Ancient Engineering & Technology

Early Boat Technology

Learn about the development of ancient Polynesian ship technology, from dugout canoes to catamarans, in this video from NOVA: Great Human Odyssey.

• Although there is no archeological evidence of the earliest boats, there are clues in Papua New Guinea, where people are still crafting dugout canoes like their ancestors did. 

Great Human Odyssey

Open Ended

• How has technology evolved over time to suit our needs?

Open Ended

• Name an example of a piece of technology that has evolved and list the innovations required to improve its function.

Open Ended

• What are examples of types of boats? How does the design of each boat suit the needs of the user?

Multiple Choice

• How does an outrigger work? How did outriggers help humans settle islands in the Pacific?

• Outriggers made boats heavier, making travel more difficult.
• Outriggers are used for fishing only, not for travel.
• Outriggers provided stability for boats, facilitating long-distance travel and the settlement of islands in the Pacific.

Multiple Choice

• How does a sailboat travel into the wind?

• A sailboat cannot move against the wind at all.
• A sailboat travels into the wind by sailing at an angle and using tacking.

Multiple Choice

• What are the advantages of a catamaran?

• The advantages of a catamaran include increased stability, faster speeds, and more deck space.
• Less maintenance required

Open Ended

• How do you think that people first discovered the technology to build boats? Why was it necessary for them to develop this technology?

Open Ended

• How did early boat technology affect the success of humans?

Advances in Furnace Technology

Learn about a bloomery, an ancient type of furnace that raised the temperature of fire enough to separate iron from rock, in this video from NOVA: Treasures of the Earth: Metals.

With heat-resistant walls made of earth, clay, or stone, and pipes at its base, bloomeries were an important advance in smelting that enabled early iron production.

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​Treasures of the Earth

Video Response

• What daily objects do you use that have iron in them?

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Open Ended

• What technology was developed to increase the temperature of flames to smelt iron? What was it made of and how did it work?

Open Ended

• Why does air make flames hotter? Describe the chemical reaction that occurs.

Open Ended

• How did iron transform the way that we live?

Video Response

• What are examples of other early technologies that transformed our society?

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