Many researchers, mainstream and otherwise, believe that we are not the first advanced civilization to have existed on Earth. Furthermore, they postulate that in prehistory, unrecorded history, one or more advanced civilizations just might have existed, thrived, declined, and perished before us.

While this is an outlandish notion for most people, when broken down, it isn’t as crazy as it first seems, not least when you consider what might become of ourselves should a sudden end announce itself without warning. Chances are, should life begin again, nobody would remember that we had even existed. If that’s the case, then, who’s to say that advanced civilizations didn’t exist thousands of years before our own recorded history?

10 Power Stations Would Shut Down Fast

Let’s say that something happened to wipe out the vast majority of human life on planet Earth. Be it a sudden super-contagious virus, a meteorite, a solar flare, a nuclear war, or even (you know it’s coming) an alien invasion, if it was to happen, life would disappear with alacrity.

Seriously, though, many of us don’t realize just how precarious our existence is here on Earth. Let’s say the vast majority of human life is wiped out by any of the hypothetical situations mentioned above; surely there’d be survivors, right? The thing is, where would the power come from? With no one to run them, the power stations, and with them, the world’s electricity supply, would shut down relatively quickly. In fact, many of them would switch into safety mode to avoid any disasters.

However, eventually, with nobody to oversee these procedures, nuclear power plants, their cooling waters having boiled off, would go into meltdown. Chernobyl-type scenarios would unfold all around the planet.^[1] In short, you really wouldn’t want to be around, and if you were, you would want to be completely out of the way somewhere. We’ll talk more about the survivors in entry number five.

9 Man-Made Objects

Most man-made objects, whether comprised of wood, plastic, metal, or anything other than stone (which we will look at later also) will simply disappear, even down to the roads and streets, which will be completely overcome with vegetation within only several decades at the very most.^[2] Just to take that a stage further, within “only” a few centuries, the metal frameworks of the buildings and the bridges around the world will simply rust, break down, and collapse. All that will be left will be the crumpled and piled ruins.

Within only 10,000 years, which is but a snapshot in terms of geological time, just about all that remains will be the stone. And even then, only that which was built purely from stone will survive in any recognizable form (and still might be buried). As mentioned, bridges and buildings will have collapsed due to their rusted and decaying metal parts and will lie in ruins. Over the course of time, much like our ancient sites today, these ruins will be lucky to be pieced together in the future, if ever.

8 Only Stone Will Survive

Is it any wonder that the structures we have left of the ancient world are the buildings, monuments, and statues carved from stone? And make no mistake, there was much, much more than just stonework at one time.

As we have mentioned above, only true stone structures will survive any type of annihilation of humanity for any significant amount of time,^[3] and even then, the remains would then be subject to any future civilizations and explorers stripping such monuments of what they see as valuable and leaving the rest, much like was done with the Egyptian pyramids (and, who knows, maybe the Sphinx) over course of history.

With that in mind, then, how many of our modern structures might survive thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years, into the future? Ironically, it would mostly be the buildings from antiquity that would still survive. And again, with that in mind, how long have such structures really been there, and who did they once belong to?

7 Myths And Legends

Although they are certainly not the same as solid stone monuments by any stretch of the imagination, should we perhaps pay more attention to certain types of myths and legends that persist across many cultures over thousands of years?^[4] For example, was there really a great flood, even if only in the form of several episodes of localized but substantial flooding that just might have wiped out entire communities? Such calamities would have surely seemed like the end of the world to those civilizations that experienced them.

And what about the tales of “the gods”—higher beings with advanced technology that ruled over mankind? Are these really just legends? Or might there be some truth to such stories? Shortly, we will look at the possibility of survivors from such an “end of the world” situation. What if “the gods” of the past were the survivors of an even older advanced civilization? Might that explain the powers (or advanced technology) of the gods? Or the advanced knowledge of the gods? It is certainly an interesting notion.

6 Ancient Egypt

While we have looked in our previous points at what might happen if our civilization was to face a sudden, life-ending disaster in order to prove, at least in theory, that other civilizations very much could have existed before our recorded history, it is also worth looking back at known ancient civilizations. If we look at the ancient Egyptians, for example, it is perfectly obvious, and even accepted by mainstream scholars, that they appear to have begun their civilization already at the height of their power and then went into permanent decline.^[5]

To some researchers, who are very much shunned by most mainstream experts, this suggests that the Egyptians “took over” the remnants of an ancient, “lost” civilization. From these types of theories generally spring the further claims that such ancient structures as the Pyramids of Giza are more likely monuments and buildings of an Atlantean-type society as opposed to the work of the Egyptians themselves.

