Ever since the Industrial Revolution, civilization has been powered mostly by fossil fuels. But what sources of energy did ancient civilizations use, and how sustainable were those?
How Ancient Civilizations Harnessed Solar Energy
The most ubiquitous and renewable source of energy is, of course, the sun. People have long used solar energy — and not just for growing crops. According to Let It Shine: The 6,000-Year Story of Solar Energy by John Perlin, excavations of Neolithic Chinese villages show that the villagers built their homes with the only opening facing south to allow in the low winter sun, and with overhanging thatched roofs to keep out the higher summer sun. By 4,000 B.C.E., the Chinese were studying the movement of the sun relative to Earth and refining their solar building techniques.
