Did you know . . . People first used skis more than 8,000 years ago? The first wheels were used in pottery—not for transportation? Traffic jams often clogged the streets of ancient Rome? Transportation technology is as old as human society itself. The first humans on Earth used simple transportation tools. They bundled logs together to make rafts. They used long poles and flat boards to carry heavy loads. Over the centuries, ancient peoples learned more about transportation. The ancient Indians trained elephants and horses for travel. The ancient Chinese developed the first compasses. The ancient Greeks built massive battleships. So what kinds of tools and techniques did ancient people use? How did maps of the world improve over time? And how did ancient transportation set the stage for our own modern transportation technology? Learn more in Ancient Transportation Technology.
Introduction 4
Chapter 1 Transportation Basics 8
Chapter 2 The Ancient Middle East 18
Chapter 3 Ancient Egypt 28
Chapter 4 Ancient India 36
Chapter 5 Ancient China 44
Chapter 6 The Ancient Americas 52
Chapter 7 Ancient Greece 60
Chapter 8 Ancient Rome 70
Epilogue After the Ancients 78
Timeline 84
Glossary 86
Source Notes 88
Selected Bibliography 90
Further Reading 91
Websites 93
Index 94
Overview
Did you know . . . People first used skis more than 8,000 years ago? The first wheels were used in pottery—not for transportation? Traffic jams often clogged the streets of ancient Rome? Transportation technology is as old as human society itself. The first humans on Earth used simple transportation tools. They bundled logs together to make rafts. They used long poles and flat boards to carry heavy loads. Over the centuries, ancient peoples learned more about transportation. The ancient Indians trained elephants ...