Lesson 1.

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EVIDENCE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DURING PRE-HISTORIC TIMES

A. The Dawn of First Civilizations

Ancient humans were able to discover and invent tools and methods as science developed
and progressed. With the availability of new scientific instruments and techniques, archeology,
excavation has provided us with data and evidences. Facts have been unearthed and revealed
that even during primitive time, people have already developed skills and technologies which
served and supplied their needs for survival. Mankind existed long before the written word, there
was no historical evidences of how people lived then because written records of any kind dated
only in about 5000 BC. People then discovered, learned and developed science and technology
as the consequence of their search for food, and other survival needs, for practical reasons and
even curiosity.
 Discovery of mud plaster that led to pottery and mud brick houses; first known pottery
was in Japan around 10,000 B.C.

Science and Technology timeline of developments

[Link]
Articles on Explain that
Date Invention or discovery
stuff
Prehistory

4–5 billion Sun starts to produce energy. Solar cells

years ago Energy

~3.5 million Humans make the first tools from stone, Tools and machines
years ago wood, antlers, and bones.

1–2 million Humans discover fire. Biofuels, Candles

years ago Car engines, Jet
engines

10,000 BCE Earliest boats are constructed. Ships and boats

8000– 9000 Beginnings of human settlements and Biofuels

BCE agriculture. Water

6000– 7000 Hand-made bricks first used for Brick (ceramics)

BCE construction in the Middle East.

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B. Evidence of Science and Technology during Pre-Historic Times (3000-5000 B.C.)

Man’s achievements in science can be categorized as:

a. discovery (recognition and observation of new objects);
b. invention (mental process wherein man’s various discoveries, observation and
experience are put together to produce new ways (operations) and means (tools) of obtaining
useful things (useful).

B.1 Stone Age: This period was marked by which stone was widely used to make tools and
implements. Dated roughly 3.4 million years ago, and in about 8000 BC this era was divided into
three separate period:

1. Paleolithic Period (Early/Old Stone Age)

2. Mesolithic Period (Middle)
3. Neolithic Period (New Stone Age) – based on the degree pf sophistication in the
fashioning and use of tools.

1. Paleolithic Period (Early/Old Stone Age)

The Paleolithic Period was also characterized by the manufacture of small

sculptures (e.g., carved stone statuettes of women, clay figurines of animals, and other
bone and ivory carvings) and paintings, incised designs, and reliefs on cave walls.

2. Mesolithic, ancient cultural stage that existed between the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age),
with its chipped stone tools, and the Neolithic (New Stone Age), with its polished stone
tools.

3. Neolithic Period (New Stone Age)

Building techniques
Prehistoric building techniques also underwent significant developments in the Neolithic
Revolution.

Stone tools were made from a variety of stones: flint and chert were shaped or chipped
for use as cutting tools, flakes, blades and weapons. Flaking was able to produce a wide range
of special tools that was used for cutting, chopping, scraping, and sawing.

The Early Stone Age includes the most basic stone toolkits made by early humans. The
oldest stone tools, known as the Oldowan toolkit, consist of hammer stones that show battering
on their surfaces; stone cores that show a series of flake scars along one or more edges; and
sharp stone flakes that were struck from the cores and offer useful cutting edges. Handaxes are
cutting tools as well as other kinds of ‘large cutting tools’ are characteristic of an Acheulean
toolkit.

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Sample Images from the Old Stone Age

[Link]
[Link]

[Link] Venus of Věstonice, clay statuette

from Dolní Věstonice, Mikulov, Czech Republic

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 Paleolithic hand axes were teardrop-shaped stone tools with two sharpened edges that met at a point. In one
method, they were made by roughly chipping away flakes from the edges with a hammer and then sharpening
the edges by chipping away smaller flakes. Finally, a pointed stick was used to pry off tiny flakes of stone.

Sample Images from the New Stone Age

Stonehenge
A view from above the ruins of Stonehenge shows the arrangement of its ancient stones.

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 La Roche aux Fées
Interior of La Roche aux Fées, megalithic gallery grave, Neolithic Period, constructed c. 3000 BCE,
Essé, Ille-et-Vilaine, France.

La Roche aux Fées

Exterior of La Roche aux Fées, megalithic gallery grave of the Neolithic Period, constructed c. 3000 BCE,
Essé, Ille-et-Vilaine, France.

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 Skara Brae
Excavations at Skara Brae, Orkney Islands, Scotland. (Dwelling House)

During middle Paleolithic time, the pace of innovation in stone technology began to
accelerate. Handaxes were made with exquisite craftmanship, and eventually gave way to
smaller, ore diverse toolkits, with an emphasis on flake tools rather than large core tools.

Middle Stone Ages toolkits included points, which could be hafted on the shafts to make
spears. When smaller points were eventually made, they were attached to smaller, sleeker shafts,
to make darts, arrows, and other projectile weapons. Many important inventions appeared, such
as needles and thread, skin clothing, the harpoon, the spear thrower, and special fishing
equipment.
The Neolithic was characterized primarily by herding societies, as well as bronze
smelting, adoption of agriculture, the shift from food gathering to food producing, development of
pottery using sediments and clay. Agriculture was developed and certain animals were raised as
well. Moreover, recent evidence indicates that humans processed and consumed cereal grains.

B.2 Bronze Age. The Bronze Age is the second principal period of the three-age Stone-Bronze-
Iron system and generally followed the Neolithic period. This period is marked with the beginning
of mining and metallurgy.

Bronze denotes the first period in which metal was used, man began smelting copper and alloying
with tin or arsenic to make bronze tools and weapons.

The beginning of the period is sometimes called the Chalcolithic (Copper-Stone) Age, referring to
the initial use of pure copper (along with its predecessor toolmaking material, stone).

The Chalcolithic Age is also known as the bronze copper age, where a variety of bronze tools
were recovered during that time period. Bronze tools were widely used to make knives, axes,
fishing hooks, rods, and many more. These tools were made by mixing tin and copper and
creating an alloy, bronze.

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Bronze itself is harder and more durable than other metals available at the time, allowing Bronze
Age civilizations to gain technological advantage.
 Man-made tin bronze technology required set production techniques. Tin must be mined
and smelted separately, then added to molten copper to make bronze alloy.

[Link]

Equipment and weapons of the Bronze Age and the first Iron Age ax

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B.3 Iron Age is the period of time in prehistory when the dominant tool making material was iron.
Preceded by the Stone Age and Bronze Age, the transition from Bronze Age occurred at different
times in different places on Earth. As the name suggests, Iron Age Technology is characterized
by the production of tools and weaponry using ferrous metallurgy or iron work more especially
from carbon steel. Meteoric iron has been used by humans since 3200 B.C., but ancient iron
production did not become widespread until the ability to smelt iron ore, remove impurities and
regulate the amount of carbon in the alloy developed.

Iron Age- was the final technological and cultural stage in the Stone–Bronze–Iron Age sequence.
The date of the full Iron Age, in which this metal for the most part
replaced bronze in implements and weapons, varied geographically, beginning in the Middle
East and southeastern Europe about 1200 BCE but in China not until about 600 BCE. Although
in the Middle East iron had limited use as a scarce and precious metal as early as 3000 BCE,
there is no indication that people at that time recognized its superior qualities over those of bronze.

During the Iron Age - metalworkers started to make tools and weapons out of bronze.

Sample Images from the Iron Ages

[Link]