There's no denying that mankind has an innate draw to creating new things, especially if it makes their lives easier. Since ancient times, our species has used our large and well-developed brains to create and invent things, beginning with crude stone tools and eventually leading to the modern technological age that we live in. However, some of history's most impressive inventions took place thousands of years ago, and are so effective that we still use many of them today. See what some of these incredible inventions are and how they shaped the world we live in.
Thank The Egyptians For Paper
The Egyptians had been developing a process for making paper from the pith of the papyrus plant as early as 3000 B.C. Commonly found along the banks of the Nile River, long strips were woven together and weighed down, resulting in the reeds binding together to create a strong, thin sheet of primitive paper.
They invented writing tools as well, making pens cut from reeds that were strong enough to write on the papyrus. The Egyptians would then mix soot with other organic materials such as beeswax and vegetable gum to make ink. Incredibly, some of the writings on the papyrus sheets have lasted more than 5,000 years.
Rome Was Built On Concrete
Opus caementicium, otherwise known as Roman concrete, first made its emergence in history around 2,100 years ago. It is believed that its development resulted in the building frenzy that took place under the rule of Augustus, the first Roman Emperor in 27 B.C. The Romans discovered that if they mixed limestone with volcanic ash, and then mixed it with chunks of brick or volcanic tuff, they could create an incredibly strong material.
They then used this material to build roads, bridges, aqueducts, and iconic structures such as the Colosseum and Pantheon. Although not as strong as modern concrete, historians are still impressed by its durability.
The Acheulean Handaxe Was One Of Mankind's First Tools
Projectile pointy pieces of stone and bones were used by early humans to both hunt animals as well as battle one another. However, before humans learned how to create and use projectile weapons, they relied heavily on handheld stone tools.
The Acheulean Handaxe is arguably the first tool early humans made, which was a triangular, leaf-shaped rock that was most likely used for butchering animals. The oldest of these handaxes to be discovered was found in Kenya and is believed to be around 1.7 million years old. It is also assumed that the handaxe didn't change much until around 450,000 years ago.
Shoes Allowed Humans To Walk Where They Never Could Before
Having protection for your feet is always necessary, especially for ancient humans, who had to walk across sharp rocks, poisonous plants, and past animals that could potentially attack a far more often than humans today. Some of the earliest shoes have been found in American caves and are believed to date back more than 12,000 years ago.
In fact, scholars believe that shoes changed the structure of our feet, which has been evidenced more than 40,000 years ago from Tianyuan Cave in what is now China. However, one of the oldest and best-preserved pair of shoes were found in a cave in Armenia, dating back 5,500 years ago.
A 2,000-Year-Old Earthquake Detector
Although even in modern society, we cannot accurately predict earthquakes, we certainly have come a long way. However, few people know that researchers began studying earthquakes more than 2,000 years ago. In 132 AD, Chinese astronomer, mathematician, engineer, and inventor Zhang "Chang" Heng invented the first seismoscope. Considering the time that it was constructed, it was impressively accurate in detecting earthquakes from afar.
The seismoscope was a large bronze vessel with eight dragons facing down to resemble a compass. Beneath the dragons were eight bronze toads with their mouths each holding a small bronze ball. When the ball would make noise inside one of the mouths it alerted observers of an earthquake and roughly what direction it was in.
The Wheel Changed Everything
Often regarded as one of the greatest inventions in human history, the creation of the wheel and wheeled vehicles pulled by livestock changed the world. The ability to move large amounts of goods over the landscape permitted widespread trade, as well as easier transportation for people to settle in new regions.
Although there were many positive aspects to the invention of the wheel, it also had its fair amount of downsides. Not only did it transport goods faster, but also disease. It also resulted in larger and more devastating wars.
The Newspaper May Have Started In Ancient Rome
The Acta Diurna or "daily acts" first appeared around 131 B.C., and was a periodical of the political and social happenings in ancient Rome. Events such as military information, gladiatorial games, births, deaths, and other news were inscribed on metal or stone and posted in heavily trafficked areas such as the Roman Forum.
Under Julius Caesar, the Acta Senatus began releasing information about the Roman Senate. Both the Acta Senatus and the Acta Diurna can be seen as the predecessors for the modern newspaper.
Chocolate Hasn't Lost Its Value In Hundreds Of Years
3,000 years ago, the Maya, Aztec, and Toltec peoples of ancient Mesoamerica began harvesting the beans from the cacao tree. They then transformed the beans from the cacao tree to prepare a beverage that was considered to increase energy, enhance mood, and act as an aphrodisiac all in one.
The Maya considered the cacao tree to be sacred and worshiped it, with the beans being so valuable that they were used as currency. When Spanish conquistadors arrived on the continent in the 16th century, they brought chocolate back to Europe with them which started a craze that has never ended.
Wine Has Been Around For Some Time
Many historians estimate that humans have been consuming some type of fermented fruit for at least 100,000 years, with the earliest evidence of a fruit being turned into alcohol was by using grapes. The fermentation process of turning grapes into wine is an invention from what is now China.
One of the earliest evidence of wine production comes from the Jiahu site, where a mixture of fermented rice, honey, and fruit was found that had been made in a ceramic jar around 9,000 years ago.
The Ancient Steam Engine
Hero of Alexandria was a 1st century Greek Mathematician and engineer credited with creating the first example of a steam engine. His invention was called the aeolipile, named after Aiolos, god of the wind. The aeolipile consisted of a sphere that could rotate on its axis.
