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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.

The School of Athens
5 June, 2017 - 02:08 Sam Bostrom

The Lost Knowledge of the Ancients: Were Humans the First? Part 1

Much of modern science was known in ancient times. Robots and computers were a reality long before the 1940´s. The early Bronze Age inhabitants of the Levant used computers in stone, the Greeks in...
Representation of an ancient Egyptian chariot.
28 May, 2017 - 02:00 David Waters

The Untold History of The Wheel And Its Evolution

The wheel can be considered mankind’s most important invention, the utility of which is still applied in multiple spheres of our daily life. While most other inventions have been derived from nature...
The Antikythera Mechanism, National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece
18 May, 2017 - 18:58 Theodoros Karasavvas

115 Years Since Sensational Discovery of The World’s First Analogue Computer

Every time ancient Greece is mentioned most people automatically think of democracy, the Olympic Games, mythology and philosophy. It seems that not many are aware of how advanced the ancient Greeks...
Some of the original 9 axe heads or “Celts’ plus the spearhead found by the Korstad brothers.
7 May, 2017 - 14:04 ancient-origins

Hobbyist Metal Detectorists Find Hoard of 3000-year-old Axes in Farmer's Field in Norway

Some 3,000 years ago, 24 axes were cached in Stjørdal municipality, about 44 km (27.3 miles) east of Trondheim. They're now seeing the light of day once again. In late April, a sensational discovery...
The Bull by Stuart Yeates.
26 April, 2017 - 18:52 dhwty

Brazen Bull: Gruesome Ancient Greek Torture Device Turned Screams into ‘Music’

The Brazen Bull (known also as the ‘Bull of Phalaris’, the ‘Bronze Bull’ or the ‘Sicilian Bull’) was a type of ancient torture and execution device from ancient Greece. The story of the Brazen Bull...
Catapulta by Edward Poynter
31 March, 2017 - 18:54 Kerry Sullivan

Were Catapults the Secret to Roman Military Success?

The Roman Empire conquered the known world in large part due to its army. The Roman Army was a formidable force of training and discipline led by military minds who established organizational and...
Common Tools or Ancient Advanced Technology? How Did the Egyptians Bore Through Granite?
13 March, 2017 - 17:48 Caleb Strom

Common Tools or Ancient Advanced Technology? How Did the Egyptians Bore Through Granite?

Ancient Egypt is known for many technological and artistic achievements, constructing pyramids and temples, inventing a system of writing, hieroglyphs, and making advancements in medicine, astronomy...
Reconstruction of a polybolos, ancient Greek repeating ballista.
2 March, 2017 - 13:55 dhwty

An Ancient Greek Machine Gun? The Innovative Catapult of Dionysius

The polybolos (which may be translated literally as ‘multiple thrower’) was a type of weapon used in the ancient world. The polybolos has been described as a sort of ballista / catapult that was...
2000-Year-Old Bronze Toy Provides Clues on How the Best Roman Chariots were Constructed to Win Races
15 January, 2017 - 00:48 Mark Miller

2000-Year-Old Bronze Toy Provides Clues on How the Best Roman Chariots were Constructed to Win Races

Toy models have fascinated kids since ancient times and the more realistic they look, the better. One rich kid in ancient Rome had a very special model toy chariot made of bronze. The model was found...
Philip’s Fountain: The Oldest Still-In-Use Hydraulic Work in the World
15 October, 2016 - 00:44 Kerry Sullivan

Philip’s Fountain: The Oldest Still-In-Use Hydraulic Work in the World

The Filippeios Krini (Philip’s Fountain) is a 2,300-year-old fountain that was commissioned by King Philip II of Macedonia. It has miraculous survived in working order to the present day, making it...
The Great Pyramid of Giza: A Modern View on Ancient Knowledge, Air and Fire – Part II
14 October, 2016 - 03:46 Willem Witteveen

The Great Pyramid of Giza: A Modern View on Ancient Knowledge, Air and Fire – Part II

The water was pushed via the Sphinx into the Great Pyramid under great pressure and filled up the lower part of the interior system. After closing the water supply a special return valve fell back...
The Great Pyramid of Giza: A Modern View on Ancient Knowledge, Earth and Water – Part I
14 October, 2016 - 00:51 Willem Witteveen

The Great Pyramid of Giza: A Modern View on Ancient Knowledge, Earth and Water – Part I

The four visible side faces of the Great Pyramid of Giza reflect the four earthly elements Earth, Water, Air and Fire. The fifth invisible element Aether is represented by the invisible ground...
The Great Pyramid at Giza and Noah’s Ark: Are we coming closer to an understanding of the Ancient Mind? Part II
4 September, 2016 - 03:50 Carl Johan Calleman

