Abacus | Accordions |
Aqueducts | Bagpipes |
Balls | Baseball gloves |
Bathtubs | Belts |
Binoculars | Blankets |
Books | Bottle caps |
Bottles | Bow and arrows |
Bowling balls | Bricks |
Calligraphy sets | Canals |
Candles | Canes |
Canoes | Carpenter's squares |
Chalkboards | China cabinets |
Chisels | Coins |
Compasses | Eyeglasses |
Fire pits | Fishing rods |
Flagpoles | Flutes |
Grandfather clocks | Greenhouses |
Guitars | Hammers |
Handbags | Handmade soap |
Handsaws | Harps |
Hockey sticks | Horseshoes |
Hourglasses | Ice skates |
Igloos | Junks (ships) |
Kayaks | Kimono |
Lanterns | Leather belts |
Lighthouses | Locks and keys |
Luggage | Mailboxes |
Mirrors | Moccasins |
Music boxes | Neon lights |
Paddles | Paint brushes |
Paper | Pencils |
Pens | Pianos |
Pipe organs | Pocket watches |
Pottery | Protractors |
Public fountains | Puppets |
Quilts | Radios |
Record players / gramophones | Rolling pins |
Ropes | Rulers |
Saddles | Sailboats |
Screwdrivers | Sewing needles |
Shoji - Japanese sliding paper doors | Sleds |
Staplers | Stone carving tools |
Stonemasonry and stonecraft | Sundials |
Swing sets | Tatami - Japanese straw flooring |
Teapots | Telegraphs / telegrams |
Telescopes | Timber framed houses |
Traditional architecture | Traditional clothing |
Traditional drums | Traditional footwear |
Traditional furniture | Traditional infrastructure e.g. roads |
Typewriters | Ukulele |
Umbrellas | Violins |
Wallets | Weather vanes |
Windmills | Wood carving tools |
Wooden chairs | Wrenches |
Discussion
Some traditional technologies are still a part of the day-to-day lives of people in a culture. For example, traditional Japanese shoji are still commonly built into modern homes and apartments in Japan. Other traditional technologies aren't part of day-to-day life anymore but are practiced as an element of cultural heritage.Electricity has been commercialized for 140 years with the first hydroelectric power plant opening on September 30, 1882 in Appleton, Wisconsin. As such, there are certainly electronic things that can be considered traditional technologies such as radios. This is likely to greatly increase as low technology is sustained by cultures.Overview
Technologies that have been passed from generation to generation. This can include modern electric products such as televisions that represent a shared experience across many generations now. It is often supposed that traditional technologies are sustainable but this isn't necessarily the case as some older technologies have far greater environmental impact than modern equivalents.
Summary
Traditional technologies are sustained over three or more generations such that mid-20th century items can potentially be considered traditional if they are still in use today.
| Definition: Traditional Technology | ||
Type | ||
Definition | Tools and infrastructure that are passed from generation to generation such that they are sustained over time. | |
Related Concepts | ||
