Technology And Change Essay

 For the past couple of weeks, we've been learning and researching technologies made in different time era. My group and I researched the technology made in Ancient Egypt and presented the research to our class. 

Link to Presentation

Then we worked individually and wrote an essay for the end of term assessment.

Technology has been around for centuries, under different time periods which gave a head start to some of mankind's greatest inventions now. The Ancient Egypt time period had amazing inventions, many of which - such as calendars, paper, clocks, tooth brushes, toothpaste - have undergone amazing advancements and are still being used till date.

One of the many things that the Egyptians invented was Papyrus or as we know it today - paper. The creation of paper has done wonders for us, from providing the Egyptians something to write their knowledge and history on, to now being turned into books - to write on or to read - paper to print on and used for many other activities. In 3000 BC, the Egyptians made the first ever form of paper using the papyrus plant which grew in the Nile region of Egypt. Papyrus was very thick with a tan colour and streaks of colour from the plant, modern day paper is found in many colours and has a range of different thickness and textures. Paper has been very important to the history of Egypt and after many advancements, it’s still being used today all over the world.

Another great invention of Ancient Egypt are scissors. Scissors were used by the Egyptians to cut hair and were fashionably made, we still use scissors now for many different reasons, cutting hair, cutting fabric, etc. In 1500 BC, the Egyptians created a scissor-like metal device which was then adapted by different time periods and in 1761, the first ever modern scissors were made. The scissors invented by the Egyptians were made of two large metal blades, forged together and engraved with pictures to make them look fashionable, the modern scissors are made with hinges, metal or plastic handles for a much easier use. Many modern scissors are also personalised for different uses such as metal scissors used by hairstylists and scissors with patterned ends to create more fun patterns. The importance of scissors are still shown today as they are being manufactured and are in great demand.

The Egyptians also invented the first ever calendar and clock. These are both very important inventions as they help us know the day, time, month and year. In 2510 BC, the first civil calendar was established which has since then gone through great advancements, being adapted by different groups of people and later being made into what it is today. The civil calendar used to be printed/carved on to stone by the Egyptians and after many advancements, the modern calendars are found printed onto paper and also digitally. Around 1500 BCE, the Egyptians invented a device which divided the sunlight into 10 parts, plus two ‘twilight hours’, this is known to be the first ever portable timepiece. Many years later and the modern clocks came to be, made of metal, plastic, wood and etc with a ring of numbers starting from 1 to 12 with hands traveling around the ring and showing different times. This invention is specifically very important because without it, we wouldn’t be able to tell the time or know what day it is.

The inventions of Ancient Egypt are beyond amazing as Egypt gave a start to many of the important devices that are being used today. They had invented paper, which is a very useful product, scissors, which are now being used in everyday life for many reasons and the first calendar and clock, which is most probably the most important invention so far. They had done this during an era which we think of as old but their minds and craftsmanship has provided us with many great devices.