introduction

1. Historical Perspective

Materials are so important in the development of human civilization that the historians have identified early periods of civilization by the name of most significantly used material, e.g.: Stone Age, Bronze Age. This is just an observation made to showcase the importance of materials and their impact on human civilization. It is obvious that materials have affected and controlling a broad range of human activities through thousands of decades.

From the historical point of view, it can be said that human civilization started with Stone Age where people used only natural materials, like stone, clay, skin, and wood for the purposes like to make weapons, instruments, shelter, etc. Thus the sites of deposits for better quality stones became early colonies of human civilization. However, the increasing need for better quality tools brought forth exploration that led to Bronze Age, followed by Iron Age. When people found copper and how to make it harder by alloying, the Bronze Age started about 3000 BC. The use of iron and steel, a stronger material that gave advantage in wars started at about 1200 BC. Iron was abundant and thus availability is not limited to the affluent. This commonness of the material affected every person in many aspects, gaining the name democratic material. The next big step in human civilization was the discovery of a cheap process to make steel around 1850 AD, which enabled the railroads and the building of the modern infrastructure of the industrial world. One of the most significant features of the democratic material is that number of users just exploded. Thus there has been a need for human and material resources for centuries, which still going strong. It’s being said and agreed that we are presently in Space Age marked by many technological developments towards development materials resulting in stronger and light materials like composites, electronic materials like semiconductors, materials for space voyage like high temperature ceramics, biomaterials, etc.

In summary, materials constitute foundation of technology. The history of human civilization evolved from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Steel Age, and to the Space Age (contemporaneous with the Electronic Age). Each age is marked by the advent of certain materials. The Iron Age brought tools and utensils. The Steel Age brought railroads, instruments, and the Industrial Revolution. The Space Age brought the materials for stronger and light structures (e.g., composite materials). The Electronic Age brought semiconductors, and thus many varieties of electronic gadgets.