Science and Technology in The Bronze Age

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE BRONZE AGE
Lecturer NGUYEN HUU CHUNG
Modern Science and Technology
MODULE 5
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Students will understand the innovations of the Bronze Age,
including inventions, tools, and technology.
The student can identify the properties of Bronze Age tools, which
are stronger and more stable compared to Stone Age tools.
The student can explore the weapons created for use during the
Bronze Age.
BRONZE AGE
INVENTIONS, TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY
The following four key innovations, all directly related to the core of the
Bronze Age, are metallurgy, smelting, casting, and alloys.
I. THE BRONZE AGE: MINING, SMELTING, CASTING &
METALLURGY
Mining in the Bronze Age: Early miners used stone tools such as
hammers and chisels to extract ore.
Smelting in the Bronze Age: The knowledge of smelting techniques

was passed down through generations, contributing to the
technological advancement of Bronze Age societies.
Casting and Metallurgy in the Bronze Age: During the Bronze Age,
casting and metallurgy techniques experienced significant advancements,
leading to the production of beautiful and durable
I.1. A TIME OF INNOVATION
Experimentation with metals produced a strong new substance called
bronze.
 The Bronze Age, which lasted c. 3000-1000 BCE, followed the Stone
Age.
 This period received its name due to the fact bronze (a mixture of
copper and tin)
Copper + Tin = Bronze

I.2. BRONZE AGE METALLURGY
Metallurgy is the process of extracting metal from ore and modifying

the metal for use.
The ability of humans to practice metallurgy is what moved them from
the Stone Age into the Bronze Age.
BRONZE AGE METALLURGY
 Metallurgy is the study and practice of working with metals, including

processes like smelting, casting, and making alloys.
 When people started considering the use of metal for their tools, they
experimented with various metals and their properties.
METALLURGY
 An alloy of 90% copper and 10% tin produced bronze, a material

stronger than stone and wood and able to be formed into many
different tools.
I.3. EARLY MINING
In the beginning, people used metal from rocks on the earth's surface,
often picking visible rocks from cliffs.
People had to start looking for copper and tin ore, which is metal in its
raw and natural form, deeper in the earth
I.4. SMELTING
 In its raw form, most metals aren't found in a pure state.
 To separate out the desired metal, the ore is placed in a furnace and
melted; this is smelting.
 The metal ore, filled with impurities, had to be smelted to separate
out the desired product
I.5. CASTING
Once the copper was purified, it was ready to combine with tin to
make bronze.
The liquid metal is removed from the furnace and poured into frames,
a process called casting.
METALLURGY
Smelting: heating ore to a specific temperature to separate the desired metal
from impurities in the rock
Casting: the process of melting down metal and pouring it into a mold to create
an object with a specific shape and size
Alloys: created through the combination of two or more metals into one
substance with properties greater than the component metals
Bronze Casting
II. BRONZE AGE TECHNOLOGY
Bronze Age technology made civilization possible. Major
inventions and processes created during this time include the
following:
1. The wheel

2. Irrigation and dedicated fields for planting
3. The bronze plow
4. The bronze axe and sword
5. A writing system
BRONZE AGE TECHNOLOGY
II. 1. The wheel
The first wheel appeared in early Bronze Age Mesopotamia where
circles of wood were attached by axles to a cart.
Replacing them with bronze would
have been much too heavy However, when the
wheel was modified to
use spokes, bronze
wheels became light
The wheel was created using stone enough to be practical.
II. 2. Irrigation and dedicated fields for planting
The first of these innovations is

irrigation, the process of using
man-made canals and ditches to
divert water from natural
sources or floodplains to fields
for crops or to reservoir lakes for
later use
II. 3. The bronze plow
Bronze plows were stronger and more
durable than stone or wooden plows,
wooden plows allowing farmers to till and plant fields at a
faster rate.
II.4. The bronze axe and sword
 For the first time it became possible to clear land for farming using a
bronze axe.
Axes - much easier to cut down trees to build structures than stone
axes
II. 5. A writing system
The first significant written set of rules for society was developed under the
rule of Hammurabi, the king of Babylon from 1795 BCE to 1750 BCE.
The Code of Hammurabi, inscribed in cuneiform on clay tablets around
1772 BCE, is the first known set of laws governing a society.
 The Hammurabi Code, consisting of 282 rules, set standards
for business deals and punishments for fair justice
Part of the Code of Hammurabi