5 Survivors Would Be Reduced To Cavemen

Now, let’s say that some people have survived our hypothetical modern-world-ending disaster. What would become of them, realistically? For a start, they would very likely not be concerned with searching out technology or things of that nature. Chances are, once the system has gone down, and the power is off, they will be concerned with their survival more than anything else.^[6] They will no longer be on top of the food chain. Without the aid of our modern plethora of technological gadgets and advanced buildings, many remaining humans will be easy picking for hungry wild animals.

Any survivors would be preoccupied with hunting and gathering whatever food they could and finding some kind of shelter. As the generations go on, humanity’s connection to the “old” world would return. By the third and forth generation, chances are all that would be remembered of pre-disaster Earth would be no different than what myths and legends are to us now. In short, life would be starting again, from scratch.

4 Discoveries Of Mysterious Ancient Objects

As a further point of interest, and perhaps evidence, there have been numerous discoveries of ancient objects, apparently the result of intelligent design, dating to far before such objects should have existed. And what’s more, they’ve been found all over the planet. For example, in 1912, in the small town of Wilburton, Oklahoma, two employees at the Municipal Electrical Plant reportedly discovered a particularly oversized piece of coal that they couldn’t fit into the furnace, which they were stocking to keep the plant ticking over.

They would proceed to smash the coal to smaller pieces so that they could toss the remains into the flames. When they did, though, a perfectly formed and recognizable iron pot fell to the floor. It was allegedly examined and found to be authentic. Why was it there, in a piece of coal that was millions of years of old?

Even more bizarre are the strange spheres, made of some very hard substance, purportedly brought up from the mines of South Africa on multiple occasions by miners.^[7] These spheres have bizarre grooves in them and are of obvious purposeful design. What they might be and, more importantly, why they are there is open to debate.

3 Discoveries Of Tools

As well as mysterious objects that may or may not have a use, many very purposeful and obvious tools have been discovered in pieces of rock that, if we accept what science tells us, are millions of years old.

One particularly intriguing case occurred in London, Texas, in 1936, when the head of a hammer was discovered in a piece of rock believed by some to be as old as 400 million years. (Others say only 700 years.) In 1944, a ten-year-old boy, Newton Anderson, would find a handmade bell in a piece of coal. The lump of coal was reportedly 300 million years old.^[8]

Numerous other purported discoveries of strange, seemingly ancient, objects are on record, many of them from the 1800s and before. The book Forbidden Archaeology lists example after example.

2 Advanced Ancient Technology

Many mainstream historians simply do not accept the notion that many of the ancient civilizations, including the ancient Egyptians and Sumerians, had, at one point in the distant past, advanced technology.^[9] However, many reasons are put forward for this notion, not least the obviously advanced knowledge of the cosmos and the workings of the universe that so many ancient civilizations possessed. Even the placement of many of their famous structures mirrors the arrangement of the stars and the planets to such an accuracy that such knowledge cannot be denied.

We could also look to such devices as the “Baghdad Battery” or the traces of acids in the passageways of the Giza Pyramid that suggest some kind of generation of electricity. And what of the many sites around the world that reportedly show signs of nuclear explosions in the distant past? A prominent example is Mohenjo-Daro, which some researchers, most notably David Davenport in his book Atomic Destruction 2000 BC, have postulated was the site of intentionally made nuclear weapons being purposefully deployed long ago. This, of course, would suggest, as Davenport agreed, that a highly advanced civilization existed.

1 Historians Have A ‘Myopic’ View

At the end of the day, no matter the interesting, valid, and, to varying degrees, legitimate views and claims on either side of the argument, the sad fact is that for many mainstream historians, much like mainstream scientists, archaeologists, and most other specialties ending in “ist,” the view is generally, in the words of Graham Hancock, “very myopic.”^[10]

The reasons for this are numerous. Firstly, amid the constant jockeying for limited funding, nobody wishes to put their head above the parapets. So, as a result, the “status quo” opinion is maintained. Those who do discover things of interest that go against the established paradigm and then, more to the point, attempt to tell the world about them, face a sudden cutting of their funding and, even worse, the wrath of their contemporaries. Perhaps a good example would be the case of Dr. Virginia Steen-McIntyre, who, after discovering ruins in Mexico that suggested civilization in the Americas going back 250,000 years—using accepted, tested methods no less—was suddenly and universally shut out by the “accepted” scientific and archaeological communities.

