Was There Much Technological Progress in the Middle Ages?

by Cytoarchitectonics

The Middle Ages (especially the early middle ages) are often pejoratively referred to as the "dark ages" because of the relative paucity of historical records, but what about technology? What notable technological advancements occurred during this period?

tinrond

First, it should be stated that the exact timeframe of "The Middle Ages" is not clear cut. That being said and taking the Roman Empire as the base line, here we go.

  • Three-field system of crop rotation
  • Windmills
  • The mouldboard plough
  • Plate armor
  • Gunpowder
  • Crossbows (the Romans had early ones, but the Medieval ones were more advanced, most notably the arbalest)
  • Stirrups
  • Horseshoes
  • The blast furnace
  • The trebuchet
  • Gothic architecture (e.g the pointed arch)
  • Mechanical clocks (probably in 13th century England)
  • Spectacles (Probably around 1300 in Italy)
  • Indian/Arabic numbers and algebra
  • The impetus theory (instead of the Aristotelian theory of motion)
  • The compass
  • Mechanical printing
  • The university (e.g. Oxford was founded in the Middle Ages)
  • Quarantine
  • Many more ...

These are technologies or methods that Romans did not know and that Europeans adopted during "the Dark Ages" (what a misnomer).

And before anyone starts: "Wait, that tech was developed by someone who was not European." That does not matter. Do you think the Romans developed everything themselves? No. Technological advancement is technological advancement.

Source: Mostly James Hannam's "God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science".