The Great Pyramid at Giza and Noah’s Ark: Are we coming closer to an understanding of the Ancient Mind? Part II

[Read Part I] Let us then return to the Great Pyramid. Why was it built in the first place? According to the ancient Egyptian sources the pyramids were built to reflect the primeval mound that had...
The Pantheon dome. The concrete for the coffered dome was poured in moulds, probably mounted on temporary scaffolding.
8 August, 2016 - 21:47 ancient-origins

From Chrome Plating to Nanotubes: The Modern Chemistry First Used in Ancient Times

The ancient Babylonians were the first to use sophisticated geometry – a staggering 1,400 years before it was previously thought to have been developed. Sadly, these mathematical innovations were...
The Remarkable Ancient Navigation System of the Marshall Islands
3 August, 2016 - 03:43 Mark Miller

The Remarkable Ancient Navigation System of the Marshall Islands

People were navigating long distances between islands in the Pacific for at least 2,000 years. How did they do it without astrolabes, sextants or modern satellite positioning technology? One group,...
Vikings. Summer in the Greenland coast circa year 1000.
5 June, 2016 - 14:56 William James Veall

Remote Sensing Satellite Uncovers Astonishing New Evidence of Viking Presence in Newfoundland, Canada

Ancient Origins Guest Writer, William James Veall, is far afield from his usual research concerning Trans-Oceanic visitations to South America. On this occasion he turns his attention towards the...
Advanced Technology of the Ancient Chinese Automata
4 June, 2016 - 03:34 dhwty

Advanced Technology of the Ancient Chinese Automata

The word automaton is said to be the Latinized form of the Greek word, automatos, meaning ‘thinking’, ‘animated’ or ‘willing’. Thus, this word has been used to describe moving machines, especially...
An Undersea Mystery: The Accidental Discovery of the Ghost Ship in the Baltic Sea
29 May, 2016 - 21:38 dhwty

An Undersea Mystery: The Accidental Discovery of the Ghost Ship in the Baltic Sea

The Ghost Ship is a shipwreck that was discovered in the middle of the Baltic Sea. This ship was found by accident in 2003, and the first full-scale archaeological expedition to study it was launched...
The Mystical Pentatonic Scale and Ancient Instruments, Part I: Bone Flutes
4 May, 2016 - 00:58 Willy Minnix

The Mystical Pentatonic Scale and Ancient Instruments, Part I: Bone Flutes

One of the ancient technologies that is often overlooked is the creation of musical instruments. The purpose, development and in some cases the techniques used to develop music remains a mystery...
From Chrome Plating to Nanotubes: The ‘Modern’ Chemistry First Used in Ancient Times
2 May, 2016 - 14:59 ancient-origins

From Chrome Plating to Nanotubes: The ‘Modern’ Chemistry First Used in Ancient Times

By Mark Lorch | Epoch Times The ancient Babylonians were the first to use sophisticated geometry – a staggering 1,400 years before it was previously thought to have been developed. Sadly, these...
A reconstruction of a hwacha.
23 April, 2016 - 03:53 dhwty

The Powerful Hwacha: An Early Korean Rocket Launcher

The hwacha (which roughly translates as fire chariot ) is a type of weapon developed in Korea, and used by its army on the field of battle. This weapon is best known for its deployment during the...
Metal belt from Metsamor site, Armenia. Second century BC.
6 March, 2016 - 14:21 Lilit Mkhitaryan

The Legacy of Armenia: Trade, Metallurgy, and Forging of Precious Metals of the Ancient World

Since ancient times, demand for metals has been a big part of commercial exchange between countries separated by great distance. The Armenian Highland is situated between the Anatolian and Iranian...
This piece of glass, a footed bowl, was blown about 1500 in Venice and enameled in the late 19th century in France.
6 February, 2016 - 00:53 Mark Miller

Expert Reveals Top Secret Venetian Glassblowing Techniques from the Renaissance

Throughout history, some artists, craftsmen and chefs have carefully protected and concealed knowledge about their processes or recipes. One such art was glass-blowing in Venice, where the process...
The Pantheon dome - made entirely out of concrete.
5 February, 2016 - 03:45 ancient-origins

From Chrome Plating to Nanotubes: the ‘Modern’ Chemistry First Used in Ancient Times

The ancient Babylonians were the first to use sophisticated geometry – a staggering 1,400 years before it was previously thought to have been developed. Sadly, these mathematical innovations were...

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