Importance of four Technologies that came up between pre-History and 1500

It is beyond any reasonable doubt that humans are the most intelligent beings of all the species that inhabit the earth. The only creatures that come closest to us in this regard are primates primarily due to their ability to fashion rudimentary tools out of twigs and use their opposable thumbs. Though closest to us, humans remain hundreds of light years away with regard to the manipulation of different elements within our environment to ease and facilitate and enhance our existence. Technologies that fall into the category of ‘State of the Art’ did not just come out of the blues in the shed of an inventor. The state of technology is where it is because of developments that have been taking place over millennia with a better way of doing things being created as the years pass.

Given that technology is the application of a people’s scientific knowledge with the aim of achieving a practical purpose, the four influential technologies that will be highlighted in this exercise are those that contributed towards practical ends of the people of the different periods in time. These have shaped different eras of human civilization between the prehistoric period and the year 1500 BC. During this time period, four eras of human civilization took place one after the other and as a result it will be prudent to highlight the most influential technological advancement for each of these. These are the prehistoric era, the classical era, medieval era and the renaissance era (Dobres and Hoffman, 1994).

Prehistoric Era- Agriculture

This was the era that took place prior to the formal recording of historical events and it is believed to be prior to 3500 BC. The most important technological advancement of this time was the advent of agriculture which is basically the domestication of plants and animals for the purposes of subsistence and other household uses by humans for the first time. This marked the end of hunting and gathering and it indicates the deliberate desire by humanity to take control of elements in his natural environment. The domestication of plants and animals therefore marked a shift from plant a nomadic lifestyle to a sedentary lifestyle since humans no longer needed to move around in search of animals and plants to hunt and gather respectively. The significance of agriculture in this era is the fact that it’s adoption by humanity gave birth to the first human settlements around fertile areas where agriculture flourished. Modern society therefore owes its existence to the shift from hunting & gathering to agriculture (Zohari et al, 2012).

The Classical Era- Iron Smelting

This period spanned between 3500BC to 500AD. One of the most outstanding technological advancements that were experienced by humanity during this period was the development of iron smelting and working. This is basically the extraction of iron from iron ore and smelting it into wrought iron, cast iron and steel among many other alloys of this metal. One of the reasons why iron was so influential in this point in time is based on its structural properties. The strength of iron easily made it a favorite raw material for a host of applications. The metal could be smelted and used to make weaponry, farm implements, artworks and household items among others. This quickly replaced bronze which had been the alloy of choice for the people who lived in this period (Papadopoulos, 2003).

The introduction of a stronger material for the production of these different tools meant that the productivity of the people who used them got bolstered tremendously. Farmers for instance had more durable farming implements and this led to better harvests since more work could be put in. The military power of nations that embraced iron tools also improved as they were better placed to defeat their enemies with their superior weapons. Empires that embraced iron working techniques grew in strength due to increased food security and military power. The increasing demand for iron resulted in the formulation of more efficient methods of extracting it from ore.

The Medieval Era- The Windmill

This was between the year 500AD and 1450AD. The windmill is a device that uses energy derived from the wind to run different machines that had been designed to use rotational energy. The reason why this technological advancement was highly influential during this point in time is the fact that it demonstrates mankind’s first step into the use of renewable energy available freely in the environment.

At the time of its inception and subsequent adoption across Europe, the windmill was mainly used in the grinding of grains into flour which would then be used for food. Other uses of the windmill were in the pumping of water from rivers as well as underground sources. Prior to the invention of the steam engine, this seemed to be the most viable piece of technology that existed. Its introduction played a great role in increasing the rate and versatility of food production in the regions where windmills were used. The fact that wind energy was and still is virtually an unlimited source of energy made this a very important tool as it reduced the need for animal drivel mills (Langdon, 1991). The quicker and cleaner way of converting grain into flour though wind mills increased its usability and also the ease of storage thus improving trade and also food security.

The Renaissance Era- Firearms

The renaissance era is estimated to have begun in the year 1450 and a landmark of this era was the invention of fire arms which were basically a host of weapons that employed the use of explosive force as a means of throwing out projectiles in a forceful and violent manner. Initial firearms consisted of grenades, musket guns and canons though in a rudimentary form of what they later came to be in the future. Firearms as a technological advancement mainly benefitted militaries by multiplying the effectiveness of the men who were going to war. Given that this came hand in hand with the demand for gunpowder as the number of battles where these weapons were used increased. Battles that saw the use of canons include the wars between Christians and Muslims in Europe and also the hundred years’ war. The then English and Russian Armies also embraced this technology and this opened trade ties with regions that produced both Gun powder and the Iron Weapons. This then led to the establishment of trade links across the world between Europe, the Middle East and the far east where the technology came from the first time. As a technology firearms played a profound role in the determination of the fates of different countries and empires as they would either form a formidable offence or defense against the same. Therefore while other empires succeeded by expanding,

Advances in the weapons did not just affect the battle ground scenarios. It also had a strong influence in the manner that castles and other armored structures were used to defend people in the event of an attack. This therefore shows that firearms and the demand that the market had for them was not their biggest impact. The impact came mainly due to the resultant trade that took place between major powers in the continent of Europe (Avalon, 2013).

Conclusion

From the above it is clearly evident that the mentioned technologies played an important role in determining the future of those who existed and had their lives directly as well as indirectly affected by the given technological item. Their isolation from the main eras indicates the fact that their contribution to the life and times of those who lived during that period was what it was as a result of the widespread effects that the technology came with. Agriculture for instance inadvertently helped to form the framework of the first human settlements. The use of iron helped agriculture, militaries and the public in general population’s life. Ever since man started the move from hunting and gathering to being more of a sedentary creature, technologies have always marked the steps that we as humanity are taking to further improve the quality of our lives. This has not been without a cost as firearms for instance led to the killings of many people but this appears to have been ‘the cost of doing business.’

References

Ayalon, D. (2013). Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom: A Challenge to Medieval Society (1956). Routledge.

Dobres, M. A., & Hoffman, C. R. (1994). Social agency and the dynamics of prehistoric technology. Journal of archaeological method and theory, 1(3), 211-258.

Langdon, J. (1991). Water‐mills and windmills in the west midlands, 1086‐15001. The Economic History Review, 44(3), 424-444.

Papadopoulos, J. (2003). Ceramicus Redivivus: The Early Iron Age Potters Field in the Area of the Classical Athenian Agora (Vol. 31). ASCSA.

Zohary, D., Hopf, M., & Weiss, E. (2012). Domestication of Plants in the Old World: The origin and spread of domesticated plants in Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin. Oxford University Press.