Ancient Technology

Dating back thousands of years are numerous examples of ancient technology that leave us awe-struck at the knowledge and wisdom held by people of our past. They were the result of incredible advances in engineering and innovation as new, powerful civilizations emerged and came to dominate the ancient world. These advances stimulated societies to adopt new ways of living and governance, as well as new ways of understanding their world. However, many ancient technology mysteries were forgotten, lost to the pages of history, only to be re-invented millennia later. Here we feature ancient technology history and dozens of amazing artifacts that reflect the brilliance of ancient minds.

Metatarsal bones of a cave bear discovered to bear cut marks. Source: ©Volker Minkus/ University of Tübingen

29 December, 2022 - 17:56 Sahir

Fur Coats from 300,000 Years Ago: Earliest Evidence of Bear Skin Use

Fur coats aren’t just a product of the modern industrial period, but now are seen to have a tradition stretching back some 300,000 years ago, albeit in a different setting altogether. People have...

Stone projectile points discovered buried inside and outside of pit features at the Cooper’s Ferry site, Area B. Source:Oregon State University

27 December, 2022 - 13:57 Sahir

Cooper’s Ferry Site Yields Oldest Stone Weaponry Found in the Americas

Examination of stone tools excavated at the Cooper Ferry’s site in Idaho has revealed the presence of humans in North America 16,000 years ago. Having left behind distinctive Clovis points, their...

Some of the objects that were dug out from the Viking grave in Oslo. The box on the left contains the remains of the cape brooch with spheres. Source: Byantikvaren in Oslo

23 December, 2022 - 21:52 ashley cowie

Very Rare Viking Grave Excavated in Western Oslo

An exceptionally rare Viking Age grave has been unearthed in Oslo, Norway’s capital city. The Viking Age (793–1066 AD) followed the Migration Period and the Germanic Iron Age in Europe . At this time...

Representational image of the traces of gold discovered on the surfaces of tools that made up a 3,800-year-old toolkit found near Stonehenge over 200 years ago. Source: ninell / Adobe Stock

16 December, 2022 - 00:00 Nathan Falde

3,800-Year-Old Toolkit Unearthed Near Stonehenge Was Used to Work Gold

A team of archaeologists from the Universities of Leicester and Southampton in the United Kingdom have just published a study reporting that enigmatic artifacts recovered from a significant Bronze...

A large axe-grinding stone near Balfron in Scotland is where Neolithic toolmakers sharpened stone axes thousands of years ago. Source: Dr. Murray Cook

15 December, 2022 - 02:00 ashley cowie

Ancient Giant Axe-Grinding Stone Unearthed in Scotland

Archaeologists and volunteers examining a 4,500-year-old Neolithic site near Balfron, beside Stirling in Central Scotland, recently rolled back turf and revealed a giant slab of sandstone. Marked...

The Kalmar sword in situ where it was found. The tip is broken. Maybe in connection with battle? Source: Arkeologerna

3 December, 2022 - 02:00 ashley cowie

This Rare Battle-Sword Just Found in Sweden Is “An Evolutionary Leap”

Researchers in Sweden were excavating a 400-year-old cellar floor when they came across this “rare” battle-sword from the Military Revolution. Archaeologists from Arkeologerna were digging at the...

Horse armor owned by Anna Jagellonica of Poland. Previous owners: Johan III of Sweden, Sigismund III of Sweden-Poland, Sigismund II August of Poland. Made of driven sheet steel with etched and enameled decoration on the outside. A total of eight parts. At Sweden’s State History Museum Source: Livrustkammaren (The Royal Armoury) / CC BY-SA

27 November, 2022 - 13:55 Gary Manners

16 Striking Pieces of Horse Armor That Protected Them in Battle

The trusty steed was not just the loyal companion of knights and cavaliers, but invaluable to the war arsenal of many armies across the globe, as well as those in jousting tournaments. Such valuable...

The backboard of the Kiribati armor was designed to protect from rear attacks (British Museum / CC BY SA 4.0)

20 November, 2022 - 13:55 Robbie Mitchell

Kiribati Coconut Armor - Not as Nutty as it Sounds!

At first sight, Kiribati armor might look a little strange, it is certainly not a suit of armor as we tend to think of it. It was surprisingly effective, given that it was made from coconut fibers,...

Historic photo of the Stone figures found in Oxkintok, plus photo of one stone figure, now in Natural History Museum in Merida. Source: Author provided

2 November, 2022 - 13:52 Cliff Dunning

Examining Out-of-Place Stone Figures from the Forgotten City of Oxkintok

I’ve had an affinity for the Maya civilization for almost 30 years, and between working with native elders, vacations, and leading tour group visits to Mexico, I can vouch for the mystical nature of...

Hero’s trumpet automaton was a type of early doorbell, announcing the arrival of guests and dignitaries Source: Vibe Images / Adobe Stock

31 October, 2022 - 17:58 Lex Leigh

Hero’s Clever Trumpet Automaton: A 2,000-Year-Old Doorbell

Much of the technology we have today is inspired by some of the most fascinating ancient inventions in history. One of these inventions was Hero’s trumpet automaton, which is considered to be one of...

Intricate incense clocks were developed in Qing Dynasty China. Source: Science Museum Group / CC BY SA 4.0

20 October, 2022 - 01:55 Lex Leigh

Ancient Incense Clocks: A Timely Glow

Checking the time hasn’t always been as easy as glancing at your smartphone. In ancient times, humans would determine the time by using devices made of sand, stone, shadows, wheels, and more. One...

