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Period: 6000 BCE to 1000 BCE
Ancient Era
From the first stirrings of life beneath water... to the great beasts of the Stone Age... to man taking his first upright steps, you have come far. Now begins your greatest quest: from this early cradle of civilization on towards the stars. -
5250 BCE
sailing
Because rowing a boat is a lot of work, people make sails so that the wind can propel them. Boats allowed people to move faster and easier than on land, and have been used for trade, transport, fishing, and warfare since the first pole was set up. The earliest depiction of a ship under sail was on a painted disk in Kuwait, dating from 5500 to 5000 BC. found 4000 BC, which shows the flute boats on the Nile. -
4000 BCE
mining
If it can't be found lying about, dig it up. That's the basic premise behind mining, one of civilization's earliest and most pragmatic technologies. The Neolithic mined flint in England and France about 4000 BC; the ancient Egyptians mined malachite at Maadi between 2600 and 2500 BC,using the hard stone for ornamentation and pottery. These were generally open pit mines, or shallow shafts (less than 100 feet deep) such as the Athenian silver mines at Laurium,where over 20 thousand slaves labored. -
4000 BCE
masonry
The Babylonians also used bricks, filled with mortar made of lime and clay. The Romans found concrete, a good mortar material for the stone and marble buildings they built... And it can be used as a building material. But stonework disappeared during the Dark Ages (as in other times) until the 1300s when the Europeans returned to using concrete as plaster for palaces. -
4000 BCE
animal husbandry
the domestication of animals and the selective breeding of some to accentuate certain traits (husbandry) appears to have occurred around the same time as the development of agriculture. The dog is thought to be the earliest domesticated animal, probably to assist in hunting game and protect the camp. Evidence suggests that dogs were first tamed and bred in China geneticists believe that about 95% of the breeds today are descended from just a few common Chinese ancestors. -
4000 BCE
writing
Lighting, like any other technology, is a technology that changed the course of civilization. By writing, civilizations were able to organize themselves. So organized religion, organized government, organized economy, organized war, and organized science. The earliest forms of writing were created around 4000 BC. Pictograms were invented in the 1st century BC and are small pictures that depict objects and actions. -
2000 BCE
irrigation
Annual irrigation was first practiced in Mesopotamia, where water flowed through small channels that connected small streams or lakes. The first hydraulic engineers recorded in history were China's Sun Shuao (6th century BC) and Ximen Bao (5th century BC), both of whom worked on large-scale irrigation projects in the Sichuan region for the emperor (who he was then. ); Chain pumps powered by men or oxen lifted water from the Four Rivers up and down the canals, a marvel of ancient engineering. -
1650 BCE
bronze working
The first bronze found by archaeologists in Iranian tombs—arsenic bronze, an alloy of metallic arsenic, not tin—dates to the fifth millennium BC. In Europe, many bronze tools have been found buried near the ruins of treasures, and in China, religious bronzes have been found since 1650 BC as grave goods in the tombs of nobles and nobles. Although copper is harder, it can hold its sharpness longer than iron, and it is more difficult to find and grind into something useful. -
1200 BCE
wheel
In China, wheels have existed as early as 1200 BC, when Chinese chariots appeared. Wheels first appeared in Asia Minor around 2000 BC, where they were used on horse-drawn carriages. Elsewhere, spinning wheels were mounted on everything from guns to trains. The wheel remained until the 1870s when wire wheels and pneumatic tires were invented. -
1000 BCE
pottery
The earliest known ceramics are the Gravettian culture figurines (little,faceless representations of fat women) that date back to between 29 and 25 thousand BC These were shaped by hand, and fired in a pit Somewhere around 12000 years ago,clever folk figured out that clay – often mixed with sand,grit,crushed shells, or bone – could be used to make more useful items: pots, cups, plates, bowls, and so forth. In Japan, during the Jōmon period, potters began putting glaze on their earthenware pots. -
1000 BCE
archery
Archery is a method of firing thin, pointed projectiles at high speed over long distances using the force of a spring stored in a curved stick. The earliest uses of the bow have been lost to the mists of time, dating back to the Paleolithic period (which ended around 10,000 BC), but African archaeologists have discovered that they may have been arrowheads. We have discovered the tip of a stone that is 60,000 years old. Virtually all early civilizations used bows and arrows. -
Period: 1000 BCE to 500
classical era
From humble beginnings, you have shown remarkable growth. Leave your bronze for iron and rule with horse and sword. The sky above begins to reveal its secrets, a collection of heaven that uplifts our hearts and guides us to foreign shores. -
