history of technology

Table of Contents

Introduction
General considerations
- Social involvement in technological advances
- Modes of technological transmission
Technology in the ancient world
- The beginnings—Stone Age technology (to c. 3000 bce)
  - Earliest communities
  - The Neolithic Revolution
    - Stone
    - Power
    - Tools and weapons
    - Building techniques
    - Manufacturing
- The urban revolution (c. 3000–500 bce)
  - Craftsmen and scientists
  - Copper and bronze
  - Irrigation
  - Urban manufacturing
  - Building
  - Transmitting knowledge
- Technological achievements of Greece and Rome (500 bce–500 ce)
  - The mastery of iron
  - Mechanical contrivances
  - Agriculture
  - Building
  - Other fields of technology
    - Transport
    - Military technology
From the Middle Ages to 1750
- Medieval advance (500–1500 ce)
  - Innovation
    - Byzantium
    - Islam
    - India
    - China
  - Power sources
  - Agriculture and crafts
  - Architecture
  - Military technology
  - Transport
  - Communications
- The emergence of Western technology (1500–1750)
  - The Renaissance
  - The steam engine
  - Metallurgy and mining
  - New commodities
  - Agriculture
  - Construction
    - Land reclamation
    - Military fortifications
  - Transport and communications
  - Chemistry
The Industrial Revolution (1750–1900)
- Power technology
  - Windmills
  - Steam engines
  - Electricity
  - Internal-combustion engine
  - Petroleum
- Development of industries
  - Metallurgy
    - Iron and steel
    - Low-grade ores
  - Mechanical engineering
  - Textiles
  - Chemicals
  - Agriculture
  - Civil engineering
  - Transport and communications
    - Steam locomotive
    - Road locomotive
    - Steamboats and ships
    - Printing and photography
    - Telegraphs and telephones
  - Military technology
The 20th and 21st centuries
- Technology from 1900 to 1945
  - Fuel and power
    - Gas-turbine engine
    - Petroleum
    - Electricity
    - Atomic power
  - Industry and innovation
    - Improvements in iron and steel
    - Building materials
    - Plastics
    - Synthetic fibres
    - Synthetic rubber
    - Pharmaceuticals and medical technology
  - Food and agriculture
  - Civil engineering
  - Transportation
  - Communications
  - Military technology
- Space-age technology
  - Power
    - Alternatives to fossil fuels
    - Gas turbine
  - Materials
  - Automation and the computer
  - Food production
  - Civil engineering
  - Transport and communications
  - Military technology
  - Space exploration
Perceptions of technology
- Science and technology
- Criticisms of technology
- The technological dilemma
  - Nuclear technology
  - Population explosion
  - Ecological balance
- Technological society
  - Interactions between society and technology
  - The putative autonomy of technology
  - Technology and education
  - The quality of life

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