New and advanced devices are always coming up in a technologically dynamic world. Ultimately, this renders older ones obsolete. You might agree that technological advancements happen fast—computers and mobile phones are excellent examples. But the irony is, while technology keeps advancing in leaps and bounds, some primitive methods and devices have managed to stand out, some even better than their ultra-modern advanced counterparts.

Let’s take a look at the 10 best primitive technologies that are better than their advanced counterparts. We just have to warm up our time machine.

10 The Wired Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell invented the wired telephone in 1844. Alexander’s telephone was undoubtedly a magnificent invention of the 19th century and still stands out for its peculiar features, most notably its rotary dial. With this dial, a user has to turn the dial for every digit of the phone number they want to call. Despite many writing off wired landlines as a thing of the past, the phone is remarkably better than its advanced counterpart, considering durability and other features. It’s not as “private” as the modern smartphone, but while “public,” it was way more affordable.

After over a century of use, modern phones—which we effortlessly carry around today—replaced the pioneer telephone. Although we can easily buy and replace a modern phone, between the 19th and 20th centuries, the wired telephone stood out as the best way people could communicate; and you definitely didn’t have to worry about cracked screens or people bothering you all the time! 

9 The Swamp Cooler

The swamp cooler, also known as an evaporative cooler, cools the air by evaporating water. It’s one of the earliest “primitive technologies,” invented before the modern air conditioner. The swamp cooler is different from air conditioning systems that use cycles of absorption refrigeration (or vapor-compression). It also tends to absorb a lot of heat for evaporation. They also offer similar services to evaporative cooling systems without using complex equipment or ductwork.

Swamp coolers minimize dry air temperature by the phase transition of water-to-water vapor. This means the swamp cooler can cool air with less energy than refrigeration, especially in arid climates. In non-arid climates, the swamp cooler can condition the air without adding to the humidity (this favors the occupants).

8 Beepers and Pagers

Have you ever heard of pagers? Well, if you haven’t, buckle up. Also called beepers, pagers made their debut in the 1950s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that they gained traction and popularity. It’s a one-way communication device that you can use for emergencies. For example, it’s an excellent device for doctors and security personnel who must be reachable at all times.

Pagers have contributed to improved technology; a striking case in point is the smartphone’s invention. Of course, it’s the need for better communication devices that prompted such innovations. Despite this, the smartphone’s arrival (at the beginning of the millennium) made beepers and pagers decline drastically. However, pagers are durable, resilient, serve a singular purpose, and offer better coverage. Unsurprisingly, they’ll remain relevant for years.

7 Telegram

Today we have the internet, but years ago, people had telegrams. And we’re not talking about the Telegram app you can find in the Google Play Store. No, this was different—it was more like physical mail with detailed information from the sender transmitted by Morse Code. And the message could be about anything. Why, your aunt or uncle could send you a telegram about their ongoing projects and pet crocodile—if they had one.

The telegram offered more fun than our 21st-century email. Watch an old film, and you’ll quickly realize how the telegram had a mysterious beauty that Microsoft Outlook’s clumsiness couldn’t seem to muster. The telegram certainly had a sense of elegance and drama to it. The telegram messenger approaches your door, knocks, you open it, and they say, “Telegram!” Talk about nostalgia.

What’s more, modern email, in comparison, excludes all the anticipation that the telegram brought to senders and receivers. It also takes less skill to send an email than a telegram. The telegram will surely remain one of the best primitive technologies ever invented. Although we have a billion people using the internet, you simply can’t compare it to the telegram.

6 Dumb Phones

Dumb phones existed way before smartphones came into the picture. With growing technology and advancement in mobile software, such as Android and iOS, they are quickly becoming a thing of the past. In fact, it’s almost unthinkable for anyone to use dumbphones. These phones are old-fashioned; obsolete.

Dumb phones are basic cell phones. You could make phone calls, send texts, and if you were lucky enough, you could find one with a cheeky game of “Snake” to play when you were bored at home or at work. They are the precursor of modern mobile phones and were beneficial during their time. They significantly improved communication during the late 20th century, and they could run for days without needing a charge.