999 BCE
Shipbuilding
Archaeological evidence shows that humans traveled from Asia to Kalimantan on ships built 120,000 years ago. Later, they arrived in New Guinea and Australia around 50,000 years ago. When the Europeans began to conquer the world, the Age of Discovery required new methods of shipbuilding. Shipyards become large industrial centers (like the munitions in Venice) capable of producing ships of standard designs (like shipyards) in weeks or even days. -
950 BCE
Celestial Navigation
Celestial navigation (or astronavigation, which sounds more scientific than artistic) is the act of measuring the angles between a celestial body (sun, moon, planet, or star) and a point on the horizon to determine its position on the globe. In medieval Europe, sailing was considered one of the seven mechanical arts, and the first sailor's astrolabe was used by Muslim traders in the Mediterranean. -
800 BCE
Currency
Currency represents the actual value of something that is relatively worthless on its own and has been around since about 2000 BC. The Curse of Civilization occurred in 400 B.C. when receipts were used to prove ownership of grain stored in Sumerian temples. However, around 1100 BC, the trading economy of Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean collapsed. BC revealed the flaws in this concept of monetary circulation. It was only as valuable as the security of value that supported it. -
450 BCE
mathematics
Some say that mathematics is an art form that focuses on space, structure, relationships, perspective, and proportions. Almost everything today, whether art or science, has or has been derived from mathematics. Between 600 and 300 BC, the Greeks began to study mathematics systematically, dividing it into two parts: arithmetic and geometry (the understanding of shape and area). -
100
Iron Working
Although iron was first used in 4000 BC, the Hittites were the first to mine, smelt iron, and make weapons, so the Iron Age began around 1200 BC. Instead, iron is made by melting iron and pouring it into molds; the Chinese were the first to use it, especially in the construction of beams and columns to support pagodas and other high buildings -
200
Horseback Riding
But from the 500s to the 1500s, armed forces dominated warfare in Europe. The Arabs saw the beauty of their horses and spread Islam to the Middle East, North Africa, India, and Europe. Horseback riding has been brought back to North America by European explorers and colonists since Columbus's voyage in 1493. -
300
Construction
Ancient civilizations were sometimes built with wood, but mostly with mud brick and stone. Without the stone or brick structure, which has the shape of a pyramid, it is impossible to build the highest structures from these materials. Although the Romans did not develop new building materials - if you ignore the invention of concrete - they revolutionized architecture in terms of design and tools. -
400
Engineering
Engineering is the science (or maybe "art", if engineers are included in the discussion) that uses science to design things: buildings, roads and bridges, machines, etc. useful. The term is somewhat ambiguous - consider, for example, computer "technology." At first the term referred to the creation of war "machines"; The Romans used it in various human activities when their legions built roads, bridges, and walls in the empire. -
Period: 500 to 1350
Medieval Era
You have built great cities of stone and seen early empires rise and fall. Soon you will stand under the towering pinnacles of castles alongside your gallant knights. That is where the story of your people will be written. Just as the young apprentice learns to carry a sword, so shall you grow to understand your place in this world. -
600
Stirrups
Like drawing, powder, and sliced bread, the stirrup is considered one of the most important activities that need to spread in the world... The idea of fencing spread quickly, thanks to wild horse riders in Central Asia who saw the benefits. Meanwhile, European horsemen had to live without a prow until the Avars invaded Eurasia in the eighth century AD. -
700
Machinery
Later, Greek thinkers added wedges and wheels/axles to the list of five simple machines (these form the basis of all other machines that support manual labor). A complete dynamical theory of simple machines (the one mentioned above and some later ones) was elaborated by Galileo Galilei and published in his work Le Meccaniche in 1600. This was the first, at least the first published insight, that machines do not produce useful energy, but only convert energy from one type to another. -
800
Education
During the Middle Kingdom, Egyptian scholars established schools to teach reading and writing, mathematics, history, science, medicine, astrology, and religion. In Greece, private schools began to educate prestigious people, and Plato established Europe's first "higher" school in Athens. In the East, Confucius of China initiated a program of establishing schools to teach his philosophy as well as other important skills such as reading, mathematics, and music. -
