze

introduced the need for
specialized labor. It
required miners, traders,
artisans and metal
workers.
Those who made items of
metal or traded with those
items became the richest
members of the society.
 The Bronze Age

A lot of people mentioned in

the Bible as well as Egyptian
history lived in the Bronze
Age.
That list includes Abraham,
Joseph, Moses and David as
well as King Tutankhamun
and Ramses II.
 The Bronze Age

Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is

one of over 900 stone ring sites in Britain.
It was made during the Bronze Age, at least 300
years before the Egyptian pyramids.
 The Iron Age

The Iron Age

is the period
of human
history after
the Stone
Age and the
Bronze Age.
 The Iron Age

The Iron Age gets

its name from the
metal iron. But
why?
It is the age when
early humans
started using iron
for their tools and
weapons.
 The Iron Age

Archaeologists study artifacts to determine

when and where the Iron Age started.
It is believed it probably
first took place in the
Middle East and
southeast Europe
about 1000 B.C.
 The Iron Age

ca. 500 BC
ca. 1000 BC
ca. 500 BC

ca. 0

Not every culture in every corner of the globe learned

to use iron at the same time. So, the Iron Age began
at different times in different parts of the world.
 The Iron Age

The Iron Age in

Great Britain was
from around 700 BC
until the arrival of
the Romans in AD
43.
 The Iron Age

Iron is harder than

bronze and could be
formed into finer and
sharper objects.
But, to get tools and
weapons from iron, it
had to be heated and
hammered on an
anvil.
 The Iron Age

The supply of iron was much greater than bronze.

Tools and weapons were mass produced. Iron
was used to make ploughs, armor and coins.
This revolutionized farming. With more successful
farms, the population increased and communities
grew.
Thank You for Listening!