What kind of technology and products would Europeans from the 11th-14th centuries produce if they had access to a rubber like material?
Condoms, boots, cloaks, roadwheel covers? the same as we do.What kind of technology and products would Europeans from the 11th-14th centuries produce if they had access to a rubber like material?
Rubber trees wouldn't exactly grow well in medieval Europe. The Brazilian rubber tree is a tropical species, as are some of the analogous species which lived in Mesoamerica, and wouldn't grow well if at all in Europe.
However, there is another possibility. The Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz), native to parts of Central Asia (Kazakhsta and a couple of its neighbours) is a perennial species which can be tapped to produce a latex that functions like rubber. All that needs to happen is for this plant to be discovered and spread to Europe.
However, there is another possibility. The Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz), native to parts of Central Asia (Kazakhsta and a couple of its neighbours) is a perennial species which can be tapped to produce a latex that functions like rubber. All that needs to happen is for this plant to be discovered and spread to Europe.
Interesting! What's the cultivation of that plant like, and how much latex can be produced using the methods of the time?
As @Prince di Corsica noted, its yield is much lower than the equivalent area of rubber trees. However, its cultivation is much quicker, since it's a flowering herb rather than, well, a tree. I think that it can start to yield after six months or so, compared to several years at least for rubber trees (maybe over a decade, can't remember exactly how long it takes). It's basically like a dandelion in terms of how it grows (ie a fast-growing weed), so it's just plant into most soils and let it grow.Interesting! What's the cultivation of that plant like, and how much latex can be produced using the methods of the time?
That might change after three centuries of selective breeding (depending on the POD) to produce dandelions with bigger yeilds. Of course it'll be nowhere near as much as a tree could make but look at what 400 years did to the watermelon.As @Prince di Corsica noted, its yield is much lower than the equivalent area of rubber trees. However, its cultivation is much quicker, since it's a flowering herb rather than, well, a tree. I think that it can start to yield after six months or so, compared to several years at least for rubber trees (maybe over a decade, can't remember exactly how long it takes). It's basically like a dandelion in terms of how it grows (ie a fast-growing weed), so it's just plant into most soils and let it grow.
That might change after three centuries of selective breeding (depending on the POD) to produce dandelions with bigger yeilds. Of course it'll be nowhere near as much as a tree could make but look at what 400 years did to the watermelon.
As you said the Mesoamericans used it to make balls but the Aztec also used it to make containers and waterproof textiles. I assume those would be a safe bet for early European products. But personally I think footwear could be the most valuable use for it. Everybody obviously walks but it seems most peasants went barefoot most of the time while the leather shoes, for those who could afford it, were biodegradable. Soes were also vital to armies who have to march all day while tripping on a battlefield in bad terrain would leave you vulnerable at inopportune times. And as @Driftless said, it would be useful for farmers and fishermen who have to work in mud and cold water. Maybe rubber could be a cheap solution that could last longer and offer more comfort then it's leather counterpart?Speaking of it, what would be the first developments from rubber? The Mesoamericans, it seems, used them for ball games mostly. And one of the first European uses was for erasers, I guess that's useful for both art and literature, it could affect the Renaissance.
How long would it take for sturdy rubber wheels and clothing or even shipping insulation to begin? And how could those effect history? What regions would profit and how would society change?
Waterproof textile use is more valuable for shepherds (and was actually done on small scale, IIRC). So what is needed is for some Silk Road travelers to notice this.So my guess is that people in Kazakhstan discover it and start using it for balls and such
Interesting, maybe the travelers add some sugar or something to it and it takes off as a treat in Europe?Waterproof textile use is more valuable for shepherds (and was actually done on small scale, IIRC). So what is needed is for some Silk Road travelers to notice this.
Though the common use of the plant was the one of chewing gum.
It seems that normal dandelions deep roots can help break up soil and bring nutrients to the top layer for other crops to feed on. Maybe farmers can rotate it out before they plant their usual crops?
But I'm not a botanist so I'm just wildly speculating.
It has. It's kinda pre-requisite for existing in arid areas.Kazakh dandelion has the same property
It has. It's kinda pre-requisite for existing in arid areas.