The astrolabe is invented, perhaps by the Appolonius of Perga in Greece
An astrolabe is an elaborate inclinometer, historically used by astronomers and navigators to measure the inclined position in the sky of a celestial body, day or night.
Technology & innovation
Construction begins on the Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is an ancient series of walls and fortifications, totaling more than 13,000 miles in length, located in northern China. Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of China and its long and vivid history, the Great Wall was originally conceived by Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the third century B.C. as a means of preventing incursions from barbarian nomads. To this day, construction of the “Wan Li Chang Cheng,” or 10,000-Li-Long Wall, is one of the most ambitious building projects ever undertaken by any civilization.
Early Scandinavians invent the longship
Originally invented and used by the Vikings for commerce, exploration, and warfare, many of the longship’s characteristics were adopted by other cultures.
Humans of the Zhou dynasty in modern-day China invent the gear
Gears almost always produce a change in torque, creating a mechanical advantage, through their gear ratio, and thus may be considered a simple machine.
The ancient Chinese, perhaps of the Zhou Dynasty, invent the trip hammer
A trip hammer, also known as a tilt hammer or helve hammer, is a massive powered hammer used in agriculture, mining, finery forges, and a variety of other applications.
Humans of ancient Greece invent the crane
The archaeological record shows that no later than c. 515 B.C.E. distinctive cuttings for both lifting tongs and lewis irons begin to appear on stone blocks of Greek temples.
The Greeks build the world's first underground aqueduct, the Tunnel of Eupalinos, on the island of Samos
The tunnel is the second known tunnel in history which was excavated from both ends and the first with a geometry-based approach in doing so.
The Assyrians build the world’s first long-distance canal systems
The first sophisticated long-distance canal systems were constructed in the Assyrian empire in the 9th century B.C.E. and incorporated tunnels several kilometres in length.
Chinese bronze inscriptions come into use in modern-day China
The bronze inscriptions are one of the earliest scripts in the Chinese family of scripts.
Humans in ancient Chinese invent the sheng, an early polyphonic reed instrument
The sheng is a Chinese mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes. It is a polyphonic instrument and enjoys an increasing popularity as a solo instrument. It is one of the oldest Chinese instruments