Our smartphones’ batteries are a joke compared to a dumb phone battery. And so are smartphones’ durability. Dumb phones are known to withstand a good drop or two, but there are never any guarantees that your smartphone will survive a fall, even from 6 inches high. Without a doubt, dumb phones have proved that some primitive technologies are even better than their advanced counterparts.

If you want to buy a dumb phone to experience how good they are, do a little research online. Companies still sell them—you can get a throwback Nokia. Unfortunately, it’s hard to adapt them to the current growth of technology. But hey, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to keep one in your collection, right?

5 Typewriters

If you are a writing nerd or enthusiast, you probably know about typewriters and what they do—or used to do—way back before the invention of computers. You can use a typewriter to type up anything, from novels, essays, or propaganda handouts. The inventors produced the first typewriter back in 1575 and were, essentially, a step up from the traditional pen and paper. They opened up enormous possibilities for writers. But the advent of computers made them obsolete.

A unique factor about the typewriter is that it doesn’t come with distractions the way a computer does. Having your laptop logged on to the internet while still working on your novel can pose a challenge. Why? You can be distracted by the latest trending news, log on to social media—do everything but work on your novel. With typewriters, you can focus on whatever you’re working on and produce excellent work, along with that satisfying sound of the keys hitting the page.

4 Digital Audio Tape (DAT)

Remember when Sony’s digital audio tape (DAT) hit the market? It was the real deal. The DAT came with a digital audio recording similar to a cassette but in a smaller format. The great thing about the DAT was that it could record better than a CD. It could also assign a number to the tracks and easily skip whatever you wanted it to, just like a CD. The only disadvantage with the digital audio tape was its prohibitive costs, making it most helpful (exclusively) to the professional markets.

Interestingly, the digital audio tape was also used in the professional market as a data storage medium. Since 1987, it has recorded some 660,000 sales. In 2005, Sony announced plans to stop producing the machines. The announcement was earth-shaking.

The invention of hard disk drives and memory cards (which superseded the machines) came with incredible portability and efficiency. This quickly made DATs redundant. However, some people still use digital audio tapes due to their ease-of-use and reliability. DAT is also durable and can last for years, unlike memory cards and hard disk drives.

3 Video Home System (VHS)

The video home system (VHS) is another primitive technology that stands tall compared to its advanced counterparts. VHS are small reels of magnetic tapes wrapped in a plastic housing. It became popular back in the ’80s, and many used it to record videos or watch the latest movies. The VHS had a significant disadvantage that many who grew up with them remember quite well: you had to rewind it.

Then came the DVD. Many considered DVDs to be much more efficient and convenient than VHS. This caused households to switch from VHS players to DVD players. By 2008, DVDs had almost wholly replaced VHSs. This massive shift eventually led to the demise of VHS. However, many still respect it as one of the best ways to watch and record films. In its heyday, VHS was simply the best!

2 Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Many analysts recognize the personal digital assistant as the forefather of the modern mobile phone. A personal digital assistant is a small, handheld device that offers computing, information, and data storage. You can use a personal digital assistant to schedule important events or activities and keep address information. It also comes with a retrieval functionality for users. It offered similar access to many things that we enjoy today, including the internet, touchscreen functionality, and word processing.

PDAs became popular in the early ’90s and 2000s, but smartphones later replaced them. Some PDAs featured small physical keyboards; others had an electronically-sensitive pad and stylus for handwriting. The term personal digital assistant was later recycled in 2010 to refer to software that recognizes a user’s voice and responds to queries through artificial intelligence.

Today, you rarely see someone using a PDA, but they’re still useful. 

1 Floppy Disks

Floppy disks came around in the 1970s and were primarily a data storage medium. The devices featured an 8-inch floppy disc and stored 80 kilobytes of data. With time, floppy disks got smaller, and their storage capacity grew larger. By the mid-’80s, there was a 3.5-inch floppy disk that could store 1.44 MB of data. By 1990, there were software-size prompted floppy disks in many applications. One example is Adobe Photoshop that required many disks to run. However, floppy disks were vulnerable to heat and magnets. They were also easily corruptible, which made them unsuitable for use. CD ROMs soon became popular and took over.

Currently, floppy disks live as save icons for many software applications. Despite their benefits, floppy disks have mostly become obsolete.