Great /Important Inventions

Mediaval Period
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.
Great /Important Inventions
Mediaval Period

A compass is a device that helps in recognizing the cardinal points of the Earth,
namely North, South, East, and West. Being able to determine these directions
was vitally important to the sailors, navigators, diviners, and ecclesiastical
authorities since the days of classical antiquity.
Great /Important Inventions
Mediaval Period

Eyeglasses, were not invented until around the 13th Century, Early Medieval
Eyeglasses were fairly basic in their design . Until the late 13th century, there was
virtually no cure for people who suffered from nearsightedness or farsightedness. In
fact, it was a given that once a person grew old, he or she will suffer from a weak
eyesight and since there was no cure, the victim of the condition had to give up
reading and other eye-intensive activities.
Great /Important Inventions
Mediaval Period

The invention of Gunpowder had a massive impact on Medieval Warfare,

with the invention of Gunpowder came decline of the legendary 'Medieval
Knight'.Gunpowder is considered the most important military invention of
the medieval period. With the advent of gunpowder in Europe, the nature of
warfare changed radically and this had a deep impact on the social and
political outlook of late medieval Europe.
Great /Important Inventions
Mediaval Period

During the early medieval period, many different time-keeping devices were
used. Nearly all of these devices had been adopted from the period of classical
antiquity with little to no innovation happening in time-keeping devices during
the early medieval period.
Among the traditional time-keeping devices used at the time were water clocks,
candle clocks, the use of astrolabes for determining time, and sundials. It was
during the High Middle Ages that new methods of time-keeping were discovered
and new instruments discovered for the purpose.
Great /Important Inventions
Mediaval Period

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 Printing press was a new mode of printing texts and books which was invented by Johannes
Gutenberg in the first half of the 15th century. Gutenberg’s invention proved critically significant
for the Renaissance that was taking place across Europe. it became possible to rapidly publish
books and make them available to a greater number of people at a more modest price. Such
possibilities brought classic and contemporary books and literature into the hands of a greater
portion of society, ushering in what has been called the ‘printing revolution.
Great /Important Inventions
Mediaval Period

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.
Great /Important Inventions
Mediaval Period

Stirrups arrived in Eastern Europe around the 7th century and

over subsequent centuries, found adoption in Western Europe.
It is argued that stirrups played a critical role in developing the
military warfare of the medieval period.
Great /Important Inventions
Mediaval Period
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 the population
in medieval Europe.