Republic of the Philippines

SORSOGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Sorsogon Campus
Sorsogon City, Sorsogon

WRITTEN REPORT
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

Medieval World: Inventions in the Middle Ages

Members:

BELASA, NICOLE

BINADAY, LOVELLA MAE

JANAPIN, APRIL FRANCINE

ENCLONA, KRISTINE JOY

DITAN, ANDRELYN

SAMPAGA, ANGEL

DIAZ, JAMAICA

ALBATANA, ROBERT

GUEVARRA, DAVE HANS

Course/Year&Section:

BTVTED – 2A

PROFESSOR: Prof. Maria Renovalles

I. Introduction

The Medieval Era is often overlooked when it comes to their accomplishments in the
progression of science and technology. Although the period is associated with depictions
of medieval knights rushing to battle and the infamous Bubonic Plague sweeping over
Europe, the science and technology conceived from these matters were substantial
milestones in the advancement of science and technology in society. During the Medieval
Era, from the year 476 to 1600 AD, society saw an advancement in science and technology
that greatly impacted the areas of health, agriculture, and economics. By the end of this
chapter you will learn how these advancements were also influenced by the political and
religious circumstances evolving throughout this time period.
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SORSOGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Sorsogon Campus
Sorsogon City, Sorsogon
A number of very important inventions were made in medieval times such as the Spinning Wheel,
Stirrups, Astrolabe, Eyeglasses, Compass, Tidal Mills, Gunpowder and Printing Press.

A large number of inventions came to be during the medieval period. Given that the medieval period was
marked by warfare throughout the different parts of Europe, most of the significant inventions of the
period were directly or indirectly related to warfare. However, there were other inventions such as the
clock, printing press and architectural innovations which played a critical part in shaping medieval
Europe. Here are some of the most important of these inventions from the medieval period.

II. Discussion

Medieval Inventions List

Astrolabe

Astrolabe was an important Medieval invention, They were used by navigators,

astronomers who studied the movement of celestial bodies.

The Astrolabe is a device which is used to measure the position of the Sun and different
stars in the sky accurately. It was invented during the medieval ages with the earliest
astrolabes appearing in Moorish Spain during the 12th century. From Spain, the astrolabe
reached wider Europe and in time, became one of the preeminent devices used for
astronomical purposes. Given the application of astronomy in many related sciences, the
astrolabe is considered one of the most important scientific inventions of the medieval
period.
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SORSOGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Sorsogon Campus
Sorsogon City, Sorsogon

Compass

Medieval Inventions - It was in medieval Europe that the earliest versions of

the modern compass as we know it were invented.

Compass
Naval warfare remained a part of the military lifestyle of medieval Europe since the
beginning of the medieval period. This was evident in the naval battles between Arabs and
the Byzantines in the 8th century and the ongoing naval conflict for supremacy in the
Mediterranean.

Navigation in the sea was critically important for longer sea voyages and it was only in the
13th century that the invention of a compass made sea navigation easy for sailors. The dry
compass was invented in Europe sometime during the 13th century while a compass more
aptly suited for naval use was invented by the Arabs in the 14th century.

Eyeglasses

Important Medieval Inventions such as Eyeglasses, were not invented until around the
13th Century, Early Medieval Eyeglasses were fairly basic in their design.
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Sorsogon Campus
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Gunpowder

The invention of Gunpowder had a massive impact on Medieval Warfare, with the
invention of Gunpowder came decline of the legendary 'Medieval Knight'.

Gunpowder
Before the invention of gunpowder, warfare in the medieval period remained more or less
the same as the warfare in the antique period. Although armour’s evolved significantly and
weapons corresponded in this evolution, warfare still required men to ride on horses or
close in for on-foot combat, wield different weapons, defend themselves with armour and
face an enemy at close quarters.

All of this changed with the invention of the gunpowder. Gunpowder had been invented
in China as early as the 9th century but reached widespread use in Europe only by the
13th century, possible due to battlefield interactions with the Mongols. By the 14th
century, gunpowder weapons were being used by the European armies and by the 15th
century, these weapons had effectively replaced most of the conventional weaponry.

Mechanical Clock

The Medieval 'The

Mechanical Clock' was an
Important Invention in
Medieval Times, Christian
monks who had extensive
knowledge
of astronomy invented
Mechanic Clocks.

Until the High Middle Ages, there was no accurate and accessible way of measuring time. People
had to rely on natural phenomenon, such as the movements of the Sun, or on contraptions such as
the hour glass or calibrated candles.
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SORSOGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Sorsogon Campus
Sorsogon City, Sorsogon
It was only in the 14th century that innovations in Church bell-ringing mechanism evolved to give
birth to the earliest mechanical clocks. The first of these dates back to 1344 being used in a cathedral
in Padua. In subsequent decades and centuries, clocks began to become more accurate,
sophisticated and compact. In time, these clocks would give birth to pocket watches and in more
recent times, to wrist watches.

