Technology of the Medieval and Early Modern Worlds

Technology of the Medieval and Early Modern Worlds — page 7
1 r e t p a h C POWER SOURCES W hile classical civilizations had relied upon a large slave labor force medi eval Europe experienced a labor shortage that stimulated a search for alternative sources of power and the introduction of labor-saving machinery The first instrument of this power revolution was the horse Even more signifi cant was the success of medieval technology in harnessing water and wind power Water and wind power continued to improve in the early modern period while coal became increasingly important too Coal mining even spurred the invention of the steam engine which itself helped usher in the Industrial Revolution THE HORSE The invention of the horseshoe the padded rigid horse collar and the stirrup all of which first appeared in the West in the centuries of 12