SCIENCE, TECH., & SOCIETY
LECTURE / 1ST SEMESTER / THURSDAYS 1:00-4:00PM
LESSON 2: HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Stone Age anthropologists think that H. habilis was largely a scavenger of meat
Stone tool have long been the first recognized technology. It is as well as a gatherer of berries, nuts, and roots.
almost certain that wooden tools preceded stone by millions of
years, but wood survives only in expectational circumstances. • recognition of the plants that could be eaten and where to find
Therefore, we must begin with the stone tool first found in Olduvai them.
Gorge in Tanzania by Louis and Mary Leaky and others, and • the ability to make simple tools for digging roots or scraping
since found elsewhere in Africa as well, It is customary to think that meat off bone.
those tools were made by one for our direct ancestors, perhaps • discovered how to control fire and began to build substantial
Homo habilis or H. rudolfensis 2,500,000 years ago Despite this structures with wood posts.
common assumption, some evidence suggest that the first stone
• Mathematics and astronomy
tools where made by those early relatives not on the direct line
• Notches on artifacts have been interpreted as tally marks or
modern humans, the australopithecines.
counters, as calendars, and as records of the lunar cycle.
• Early tools associated with H. habilis and H. rudolfensis were
• Detected patterns in the apparent motions of the stars and
simple broken pebbles.
possibly even in the real motions of the planets through the
• Next technology came after different species emerged, H.
night sky.
ergaster and H erectus (1,800,000 years ago.) These African
• Botanical taxonomy was undoubtedly accurate.
and Asian humans improved stone tools by flaking pieces off
• It is also likely that knowledge of plants whose chemical
a core, creating distinctive shapes with only a single cutting
edge that we call hand axes (or bifaces) and sharpers or properties are useful as poisons, dyes, or medicines had its
beginnings during the hunter-gatherer period.
choppers.
Technological Innovations Among Hunter Gathers
• Hammerstone used to work the other tools could be thought
• Hunting weapons
of as the first “machine tool”
• In 1865 -John Lubbock further sub-divided the Stone Age • sling, the bow, the bolo, the fishhook, and the spear thrower.
into the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age. After these • The progress in technology is most clearly seen in the further
simple names were translated into the Greek-derived refinement of stone tools and in the Neolithic use of many other
technical terms Paleolithic and Neolithic, a middle stone materials.
age, the Mesolithic was added. Agricultural Revolution
• The hand axe and scraper set of tools, or toolkit or industry, • Renamed as Neolithic Revolution (Vere) Gordon Childe (in
continued for more than a million years before a different stone 1950)
tool emerged. Various types of points, often considered to be • Started about 10,000 years ago, or near 8000 BCE
spearheads, knives, arrowheads, or teeth (such as saws’ • made the major technological advancement of domesticating
teeth) were devised. They became parts of different toolkits animals and plants.
used by different societies of later species, such as H. • introduction of sun-dried bricks and mortar.
heidelbergensis and H. neanderthalensis (600,000 to • A significant advance toward the end of the Agricultural
30,000 years ago), as well as by our own species, H. sapiens Revolution, however, was the use of metal for tools.
(which may be 200,000 years old). Other stone tools from this • Copper was the first metal to be employed (6400 BCE)
period included awls or needles as well as burins (engraving • Bronze (3000 - 1500 BCE)
tools). • Iron
• The New Stone Age, or Neolithic, occupies a much shorter • Ceramics Age
time than the Old Stone Age. Various criteria • since pottery and other ceramics, along with glass, were
• Produce different starting dates for the Neolithic, but in terms dominant.
of the kinds of stone tools manufactured, such as ground • Wheel Age potter's wheel, the wheeled vehicle, and
stone axe or adze heads and small points called microliths, wheels in various devices
the period began as early as 20,000 years ago in Europe and • another great advance in transportation - the sail.
ended when metal came into common use, about 5,000 years Civilization
ago. In other regions, Neolithic technology persisted much • Civilizations began to rise following Agricultural Revolution
later, with some stone tools, such as arrowheads, still in use • as a society that includes towns of at least 5000 people, a
in the 20th century in a few societies. written language, and monumental religious works
produced in service of a stale religion.
Knowledge Among Hunter-Gatherers • a significant minority became full-time warriors, traders,
The great apes live primarily by foraging, rather than gathering the merchants’ manufacturers, accountants, builders, or rulers.
difference being that a gatherer brings food picked up in various Ancient Times
places back to a central location for consumption or storage People’s Concerns:
whereas a forager eats the food on site. There is no reason to
suppose that the earliest hominids were gatherers, but there is some A. Transportation
evidence that H. habilis and H. rudolfensis occupied certain sites, • To search for food.
called living floors by paleoanthropologists (scientists who study
• To find better locations for settlements.
early hominids, including early H. sapiens). Thus, we believe that
• To trade goods
these early hominids had a lifestyle that is called hunting and
B. Navigation
gathering, an economy that persists today in a few isolated
• important in the journey to unfamiliar places.
societies. The hunting part is some- times questioned. Many
C. Communication
LECTURE / 1ST SEMESTER / THURSDAYS 1:00-4:00PM
LESSON 2: HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Stone Age anthropologists think that H. habilis was largely a scavenger of meat
Stone tool have long been the first recognized technology. It is as well as a gatherer of berries, nuts, and roots.
almost certain that wooden tools preceded stone by millions of
years, but wood survives only in expectational circumstances. • recognition of the plants that could be eaten and where to find
Therefore, we must begin with the stone tool first found in Olduvai them.
