GGR101H1 Lecture 9: Lecture 9 Medieval World to the Little Ice Age
22 Mar 2017
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Lecture 9: medieval world to the little ice age. Technological innovation: mechanization replaces human effort, water and wind mills, clocks, gunpowder. Shift from local/cottage production to industrial production. Sundials, ancient water clocks, mechanical clocks, spring, pendulum, gravity. Important to regulate schedules, meeting times, human activity. Invented in china, reaches europe 9th century ad: used for fireworks, adapted to weapons. Brought to europe via silk road: han dynasty 200 bc, silk was closely guarded secret, romans consume a lot of silk. Lucrative for chinese: medieval trade, centered in baghdad, 800 ad, fragmented, disintegrated after mongol rule in 13th century, ottomans deny china trade with europe in 15th century. Canon: printing press, invented in china, projectile missile to penetrate stone walls. Changes siege warfare: opens up europe to warfare. Required innovations of screw press, movable type. Medieval scriptoriums: monasteries, monks cop documents. Mass production of books puts into hands of regular people, spreads ideas and learning.
