8 ‘Modern’ Inventions With Surprising And Eerie Ancient Origins

Modern Advancements

Not to mention the strides that technology has made in the past few decades, how many updates and reiterations even simple devices have gone through to be able to do more, do it better, and do it faster.

Because of this, sometimes the history of these items becomes lost. There are plenty of inventions that we consider to be relatively modern because of their role in our lives and their appearance that actually have centuries of history behind them. Here are a few common commodities that have some surprising ancient origins.

Nuclear Reactors Formed Naturally 2 Billion Years Ago

A big one to start with, yes, but it's true! The first nuclear reactor was one that formed naturally over 2 billion years ago.

This phenomenon was discovered in 1972 at the Oklo uranium mine in Gabon. Well, the remains of the natural reactor were discovered, it had long since stopped running. A natural reactor such as this one couldn't be replicated today as the isotope needed for it to run is too rare. At the time, though, it made up 3% of all the natural occurring uranium, the perfect concentration needed for it to sustain itself.

It Was An Amazing Discovery

Not only was the occurrence itself a natural marvel, but its existence helped further research regarding nuclear power and better long-term storage of radioactive waste.

When studying what was left of the reactor, physicists discovered that it had its own power cycle rather than constantly generating power. When it was on, they calculated that it would generate an average of 100 kilowatts of power in 20 minutes, offloading it as heat that could boil the water that flowed through the system. When the water evaporated, it would turn itself off until more flowed in. It's an extremely fascinating discovery that we could never even hope to see today!

Central Heating Came From The Roman Era

Your home being toasty warm in the winter can be traced back all the way to the ancient Greeks, who created the first central heating system around 350 B.C.E.

The first itteration of the invention was called a hypocaust. The best known example of a found hypocaust is at the Temple of Ephesus, where some historians believe it was built to warm the feet of people who came to worship.

Building It Better

Ancient Roman hydraulic engineer Sergius Orata is credited for having improved on the original design. His version utilized a system of pillars and stacked tiles that would be placed under buildings to help direct heat from furnaces upwards. This way it wouldn't just collect under the floor, but move up the walls as well.

Of course, having to constantly stock a furnace and maintain the tiles was a lofty, costly job, meaning it became an amenity for the wealthy only.

Thank Egypt For Vending Machines

This one is more conceptual than direct, but it's still fascinating. Vending machines today are more a tool of convenience than anything else, providing a quick and (sometimes) cheap snack or drink for those who need one.

The original implementation of this type of idea wasn't related to food at all, but rather prayer.

Heron of Alexandra was a Greek mathematician who created a 'pay to pray' system that were then distributed in temples across Egypt.

Near-Identical Mechanics

Just as one would put money into a vending machine today, worshippers in Egypt could deposit a coin into these machines that would press on a metal valve and release holy water.

It was a quick and easy way for people to practice faith, albeit in a small package, but they were apparently a hit, as the concept remained and developed into the machines we see in a wide variety of lobbies and waiting rooms today.

And Automatic Doors

This is an add-on to the previous entry, as it also involves Huron of Alexandria. Using his knowledge of engineering, he conceptualized the first set of automatic doors.

In his drafts, the mechanic would use a fire alter, water pumps, and pulleys to automatically pull open the doors to temples without anyone needing to do it themselves. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to have actually been constructed, so we'll never know if his blueprint would have actually worked.

Chocolate Has Been Enjoyed For Over 3,000 Years

The sweet vice that most people can't bring themselves to deny, we owe thanks to the Maya, Aztec, and Toltec people of ancient Mesoamerica for bringing this about over 3000 years ago now.

These three civilizations used the cocoa bean that grew generously in their area to make a frothy beverage that they used as a energy drink, mood enhancer, and aphrodisiac. They worshiped the cacao tree, considering it to be sacred.

Cocoa Beans Were Invaluable

So much so that they were often used as currency or added leverage in trades.

In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadores who traveled south in search of gold and silver in the New World discovered what these ancient peoples were doing this foreign fruit. They brought cocoa beans, and thus chocolate, back to Europe with them, kicking off an industry that will never die down so long as humans still exist. The Maya, Aztec, and Toltec people really knew what they had.

Calendars Have Long Been Used To Tell Time

Today, we use what's known as the Gregorian calendar, which on its own is rather old. It was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a replacement for the Julian calendar that came before it.

And, of course, people have been telling time in fixed segments for far longer. The cycle of the sun and moon helped people track days before they even denoted 'day' as a unit of measurement. The oldest example of a working calendar, though, comes from ancient Scotland.

The Moon's Glow

In 2004, a discovery was made at an excavation site at Warren Field, Crathes, Aberdeenshire. They unearthed what appeared to be a rather complicated calendar system that was dated to be approximately 10,000 years old, making it the oldest calendar ever discovered.

The calendar itself is huge, containing a 50-meter long row of 12 pits that had been carved by Stone Age Britons. Each pit represented the 'months' of the year as well as the lunar phase cycle.

The system was very moon-based, with each lunar 'month' being split into roughly ten day 'weeks', representing the waxing, waning, and full moons.

Seismographs

Even today, we remain unable to perfectly predict earthquakes, but over the years we've advanced greatly in being able to record and study them. The tool that's imperative to this research is called a seismograph, which records and classifies earthquake strength.

Earthquakes are a naturally occurring phenomenon that's been taking place probably before humans were developed enough to feel them, meaning as societies advanced, people began wanting to know more about them. The earliest version of a seismograph that was used to catalogue earthquakes is nearly 2000 years old.

Beatiful And Functional

It was in 132 A.D. that Chinese astronomer, mathematician, and engineer Zhang Heng invented the first seismograph. To this day, it's still considered to be surprisingly accurate at detecting distant earthquakes given its ag.

The machine was an ornate, large, bronze vessel that's almost six feet in diameter. It featured eight dragons around the outside, one for each primary compass direction, each with a metal ball in its mouth. Below the dragons were frogs made to catch the balls. The sound of the ball falling from the dragon's mouth into the frog's would alert people around that there was an earthquake happening in the direction of that particular dragon.

This seismograph was recreated and tested in 2005 with simulated earthquakes. not only did it detect all of them, but it corresponded with the data gathered by modern machines perfectly!

Concrete Was Stronger In The Past Than Today

Concrete is such a common feature in today's society. It's used absolutely everywhere, from the smallest of curbs to the largest of skyscrapers. It's hard to know where construction would be without it, something we ought to thank the Romans for standardizing.

Not only did they first conceptualize and create concrete for building purposes, but researchers have found that its composition is of higher quality than today's concrete, not to mention it's far less environmentally damaging.

Wear And Tear

The concrete used back then was made up of lime and volcanic ash. They mixed the substance with seawater to trigger a chemical reaction that helped the lime bond and the ash solidify, cementing it all together.

Many samples of this concrete were discovered submerged in the Mediteranian Sea, where they would have been for approximately 2000 years. The fact alone that these pieces were able to survive being underwater where they were subject to erosion, chemical attack, and wave movement for thousands of years is a testament to its quality.

Across Millennia

Seeing the very specific, seemingly random things that connect people across thousands of years shows that, at our cores, we are all motivated by the same things.

Many inventions were born out of pleasure and convenience, two aspects many of us still chase today. In more modern times, we're lucky enough to have things that both make us happy and make our lives easier practically within our reach at all times.

When enjoying something that was once thought of as a luxury, an impossibility, or was once not even a thought it the human mind, take a moment to thank the generations and generations before you that helped bring it into reality.

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