Ancient Transportation Technology

From Oars to Elephants

From the Series Technology in Ancient Cultures

  • Interest Level: Grade 6 - Grade 12
  • Reading Level: Grade 6

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.

Format Your Price Add
978-0-7613-7267-7
$35.99
Available at all major wholesalers and distributors. Save 25% off list price on hardcovers and ebooks when you buy direct! Digital purchases will be accessed on Lerner Digital Bookshelf. An account will be created for you after purchase.
Interest Level Grade 6 - Grade 12
Reading Level Grade 6
Genre Social Studies, Young Adult
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Twenty-First Century Books ™
Language English
Publication Date 2011-01-01
Text Type Informational/Explanatory
BISACS YAN055050, YAN025020, YAN056000
Dewey 629.04093
Graphics Full-color illustrations
Features Bibliography/further reading, Glossary, Index, Maps, Primary source quotations/images, Reviewed, Sidebars, Source notes, Starred Reviews, Table of contents, Teaching Guides, Timeline, and eSource

Author: Mary B. Woods

Mary B. Woods is an elementary school librarian in the Fairfax County (VA) Public School system. She has presented at international librarians’ conferences. Mary has worked with her husband, Michael Woods, to write almost forty books. She is the researcher, and Michael is the writer.

Author: Michael Woods

Michael Woods is a science and medical writer whose nationally syndicated newspaper stories and columns have won numerous national awards. He directs a program at the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, to inform the public about science. He and his wife, Mary B. Woods, have written almost forty books together. Michael is the writer, and Mary is the researcher.

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

Technology in Ancient Cultures

How did early peoples around the world approach construction, communication, computing, transportation, agriculture, machinery, medicine, and warfare? This fascinating, easy-to-read series gives young readers a close-up look at how the ancients got things done. Each book takes a basic… View available downloads →

Reviews

Library Media Connection

“A map, timeline, glossary, and bibliography are included in these books which provide more than ample material for classes in history, health, and technology.” —Library Media Connection

The Horn Book Guide

“Each volume focuses on a different type of technology used by ancient world civilizations. After an informative overview section, chapters discuss particular civilizations and their specific technologies. The texts successfully show both the uniqueness of and similarities among the devices or techniques. Numerous captioned photographs, sidebars, and quotations add supplementary information. Epilogues relate how ancient technology is still being used today.” —The Horn Book Guide

NSTA

“The information in this series would be very good for a cross–curricular lesson, for example, relating science to social studies.” —NSTA