INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES253TECHNOLOGY2000
BCE 3000 BCE
CANDLE
Candlesticks dating
from 3000 BCE
have been found in
Egypt and Crete.
Candles are made
from putting thin
cords in liquid wax. 3000 BCE
RAMP
Around 3000 BCE people
started to use a mechanical
aid called a ramp to help
with building work. Heavy
stone blocks were easier to
pull up a ramp than to lift
straight up.
2900 BCE
DAM
The earliest dam was
built by the Egyptians.
They built a mound to
act as a dam to stop
the city of Memphis
from flooding. 2500 BCE
ARCH
The first arches were built
in Mesopotamia. The top
of two walls were built
until they met each other
in the middle to form
an arch. 2500 BCE
MIRROR
Early mirrors
were disks of
polished bronze
or copper. The
first glass mirrors
came nearly
4,000 years later. 2500 BCE
INK
Ink was originally made
from soot and glue. It came
as a dry block, it had to be
mixed with water. 2500 BCE
WELDING
Welding was first
used to join pieces
of metal together
to make jewelry. 2000 BCE
CHARIOT
Chariots were developed
from oxcarts. Chariots
were faster than carts,
since they only had
two wheels and were
much lighter. 2000 BCE
LOCK
The ancient
Egyptians
invented locks
that were made
from a piece of
wood and pins.
Most of the locks
we use today are
based on the
concept of the
original locks. 700 BCE
SHADOW CLOCK
The ancient Egyptians were
among the first to develop a
clock. The Egyptian shadow
clock had to be turned in the
opposite direction halfway
through the day. It had a
straight scale to show hours
of the day. 1700 BCE
RUNNING WATER
Minoans in Crete were
the first to build drains
and pipes so they could
have running water in
the palace of Knossos. 1000 BCE
MAGNET
Magnets get their name
from Magnesia, where they
were first found in their
mineral form (magnetite). 900 BCE
ALPHABET WITH
VOWELS AND
CONSONANTS
The Greeks adapted
the ancient Palestinian
alphabet (with symbols
for consonants) and
made their own, which
included vowels
and consonants.2500
BCE