Technology
From coded languages to long-distance communication, these objects all presented new and interesting concepts for their time, and would later go on to influence future technology. This tour will explore not only the roles and functions of these objects, but also their cultural relevance, as they are all representative of the contexts and societies in which they were produced.
Roman Floor Tile
The Romans were great inventors of technology, using other knowledge from the Mediterranean basin to further their technological abilities. Some of their greatest achievements were their implementations of the first sewage, sanitary and water transporting systems (the aqueducts).
In Britain, tiles were usually produced from Spring to Autumn, so the makers often had more than one profession, resulting in the space and equipment used in farming often overlapping. The materials used normally came from local sites, but there have been cases where clay from France has been found in Britain, which also shows the connections between different parts of the empire. The wet tile mixture was set into moulds which were left out to dry, or sometimes sheds existed which would avoid weather damage. After this, the tiles would be taken to the kiln to be fired and here they would gain their permanent solid state.
The dog paw impression would have occurred before the tile was fully dry and ready to be fired. Many accidental imprints occur at this stage in the process such as fingerprints, animal prints, shoe and foot markings.
Termite Specimen
Like the paw-print in the floor tile, this termite specimen certainly made a mark on the scientific world. The termite specimen works in two ways: as a live insect, the queen termite is the centre of the colony and an immobile reproductive machine, laying around 30,000 eggs per day, adding up to around 165 million in her lifetime.
As a preserved specimen and an artefact of natural history, the termite has been wholly shaped by technology, most notably in the way that chemical processes have aided in its preservation. To make it into a specimen, it has been preserved in formalin, a solution of 40% formaldehyde diluted in water. Originally, the specimen would have been brought from West Africa to Europe submerged in alcohol; however, an alcohol-based preservative has to be changed once or twice a year. So, technology had to develop. New chemical solutions such as formalin and Bouin’s fluid (1897) were created. These technologies keep the specimen and her eggs, the focal point of the insect, intact.
Future chemical engineering may preserve this specimen well into the future, which will be important for studying entomology if termite populations are wiped out by environmental changes.
Shorthand Bible
While research of the termite specimen led to innovations in the preserving of organisms, the shorthand Bible offered solution to preserving information through Rich's shorthand system. Although forms of shorthand had been around for decades before the invention of Rich’s system, his version singled itself out through its religious use: his system would allow readers to note down sermons word-for-word in church. Reading over Rich’s guide to the system, every aspect of the book is related back to biblical terminology (in his alphabet, he gives examples such as “C for Church”, “L for Lord”, and “Y for Jerusalem”).
The books themselves require a great team of scholars to translate and transcribe, whom Rich credits at the end. The books were printed and folded by Samuel Botley, who bound them in black morocco, with marbled endpages and gilded page-edges and binding.
While Rich intended for the books to be used as guides to his form of shorthand and as portable ways of honouring Christianity, they were also used recreationally by the elite as a pastime, deriving enjoyment from trying to crack the codes of the language. Moreover, they were used by some as a symbol of education or status, representative of a class who could afford such exclusive information.
Minitel
While the nature of Rich's technology meant that it inherently made information exclusive, the Minitel in contrast served to make information more accessible. The Minitel system was a French precursor to the World Wide Web, the world's most popular Videotex system. The terminals consisting of a text-based screen, a keyboard and a modem, with at least 50 videotex projects in progress worldwide during the 1980s. Similar videotex systems in other countries were not in widespread use and were generally only used to check the stock markets.
In addition, personal computer owners were using emulator software to use the Minitel system. The Minitel services were accessible through telephone lines and were charged to the household telephone bill.
Services available using the Minitel included the phone directory, airline and train ticket purchases, message boards and even 'online shopping'. One of the most well known services available was the so-called 'minitel rose': adult chat lines where customers paid per-minute to talk to hosts posing as flirtatious women.
If you'd like to experience using a version of the Minitel for yourself, you can try this emulator!
Sun Signal
While the Minitel allowed for international communication, the sun signal in a way acted as a precursor as a means of distanced communication. The sun signal was manufactured by Messers Troughton and Simms who were scientific instrument makers in London. The heliostat was designed to use morse code, which had been invented just 20 years previously, in 1936.
The heliostat used signals for communicating across distances.The object is made of anodised brass. It has golden brass bolts, and a glass mirror. Inside, there is a glass lens. The object was accompanied by a set of instructions. They state that you must look through the object through the hole and then rotate the mirror so that you may catch the sun’s rays. You may then use a system of morse code to signal to another person. Galton's heliostat was the first of its size, he states that heliostats were used in "all government surveys" but previously were of "large dimensions". The sun signal should work for distances up to ten miles.
Galton states that although signalling using a mirror and the sun had been used before, his sun signal was the first instrument that could be “carried on the person, held in the hand and used at will” to utilise this technique.