800 bce
Construction
The Olmec build pyramids in La Venta (Tabasco, Mexico). See also 1250 bce Construction; 650 bce Communication.
ToolsQuerns with what appear to have the first known form of crank operation appear in the Near East (Syria). A peg is inserted into a hole drilled near the outer edge of the upper stone of a rotary quern, enabling the user to turn the stone in a continuous motion by moving the peg in a circle. Previous querns used radial spokes (for mechanical advantage), but the peg handle is about a dozen times as efficient. True crank handles are invented several hundred years later by the Chinese. See also 1100 bce Tools; 100 bce Tools.
TransportationPhoenicians exploring the Atlantic Ocean's European shore establish Gadir (Cadiz, Spain) as the farthest western end of their trade route. See also 814 bce Archaeology; 600 bce Transportation.



