History of Time – sundials and clocks
Egyptian sundial (Valley of the Kings, Egypt, ca. 1300 BC). It's on a small chip of limestone so you could carry it around. Using the sun to tell time During [...]
What is steel? Ancient and medieval steel
Damascus steel sword from the 1200s AD Soon after 300 BC, with the rise of the Silk Road, people were all looking for new ideas for things they could sell. Thanks to Buddhist [...]
What is rubber? History of rubber
A big rubber tree in Mexico Olmec people, living in southern Mexico, invented rubber about 1600 BC. It was just as they were beginning to build their empire. Rubber starts out as [...]
What is a pontoon bridge? History of science
A pontoon bridge from the Column of Marcus Aurelius, in Rome A pontoon bridge is a temporary bridge that you make by lining up a lot of boats crossways across the river, [...]
Scientific observation – history of science
Black-eyed Susan (the black in the middle is the seeds) Before people had any idea why anything happened, or how, they could at least find out what happened. People watched plants grow. [...]
Steel history – medieval to modern steel
Steel history: a Safavid steel helmet (Iran, 1500s AD) Medieval steel from India and Iran The wars after the collapse of the Mongol Empire in the 1300s stopped steel production in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. [...]
Silver and silver mining – the history
Silver mining slaves at Laurion, near Athens Why did people want silver? People first mined silver in the Bronze Age. Like gold, silver is a great way to help people trade. [...]
History of iron and early steel
History of iron: a Greek black-figure vase showing a blacksmith at work (Athens, about 550 BC) Why do people use iron? The history of iron doesn't start until much later [...]
History of gold and gold mining
History of gold - a bust of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamon When did people first use gold? People have been using gold to make jewelry since the Stone Age. You can find it [...]
What is a bellows? Who invented the bellows?
(Tomb of Rekhmire, Egypt, ca. 1450 BC) Who invented the first bellows? About 14,000 BC, potters in China started to use kilns to fire clay pots. By about 3500 BC, people in West Asia were beginning to [...]
