Introduction: A Spark That Never Dies

When we do any task, we try to finish it quickly and easily, in scientific terms, efficiently. Would you like to roam in dense jungles with no clothes, hunt animals, and build shelters with whatever resources you can get? Never! That’s what sparked the curiosity to develop methods of increasing efficiency and comfort, and fire was our first discovery! It warmed our bodies, lit our caves, and made surviving at night easier. Every era since then has carried this flame, igniting inventions and discoveries like wheels, paper, wires, and now, bits and bytes.

This isn’t just a historical story of our existence; it’s a tribute to our brilliant minds that gave us the comfort and safety we live in today. From technologies that built impenetrable forts, deadly weapons, and geometrically precise temples, to digital technology that controls the world today without shedding a sweat, technology has always reflected our deepest desires of connecting, controlling, and creating. This article traces this very flame from its origin and how it has evolved over the centuries.

Centuries of Change: Mapping our Technologies

“We define entire epics of humanity by the technology they use.”  ~ Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO

There has been no century in humanity’s existence during wherein no new invention or discovery wasn’t made. Let’s walk through five broad eras of technological revolutions:

1. Ancient (<500 CE): Our nomadic ancestors tried to make hunting and surviving easier and developed tools from iron, stone, bone, wood, and more, like the spear, bow, arrow, spoon, plates, bowls, knife, swords, and shields. They also developed agricultural, irrigational, and drainage systems to live together, which led to the rise of cities, shared rituals, and early forms of governance. For eg, the plough revolutionised agriculture in Mesopotamia; the drainage systems helped the Indus Valley survive; and the Papyrus scrolls helped record knowledge in Egypt. “The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces.”  ~ Paul Hawken
2. Medieval (500-1500 CE): The previous period gave importance to survival; this one gave importance to faith, trade, expanding one’s territory, and preserving knowledge. Focus was given to building empires, creating tools for navigation, and inventing mechanical ways to make roads, bridges, homes, palaces, etc. For eg, the Astrolabe was an instrument invented to read the stars by Arab and European navigators. Water wheels powered mills and helped automate labour. Domes, towers, castles, arches, temples, and other monuments glitter throughout this period.
3. Early Modern Era (1500-1800 CE): Humans began asking questions and grew in intelligence. Empires had been established, libraries had all the knowledge in the world, and the world was connected with trade. Now was the time to fulfil our curiosity, like whether the world is round or flat, why we experience seasons, what the objects we see in the sky, and the world famous, why does an apple fall down? This age saw the invention of the printing press, telescope, gunpowder weapons, pocket watch, ships, microscope, barometer, etc.
4. Industrial Era (1800-1950 CE): Humanity was now even more desperate to get things done quickly to save time and effort. Using gunpowder gave a battle advantage, but supplying it from the factories to the battlefield via carts was time-consuming. Similarly, travelling from one state to another took weeks and months. Besides, people had to come up with alternatives since resources were limited and replenishing them would take a lot of time. Hence, this period is famous for the invention of cars, steam engines, aeroplanes, electricity, telegraphs, and a deep study of science and math with famous scientists like Mendeleev, Einstein, Marie Curie, and hundreds of others populating these fields. For eg, the spinning wheel helped in faster textile production; the telegraph enabled quick communication across continents; and the light bulb extended work hours. And no need to mention the invention of high-speed guns and atom bombs that were made for large-scale wars. These inventions also led to the rise of cities as people migrated from villages in search of a livelihood. By 1900, over 40% of Britain’s population lived in cities, from just 10% a century ago.
5. Digital Era (1950-present): This period is marked by our desire to be in control of our lives, connect with as many people as possible, and discover life beyond Earth. This is an era of flourishing creativity and scientific knowledge. The invention of computers, mobile phones, and AI has revolutionised our daily lives. The World Wide Web, invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989, put all the knowledge in the world on the internet, allowing billions of people to access it. The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has helped strengthen economies, militaries, education, industries, healthcare, and much more. Of late, people also refer to the 21st century as the space age thanks to hundreds of spacecraft, satellites, and telescopes launched to study extraterrestrial life and find new worlds. And this age is still in motion with new inventions around the corner!

Ancient vs Medieval vs Modern Tech: A Change of Motives

Technology is more intention than invention. We usually build to fantasise about our desires. In ancient and medieval times, technology was shaped by nature, religion, and community. Today, it is shaped by data, speed, and personalisation. Earlier it was public, now it is private.

Ancient and medieval tech developed in response to natural calamities, diseases, foreign invasions, the desire to understand life, and public issues. These scientific reforms brought people closer to each other and nature, like farmers conducted seasonal farming, in a way, cooperating with nature. Faith in God and the throne united people. Roads and ships helped in sustaining kingdoms for centuries. For eg, the stepwells in India made water management efficient and also fuelled spirituality in people during baths on special occasions. Great Zimbabwe was a stone city built without mortar, reflecting how engineers of that time respected their environment and resources, applying knowledge to find alternatives.

“In ancient times, technology was sacred; it was a gift from the gods.”  ~Yuval Noah Harari

Modern tech, though inspired and a continuation of its predecessor, works on opposite lines. People want to work together for growth, but also want to live life on their own rules and be in total control of what they do. For eg, public bathing like in the stepwells of India, is seen as cringe. Earlier, people used to go to public gatherings for daily prayer, but now people prefer to pray in private. Farmers are switching to new scientific methods to grow crops they like without depending on nature. Modern tech allows problems to be solved without using pen and paper, with scope for profit. However, this has also increased divisions between the rich and the poor, the digitally educated and those who see digitalisation as a threat. People want rapid, real-time, potentially global, digital, easily accessible, private, and disposable actions rather than spiritual, survival, generational, oral, public, or sacred ones.

“Technology is best when it brings people together.” ~Matt Mullenweg, WordPress founder

Conclusion: The Soul of Progress

“Ancient tech was a lantern, slow, warm, guiding. Modern tech is a spotlight, fast, bright, sometimes blinding.”

From fire to fibre optics, technology is how humanity has survived. Everything we do to increase comfort involves using technology. Putting a wet towel in front of a table fan to get cool air, that’s technology! Ancient people built with the stars in mind, medieval people built with faith, and today we code in clouds. Let our future be smart, and let innovation be guided by compassion, humility, and memory. Because in the end, technology doesn’t shape humanity, but humanity shapes technology!

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