Lecture #1

THE NATURE OF TECHNOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION

I. HUMAN HISTORY: THE BIG PICTURE

II. NATURE OF TECHNOLOGY.

A. SCIENCE VS. TECHNOLOGY.

B. IDENTIFYING TECHNOLOGY.

C. DEFINITION OF TECHNOLOGY.

III. A CYCLE OF TECHNOLOGY.

Lecture #2

THE TECHNOLOGIES OF THE PALEOLITHIC ERA (7 MYA TO 12,000 B.C.E)

I. HOMINIDS AND HUMANS. A. THE FAMILY TREE. B. TECHNOLOGY AS A HUMAN DISCOVERY? II. THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION. A. THE KEY PROBLEM.

B. HAND TOOLS (2.7 mya to 300,000 ya). C. FIRE (1.5 mya). D. ATLATL (c. 30,000 ya). E. OTHER TOOLS.

III. SIDE-EFFECTS. A. A MAJOR SHIFT – 45,000 ya.

B. ANIMISM – IS RELIGION A TECHNOLOGY?

Lecture #3

A NEW STONE AGE AND A NEW WAY OF LIFE (c. 12,000 B.C.E.)

I. NEW SOLUTIONS TO THE SURVIVAL PROBLEM. A. THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS. B. THE DOMESTICATION OF PLANTS. C. THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION. II. SIDE-EFFECTS OF THE NEOLITHIC CHANGE.

A. THE NEOLITHIC WAY OF LIFE. B. DIVISION OF LABOR. C. POTTERY. D. BREAD, BEER, AND CHEESE.

Lecture #4

SUMERIA: CITIES AND THE DAWN OF HISTORY

(c. 3300 TO 2340 B.C.E.)

I. PROBLEMS OF SURVIVAL. A. TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES RIVERS. B. NEED FOR COOPERATION. II. THE CITY. A. IRRIGATION AND THE SHADOUF.

B. PRIESTS AND KINGS. C. ZIGGURATS.

III. SIDE-EFFECTS- WRITING. A. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WRITING SYSTEM. B. CUNEIFORM AND A NEW SOCIAL GROUP. C. THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH.

Lecture #5

BUILDING THE GREAT PYRAMID OF KHUFU (c. 2480) IN OLD KINGDOM EGYPT (c. 2700- 2100 B.C.E).

I. THE PYRAMID AS A CONSTRUCTION PROBLEM.

A. IDENTIFY THE KEY PROBLEMS. B. IDENTIFY THE RESULTING TECHNOLOGY. C. WHAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE ‘MISSING’?

II. THE PYRAMID AS A SOLUTION.

A. TO THE NILE RIVER. B. MAAT AND THE ROLE OF THE KING.

Lecture #6

BRONZE AGE CHINA: SHANG DYNASTY (c.1700 – c. 1122 B.C.E.)

I. PROBLEMS OF CHINESE SOCIETY. A. THE YELLOW RIVER (HUANG-HO). B. ANCESTRAL WORSHIP. II. SOLUTIONS. A. FEUDALISM. B. ORACLES AND WRITING. C. BRONZE ART AND WEAPONS. III. OTHER HYDRAULIC CIVILIZATIONS. A. CHALLENGE VS. EASE. B. THE BANTU IN WESTERN AFRICA.

Lecture #7

EGYPT AND THE WHEELS OF FORTUNE (2200 B.C.E. TO 1070 B.C.E)

I. SIMPLE MACHINES. A. WHAT IS A MACHINE? B. THE WHEEL AND AXLE. II. THE HYKSOS AND EGYPTIANS ON WHEELS. A. END OF THE OLD KINGDOM, c. 2140 B.C.E. B. END OF THE MIDDLE KINGDOM, c.1600 B.C.E. C. THE CHARIOT. III. NEW KINGDOM EGPYT, 1550 – 1070 B.C.E. A. AN EMPIRE OF CHARIOTS? B. THE BATTLE OF MEGGIDO, c. 1457 B.C.E.

Lecture #8

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN ABCs: ARCHONS, BOATS, COINS

800 to 500 B.C.E.