900
Military Engineering
When gunpowder was invented, military engineers were empowered to build fortresses that could withstand fire and fire (one of the first innovations: walls worked earth better on stone walls because the balls collided with them when they landed in the mud). Weapons are at close range to be effective. In the British Army, miners dug tunnels under enemy walls to plant explosives. -
1000
Castles
Large cairns, some of which are still (more or less) intact, dominate various European landscapes, and castles dating back to the early 10th century AD. when the feudal lords tried to secure their power and influence. But instead of romantic visions of noble knights, damsels in distress, grand feasts, and driving savages from the ditch, castles served the ultimate utilitarian function in feudal society—the execution of the lord's will over the land. -
Period: 1350 to
Renaissance Era
New powers call forth, from the barrel of muskets to flowers of fire in the sky. Even the quiet words on newly printed pages hold great changes within. The world, once so vast and mysterious, has grown smaller and more familiar. Yet, there are always questions to be answered, faiths to be tested, and national identities to be formed. -
1351
Cartography
Around the 4th century BC, the Greeks and Romans developed maps that were more portable. Ptolemy published his famous treatise, Geography, in the 2nd century AD. In ancient China, maps were made in the Qin Dynasty, but cartography in ancient India was limited to star charts, more suited to scholars than travelers. For three centuries, his work remained the most accurate and comprehensive atlas. -
1400
Mass Production
Until the Industrial Revolution, the concept of "mass production" included the production of pottery, Chinese cross-sections and sections, book production lines, etc. But during the Renaissance, Venice began building large ships to guard its famed arsenals in the Mediterranean, using ancient tools and assembly lines that didn't match three-century versions. -
1450
Banking
"Banks" have been around for a long time, and Hammurabi even established laws to regulate banking in his famous code, most of which used various unsavory methods to ensure repayment. It was an individual who made a loan. In the 14th century, stingy and shrewd people such as the Bardi, Medici, Peruzzi, and Gondi families established permanent banks throughout Italy, including in their hometown of Florence, Genoa, Venice, Siena, and Rome. -
1500
Gunpowder
The invention of gunpowder is usually attributed to Chinese alchemists during the Tang dynasty, one of the “Four Great Inventions of China.” The earliest written record of it – a formula composed of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate dating to the later Song dynasty – was supposed to be an elixir for immortality ... it was anything but. But the Chinese did discover that it burned explosively and the resultant gases expanded rapidly when exposed to heat; so it was useful for making fireworks. -
1550
Printing
The Pecia system began in use at Italian universities in the early 1300s, providing booksellers with a way to produce multiple books in a short period of time. In China, movable type printing - in which each character could be placed on a tray and then inked and pressed onto paper - was made from clay by Bi Sheng in 1040 AD, but it was fragile and expensive. -
Square Rigging
The "Age of Exploration" saw the Portuguese build the square sailing ship (round caravel - so named for its rounded stern) for long ocean voyages. For the next three centuries, the history of the sea was dominated by larger square ships as Europeans conquered America and Africa, plundered the treasures of the East, and fought each other. -
Astronomy
But it wasn't until the early 1900s that astronomers discovered that our system is part of the "Milky Way" of galaxies, with thousands of other galaxies moving around. There are all kinds of different things in these galaxies—quasars, pulsars, blazers, radio galaxies, black holes, neutron stars, and more. -Pollution will not affect viewing of the sky at night. -
Metal Casting
Cast iron was first produced in China between 800 and 700 BC; in 233 BC, the Chinese made iron plows from sand. As the Chinese discovered, iron could also be used to make many arrows, spears, and guns. In the past, sand and clay were the most commonly used materials for making molds. -
Period: to
Industrial Era
The steady hum of machinery, the acrid smell of smoke, vision clouded by ash and soot - these are the signs of changing times. The lure of scientific and cultural advancement is the engine driving your realm forward. Now your challenge is to maintain the delicate balance between earth and man, between peace and war. -
Steam Power
A century later, Edward Somerset published a collection of his "ideas", the steam pump, a working model for which he built Raglan Castle, and construction began. In 1680 Huygens published his memoirs describing an engine that moved pistons; in 1698 Thomas Savery built a virtual copy of the Somerset machine... Seven years later, he worked with the ill-fated Savery to install the first commercial steam engine, designed to pump water from mines. -
