Most of the technology we use today is pretty recent. A hundred years ago, no one was using a computer, the internet, a smartphone or a car with GPS. Today, almost everyone owns most of these things. We’ve evolved into a society where things that are 10 years old become obsolete really fast, but what if I told you that we use loads of things on a near-daily basis that were invented a long time ago? Let’s take a look!
Chocolate
Let’s just start with the thing most people will probably actively use frequently. Chocolate has been around for 3000 years and goes back to ancient Mesoamerica. The Aztecs and Mayas loved the product they made of the cacao tree so much, they actually started revering it. Chocolate conquered the world when the Spanish invaded America.
Eye Makeup
In 4000 B.C., Egyptians were already using eye makeup. It was used to protect you from the eyes of something evil and was worn by both genders!
The Number “0”
Something I occasionally use when checking my bank account, the number zero was invented by the Sumerians in 300 B.C. The use of the number zero in mathematics came only a thousand years later, in the 7th century.
Democracy
Democracy was invented in ancient Greece, around 500 B.C., pretty much in the same form we see it today albeit with some restrictions on who got to vote. And of course, before that, Obi-Wan Kenobi fought for democracy a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Concrete
Concrete was first utilized in construction by none other than the Romans. The biggest piece of evidence we have on that would be the Colosseum in Rome and the Pantheon in Athens. Considering how these structures are still (mostly) standing, we should thank them for inventing this.
Paper
This is probably one of the easier ones – paper was first invented by the Egyptians in 3000 B.C., then known as papyrus. The paper was so durable you can still read the hieroglyphics on it thousands of years later. If I leave my notes out in the sun for two days, I can’t make out a single word. Evolution doesn’t always go forwards, I guess.
Marathons
The marathon as we know it is known from the soldier who, in 490 B.C., ran all the way from Marathon to Athens to deliver the news of victory over the Persians. The person who ran the first marathon then died on the spot, which is why I’ll never risk running one myself.
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