Inventions That Shaped Empires And Societies

The Power of Innovation:
Inventions that Shaped Empires and Societies

Roman Perry
World History - E Block
6/12/2023

Throughout time, there have been many different empires that have had their own unique skill sets, the products of which ultimately became inventions to further society into new eras. There has been lots of change throughout time of certain empires as they develop their new ideas and put them into action. As these new ideas develop, society changes to grow and advance in ways that make the overall organization of society more efficient. Undoubtedly, the biggest drivers of societal change are new physical inventions that help to adapt different parts of society, such as common life, the economy of these societies,

This evolution of the culture is also demonstrated in the mid 15th century with the Gutenberg press, which allowed new religious and cultural ideas to spread widely across Europe through the use of the printing press. Additionally, the Gutenberg press changed the life of an average person in medieval Europe by significantly improving literacy rates. “Through the use of Gutenberg's mechanized instrument of reproduction, numerous exact copies of books could be generated in a short period of time… Though this influx of printed books was initially limited to the moneyed and literate upper and scholar classes, the growing availability and affordability of printed texts later resulted in increasing levels of mass literacy and provided for the free flow of information essential to scientific progress, capitalism, and modern democracy.” The invention of the Gutenberg press was also influenced by the new availability of materials such as new types of paper and metal that made printing books easier. As one academic article, The Birth of Print Culture: The Invention

The first known recipes for gunpowder came from The Book of Fire, or Liber Ignium, and documented various ways of making gunpowder, although the recipe of saltpeter, sulfur, and carbon became the primary way of manufacturing the explosive. Initially, these materials were only available in China, but as they spread throughout Europe, gunpowder became a necessity for European warfare that would change how weapons were used. As Sebastian explains, these materials for making gunpowder became commonplace in the middle ages of Europe. “Gunpowder appeared in western Europe in the mid13th century, although its formula had been known in East Asia long before that date. It consists of a mixture of carbon, sulfur, and saltpeter. The first two were available from charcoal and deposits of volcanic sulfur in Europe, whereas saltpeter had to be crystallized by a noxious process of boiling stable sweepings and other decaying refuse. The consolidation of these ingredients into an explosive powder had become an established yet hazardous industry by the close of the Middle Ages.” Because of this prevalence of gunpowder, new warfare tactics and new artillery spread widely throughout Europe that were not in ancient China, especially with the use of naval warfare. As noted in the article, The Chinese Invention of Gunpowder, Explosives, and Artillery