WEEK 3
LESSON 2: EVIDENCE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DURING PRE-HISTORIC
TIMES
CONTENT STANDARD:
The learners demonstrate an understanding of development of science and technology
during Pre-historic times.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The students will be able to:
1. Describe the development of science and technology during this time;
2. Determine the significance and impact of the development of science and technology to
the society.
WORD BANK:
Stone age, bronze age, iron age, Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Australopithecus, and
Paranthropus.
DISCUSSION
Early humans attempted to understand the unknown world, they were curious about their
nature. They observed and started to record patterns, cycles and repetitions of what was
happening in their environment and started to look for an answer. With their experience they
were able to analyze and organize information and learned which led to the understanding of
Science.
Because early humans were able to organize information, they used the information they
acquired in starting the primitive technology thus gave its way to the birth of technology.
Therefore, technology has come to reality because of the desire of early humans to thrive and
survive, which later improved and made their life easier.
A. The Dawn of the First Civilizations
Ancient humans were able to discover and invent tools and methods as science
developed and progressed. With the availability of new scientific instruments and
techniques, archeology excavation has provided us with data and evidences. Facts have
been unearthed and revealed that even during primitive time, people have already
developed skills and technologies which served and supplied their needs for survival.
Mankind existed long before the written word, there was no historical evidences of how
people lived then because written records of any kind dated only in about 5,000 B.C.
people then discovered, learned and developed science and technology as the
consequence of their search for food, and other survival needs, for practical reasons and
even curiosity.
Discovery of mud plaster that led to pottery and mud brick houses; first known
pottery was in Japan around 10,000 B.C.
B. Evidence of Science and Technology during Pre-Historic Times (3000-5000 B.C.)
Man’s achievements in science can be categorized as:
a) Discovery – recognition and observation of new objects
b) Invention – mental process wherein man’s various discoveries, observation and
experience are put together to produce new ways (operation) and means (tools) of
obtaining things (useful)
STONE AGE: This period was marked by which stone was widely used to make tools and
implements. Dated roughly 3.4 million years ago, and in about 8000 B.C. this era was divide into
three separate periods – Paleolithic period (early), Mesolithic period (middle), Neolithic period
(new) – based on the degree of sophistication in the fashioning and use of tools. It is believed
tool making began very early in the golden times. The era of Australopithecus and Paranthropus
were contemporaneous with the evolution of genus Homo. Man was a food gatherer, depended
for his subsistence on hunting wild animals and birds, fishing, and collecting wild fruits, nuts,
and berries.
Tools developed gradually from single to all-purpose tools to a collection of varied and
highly specialized types of tools, each designed to serve in connection with a specific function.
The trend was from a stage of non-specialization to stages of relatively high degrees of
specialization. In the manufacture of stone implements, four fundamental traditions were
developed by the Paleolithic ancestors:
1) Pebble-tool traditions;
2) Bifacial-tool, or hand-axe traditions;
3) Flake-tool traditions; and
4) Blade-tool traditions
Stone tools were made from a variety of stones: flint and chert were shaped or chipped
for use as cutting tools, flakes, blades and weapons; flaking was able to produce a wide range of
special tools that was used for cutting tools, flakes, chopping, scraping and sewing. Basalt and
sandstone were used for ground stone tools. Wood, bone, shell, antler and other materials were
widely used as well.
The early stone age includes the most basic stone toolkits made by early humans. The
oldest stone tools, known as the Oldowan toolkit, consist of hammer stones that show battering
on their surfaces; stone ores that show a series of flake scars along one or more edges; and sharp
stone flakes that were stuck from the cores and offer useful cutting edges. Handaxes are cutting
tools as well as other kinds of ‘large cutting tools’ are characteristic of an Acheulean toolkit.
During middle Paleolithic time, the pace of innovation in stone technology began to
accelerate. Handaxes were made with exquisite craftsmanship, and ventually gave way to
smaller, more diverse toolkits, with an emphasis on flake tools rather than larger core tools. One
of the main innovations was the application of ‘prepared core technique’, in which a core was
carefully flaked on one side so that a flake of predetermined size and shape could be produced in
a single blow. This technique probably raised the level of standardization and predictability in
stone technology.
Middle stone age toolkits included points, which could be hafted on the shafts to make
spears. When smaller points were eventually made, they were attached to smaller, sleeker shafts
to make darts, arrows, and other projectile weapons. Stone awls have been used to perforate
hides and scrapers. Many important inventions appeared, such as needles and thread, skin
clothing, the harpoon, the spear thrower, and special fishing equipment.
The Neolithic was characterized primarily by herding societies, as well as bronze
smelting, adoption of agriculture, the shift from food gathering to food producing, development
of pottery using sediments and clay. Agriculture was developed and certain animals were raised
as well. Moreover, recent evidence indicates that humans processed and consumed wild cereal
grains.
BRONZE AGE: The Bronze Age is the second principal period of the three-age Stone-Bronze-
Iron system and generally followed the Neolithic period. This period is marked with the
beginning of mining and metallurgy. Bronze denotes the first period in which metal was used,
man began smelting copper and alloying with tin or arsenic to make bronze tools and weapons.
Copper-tin ores are rare, as reflected in the fact that there were no tin bronzes in Western Asia
before trading in that began in the third millennium BC. Bronze itself is harder and more durable
than other metals available at the time, allowing Bronze age civilizations to gain technological
advantage.
Man – made tin bronze technology required set production techniques. Tin must
be mined and smelted separately, then added to molten copper to make bronze
alloy. The bronze age was a time of extensive use of metals and of developing
trade networks.
IRON AGE: The period of time in prehistory when the dominant tool making material was iron.
Preceded by the stone age and Bronze age, the transition from Bronze age occurred at different
times in different places on Earth. As the name suggests, Iron Age Technology is characterized
by the production of tools and weaponry using ferrous metallurgy or iron work more specially
from carbon steel. Meteoric iron has been used by humans since 3200 BC, but ancient iron
production did not become widespread until the ability to smelt iron ore, remove impurities and
regulate the amount of carbon in the alloy were developed.
The distinctive dark metal brought with it significant changes to daily life in ancient
society, from the way people grew crops to the way they fought wars. Iron made life a lot easier
in those days, much of Europe had settled into small village life, toiling the soil with Iron
Farming tools, such as sickles and plough tips, made the process more efficient and allowed
farmers to exploit tougher soils, try new crops and have more time for other activities.
DO YOU KNOW?
Fire was the most important discovery and invention of man in
Paleolithic era. The use of fire led to various ways of preparing and cooking food and
inventions of suitable food containers and utensils.