Printing Press

The Printing Press was a very important invention in the Medieval history, Invented
by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th Century and creating a 'printing revolution'.

The basis for the modern printing press were laid in 15th century when Johannes
Guttenberg in Germany invented a unique printing press of his own. By using the prevalent
printing mechanism, he used new methods and equipment to speed up and automate the
process of printing.

Before his press, books which had to be printed required a lot of labour and took a lot of
time to make, essentially limiting the use of books to the rich and wealthy. The Gutenberg
press became a precursor to cheaper printing presses which were established all over
Europe and became one of the key inventions that made the European Renaissance
possible.

Tidal Mills

Tidal mills were an important medieval invention dating back

to the 8th century. They were usually employed near natural
water bodies such as rivers and were driven by the high tides
of the water body. In the countryside, such mills were
frequently used to accomplish different mechanical tasks, the
force of the water itself was used to drive the water wheel on
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its own. Such early use of mechanical energy can be seen as precursors to the use of
electricity in modern period.

Stirrups
Stirrups refer to a sort of frame that can securely hold the feet of a horse
rider. The stirrup essentially allows a rider to keep both his feet securely
in the flexible frame, thereby allowing him to wield a weapon or
otherwise ride effectively when on the horse.

Stirrups arrived in Eastern Europe around the 7th century and over
subsequent centuries, found adoption in the Western Europe. It is
argued that stirrups played a critical role in developing the military
warfare of the medieval period.

They probably made cavalry the supreme unit of an average medieval army, undermining
or reducing the significance of infantry units . It was largely thanks to the stirrups that
cavalry riders could wield weapons, fight on the go and even shoot arrows while riding their
horse with minimal risk of falling off.

Spinning Wheel

The spinning wheel was originally invented before the

medieval period but in Europe, it came to be widely used
only in the medieval era. In contrast to the earlier
spinning methods used in Europe, the spinning wheel
was far more efficient and allowed a spinner to spin
greater amounts of thread in less time. This finally made
it possible for well-spun clothes to be worn by an
increasingly greater section of population in medieval Europe.
 Republic of the Philippines
SORSOGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Sorsogon Campus
Sorsogon City, Sorsogon

“Astronomical Clock. in Prague’s Old Town

Square, Prague” by J. Miers is licensed under CC BY-SA

4.0

After the mechanical clock was invented in the 14th

century, the societal view of time was changed. The
newfound accessibility of time made it easier to
synchronise schedules. With the invention of the
mechanical clock, society was able to perform tasks on
schedules and people were able to make plans at a
concrete time. Additionally, workers schedules became
more defined. Enstam (2017) states that before the mechanical clock, “The masons’
workday was loosely defined, beginning as soon in the morning as they could see to “work
skill- fully” and stopping with the coming of evening.” Now, the mechanical clock prompted
when it was time to wake up, end a workday, eat meals, and go to sleep.

“Horse Collar” by Anne Grant is licensed under

CC BY 4.0

The Medieval era spanned throughout the year 476 to

the 1600’s, changing the way the European society
functioned and developed, especially agriculturally.
In much of European history, farming dominated the
economy. During earlier years, much of the farming
community relied on field workers or animals,
particularly oxen, to plow farmland. During the
Medieval era, the migration of many people into central Europe caused a large population
influx, leading to a higher demand for food and commercial goods to be produced.
This inflation caused a major change in agricultural techniques that allowed for a more
efficient cultivation of land. The harnessing of non-traditional animals, especially horses,
provided a much more powerful and efficient standard to farming during the Medieval
period.
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SORSOGON STATE UNIVERSITY
Sorsogon Campus
Sorsogon City, Sorsogon

III. CONCLUSION

The religious and political systems of the medieval world allowed for periods of stability
in many regions where advancements in science and technology could be made. People
developed new ways to handle agriculture, medicine, and hygiene. Being able to warm
homes during the winter months with chimneys and tracking time with a mechanical
clock were also products of technological advancements made throughout the medieval
era. Science and technology during this period had a great influence on society then
and its influence is still relevant today.

IV. REFERENCES
- https://mfgsc-
vic.libguides.com/c.php?g=916765&p=6610145&fbclid=IwAR3cmtuTrQ6
Uxe3SCNnQVwAx6dM7W59KHiwX6_vilxU8cfYUzBsP5emEYhM
- https://pressbooks.pub/anne1/chapter/the-medieval-world-and-
sts/?fbclid=IwAR141P-M-
cX3hii_AGpdn5hhpAOO0NZGD8fvhxoN5OyO5s3lRcVHNwCM2tw
-