How did Medieval invention change Europe commercially?

Vanessa Frenna
Dawson College
330-101-DW WESTERN CIVILIZATION section 00011
Jiri Tucker
Thursday, November 13, 2014
In the Middle Ages, numerous improvements were made in plenty different trades. For one, warfare was revolutionized when explosive powder was being put to use in guns. Also, the pistol and the musket were invented which dominated armored cavalry. Furthermore, the counterweight trebuchet was invented whose purpose was hurling huge stones unprecedented distances. Literacy was also increased thanks to the new form of printing and paper. Paper, in comparison to parchment, was cheaper and easier to use therefore it’s production increased. There began a growing demand for books which lead to the production of movable type that was a machinery slotted into iron frames to form lines of words. This made the cost of printing books 1/5th as expensive and saved labor and time. Also, this new technology facilitated rapid exchange of information and ideas. So many more inventions were used during this period such as eyeglasses, the magnetic compass, clocks… etc that it was a truly revolutionary time for Europeans.
Apart from warfare and education, agriculture and construction were highly improved as well. The wheelbarrow was a giant contributor to productivity in the Middle Ages. Not only were they being used to move heavy loads of stone and earth, but also in some cases, for moving people. The wheelbarrow contributed greatly to agriculture, in particular, and made carrying loads of hay, feed, and manure far more easier and efficient. Seeing as the Middle Ages had several new inventions that helped commercialize European society, this essay will attempt to prove why the wheelbarrow is a particular medieval invention.
Literary evidence for the use of wheelbarrows appeared in the early 13th century in north-western Europe. It is not mentioned in Roman architectural literature but we assume that the basic idea of the wheelbarrow may have entered Europe through Byzantium or the Islamic world. We say this because we have evidence of the wheelbarrow in China from at least the 3rd century. Therefore, it is possible that Arab traders brought it to the Middle East and Europeans learned of it during the Crusades. However, it could also likely be an independent invention of the middle ages, by recreating the handbarrow.
Actually, there are two types of wheelbarrows, in terms of how they’re made. The first type originated from the hand barrows, where they added a wheel and an axle to a broken hand barrow. The surface was flat and open and the heavy load would rest on a rack. The second wheelbarrow style was shaped like a wagon, with a shallow rectangular as the carrying surface. Regardless of the style, both wheelbarrows serve the same purpose. Both carry weight that is evenly distributed to the wheel as it is to the laborer. It simplified a lot of everyday tasks such as heavy lifting, shoveling, and basically all back breaking labor. Ancient Greeks might have used the wheelbarrow for construction, while the Romans might have adapted it for agriculture. “Since its carrying surface rests just off the ground, objects need not be lifted far.” (The Medieval Wheelbarrow) This feature also makes it much easier to shovel earth into the wheelbarrow.
“Although a wheelbarrow was six times more expensive than a handbarrow, only one laborer was needed to push it.” (The Medieval Wheelbarrow) Calculations say that during the 13th century, a laborer earned around 1.5-2d (The common coin throughout the Middle Ages was the silver penny, known in Latin as the denarius, whose symbol is d). That being said, they figured a wheelbarrow would pay itself, at 6d each, in 3 or 4 days at the wage that people