Technology Circles, Technology Layers, and Technology Layer Profiles: A Three-Dimensional Study of Technological History

技术圈、技术层与技术层剖面—技术史的立体化研究

Abstract

Based on the understanding of the history of technology cases and the gradual evolution of technology, three concepts of technology circle, technology layer and technology layer section have been proposed. Technology circle refers to the scope of geographical and cultural spatial distribution of a certain technology in a certain period of time; Technology layer refers to the superimposed and comparative relationship formed in the diachronic and synchronic evolution of technology circle relics in different times and regions. Technology layer section refers to tracing and comparing the technology relics existin different cultural layers from a certain time, revealing the evolution relationship of these technology relics, so as to reconstruct the technology evolution sequence. The above three concepts have clear indicative significance in the social history research of technology, the cross-cultural research of technology, and the source of technology, the search for intermediate links, and the branch of technology, which helps to promote the “spatial” research of technology history.