Talk:Medieval technology

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Reminder: There is a condensed paragraph at Middle Ages#High Middle Ages that reflects the current version of this entry. If your edit is extensive, perhaps you should reflect the changes with a few words in that concise recapitulation.

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[edit] Chart/graph

I created the chart/graph so we have a list of technologies. It may or may not be the best idea going forward long term, and doesnt preclude other approaches to the article format, in addition too, or in replacement of. It is not a complete list. --Stbalbach 16:52, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

The alphabetized list will remain manageable as long as it's brief enough to see almost at a glance. A chronological list, as it gets to be longer, offered a sense of the sequence of developments. If a Wikipedian had access to Singer's History of Technology, this article could be expanded, at least as a skeleton. --Wetman 13:21, 3 October 2006 (UTC).

I agree sorted chronologically is better. -- Stbalbach 17:02, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Invention or Import?

Since most Medieval technology was imported from China and/or Islam, I dispute this statement: "In less than a century there were more inventions developed and applied usefully than in the previous three thousand years of human history all over the globe." -Yannick 15:41, 27 July 2005 (UTC)

I agree, and since I'm sure the author can't possibly substantiate that statement, I deleted it (he/she altered it somewhat, but the gyst was the same). Kemet 19 April 2006

The key words in that sentence are "developed" and "applied usefully". China invented gunpowder, but the development of effective gunpowder weapons happened in medieval Europe. That's why in the Sixteenth Century the Chinese adopted European gunpowder production techniques and European cannon-smiths were considered a military asset. And while clocks and movable type were both known in China, the evidence seems to indicate that their European invention were developed independently. Even if they weren't, the medieval European developments of these technologies were more practical and more sophisticated. A clock you can put on your table is rather more useful than one that is two stories high and requires its own waterwheel its own dedicated staff. 139.168.151.68 19:20, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Some suggestions

I don't have enough information to enter these: lateen sail, imitated from North African Arabs; overshot wheel, a more efficient millwheel; double-entry bookkeeping, Florence?; escapement wheel, essential for clocks; trebuchet, though military technology is a separate field; sluice or tidal gate; leaf-springs for vehicles; hopped beer (too late?); vinegar... --Wetman 22:24, 1 December 2005 (UTC)