Industrialization
Few "technologies" (in this case, a combination of many technologies) represent revolutions and epochs. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Europe in the 19th century, brought sudden changes, good and bad, to people's daily lives. When machines and tools were available, trade jobs were lost to artisans with the advent of the assembly line, staffed by dozens of unskilled factory workers. People moved to cities where factories and cars were located. -
Ballistics
This science of mechanics is called "ballistics". The first ball weapons were sticks, stones, and spears. The movement, behavior, and effects of bullets, bullets, bombs, rockets, and more are popular with military and law enforcement forces around the world. Their discoveries and advances not only helped the military to improve their weapons but also other aspects of the war (such as research on "ballistics military injuries"). Better bullets, better bombs, better bullets. -
Sanitation
Roman aqueducts and buildings were better, with stone and wooden canals—Rome's famous great cloaca, which emptied into the Tiber—carrying waste to the civilized population. In 1596, Sir John Harrington published his book A New Treatise on an Antiquated Subject, in which he described the origins of the new toilets he had installed in his home, including flues, fountains, and how to clean the floors. Use this board. -
Economics
In the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus debated the idea of "just wages", and before Adam Smith, the Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun was considered the most knowledgeable person in economic theory, most economically. Professional specialization, global financial life cycle. In his book, Smith argues that free markets are the best way to provide and assign value to goods and services. -
Rifling
Barreling a gun is simply the process of cutting a spiral groove inside the barrel to impart rotation to the bullet or projectile. This stabilizes the projectile with a gyroscope, increasing accuracy and range. It is difficult to determine who first came up with the idea, but a few gunsmiths in Augsburg began drawing musket barrels in the late 15th century. August Kotter of Nuremberg improved the design around 1520 AD. -
Period: to
Modern Era
In the beginning, legends of flying men soared. And today, you are on the brink of transforming those legends into a reality. With flight and new forms of communication, you can create a small and intimate world. But at what cost? Our competing ideas of how to govern and how to live threaten to bring conflict on a global scale. You must choose your own path through this rising din of ideological oratory. -
Chemistry
The western roots of freshness come from Greece and Egypt. There, Zosimos of Panopolis claimed that ancient philosophers had found a way to transmute one metal into another (turning lead into gold, the "Holy Grail" for physicians). The work was later published by Jan van Helmont in 1648 AD. an important bridge between alchemy and chemistry, and the English scientist Robert W. Robert published 『The Skeptical Chymist』 in 1661, a cornerstone of modern chemistry. Boyle. -
Combustion
However, things took off as designers from various countries began experimenting with the basic internal combustion engine and developing improvements. In 1879, Karl Benz patented his two-stroke gas engine. A few years later, he developed his four-stroke engine and installed it in his "automobile", which began production in 1886. A few years later, Rudolf Diesel developed the Carnot thermal engine, known as the "diesel engine." -
Electricity
Around 600 BC In the 4th century BC, Thales of Miletus observed that rubbing amber sticks with cat skin could produce static electricity (but he did not investigate the thoughts of cats). Franklin never did anything with his discovery, but it prompted others to look for additional sources of electricity. Alessandro Volta invented the battery, a more reliable source of electricity than the cat's friction. -
flight
Since ancient times, there have been stories (some of which are true) of people building wings or other devices and trying to fly, often by jumping from great heights (many of which failed miserably). In 1804, Englishman George Cayley flew a powered airplane, and in 1853 a complete prototype was built to carry pilots on its first flight. -
radio
However, this only happened after the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi built the first practical wireless telephone with great success... Marconi received the Nobel Prize in 1909 for his work. Two years later, on his way to becoming a millionaire, Marconi opened the world's first radio factory in Chelmsford, England. -
Petroleum Refining
The increasing availability of oil led to experiments to improve its quality, starting with simple distillation plants and increasing in sophistication and complexity. Thermal cracking (and later catalytic cracking) processes for heavy oil refining led to increased yields of gasoline, kerosene, and light industrial fuel as well as fuel quality. For better or worse, fossil fuel processing may be the foundational technology of the industrial expansion of the 20th century. -
