Technology through the Ages

Technology: the study of the designed world. Used to solve practical problems and extend human capabilities. Developments in technology are evolutionary, and are often the result of a series of refinements to an idea or basic invention.


Impacts of Technology: are divided into four categories: social (the impact on people), political (the impact on policy and laws), cultural (the impact on human achievement), and economic (the impact on the economy).


Paleolithic Age: the Old Stone Age, occurred between 500,000 BC and 10,000 BC and is marked by improvements to diet and security allowing the population to grow.


Mesolithic Age: the Middle Stone Age, occurred between 10,000 BC and 4,000 BC and is marked by the domestication of animals and agriculture.

Neolithic Age: the New Stone Age, occurred between 4,000 BC and 2,300 BC and is marked by specialization, division of labor, and the use of math and documentation of concepts.


Bronze Age: the architectural period that includes combining copper and tin to produce bronze; occurred between 2,300 BC and 700 BC.


Iron Age: the architectural period marked by the use of iron and steel; occurred between 700 BC and 450 AD.


Middle Ages: the architectural period after the Roman Empire; divided into Early Middle Ages, High Middle Ages, and Late Middle Ages; occurred between 450 AD and 1,400 AD and marked by the development of tools of war.



Renaissance: the architectural period marked by the revival of classical influence and the sharing of ideas; occurred between 1,400 AD and 1,750 AD.


Industrial Age: the architectural period marked by the first use of complex machinery, factories and urbanization, occurring between 1,750 AD and 1,950 AD.


Information Age: the architectural period marked by information sharing, gathering, manipulation, and retrieval; occurred between 1,950 AD and present.