Timeflash

Pre history in the context of History of Computing is defined as were no computers existed. See about the timeline and read about how we have defined the different era's in the History of Computing.

In this "Pre historic" era science is virtually exclusively done by the privileged few. By the clergy, royalty and very rich people. They invited artists and scientist to their homes or palaces to tell about and exchange ideas with other visitors. Some ideas got duplicated others were originals and again others were reinvented on different spots on the globe in different cultures and different ages or time frames. Some inventions were forgotten and (be it seldom) rediscovered from dusty libaries.

The era now under discussion in a very turbulent era. Plagues and wars are riddling the earth. Great warriors rose and fell like their empires, there were  rulers in all colors. Cruelty sometimes took unimaginable proportions. Cultures came and disappeared sometimes without any trace. Only to submerge in a excavation leaving more questions then answers.

Little has been saved or rescued from these misty times but some things, ideas and knowledge have survived even the greatest catastrophes for science and technology.

One catastrophe that has hampered science for more than 300 years: is the Spanish inquisition. Most severely in Spain and Italy. And for this the Pope in Rome apologized in 1999 in preparation to the 3rd millennium.
And of course not only ugly things happened. Like the Italian nobility very much stimulated research and science and later governmental departments started subsidizing scientific institutions amongst whom early forms of universities.

Also have a look at  about this project as to why we started this and how this project is took shape the passed years, and what we are planning for those to come.