Bronze Ages: Advances
The Bronze Age saw two significant advances to human
civilization around the world:
 metal tool technology and urban development.
TOOLS
 The reason they stopped their nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyles was because of advancements
in agriculture
 Bronze tools were more advanced than stone tools in providing food
•Axes - much easier to cut down trees to build structures than stone axes
•Plow tips - instead of dull stone or wood, farm plows would be equipped with bronze shovel tips to move dirt
more efficiently
URBAN DEVELOPMENT :
 The rise of towns was based on agricultural surplus and the making of bronze tools
III. BRONZE AGE FARMING
The Bronze Age was perhaps the most exciting time in agriculture
since farming was first invented thousands of years earlier.
Transport their harvest with efficient wheels
Bronze Led to Farming Innovations
IV. BRONZE AGE WEAPONS
The Bronze Age completely changed war and warfare in the ancient
world.
The creation of swords and chariots marked the beginning of official
armies
IV. 1. THE SWORD
Before the Bronze Age, swords  In the Bronze Age, the first designed
swords were sickle swords.
couldn't be used in battles
Swords made during the Stone
 It is only during the Bronze Age that a
Age would have been extremely range of different types of swords can be
brittle seen
Weapons more harder/durable
IV.2. THE CHARIOT
Chariots were wooden carts pulled by horses and guided by a

charioteer.
Chariots started being used in warfare from the 17th century BCE
mostly in the Ancient Near East.
 During the Bronze Age, chariots revolutionized warfare more than any other innovation
 One of the most useful weapons in the bronze age.
IV.3. BRONZE AGE ARMOR
During this time, people used armor, axes, spears,
shields, helmets, and daggers as weapons.
One of the most significant uses of bronze

in warfare was in the making of armor.
 Bronze Age armor was both lighter and
harder than both stone and copper which it
replaced.
IV.4. BRONZE AGE PANOPLY PLATE
ARMOR
Panoply plate armor was used to cover
the body while fighting.
It was made of overlapping bronze
plates held together by leather thongs.
Panoply plate armor was used to protect

the wearer from the neck to the knees.
Panoply Plate armor was made up of bronze
plates tied together with leather strings
IV.5. BRONZE AGE SHIELDS
Before the Bronze Age, shields were made of wood or leather

stretched over a wooden frame.
With the arrival of bronze, warriors had a light and strong option for
their weapons and tools
BRONZE AGE BATTLE AXES AND SPEARS
Bronze replaced stone as a Bronze was used on the tips of

material for battle axes. wooden spears.
These axes could cause serious These long weapons could be used
to attack an opponent at some
injuries because they had blades
distance, avoiding close-quarter
attached to wooden handles. combat.
Quiz 05-01 on the Bronze Age
Assignment 05:
Technological Advancements from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age

Science and Technology in The Bronze Age

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE BRONZE AGE

Lecturer NGUYEN HUU CHUNG

Modern Science and Technology

Smelting in the Bronze Age: The knowledge of smelting techniques

Copper + Tin = Bronze

Metallurgy is the process of extracting metal from ore and modifying

 Metallurgy is the study and practice of working with metals, including

 An alloy of 90% copper and 10% tin produced bronze, a material

1. The wheel

The first of these innovations is

Part of the Code of Hammurabi

Chariots were wooden carts pulled by horses and guided by a

One of the most significant uses of bronze

Panoply plate armor was used to protect

Before the Bronze Age, shields were made of wood or leather

Bronze replaced stone as a Bronze was used on the tips of

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