Inventions and Discoveries

Many important and useful things were invented or discovered in the Middle Ages. When the Christian Crusaders returned from the wars in the Holy Land, they brought back many new ideas and goods made by their Arab enemies. Trading with other countries also led to many important items being introduced into western society.

Discoveries from the Middle East

The people of Europe wrote the numbers 1-10 like this during the twelfth century: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X. These numbers, called Roman numerals, are still in use today, most notably on the faces of clocks. During the Middle Ages, everyone wrote numbers this way. However, the Romans had no number for zero, which made adding and subtracting very hard. The Arab people had invented another kind of numbering system, the one we use today, that had a zero and was much easier to add and subtract with. This system was brought back to Europe by the Christian Crusaders and quickly caught on. The Arabs had also kept many of the books and manuscripts produced by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Crusaders saw how useful these documents were and when they returned home, they searched through some of the oldest monasteries and churches and found similar documents. These documents contained useful things such as trigonometry and were recopied and distributed to scholars all over Europe.

Inventions from the Far East

Gunpowder, first invented by the Chinese and used by them for firework displays, was also introduced into Europe during the fourteenth century as a weapon of war. Although gunpowder would later revolutionize warfare, it took quite a while for it to catch on in Europe. Early guns were more apt to explode and kill their bearer than the enemy. As guns became more reliable and practical, they began to be used with greater frequency. The printing press, also invented by the Chinese, gained popularity in Europe during the late fourteenth century. It allowed books to be produced more quickly, accurately, and cheaply. More people could now afford to buy their own book, which gave a great boost to the spread of knowledge. Other inventions brought to Europe included the abacus, buttons, and paper money.

References: