Four Ancient Technologies That Changed How We Think
Maps, accounting, writing, and money are four of the most impactful intellectual technologies ever invented. Their development by the mid-6th Century BC was often interconnected and laid the groundwork for the great thinkers of the Axial Age, including Pythagoras, the Buddha, Confucius, Herodotus, and Socrates. This video draws heavily on the works of Nicholas Carr, Denise Schmandt-Besserat, Jared Diamond, and David Graeber.
Previous video: • How Napoleonic Art Still Shapes Us
Channel trailer: • Channel Trailer
Denise Schmandt-Besserat’s YouTube channel: / @bulla.accounting.system
Email me at: [email protected]
MUSIC:
"The Rhythm of Memories" by Earth
"Nightdreams"
“Ancient Rite”
“Lotus”
“Crossing the Chasm” all by:
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Chris Zabriskie - “Divider” CC BY 4.0 (http://chriszabriskie.com/divider/)
SOUND EFFECTS:
lefthandwinnie - Horsewagon steady wheel CC BY-SA-3.0 (https://freesound.org/people/lefthand...)
InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) - Impact, Ice, Moderate, C.wav CC BY-SA-3.0 (https://freesound.org/people/Inspecto...)
InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) - Destruction, Wooden, A.wav CC BY-SA-3.0 (https://freesound.org/people/Inspecto...)
IMAGES (Most images cropped):
che - Mammoth tusk engraving map CC BY-SA-2.5 (https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soubor:...)
Zde - Engraving on a mammoth tusk, map, Gravettian CC BY-SA-4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
donsmaps.com - Mezhirich map (https://www.donsmaps.com/mammothcamp....)
Dagmar Hollmann - Loewenmensch11 CC BY-SA-4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Michel wal - Enthroned King of Ur CC BY-SA-3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Miquel - Precursor Writing 01 CC BY-SA-4.0 (http://en.finaly.org/index.php?title=...)
Miquel - Reckoning Before Writing Bulla 01 CC BY-SA-4.0 (http://en.finaly.org/index.php?title=...)
Miquel - Reckoning Before Writing Bulla 02 CC BY-SA-4.0 (http://en.finaly.org/index.php?title=...)
Miquel - Reckoning Before Writing CC BY-SA-4.0 (http://en.finaly.org/index.php?title=...)
Miquel - Reckoning Before Writing Tokens 06 CC BY-SA-4.0 (http://en.finaly.org/index.php?title=...)
Miquel - Two Precursors of Writing Figure 07 CC BY-SA-4.0 (http://en.finaly.org/index.php?title=...)
Miquel - Precursor Writing 04 CC BY-SA-4.0 (http://en.finaly.org/index.php?title=...)
Miquel - Precursor Writing 08 CC BY-SA-4.0 (http://en.finaly.org/index.php?title=...)
Miquel - Precursor Writing 10 CC BY-SA-4.0 (http://en.finaly.org/index.php?title=...)
Josell7 - Babylonian numerals CC BY-SA-4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Rama - Contract sale of a slave and house … CC BY-SA-3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Lacambalam - Detail of Codex Dresdensis drawn by Lacambalam CC BY-SA-4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Gautier Poupeau - Linear B Musee archeologique de Mycenes CC BY-SA-2.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Vasant Shinde, Rick J Willis - Longest Indus script inscription (colour) CC BY-SA-4.0 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lo...)
BabelStone - Shang dynasty inscribed scapula CC BY-SA-3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Classical Numismatics Group - PERSIA, Achaemenid Empire. Temp. Darios I. Circa 520-505 BC CC BY-SA-3.0 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PE...)
CNG Coins - Achaemenid bimetallic equivalence CC BY-SA-3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
CNG Coins - Kroisos … CC BY-SA-3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Benh VENUE SONG - Pont du Gard BLS CC-BY-SA-3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Deadkid dk - Ying yuan, Guangdong Museum CC-BY-SA-3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Enez35 - I17 1karshapana Sunga … CC BY-SA-2.0 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:I1...)
Thanks for watching!