I. THE DEVELOPMENT OF CURRENCY. A. PROBLEMS WITH BARTER. B. THE LYDIANS AND COINS. II. TRADE AND THE PHOENICIAN STATES.

A. NEEDS OF MERCHANT STATES.

B. THE GALLEY. C. THE ALPHA AND THE BETA.

III. GREEK TRADING STATES. A. ARCHONS. B. TRIREMES. C. ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY.

Lecture #9

GRECO-ROMAN WAR TECHNOLOGY: TACTICS AND DISCIPLINE

800 TO 100 B.C.E.

I. SMALL-SCALE, ‘UNCIVILIZED’ WARFARE. A. HOLLYWOOD’S VIEW OF ANCIENT WARFARE. B. WAR AND LARGE-SCALE SOCIETIES. II. GREEK WARFARE. A. CITY-STATE CONFLICT. B. THE HOPLITE. C. THE PHALANX. III. ROMAN WARFARE. A. THE MANIPLES AND COHORTS. B. THE ORGANIZATION OF A LEGION. C. ADVANTAGES.

Lecture #10

THE ROMAN CITY ANCIENT URBAN PROBLEMS AND TECHNOLOGY

100 B.C.E TO 100 C.E.

I. PROBLEM #1 – SEWAGE/WATER SUPPLY. A. THE SEWER SYSTEM. B. AQUEDUCTS AND SIDE EFFECTS. II. PROBLEM #2 – GETTING FOOD. A. PORTS. B. ROADS. C. BUILDING BETTER PORTS AND BRIDGES. III. PROBLEM #3 – FIRES. A. VIGILES. B. THE GREAT FIRE OF 64 C.E. IV. PROBLEM #4 – ENTERTAINMENT. A. ARENAS AND AMPHITHEATRES. B. THE FLAVIAN AMPHITHEATRE (THE COLISEUM).

Lecture #11

CROSSBOWS AND THE UNIVERSITY IN CHINA (800 B.C.E TO 220 C.E.)

I. THE ANCESTORS AND UNITY. A. THE MANDATE OF HEAVEN.

B. THE WARRING STATES (425 – 256 B.C.E.). C. THE CROSSBOW AND CHAOS.

D. QIN DYNASTY (221 TO 206 B.C.E.). II. RESTORING THE MANDATE. A. KUNG FUZI (551 – 479 B.C.E.).

B. THE HAN DYNASTY (206 B.C.E. TO 200 C.E.) C. THE UNIVERSITY AND A CIVIL SERVICE.

Lecture #12

ZEROES, RABBITS, AND THE TECHNOLOGY OF NUMBERS

I. NUMBERS IN THE ANCIENT WORLD. A. COUNTING.

B. NUMBER SYSTEMS. C. PLACE VALUE SYSTEMS. D. THE NEED FOR A PLACE HOLDER. E. THE CONCEPT OF ZERO. II. THE HINDU-ARABIC NUMBER SYSTEM, c. 830. A. LEONARDO OF PISA (c. 1170 – c. 1240). B. LEONARDO’S RABBITS – THE LIBER ABACI.

Lecture #13

MONGOL TECHNOLOGY IN THE 13th CENTURY

I. PRIMITIVE MONGOLS? A. CULTURE. B. ADVANTAGES VS. SETTLED SOCIETY. C. TECHNOLOGIES. II. GENGHIS KHAN (c. 1167 -1227). A. UNIFYING THE MONGOLS. B. A SURPRISE FOR MOHAMMAD SHAH II OF KHWARIZM, 1219.

Lecture #14

MEDIEVAL CATHEDRALS (1000 – 1500)

QUESTIONS FOR THE VIDEO WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMANESQUE

ARCHITECTURE? WHAT PROBLEMS DID IT ADDRESS?

WHY WERE CATHEDRALS CONSTRUCTED,

ESPECIALLY ST. DENIS (1144)? WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GOTHIC

ARCHITECTURE? WHAT PROBLEMS DID IT ADDRESS?

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE SIDE-EFFECTS OF THE

GOTHIC CATHEDRAL?

Lecture #15

FEUDALISM AND MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN CASTLES (1000 – 1300)

I. THE PROBLEMS OF FEUDALISM. A. MANORIAL ECONOMY. B. LIEGE AND VASSAL. C. ROLE OF THE KING.

II. THE CASTLE AND THE PROBLEMS OF FEUDALISM. A. THE NOBLES AND THEIR MANORHOUSES. B. MOTTE AND BAILEY CASTLES. C. THE KING AND HIS CASTLES. D. FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS.

