KONSEP TEKNOLOGI

Technology, general term for the processes by

which human beings fashion tools and machines
to increase their control and understanding of the
material environment. The term is derived from
the Greek words tekhn, which refers to an art or
craft, and logia, meaning an area of study; thus,
technology means, literally, the study, or science,
of crafting.

Technology has been a dialectical and cumulative

process at the center of human experience. It is
perhaps best understood in a historical context that
traces the evolution of early humans from a period
of very simple tools to the complex, large-scale
networks that influence most of contemporary
human life. For the sake of simplicity, the following
account focuses primarily on developments in the
Western world, but major contributions from other
cultures are also indicated.

The earliest known human artifacts are roughly

flaked stones used for chopping and scraping,
found primarily in eastern Africa. Known as
Oldowan tools, they date from about 2.3 million
years before present, and serve to define the
beginning of the Stone Age.

By about 40,000 years before present, humans had

begun to use fire and to make a variety of tools,
including pear-shaped axes, scrapers, knives, and
other instruments of stone, bone, and other
materials. They had also begun to use tools to make
clothing and build shelters for protection from
inclement weather. The use of tools can be
observed in many members of the animal kingdom,
but the capacity for creating tools to craft other
objects distinguishes humans from all other
animals.

Thenextbigstepinthehistoryoftechnology
wasthecontroloffire.Bystrikingflintagainst
pyritestoproducesparks,peoplecouldkindle
firesatwill,therebyfreeingthemselvesfromthe
necessityofperpetuatingfiresobtainedfrom
naturalsources.Besidestheobviousbenefitsof
lightandheat,firewasalsousedtobakeclay
pots,producingheat-resistantvesselsthatwere
thenusedforcookinggrainsandforbrewing
andfermenting.

Ancient
Agricultural
Practices
Relief art on the
walls of the tomb
of Nefer Sakkara
shows Egyptian
workers harvesting
crops and tending
livestock with
rudimentary tools.

Early Agricultural Tools

Humans began farming about 12,000 years ago. The ability to control their food supply freed people from a
nomadic lifestyle, which allowed for the beginning of cities and towns. These early farming tools date from
about 6,000 bc. The picture portrays an axe (bottom) used for clearing; flint sickles (left), used for harvesting
cereal crops; a flat rock and rounded stone (center), used for grinding flour; and perforated clay slabs (upper
right), probably used to ventilate bread ovens

To assist the efficient transportation of minerals for the

growing copper-working industry, two-wheeled carts were
constructed; the oldest wheels yet found date from about
3500 bc, in Mesopotamia.

Aerial view of Central Athens

Symmetry and geometric design played an important role in city planning in
ancient Greece and Rome. City planners designed distinct residential, marketing,
recreation, and religious areas and interspersed them evenly throughout the city.
Streets often followed a gridiron pattern as developed by Hippodamus, the father
of city planning. Many cities were surrounded by high fortification walls.
Hippodamus gridiron pattern of city blocks remains a legacy in many Greek
cities, as shown in this photograph of modern Athens, Greece.

Step Pyramid, aqqrah

The Step Pyramid of King Djoser was built during
the 3rd Dynasty at aqqrah, Egypt. It was
designed by the architect Imhotep. The pyramid
was the first monumental royal tomb and is one of
the oldest stone structures in Egypt.

The first cities were also, in effect, war machines,

built within walls for defense and organized for
battle and conquest. Urban centers at Ur, Nippur,
Uruk, Thebes, Heliopolis, Assur, Nineveh, and
Babylon were arsenals of destructive weaponry. The
goal of a military force was to lay waste the city of
its enemy. Ur, in Sumer, was not only one of the first
great cities to arise (about 4000 bc) but also one of
the first to be destroyed (about 2000 bc).

Catapult
The catapult worked like a giant slingshot, propelling large stones,
javelins, and other objects over high walls, moats, and other
barriers during ancient times and the Middle Ages. One type of
catapult called the mangonel used the torsion of heavy cords
twisted between two uprights to throw heavy stones, but it had little
accuracy.

Ancient Roman Aqueduct, Spain

One of the best-preserved ruins of the Roman Empire, this
aqueduct, named El Puente (Spanish for The Bridge), stretches
from Spains Fro River to the city of Segovia. Built during the rule
of Roman Emperor Trajan in the 1st century ad, the aqueduct runs
both above and below the ground and stretches for a total of 16 km
(10 mi). These two tiers of arches, at the center of an aboveground
portion of the aqueduct, reach a height of 28.5 m (93.5 ft).

Automation Trade-Off
Technological advancement has both positive and ill effects on a
society. Take, for example, advances in automation technology.
Automation has improved production efficiency and quality control,
and has reduced the need to have workers perform potentially
dangerous tasks. On the other hand, automation has made many jobs
unnecessary, putting employees out of work, or forcing them to
retrain.