Replaceable Parts
After centuries, in 1814 A.D., Eli Terry finally mass-produced something that wasn't a weapon on an American production line: a wall clock. In the mid-19th century, several watch and sewing machine manufacturers began using replaceable parts in their factories. Both the Singer Sewing Machine Corporation (1870) and the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company (1880) adopted this technique, followed by manufacturers of steam engines, typewriters, and bicycles. -
steel
Few "technologies" (in this case, a combination of many technologies) represent revolutions and epochs. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Europe in the 19th century, brought sudden changes, good and bad, to people's daily lives. When machines and tools were available, trade jobs were lost to artisans with the advent of the assembly line, staffed by dozens of unskilled factory workers. People move to cities where factories and cars were located. -
Period: to
atomic era
New frontiers of discovery expand our understanding, from the tiny atom to the majesty of outer space. Mysteries long tolerated are closer than ever to revealing their deepest secrets, beyond what we can easily see. You will choose how to use this knowledge and push back the greatest darkness we have yet faced. -
advanced flight
The first flight of a jet aircraft was made by the Italian Caproni Campini N.1 prototype in August 1940. The Germans had kept their work, the Messerschmitt Me-262, under wraps. Although successfully test-flown as early as 1941, mass production didn't start until mid-1944 when several Luftwaffe jet squadrons took to the skies against the Allied bombers. The first jet fighter to see combat, its appearance was too late to affect the war significantly, but the Me-262s shot down 542 enemy planes. -
plastics
Synthetic or semi-synthetic organic polymers derived (generally) from petrochemicals of high molecular mass that are incredibly durable, malleable, lightweight and now pervasive in modern civilization. Plastic. It comes in many forms, some tougher, some more flexible, some with a greater or lesser tolerance to heat.Plastic can be molded, pressed, or extruded into virtually any shape desired. -
rocketry
Until the Second World War, rockets remained relatively short-range, inaccurate, clumsy weapons ... or were used for making pretty fireworks (not that military rockets don't make pretty explosions). In 1792, iron-cased rockets were used by Tipu Sultan defending Mysore against the avaricious British East India Company. The British, sensing a good thing, developed the solid-fuel Congreve Rocket for use against the French, Americans, and other unpleasant sorts. -
computers
If one thinks of a computer as a device simply to aid computation, then these have been around for millennia. An abacus, used as early as 2400 BC, is just such as device. (For that matter, so is counting using fingers, but that’s far too simple for modern civilization.) A mechanical astrolabe with a calendar calculator was devised by Abi Bakr in Persia in 1235 AD. The slide rule was invented around 1620. -
nuclear fission
Mushroom clouds and boundless energy; utopia or annihilation. The technology of nuclear fission carries the promise of both, or neither. In physics and chemistry, nuclear fission is the decay – natural or not – whereby the nucleus of an atom breaks down into lighter nuclei, spinning off neutrons and photons, thus releasing significant amounts of energy. -
synthetic materials
Once chemistry took hold of civilization, scientists started searching for ways to improve upon naturally occurring animal and plant products. First up, synthetic fibers pioneered by Joseph Swan in the early 1880s; his fiber was made from tree bark, intended as a longer-lasting filament for light bulbs but somewhat better as a textile. Next the Frenchman Hilaire de Chardonnet invented artificial silk, which was displayed to great acclaim at the 1889 Paris Exhibition. -
Period: to
Information Era
A world of information rests in the palm of your hand, and networks for instantaneous communication span the globe. Yet a unified vision of our future has never been built. We compete in technology, culture, and politics. We have deadly weapons that could destroy our planet. Lead us carefully, but boldly, and build a global community that can stand for years to come. -
Telecommunications
Telegraph and telephone communications were carried by wire, much too slow for the modern day. And even though they made the world smaller and changed the landscape of business, war, and politics, scientists and inventors were soon searching for “wireless” telecommunications, the process of sending electronic signals through the atmosphere to special receivers -
satellites
“Beep…beep…beep.”So it began.Sputnik,with an onboard radio signal transmitter,was launched in October 1957 AD by Soviet Russia.Orbiting overhead,the artificial satellite(as opposed to natural satellites like the Moon) Sputnik served notice to the humans huddled on the surface that the world had dramatically changed. for better or not remained to be determined.Sputnik 2 was launched in November,with the first living creature in space aboard,a dog named Laika(who died within hours of the launch). -
