13 Ancient Technologies That Were Surprisingly Modern

Romans used the hypocaust, an underfloor heating system. They raised the floor with pillars. Hot air and smoke passed through, giving heat without polluting the room.This system kept the room clean.Other ancient underfloor heating methods exist. These include the Korean ondol.Korean ondol is another example of underfloor heating.Korean homes still use this method for heating today.

Egyptians began using toothpaste around 5000 BC. They mixed dried iris flowers, rock salt, mint, and pepper into a fine paste.These were the earliest known dentists.These dentists also appeared along the Nile thousands of years ago.

The alarm clock has existed longer than people think. Plato (c. 428-348 BC) claimed to create the first device.Plato claimed to craft the first alarm clock.Adapting a water clock made it whistle like a kettle after a set time. Another Greek, Ctesibius (285-222 BC), an inventor and mathematician in Egypt, changed this idea. Ctesibius's alarm clock also used water activation and dropped pebbles onto a gong.

Archaeologists found the first calendar in 2004 in a field in Scotland.This field is in Scotland.Hunter-gatherers built this around 8000 BC. They arranged twelve pits to track the lunar months. No other sites like this exist in Britain or Europe. This discovery shows a level of skill earlier peoples did not seem capable of.

The city of Mohenjo-Daro shared urban planning with Harappa.Mohenjo-Daro was the center of the Indus Valley civilization.This was the center of the Indus Valley civilization. Careful planning shaped the city's construction. It gave an effective drainage system to remove sewage.

Windows were placed strategically. This let the citizens use wind to cool the rooms. They had air conditioning thousands of years before the 20th-century invention.

The Byzantine Empire lasted long because it adopted new ideas. Using Greek fire helped them master the waves and set enemy ships and sailors on fire.

Rivals could not copy the deadly Greek fire compound. They lost its secrets sometime in the 12th century.Modern experiments have not uncovered all the secrets of Greek fire.Scientists still seek to understand all aspects of Greek fire.

Though ruins aren't as well kept as Roman monuments, Carthage matched its Italian rival. For ages, Carthage, not Rome, led the Mediterranean world.

One major feature of the ancient trading capital was the first known urban water supply system.The people of Carthage had indoor plumbing before the industrial revolution began.Carthaginian people had indoor plumbing before the industrial revolution started.

Hero of Alexandria developed an aeolipile, which was the first steam turbine.This happened in the first century.The simple device rotates as water heats up, and steam exiting the turbine gives it torque. People thought little of the idea then; they saw it as just a novelty.

Much later, Spanish naval officer Blasco de Garay proposed what would become a steamship.The first steamship appeared in 1543.Blasco de Garay used a modified version of Hero's engine. Authorities rejected it, and steamships did not become common until 1838.

This image is a 16th-century edition.Automata., wrote the Greek engineerHero.Hero, sometimes recorded as Heron, was a first-century engineer far ahead of his time. Hero's ideas included a wind-powered organ, a vending machine prototype for holy water, and an automatic temple door using pulleys and counterweights.

The Bronze Age marked a key time in human history. Fusing copper and tin let humans build better, tougher weapons and tools.The Shang and Zhou dynasties ruled the Yellow River Valley.These dynasties mastered metalworking in the Yellow River Valley. They kept this skill secret from other areas until the Middle Ages.

Ancient sources claim deadly machines were designed byArchimedes.Archimedes's machines helped keep Syracuse safe from naval attacks and amazed people. One was an iron clawiron claw.to lift ships out of the water; the other was wilder. The "death ray," which had a fancy name, used mirrors to bounce sunlight onto an enemy ship, making it catch fire.

Modern tests show the weapon likely failed as ancient sources suggest. Not enough heat formed that way. The death ray acted like a "distraction ray"; redirecting sunlight made it hard for ships to see properly.

A complex system of laws dates back nearly 4,000 years. Babylonian kingHammurabi.Hammurabi earned the title "law-giver." Famous for the "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" rule, the Code of Hammurabi is a legal document with 282 rules covering minor offenses to serious crimes.

Looking good was serious business in ancient Egypt. Both sexes used makeup for that distinct look, often seen in artifacts.both sexes.People used makeup for that signature look seen in artifacts. The Egyptian compact mirror was a highly polished bronze disc mounted on a wooden or ivory handle. The 19th century invented the silvered-glass mirror.