Gorge in Tanzania by Louis and Mary Leaky and others, and • the ability to make simple tools for digging roots or scraping
since found elsewhere in Africa as well, It is customary to think that meat off bone.
those tools were made by one for our direct ancestors, perhaps • discovered how to control fire and began to build substantial
Homo habilis or H. rudolfensis 2,500,000 years ago Despite this structures with wood posts.
common assumption, some evidence suggest that the first stone
• Mathematics and astronomy
tools where made by those early relatives not on the direct line
• Notches on artifacts have been interpreted as tally marks or
modern humans, the australopithecines.
counters, as calendars, and as records of the lunar cycle.
• Early tools associated with H. habilis and H. rudolfensis were
• Detected patterns in the apparent motions of the stars and
simple broken pebbles.
possibly even in the real motions of the planets through the
• Next technology came after different species emerged, H.
night sky.
ergaster and H erectus (1,800,000 years ago.) These African
• Botanical taxonomy was undoubtedly accurate.
and Asian humans improved stone tools by flaking pieces off
• It is also likely that knowledge of plants whose chemical
a core, creating distinctive shapes with only a single cutting
edge that we call hand axes (or bifaces) and sharpers or properties are useful as poisons, dyes, or medicines had its
beginnings during the hunter-gatherer period.
choppers.
Technological Innovations Among Hunter Gathers
• Hammerstone used to work the other tools could be thought
• Hunting weapons
of as the first “machine tool”
• In 1865 -John Lubbock further sub-divided the Stone Age • sling, the bow, the bolo, the fishhook, and the spear thrower.
into the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age. After these • The progress in technology is most clearly seen in the further
simple names were translated into the Greek-derived refinement of stone tools and in the Neolithic use of many other
technical terms Paleolithic and Neolithic, a middle stone materials.
age, the Mesolithic was added. Agricultural Revolution
• The hand axe and scraper set of tools, or toolkit or industry, • Renamed as Neolithic Revolution (Vere) Gordon Childe (in
continued for more than a million years before a different stone 1950)
tool emerged. Various types of points, often considered to be • Started about 10,000 years ago, or near 8000 BCE
spearheads, knives, arrowheads, or teeth (such as saws’ • made the major technological advancement of domesticating
teeth) were devised. They became parts of different toolkits animals and plants.
used by different societies of later species, such as H. • introduction of sun-dried bricks and mortar.
heidelbergensis and H. neanderthalensis (600,000 to • A significant advance toward the end of the Agricultural
30,000 years ago), as well as by our own species, H. sapiens Revolution, however, was the use of metal for tools.
(which may be 200,000 years old). Other stone tools from this • Copper was the first metal to be employed (6400 BCE)
period included awls or needles as well as burins (engraving • Bronze (3000 - 1500 BCE)
tools). • Iron
• The New Stone Age, or Neolithic, occupies a much shorter • Ceramics Age
time than the Old Stone Age. Various criteria • since pottery and other ceramics, along with glass, were
• Produce different starting dates for the Neolithic, but in terms dominant.
of the kinds of stone tools manufactured, such as ground • Wheel Age potter's wheel, the wheeled vehicle, and
stone axe or adze heads and small points called microliths, wheels in various devices
the period began as early as 20,000 years ago in Europe and • another great advance in transportation - the sail.
ended when metal came into common use, about 5,000 years Civilization
ago. In other regions, Neolithic technology persisted much • Civilizations began to rise following Agricultural Revolution
later, with some stone tools, such as arrowheads, still in use • as a society that includes towns of at least 5000 people, a
in the 20th century in a few societies. written language, and monumental religious works
produced in service of a stale religion.
Knowledge Among Hunter-Gatherers • a significant minority became full-time warriors, traders,
The great apes live primarily by foraging, rather than gathering the merchants’ manufacturers, accountants, builders, or rulers.
difference being that a gatherer brings food picked up in various Ancient Times
places back to a central location for consumption or storage People’s Concerns:
whereas a forager eats the food on site. There is no reason to
suppose that the earliest hominids were gatherers, but there is some A. Transportation
evidence that H. habilis and H. rudolfensis occupied certain sites, • To search for food.
called living floors by paleoanthropologists (scientists who study
• To find better locations for settlements.
early hominids, including early H. sapiens). Thus, we believe that
• To trade goods
these early hominids had a lifestyle that is called hunting and
B. Navigation
gathering, an economy that persists today in a few isolated
• important in the journey to unfamiliar places.
societies. The hunting part is some- times questioned. Many
C. Communication
