[siabaa]

My sister is doing some work for a very poorly done online class. I’ve helped her out already but thought of this forum for putting the question out and seeing what we get. Unfortunately she has to find the information in “Western Civilization” by Jackson J. Spielvogel Volume One Eight Edition 2012.

What is the two greatest technological innovations (inventions, discoveries, improved techniques) introduced after 600 AD that influence 700 AD to 1500 AD?

I gave her the following: Crop Sharing, Field Rotation, and the horse drawn Plow. (she could only find reference to plow in general, I had her focus on new horse collar, horse shoes ect. because the horse was stronger and faster than it’s harder counterparts.)

I also put forth wind and water mills as apposed to human effort.

Thanks and advance,

Dan

[Jason Jewell]

Dan, can you clarify the assignment a little? Are you looking for a technology that was invented/adopted between 600 and 1500, or a technology that had a big impact on the period, or both?

The technologies you’ve mentioned are all significant. If military technologies are fair game, you might consider the crossbow or gunpowder.

[siabaa]

Dr. J,

I asked her and it is both with a minor tweak. The impact is on the period and beyond. I had not thought about crossbows or gunpowder but that makes a lot of sense. Any other ideas?

Dan

[Jason Jewell]

According to Jean Gimpel (1976), medieval people introduced more machinery into their society than any other people ever had to that point in history. The whole concept of the mill (for grain, leather, paper, etc.) was a huge breakthrough that saved countless labor-hours for men and animals.

If the assignment is asking more for an “a-ha!” kind of technological gimmick, there’s also the stirrup, the magnetic compass, paper-making, and the full-rigged ship. Several of these inventions had origins outside of Europe, but Europeans made far greater use of them than anyone else did during the Middle Ages.

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