Cathedral, Forge and Waterwheel
HarperCollins · Paperback · January 6, 1995
From bestselling historians Joseph and Frances Gies, whose books have been used by George R.R. Martin as source material for Game of Thrones, comes a classic book on innovation and technological change in medieval Europe In this account of Europe’s rise to world leadership in technology, Frances and Joseph Gies show how 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.
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- Who it’s for
- Trace how borrowed inventions and local innovations reshaped technology across medieval Europe.
- Themes
- Medieval technological change, Global origins of inventions, Technology, economics, and politics
- Genres
- Medieval History, History of Technology, History of Science
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Start with this bookAbout this book
From bestselling historians Joseph and Frances Gies, whose books have been used by George R.R. Martin as source material for Game of Thrones, comes a classic book on innovation and technological change in medieval Europe In this account of Europe’s rise to world leadership in technology, Frances and Joseph Gies show how 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.
Continue reading
The Gieses report that many of Europe’s most important inventions—the horse harness, the stirrup, the magnetic compass, cotton and silk cultivation and manufacture, papermaking, firearms, and “Arabic” numerals—had their origins outside Europe, in China, India, and the Middle East. 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.
Medieval Ingenuity
Trace how borrowed inventions and local innovations reshaped technology across medieval Europe.
Come here for
- A connected look at farming, craft, building, navigation, and warfare
- Technology’s routes from China, India, and the Middle East into Europe
Expect
- A layered account of tools, techniques, economics, and politics
- A focus on innovation rather than battles or royal lives
Where it sits
| History of Technology | 79% |
|---|---|
| Medieval History | 73% |
| History of Science | 54% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Western European History
- Early Medieval Britain (to 1066)
- World History
- Medieval History
Show all 8 publisher categories
- History of Science
- Science Resources
- Engineering
- Technology
- Authors
- Joseph Gies
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- January 6, 1995
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Medieval technological change · Global origins of inventions · Technology, economics, and politics
- Reading lane
- Western European History