Medieval Discoveries And Innovati0ons With the fall of Rome in the west brought great turmoil to the inhabitants. It would seem that chaos ruled as invaders swarmed over the land bringing with them war and death. In search of plunder and more land, the Vikings traveled extensively discovering new lands. To be able to do this they invented ships that could travel long distances. These innovative vessels were small enough to travel up shallow rivers but sturdy enough to handle longer voyages. Much fear of the Vikings was due to the fact that you never knew when they would attack Other innovations appeared in practice forms such as farming, “peasants plowed a field and let it lay fallow…” while this was good for the land the need for crops made it necessary to use the land more efficiently. This led to field rotation by the late 700s (Findon, & Groves, 2005). Also agricultural growth showed in the use and development of implements to help till the land; “around 800 A.D. iron-bladed plows were invented…” (Findon, & Groves, 2005). Using these tools helped preserve nutrients in the soil and was more efficient since the soil was heavy with moisture. Men of feeling that they we called by God began separating themselves from society into monostaries they transcribed literature into ornate books, therefore preserving manuscripts for later generations. These illuminated manuscripts are beautiful, utilizing an array of color and gold leaf. “[one monk]…skillful at calligraphy, copied all the letters except those starting a new paragraph…The rudicatore [monk] drew elaborate letters in the spaces…” (Strauss Art, 1995). The Bible wasn’t the only writings these monks persevered but also the writings of the Church Fathers and prayer books, creating a treasure for later generations. There are more examples of discoveries and innovations in the Middle Ages that are interesting to contemplate. Though certainly a difficult time and one which was filled with uncertainty it is interesting that the human spirit sought to understand the place and time in which they lived
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 19:21:24 +0000
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