Knowra Medieval technology Medieval technology Medieval technology comprises tools, machines, techniques, and engineering practices developed or used between roughly the fifth and fifteenth centuries.
Watermill : A mill powered by flowing or falling water, used to grind grain and perform other mechanical work. Watermills converted streams into dependable power for milling and industrial tasks.
Crankshaft : A rotating shaft that converts reciprocating motion into rotation or rotation into reciprocating motion. Cranks and connecting rods let some medieval machines turn reciprocating force into rotation.
Roman engineering : The construction and technical practices developed by Roman states, armies, and builders. Medieval builders inherited Roman roads, bridges, waterworks, and construction knowledge.
Cast iron : An iron alloy with enough carbon to be melted and poured into molds. Furnace advances made cast iron increasingly available for tools and equipment.
Medieval agricultural revolution : A gradual expansion of agricultural productivity in parts of medieval Europe through new practices, tools, and land use. Improved ploughing and harnessing contributed to expanded cultivation and food production.
Windmill : A machine that converts wind energy into mechanical power, commonly for grinding grain or pumping water. Windmills supplied mechanical power where flowing water was scarce.
Cam (mechanism) : A rotating or sliding machine element that drives a follower through a prescribed motion. Cams transformed the steady rotation of waterwheels into repeated hammering or stamping.
Islamic Golden Age : A period of extensive scientific, cultural, and intellectual activity across parts of the Islamic world, especially from the eighth to thirteenth centuries. Technical texts and instruments circulated through scholarly exchange across the Mediterranean.
Bloomery : A furnace that produces wrought iron as a spongy mass, or bloom, rather than melting the iron completely. Bloomery furnaces supplied workable iron for implements, fittings, and weapons.
Manorialism : A medieval social and economic system organized around estates worked by dependent peasants. Mills and other estate facilities were embedded in the organization of manorial production.
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