Abstract: Based on the understanding of the history of technology cases and the gradual evolution of technology, three concepts of technology circle, technology layer and technology layer section have been proposed. Technology circle refers to the scope of geographical and cultural spatial distribution of a certain technology in a certain period of time; Technology layer refers to the superimposed and comparative relationship formed in the diachronic and synchronic evolution of technology circle relics in different times and regions. Technology layer section refers to tracing and comparing the technology relics existin different cultural layers from a certain time, revealing the evolution relationship of these technology relics, so as to reconstruct the technology evolution sequence. The above three concepts have clear indicative significance in the social history research of technology, the cross-cultural research of technology, and the source of technology, the search for intermediate links, and the branch of technology, which helps to promote the “spatial” research of technology history.

摘要： 基于技术史案例和技术渐进演化特征的认识，提出了技术圈、技术层和技术层剖面三个概念。技术圈是指某种技术在某个时期内的地理和文化空间分布范围；技术层是指不同时代、不同区域的技术圈遗存物在历时演变中形成的叠压、比对关系；技术层剖面指从某一时刻去追溯、比较赋存在不同文化层中的技术遗存，揭示这些技术遗存的演化关系，以重建技术演进序列。上述三个概念在技术的社会史研究、技术的跨文化研究，以及技术的源头追溯、中间环节的寻找、技术的分支梳理等方面具有明确的指示性意义，有助于推进技术史的“立体化”研究。