One of the essential and perhaps defining characteristics of Homo Sapiens has always been the development and use of tools, often in response to environmental demands and challenges. In this respect the development and use of instruments to catch, collect, transport and prepare food and make clothing can be traced back to the very origins of human societies. Whereas environmental conditions have influenced the development of specific technologies, it can equally be observed that technology has influenced the human environment, thereby changing its underlying conditions. For example, it has been argued that the efficiency of late paleolithic hunting technology may have caused the disappearance of large animals; the resulting difficulties in finding food stimulated the development of the technologies of agriculture