Lecture #16

THE END OF THE KNIGHT: MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN WARFARE

IN EUROPE (1000 to 1500)

I. THE FEUDAL KNIGHT – KEY TECHNOLOGIES. A. CHAINMAIL. B. LANCE AND OTHER WEAPONS. C. STIRRUP. II. COUNTER TECHNOLOGIES.

A. CROSSBOWS AND LONGBOWS. B. PIKES.

C. MACES, FLAILS, WARHAMMERS. D. CONDOTTIERI. III. ROLE OF FIREARMS.

Lecture #17

DAWN OF THE GUN, DAY OF THE OTTOMANS THE 15TH CENTURY

I. TURKS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. A. TRIBAL WARRIORS. B. MERCENARIES. II. GUNPOWDER. A. ORIGINS. B. THE CONQUEST OF CONSTANTINOPLE. C. OTTOMAN FIREARMS. III. THE OTTOMANS- A ‘GUNPOWDER’ EMPIRE. A. DEVSHIRME.

B. LOYAL NEW CORPS – JANI CERI. C. PROBLEMS.

Lecture #18

PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY (TO 1492 C.E.)

I. PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICANS. A. A STONE-AGE CULTURE? B. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE? II. SAMPLE PRE-COLUMBIAN TECHNOLOGIES. A. OBSIDIAN.

B. RAISED FIELD AGRICULTURE. C. TERRACES. D. WRITING SYSTEMS. E. CALENDAR. F. GREAT CITIES III. WHY DID EUROPEANS DEFEAT THEM?

Lecture #19

THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE GREAT EXPEDITIONS OF DISCOVERY

I. CHINESE VOYAGES, 1405-1433. A. ZHENG HE (1371-1435).

B. CHINESE NAVAL TECHNOLOGY. II. PORTUGUESE EXPLORATIONS. A. HENRY THE NAVIGATOR (1394-1460). B. WINDS, CARAVELS AND LANTEEN SAILS.

C. VASCO DE GAMA (c.1460-1524). III. SPANISH EXPEDITIONS A. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS (c. 1451- 1506)

B. MAPS AND PORTUGUESE KNOWLEDGE.

IV. AMERIGO VESPUCCI. (c. 1451-1512) AND MARTIN WALDSEEMULLER’S MAP (1507).

Lecture #20

ASTRONOMICAL PROBLEMS AND THE TELESCOPE

I. PROBLEMS IN THE ANCIENT UNIVERSE. A. THE JULIAN CALENDAR. B. EASTER AND MODERN SCIENCE.

C. NICHOLAS COPERNICUS, 1473 – 1543. D. TYCHO BRAHE (1546 – 1601) AND JOHANNES

KEPLER (1571 – 1630)

II. TECHNOLOGY AND A NEW UNIVERSE.

A. GALILEO GALILEI, 1564 – 1642. B. THE TELESCOPE. C. GALILIEO’S DISCOVERIES. D. SIDE- EFFECT.

Lecture #21

THE TECHNOLOGY OF LONGITUDE QUESTIONS FOR THE VIDEO. WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM DETERMINING LONGITUDE? WHAT WAS THE SOLUTION BY: NEVIL MASKELYNE (1732 – 1811). JOHN HARRISON (1693 – 1776).

WHAT WERE THE DIFFCULITIES IN DEVELOPING AND

POPULARIZING A SOLUTION?

Lecture #22

SHOGUN JAPAN 16TH AND 17TH CENTURIES

I. THE BATTLE TO BECOME SHOGUN. A. SEI-I-TAI SHOGUN. B. TECHNOLOGY OF THE SAMURAI. C. ODA NOBUNAGA (1534 – 1592).

D. TOYOTOMI HIDEYOSHI (1536 – 1598). E. THE ROLE OF THE FIREARMS?

II. THE TECHNOLOGY OF TOKUGAWA DOMINANCE. A. THE BATTLE OF SEKIGAHARA, 1600.

B. TOKUGAWA IEYASU (1543-1616) C. SAKOKU REI (1635). D. ABANDONING TECHNOLOGY.