Ancient Technology

 From Ancient Origins:

The problem stems from the modern understanding of the word “advanced”. Today, we are almost obsessed with being “advanced”, even when it hampers us in certain ways. We connect this advancement with technologies and modern innovation but fail to understand that there were numerous ways to advance, even in prehistory. Early humans certainly advanced as well, for their time, in social organization, in adapting to their environment, creating better tools and hunting tactics, and honing their cognitive abilities. And as we take all this into account, we begin to understand that they were much more intellectually and culturally developed than is usually thought.

 One of the foremost aspects in which ancient humans were more advanced than first thought is exploration and navigation. We must remember that with the appearance of the first anatomically modern humans, people began spreading all across the globe, discovering new hunting grounds and new bountiful lands where man never before set foot. But what about the seas? Ancient humans didn’t shy away from these, as there is ample evidence of prehistoric sea travel. Yes - our ancestors were skilled mariners. Scholars commonly agree that, for example, Australia had been colonized some 65,000 years ago. This feat required arduous sea voyages and the crossing of hundreds of kilometers of open sea. This implies that some early societies had a rudimentary understanding of oceanic navigation and sailing as well. Comparable is evidence from Micronesia and the Solomon Islands, which indicates early long-distance voyages across the Pacific, when new islands were discovered and settled. (Read more.)