Nozzles placed opposite each other would expel steam, resulting in the sphere beginning to reach a stable rotation speed. Incredibly, Hero's invention was widely forgotten until 1577, when astronomer and engineer Taqu al-Din "re-invented" the steam engine.
Using A Sunstone As A Navigational Tool
In ancient Norse myths, there is a supposedly "magical" gem that could reveal the position of the sun even when hidden behind clouds. Yet, it turns out this is no myth. In March 2013, a group of scientists announced that a unique calcite crystal was discovered in the wreckage of an Elizabethan ship sunk off the coast of the Channel Islands.
The crystal had the same characteristics as described in Norse myths and could be used as a navigational aid. What makes the sunstone so effective is that it creates a unique double refraction of sunlight, allowing the user to see the sun even when concealed by fog or clouds.
The Persians Discovered Refrigeration
During the winters, the ancient Persians used to bring ice from nearby mountains and store them in pits in the desert known as Yakhchāl, making it one of the earliest-known refrigerators. Food was then placed inside of the pits to keep food cool and to prevent spoiling during the hot summers.
While the structures look like nothing more than large domes, some were as tall as 60 feet and had massive amounts of underground storage space. These underground areas were connected to a qanat or wind catch, which had the ability to capture the wind and bring the temperature down to freezing levels to maintain the ice.
The Egyptians Built Their Pyramids With The Help Of Ramps
The ancient Egyptians are known for their construction of colossal structures, including pyramids and temples. In order to build these impressive monuments, they discovered how to implement the use of ramps during development that allowed the builders to carry heavy materials to extreme heights.
The ramps were built as the pyramid grew in height and was far more effective than lifting up supplies and materials vertically using ropes. It's proof that the Egyptians were far ahead of their time in terms of construction, among other things.
Ceramic Containers Revolutionized Transportation And Food Storage
The creation of ceramic containers or pottery vessels involved the collecting of clay and a tempering agent such as sand, shell fragments, quartz fiber and more. These ingredients are then mixed together and formed into a bowl or jar.
The vessel is then placed in a fire until it hardens and can hold water or other materials. The earliest evidence of clay vessels were found from the Chinese archaeological site of Xianrendong and were estimated to date back around 20,000 years ago.
The First-Ever Computer
In 1901, the Antikythera mechanism was retrieved from a shipwreck off of the Greek island of Antikythera. The instrument is believed to have been constructed by Greek scientists, with the device dating around 2,000 years ago.
Although archeologists weren't entirely sure what the artifact was, it was eventually announced that the Antikythera mechanism is an ancient hand-powered Greek analog computer and the first example of such a device. It was used to predict planetary positions and eclipses decades in advance.
Textiles Were Incredibly Hard To Make
Many products in both the modern and ancient world required textiles, which is the extensive process of transforming organic fibers into cloth. The cloth could then be used to make bags, clothing, sandals, fishing nets; the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, ancient textiles are difficult to find because they tend to disintegrate rather quickly.
Although finding original textiles may be impossible at times, archaeologists have found other materials necessary for producing textiles such as spindle whorls or net sinkers from fishing villages. The earliest discovery of twisted, cut, and dyed fibers were found at the Georgian site of Dzuduzana cave, believed to be around 36,000 to 30,000 years old.
The Lycurgus Cup Is Proof Of The Roman's Knowledge Of Nanoparticles
The Lycurgus Cup is an ancient jade-green cup that appears red when lit from behind. Although the cup initially confused historians in the 1950s, in the 1990s, scientists announced that the ancient Romans might have discovered how to use nanoparticles in art.
Under a microscope, scientists discovered that the cup had been created using silver and gold particles that were ground down to be as small as 50 nanometers in diameter, which is less than one-thousandth the size of a typical grain of salt. This results in the cup changing colors in different lighting and depending on the liquid poured into it.
Damascus Steel Is Still Held In High Regard Today
Damascus steel was the forged steel of the swords and other blades made in the Near East from the pieces of Wootz steel imported from Southern and Sri Lanka from the 3rd to the 17th century.
The blades are characterized by distinct patterns and are known to be incredibly durable, sharp, and shatter-proof. The steel is named after Damascus, the capital city of Syria, and one of the largest cities in the ancient Levant. For a time, the process of creating Damascus steel was lost until it was reverse engineered by modern blacksmiths.
Alarm Clocks Date Back To Ancient Greece
Although most people rely on digital alarm clocks built into their phones to wake them up in the morning, the concept of something loud waking you up at a specific time dates back to ancient Greece. One of the first of these devices was owned by the renowned philosopher Plato back in 428-348 B.C.
Plato had a large water clock that was attached to a water organ to awaken him for his dawn lectures. The first mechanical alarm clocks wouldn't appear until the 15th century, which was set by pushing a pin into one of a series of holes on a clock face.
The Egyptians Invented Massive Door Locks
While some people might even have electric locks on their doors, the majority of people today still use the rather complicated lock and key system to open doors. Interestingly, the ancient Egyptians had door locks too, except on a much bigger scale.
Back in 4,000 B.C., the Egyptians had a tumbler lock that was two feet in length. A large bolt was attached to the door connected using pins, each with a different pattern. Each key is unique to one lock, and the entire mechanism was made out of wood.