The Roman Colosseum’s architecture remains awe-inspiring today, with more still to be learned. Source: daliu / Adobe Stock

16 October, 2022 - 22:50 Robbie Mitchell

The Mind-Blowing Architecture and Engineering of Rome’s Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum is one of the most famous and impressive ancient sites still in existence today. Every year, millions of tourists flock to see it, and it has been dubbed one of the ‘New Seven...

Grave Naiskos of an Enthroned Woman With An Attendant dates from around 100BC. Source: Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program

13 October, 2022 - 22:52 Joanna Gillan

8 Truly Puzzling Artworks Showing Ancient People Using Modern Tech!

How do we make sense of old and ancient artworks depicting laptops with USB ports, smartphones, spaceships, astronaut suits, and wrist watches? Historians say it is easy and that every one of these...

Part of the Novae Roman military camp. (Kleo73 / CC BY-SA 3.0) Insert: Ancient Roman fridge found at the site. Source: P. Dyczek / PAP

10 October, 2022 - 22:53 ashley cowie

Ancient Fridge Unearthed at Roman Military Camp in Bulgaria Kept Food Cool

Polish archaeologists excavating a Roman military camp in Bulgaria expected to discover some coins; and they weren’t really surprised by the hoards of day-to-day tools and the expansive ancient water...

The UNESCO West-African Burkina Faso metallurgy site’s Tiwêga furnace, near Kaya. Source: Sébastien Moriset / © DSCPM/MCAT

7 October, 2022 - 22:45 Lex Leigh

Impressive Metalworking in Burkina Faso Goes Back 2,800 Years

One of the most fascinating World Heritage Sites is the Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso. Metallurgy in Burkina Faso was a common practice throughout this area of Africa that dates...

View of the Turtle Ship at Hallyeo National Marine Park in Tongyeong, South Korea. Source: CC BY-SA 3.0

5 October, 2022 - 22:55 Robbie Mitchell

The Turtle Ship: A Contender for the World’s First Armored Battleship

As a species, humanity has always been shockingly gifted at finding new ways to kill one another. As wars have raged over the millennia, armaments have had to evolve. This has led to some genuinely...

Ancient Roman refrigerator found at Novae Roman settlement, Bulgaria. Source: P. Dyczek / PAP

30 September, 2022 - 22:53 Nathan Falde

Archaeologists Unearth First Century Roman Refrigerator in Bulgaria

Over the last few decades, archaeologists from Bulgaria and Poland have been performing excavations at the site where the Roman legionary fortress of Novae once stood. The ruins of the fortress can...

The Pesse canoe, shown here, believed to be the world's oldest known boat, was made roughly 10,000 years ago in the Mesolithic period, from a Scots pine trunk, in the Netherlands region.

21 September, 2022 - 18:58 Lex Leigh

Europe’s Famous Mesolithic Pesse Canoe: Earth’s Oldest Known Boat

One of the most interesting artifact discoveries was the finding of the Pesse canoe in 1955. This unique boat is considered to be the oldest boat in existence and is estimated to be around 10,000...

Leonardo da Vinci’s weapons included a tank and a scythed chariot, drawings shown here. Source: janaka Dharmasena / Adobe Stock

17 September, 2022 - 19:00 Robbie Mitchell

Da Vinci’s Deadly Designs: The Wildest Weapons of the Renaissance Man

Although Leonardo da Vinci is predominantly remembered as a great artist, he was also a remarkable scientist and inventor. Many of his inventions were weird, some were wonderful, and more than a few...

An artist's illustration showing how a now-defunct arm of the Nile River known as the Khufu branch once reached the pyramids, which the Giza pyramid builders used to great advantage to move heavy construction materials according the recent PNAS pollen core study. Source: Alex Boersma / PNAS

31 August, 2022 - 14:50 Nathan Falde

How Egyptian Pyramid Builders Moved Construction Materials by Water

Regardless of how they were constructed, the Egyptian pyramids of the Giza Plateau represent one of mankind’s most astonishing engineering achievements. The logistical challenges of moving millions...

Chinese knife money. Source: sytilin / Adobe Stock

27 August, 2022 - 18:51 Mark Johnston

Chinese Knife Money: Making Markets feel Murderous?

The days of ‘cash as king’ are fading. Today, credit, debit, and digital currency have begun to slowly replace cash as the primary forms of payment, but it was not always so. For centuries, paper...

Glassblowing processs, with a ball of glass being heated by a kiln. Source: SvetlanaSF / Adobe Stock

17 August, 2022 - 18:59 Lex Leigh

Heat, Blow, and Roll: The History of Glassblowing

One of the most fascinating crafts in the art world is the practice of glassblowing. Glassblowing is the art of creating beautiful pieces of glassware by blowing air into semi-molten glass through a...

The Russian Compound excavation site in central Jerusalem and the Roman siege engine ballista stones found there, which were then used to plot the launch location of the projectiles. Source: Yoli Schwartz / Israel Antiquities Authority

11 August, 2022 - 18:53 ashley cowie

Roman Siege Engines Tracked and Traced in Jerusalem

An Israeli archaeologist has been digging up and plotting the location of big roundish rocks in a specific area of ancient Jerusalem. But these are no building blocks, quite the opposite. They were...

Left; 1660 chart illustrating Tycho Brahe’s model of the universe Right; Portrait of Tycho Braha, Skokloster Castle, Source: Left; Public Domain, Right; Public Domain

10 August, 2022 - 14:59 Sahir

Tycho the Psycho? Meet One of History’s Maddest Scientific Minds Ever!

Tycho Brahe, the 16th century Danish astronomer, alchemist, astrologist, and scientist (1546-1601) was a force to be reckoned with – the true epitome of the brilliant, mad scientist. In the backdrop...

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