Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel: Technology and Invention in the Middle Ages (Medieval Life)

## Amazon.com Review Historians, write Frances and Joseph Gies, have long tended to view the Middle Ages as a period of intellectual and scientific stagnation, a long era of backwardness, ignorance, and inertia. Many scholars of the Renaissance era, however, thought otherwise; the mathematician Jerome Cardan, for one, held that three medieval inventions--the magnetic compass, the printing press, and gunpowder--were of such significance that "the whole of antiquity has nothing equal to show." In their lively history of medieval technology, the Gies team writes of such advances as the heavy plow, the Gothic flying buttress, linen undergarments, water pumps, and the lateen sail. During the medieval millennium, they suggest, a great technological and social revolution occurred "with the disappearance of mass slavery, the shift to water- and wind-power, the introduction of the open-field system of agriculture, and the importation, adaptation, or invention of an array of devices, from the wheelbarrow to double-entry bookkeeping." Many of those inventions or adaptations, brought into Europe from China and the Middle East, have scarcely been improved on today. The medieval technological revolution, the authors conclude, came at a cost: much of Europe was deforested to make room for cropland and to fire kilns and furnaces, and mechanization made obsolete many handicraft skills. Yet, they add, the workers and inventors of the Middle Ages "all transformed the world, on balance very much to the world's advantage." __--Gregory McNamee__ ## From Library Journal Moving chronologically through a millennium (500-1500 A.D.), the authors (who have written numerous books on medieval life, including Life in a Medieval City , LJ 2/1/70) show that the term "Dark Ages" is a misnomer by deftly tracing the period's "main technological elements, . . . their known or probable sources, and their principal impacts." In addition to the technological developments highlighted in the book's title, the authors cover such topics as the textile industry and shipbuilding/rigging, plus obligatory topics like printing, engineering, and gunpowder. Throughout, they nimbly weave medieval cultural history into the discussion. Informative, readable, enjoyable, and well written, this work is directed to general readers. Highly recommended for all collections. __- Michael D. Cramer, Virginia Polytechnic & State Univ. Libs . , Blacksburg__ Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. Genre : History, ScienceQuality : 5Formats : EPUB, MOBI Amazon.com Review Historians, write Frances and Joseph Gies, have long tended to view the Middle Ages as a period of intellectual and scientific stagnation, a long era of backwardness, ignorance, and inertia. Many scholars of the Renaissance era, however, thought otherwise; the mathematician Jerome Cardan, for one, held that three medieval inventions--the magnetic compass, the printing press, and gunpowder--were of such significance that "the whole of antiquity has nothing equal to show." In their lively history of medieval technology, the Gies team writes of such advances as the heavy plow, the Gothic flying buttress, linen undergarments, water pumps, and the lateen sail. During the medieval millennium, they suggest, a great technological and social revolution occurred "with the disappearance of mass slavery, the shift to water- and wind-power, the introduction of the open-field system of agriculture, and the importation, adaptation, or invention of an array of devices, from the wheelbarrow to double-entry bookkeeping." Many of those inventions or adaptations, brought into Europe from China and the Middle East, have scarcely been improved on today. The medieval technological revolution, the authors conclude, came at a cost: much of Europe was deforested to make room for cropland and to fire kilns and furnaces, and mechanization made obsolete many handicraft skills. Yet, they add, the workers and inventors of the Middle Ages "all transformed the world, on balance very much to the world's advantage." --Gregory McNamee From Library Journal Moving chronologically through a millennium (500-1500 A.D.), the authors (who have written numerous books on medieval life, including Life in a Medieval City , LJ 2/1/70) show that the term "Dark Ages" is a misnomer by deftly tracing the period's "main technological elements, . . . their known or probable sources, and their principal impacts." In addition to the technological developments highlighted in the book's title, the authors cover such topics as the textile industry and shipbuilding/rigging, plus obligatory topics like printing, engineering, and gunpowder. Throughout, they nimbly weave medieval cultural history into the discussion. Informative, readable, enjoyable, and well written, this work is directed to general readers. Highly recommended for all collections. - Michael D. Cramer, Virginia Polytechnic & State Univ. Libs . , Blacksburg Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. History,Science,General,Technology & Engineering,Medieval,Science; Medieval,Inventions,Technology In This Account Of Europe's Rise To World Leadership In Technology, Frances And Joseph Gies Make Use Of Recent Scholarship To Destroy Two Time-honored Myths. Myth One: That Europe's Leap Forward Occurred Suddenly In The Renaissance, Following Centuries Of Medieval Stagnation. Not So, Say The Gieses: Early Modern Technology And Experimental Science Were Direct Outgrowths Of The Decisive Innovations Of Medieval Europe, In The Tools And Techniques Of Agriculture, Craft Industry, Metallurgy, Building Construction, Navigation, And War. Myth Two: That Europe Achieved Its Primacy Through Western Superiority. On The Contrary, The Authors Report, Many Of Europe's Most Important Inventions - The Horse Harness, The Stirrup, The Magnetic Compass, Cotton And Silk Cultivation