Abstract

The technologist is by no means a recent phenomenon; I propose that this role can easily be recognized in the myths of the beginning of humanity and in history. The origin myth of the Rig Veda tells of Mātariśvan who is responsible for bringing the hidden knowledge of the production of fire by friction from far away. The origin myth found in the book of Enoch tells of Azazel who taught the people metallurgy and the chemistry of coloring and dyes. The scientific investigation of Ötzi the Iceman of the Neolithic Age gives us strong physical evidence for an actual traveling metallurgist. The Antikythera Mechanism of ancient times was so advanced that it was a millennium ahead of any other geared mechanism of this level of complexity, and it is only as a consequence of its ancient transportation and through the application of modern technology that the high level of applied expertise of this device is understood by science.