Non-Eurasian inventions that could have been

And I include North Africa when I say "Eurasia" here.

What inventions could have been feasibly invented by the denizens of Africa, the Americas, and Oceania, before let's say 1500 for the Americas and 1800 for Africa and Oceania?
 
Hum... the invention of writing, perhaps? I know the Incas had that system of knots for communication, and the Aztecs actually recorded information in "hierogliphs" of sorts, but what I have in mind is the diffusion of a regular alphabet and written system of communication. I suppose that from the Nahualtl-speaking peoples this might be easy to spread to North America than to South America...

What about metallurgy? For weapon production, I mean. The Incas were pretty advanced on this regard, but what about the Incas and the other Amerindian peoples, at least those with access to copper and iron.

Regarding Oceania, I really don't know.
 
Well the Arabic script could have been spread larger throughout West Africa. This could serve as a way for more scientific minds to write down their research and thoughts so others could build on their knowledge. In the timeline in my sig, I'm thinking about the indigenous development of medicine, in part because of an increased literacy rate.

I'm sure an African civilization could independently discover gunpowder, maybe the Aksumites/Ethiopians? Since they relied on the ocean for trade, you could see the development of more elaborate and efficient ships.
 
Hum... the invention of writing, perhaps? I know the Incas had that system of knots for communication, and the Aztecs actually recorded information in "hierogliphs" of sorts, but what I have in mind is the diffusion of a regular alphabet and written system of communication. I suppose that from the Nahualtl-speaking peoples this might be easy to spread to North America than to South America...

What about metallurgy? For weapon production, I mean. The Incas were pretty advanced on this regard, but what about the Incas and the other Amerindian peoples, at least those with access to copper and iron.

Regarding Oceania, I really don't know.

The Mayans, or some preceding Mesoamerican people, invented writing completely independently from Eurasia IOTL (although after Eurasians had done so, likely twice).
 
Well the Arabic script could have been spread larger throughout West Africa. This could serve as a way for more scientific minds to write down their research and thoughts so others could build on their knowledge. In the timeline in my sig, I'm thinking about the indigenous development of medicine, in part because of an increased literacy rate.

I'm sure an African civilization could independently discover gunpowder, maybe the Aksumites/Ethiopians? Since they relied on the ocean for trade, you could see the development of more elaborate and efficient ships.


Problem with Axum is following the rise of Islam, the land was constantly under pressure and the slow decline of the coastlands tied to desertification was in full effect and the move inward imminent. With it saw the decline (dramatic) in trade towards Ethiopia as the state was completely interior rather than on the coast as to trade.
 
Problem with Axum is following the rise of Islam, the land was constantly under pressure and the slow decline of the coastlands tied to desertification was in full effect and the move inward imminent. With it saw the decline (dramatic) in trade towards Ethiopia as the state was completely interior rather than on the coast as to trade.

I remember reading about this. The author claimed the desertification was primarily climate based due to the end of a period of exceptionally good rains, and it would've happened regardless of what the Askumites did. Is this correct?
 
I remember reading about this. The author claimed the desertification was primarily climate based due to the end of a period of exceptionally good rains, and it would've happened regardless of what the Askumites did. Is this correct?


From what I have gathered it is unavoidable. However, it has been postulated that the continuation of Axumite power in Yemen and the maintaining of the Ma'rib dam could avoid the effects of the 7th and 8th century. So I assume, one could make an argument for this being a possible survival method of Axum. However this would likely entail a no Islam and possibly no Arabic alphabet or at least in the Kufic form seen during the Umayyad/Abbasid period.
 
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