And Manufacture, Papermaking, Firearms, Arabic Numerals - Had Their Origins Outside Europe, In China, India, And Islam. The Gieses Show How Europe Synthesized Its Own Innovations - The Three-field System, Water Power In Industry, The Full-rigged Ship, The Putting-out System - Into A Powerful New Combination Of Technology, Economics, And Politics. From The Expansion Of Medieval Man's Capabilities, The Voyage Of Columbus With All Its Fateful Consequences Is Seen As An Inevitable Product, While Even The Genius Of Leonardo Da Vinci Emerges From The Context Of Earlier And Lesser-known Dreamers And Tinkerers. Cathedral, Forge, And Waterwheel Is Illustrated With More Than 90 Photographs And Drawings. It Is A Split Main Selection Of The Book-of-the-month Club. Nimrod's Tower, Noah's Ark -- The Triumphs And Failures Of Ancient Technology -- The Not So Dark Ages: A.d. 500-900 -- The Asian Connection -- The Technology Of The Commercial Revolution: 900-1200 -- The High Middle Ages: 1200-1400 -- Leonardo And Columbus: The End Of The Middle Ages. Frances & Joseph Gies. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [329]-343) And Index. "In this account of Europe's rise to world leadership in technology, Frances and Joseph Gies make use of recent scholarship to destroy two time-honored myths. Myth One: that Europe's leap forward occurred suddenly in the "Renaissance," following centuries of medieval stagnation. Not so, say the Gieses: Early modern technology and experimental science were direct outgrowths of the decisive innovations of medieval Europe, in the tools and techniques of agriculture, craft industry, metallurgy, building construction, navigation, and war. Myth Two: that Europe achieved its primacy through "Western" superiority. On the contrary, the authors report, many of Europe's most important inventions - the horse harness, the stirrup, the magnetic compass, cotton and silk cultivation and manufacture, papermaking, firearms, "Arabic" numerals - had their origins outside Europe, in China, India, and Islam. The Gieses show how Europe synthesized its own innovations - the three-field system, water power in industry, the full-rigged ship, the putting-out system - into a powerful new combination of technology, economics, and politics." "From the expansion of medieval man's capabilities, the voyage of Columbus with all its fateful consequences is seen as an inevitable product, while even the genius of Leonardo da Vinci emerges from the context of earlier and lesser-known dreamers and tinkerers." "Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel is illustrated with more than 90 photographs and drawings. It is a Split Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club."--BOOK JACKET. "A mine of information" on the surprising technological advances made in the Middle Ages, from the authors of Life in a Medieval City ( Kirkus Reviews ). "In their latest medieval study, the Gieses explode the myth that the Middle Ages were unconcerned with the empirical and demonstrate that the Renaissance itself was the outcome of gradual progress made over the previous thousand years . . . They describe the above-ground reduction furnace that was feeding iron to local forges where smiths shaped it into parts for the new heavy ploughs, spades, and shoes for horses now beginning to pull with the aid of the padded collar; the triangular lateen sail that could drive Viking ships to trading posts on the Volga; and the considerable extension of the use of the waterwheel. The Gieses work century by century through the Middle Ages (from 500 to 1500), listing new tools and methods, each page full of attractive detail and anecdote. An important chapter is devoted to the influence of China, via the Silk Road, and Islam. We also learn how cities developed from fortresses into centers of commerce and watch the growth of handicrafts, gothic architecture, universities, mass production, the printing press and more." — Kirkus Reviews "The flame of human ingenuity burned with surprising intensity during the medieval centuries . . . the Gieses here explode the myth of the Dark Ages, showing that the Fall of Rome did not plunge Europe into stagnation and lethargy." — Booklist Includes photographs In this account of Europe's rise to world leadership in technology, Frances and Joseph Gies make use of recent scholarship to destroy two time-honored myths. Myth One: that Europe's leap forward occurred suddenly in the Renaissance, following centuries of medieval stagnation. Not so, say the Gieses: Early modern technology and experimental science were direct outgrowths of the decisive innovations of medieval Europe, in the tools and techniques of agriculture, craft industry, metallurgy, building construction, navigation, and war. Myth Two: that Europe achieved its primacy through Western superiority. On the contrary, the authors report, many of Europe's most important inventions--the horse harness, the stirrup, the magnetic compass, cotton and silk cultivation and manufacture, papermaking, firearms, Arabic numerals--had their origins outside Europe, in China, India, and Islam. The Gieses show how Europe synthesized its own innovations--the three-field system, water power in industry, the full-rigged ship, the putting-out system--into a powerful new combination of technology, economics, and politics. From the expansion of medieval man's capabilities, the voyage of Columbus with all its fateful consequences is seen as an inevitable product, while even the genius of Leonardo da Vinci emerges from the context of earlier and lesser-known dreamers and tinkerers. Runtime: 9. 42 hours, 8 Library CDs IN THE CENTURIES FOLLOWING THE MIDDLE Ages, thinkers of the European Enlightenment looked back on the previous period as a time "quiet as a dark of the night" when the world slumbered and man's history came to "a full stop" An illuminating look at the monumental inventions of the Middle Ages, by the authors of Life in a Medieval Castle .