lasers
The term “laser” is an acronym for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation,” which pretty much describes what it happens to be. The theory dates back to a paper by Albert Einstein in 1917 which offered a derivation of Planck's Law concerning stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. In 1928, the atomic physicist Rudolf Ladenburg confirmed the phenomena of stimulated emission and negative absorption. -
Composites
A composite is any material made from two or more materials with significantly differing physical or chemical properties; composites are distinct from alloys or chemical compounds (in which the components do not retain their original properties). -
Stealth Technology
The ability to creep around unseen and unleash havoc is the fantasy of every five-year-old; modern scientists are close to making it reality. Modern stealth technology is a combination of multiple military projects and experimental science expanded beyond what humans can see, trying to both hide and detect objects by radar, acoustics, thermal readings, or other less readily visible methods. -
Robotics
In 1942 AD, the science fiction author Isaac Asimov proposed three “laws of robotics.” In 1948 the American mathematician Norbert Wiener formulated the “principles of cybernetics” as the basis for practical robotics. And in 1961 the first programmable robot – “Unimate” – was constructed to lift and stack hot pieces of metal from a die casting machine. -
Nuclear Fusion
In contrast to nuclear fission – where energy is generated by the division of a nucleus – nuclear fusion occurs when two or more atomic nuclei slam together hard enough to fuse, which also releases photons in quantity. Fusion reactions power the stars of the universe, giving off lots of light and heat. -
Nanotechnology
Tiny machines inside animals and humans snipping, slicing, splicing, melding or mutating cells. Tiny machines creating new materials on the molecular level. Or tiny machines making more tiny machines. Whatever use it may be put to, nanotechnology is just beyond the edge of science fiction. -
Period: to
future era
The world contains marvels beyond the dreams of ancient prophets, and terrors more fearsome than any apocalypse. Machines search for meaning and new matter weaves dream-like forms. Choices made long ago bear grave consequences in this age and demand resolute answers. Go now, and achieve your vision for the future of civilization. -
Advanced AI
In the ensuing decades since the Turing Test was proposed, artificial intelligence has become more widespread and more robust in terms of its capabilities, particularly in the analysis of large data sets. An AI in these cases often “studies” a problem by developing and testing hypotheses about underlying patterns in the data, matching them against the data, and creating iteratively refined models with considerable explanatory power -
Advanced Power Cells
The first true solid-state device for generating electricity was created by the Italian inventor Alessandro Volta in 1800. There have been countless refinements to Volta's electrochemical cell design since then, and with the digital revolution, the development of battery technology has undergone ever-greater investment and interest. A live electronic device is capable of marvels -
Cybernetics
The term "cybernetics" is taken from the ancient Greek term to describe the skill of a ship's helmsman, and was re-invigorated in 1948 by American mathematician Nobert Weiner, who used it as a term for the study and practice of controlling complex systems, particularly with regard to human sensory input and locomotor function. -
Offworld Missions
If human beings are to settle away from planet Earth, it will be necessary to develop competencies for life isolated from the main planet. Approaches for sustained life away from Earth are still in the theoretical stages in the early Twenty-First Century. It is hoped that as human beings develop the ability to live away from our home planet, those learnings will also be passed back to those of us living on Earth. -
Predictive Systems
Artificial Intelligence systems can create sophisticated models of behavior, with good predictive power for future behavior. This is becoming widely exploited in commercial domains(as anyone who carefully observes the Internet advertisements served up to them can tell you) but it is also being used in other areas as well. Medical and health professionals are interested in the increased efficacy of targeted preventative programs. -
Smart Materials
Materials are usually selected for use on the basis of a single quality. A brick, for instance, should not be flexible if it is to be a good basis for construction. Smart materials are materials which can assume different properties on command, in response to different situations. An analogy would be a brick that is solid when used as a building material, but which could be flat and flexible for easy storage and portability otherwise.