• Pyramids formed with ancient tools have lasted thousands of years.pyramids image by christine dedman from Fotolia.com
  
  Much of the machinery we use in the 21st century is automatic and precise, executing actions instantly. When we look back at the tools used by ancient people, we get a perspective on how far we have come as a species. Ancient tools used basic principles of weight, gravity and force to assist in building structures. These devices required the manual labor of one or many people.
  
  

Hammer Stone

• The hammer stone is an important neolithic tool that was used by many prehistoric cultures, including the ancient Inca who lived in modern-day Peru. Made of limestone, quartz, granite or olivine basalt, hammer stones were used through a process called flanking. During flanking, ancient people hit a larger stone with the hammer stone at a 15- to 20-degree angle. This caused the larger stone to chip away, creating flat-edged stones suitable for construction.
  
  

Chisel

• Chisels are tools that have a blunt edge on one end and a sharp blade on the other. Fashioned for chipping, carving or cutting materials like wood, stone and metal, chisels were used in many ancient cultures. The Egyptians used mallets against copper chisels to precisely shape the flat blocks that built the pyramids that would stand for thousands of years. Ancient chisels have been found in Greece and are believed to have been used to carve inscriptions into marble.
  
  

Wheelbarrow

• Opinions are divided about who actually created the wheelbarrow, but the facts are certain that both the ancient Greek and ancient Chinese used this mechanical tool. Wheelbarrows are simple devices made of half barrels and one or several wheels. They were exceedingly helpful for construction, allowing one person to carry large amounts of heavy material between points in a fast, efficient manner.
  
  

Levers

• Most likely used in prehistoric times, levers were first documented by the Greek mathematician Archimedes in 260 B.C. A lever effectively uses the principle of moments or torque, which uses a perfectly positioned fulcrum and a rigid platform to multiply the force of a smaller object, allowing it to lift objects significantly larger than itself. Levers assisted in lifting heavy objects in ancient times, and are still used today.