What are some of the oldest technologies still used today?


Technology has made some incredible leaps in the last few years as we can now achieve almost anything we set our minds to. However, it seems as though some inventions are just too good to replace. So what are some of the oldest technologies still used today?

Door locks

Many of us return home and unlock our doors, or check they are secured before heading off to bed but have you ever thought about a life before this technology existed? A lot of work and effort goes into crafting unique door locks with keys designed only to work on those locks. Although there have been some advancements with fingerprint and face recognition technologies, the majority of us still use our trusty key. It’s thought that door locks originated in Ancient Egypt where they used giant tumbler locks that were two-foot long. They were all shut with individual pins in a unique pattern connected to a bolt, similar to our modern locks.

Paper

Sure, most of us are now used to doing our work on screens, but paper is still all around us – and has been used for thousands of years. There have been many variants over time that have all been formed from different materials, but it was Ancient China that first took the world by storm between 25 CE and 220 CE. Cai Lun was an inventor of the time and was in charge of mass producing paper that could be used from printing and writing opposed to the traditional papyrus that had been used for so long.

Alarm clocks

Although many of us dream of a world without alarm clocks, people were once searching for a way to wake up in time for the day. It wasn’t until Plato decided that enough was enough between 428 BCE and 348 BCE that everything changed. The philosopher used a giant water clock that made a sound similar to an organ to announce his lectures were beginning at dawn. This was just the beginning. The modern alarm clock was first invented in the 15th century where people could push a pin into various holes on the face of a clock to set their alarm.

The pulley

This was a technology that was set to change the world forever. Although no one has been able to place an exact date on its creation, most people believe the pulley was in full use by 1500 BCE. In fact, historians are convinced that pulleys were an essential part of building Stonehenge among other large structures. Pulleys were also the game-changer when it came to the crane as the Ancient Greeks used them to bring their dreams to life. Now, cranes are used all around the world each and every day.

Sometimes, it can be easy to take the incredible technologies in the world for granted. Although the world seems to be advancing faster than ever before, there are some technologies that simply cannot be replaced. The best bit? It doesn’t look as though they’ll be going anywhere anytime soon either.

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