The correct answer is (a) Thomson.
The three-age system is a system of classifying human technological development into three periods: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. The system was first developed by Danish antiquarian Christian Jürgensen Thomsen in 1836, based on the collections of the National Museum of Denmark.
Thomsen divided the museum’s collection into three main categories: stone tools, bronze tools, and iron tools. He observed that the stone tools were the oldest, followed by the bronze tools, and then the iron tools. He also noted that the stone tools were found in the lowest levels of the museum’s collection, while the bronze tools were found in the middle levels, and the iron tools were found in the highest levels.
Thomsen concluded that the three-age system represented a chronological progression in human technological development. He believed that the Stone Age was the earliest period, followed by the Bronze Age, and then the Iron Age. He also believed that each period was characterized by a different type of technology.
Thomsen’s three-age system was quickly adopted by other archaeologists and historians. It became the standard way of classifying human technological development for over a century. However, in recent years, the three-age system has been criticized for being too simplistic. It has been argued that the system does not adequately account for the diversity of human technological development.
Despite these criticisms, the three-age system remains a useful tool for archaeologists and historians. It provides a simple way of organizing and understanding the vast amount of data that has been collected about human technological development.
The other options are incorrect because:
(b) Lubbock was a British archaeologist who developed a four-age system, which included the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Copper Age.
(c) Taylor was an English anthropologist who developed a cultural evolutionary theory, which divided human history into three stages: savagery, barbarism, and civilization.
(d) Childe was an Australian archaeologist who developed a theory of social evolution, which divided human history into three stages: the age of hunting and gathering, the age of agriculture, and the age of industry.