Lithography, much better than printing press if you dont use alphabets.
Simple discoveries that would radically change ancient times or middle ages?
Lithography, much better than printing press if you dont use alphabets.
@VictorLaszlo
Paper was actually cheaper than parchment or vellum since the XIVth century at least, and its production widespread in most of Europe at this point : it's why its use kept growing while public authority would have preferred a maintained use of parchment giving it was seen as less fragile and more resilient to average keeping conditions. While you're right that the first paper mill (and, eventually, first manufactory production outside Italy and Spain) appeared in Nuremberg half a century before printing press was discovered, we'd be more talking of material accessibility than something out of price.
In fact, Gutemberg's Bible was printed both on vellum and paper...from Italy.
Paper was actually cheaper than parchment or vellum since the XIVth century at least, and its production widespread in most of Europe at this point : it's why its use kept growing while public authority would have preferred a maintained use of parchment giving it was seen as less fragile and more resilient to average keeping conditions. While you're right that the first paper mill (and, eventually, first manufactory production outside Italy and Spain) appeared in Nuremberg half a century before printing press was discovered, we'd be more talking of material accessibility than something out of price.
In fact, Gutemberg's Bible was printed both on vellum and paper...from Italy.
Sorry, I was half asleep writing that post.
But yeah, I figure better organizing systems of literature, scholarly works and information would be beneficial sooner
well, of course
as a jumping-off point, maybe something comparable to Linnaean taxonomy as well?
I'm surprised no one else mentioned this. The Horse Yoke was an extremely simple and innovative piece of equipment.
The Studying Erudite
Banned
while I assume it was writen already (i have no energy to check), an earlier use of gunpowder would change a lot.
Kaushlendra pratap singh
Banned
Indian already bath daily use fresh food and clean house daily you can feel. I think for India most important invention will be paper the printing machine and gun powder with this Indian always remain the top dog of world
I think the implication was some more modern conceptions of hygiene. For example, boiling things to clean them (or water to disinfect it).
Also, India had all those things when they were conquered.
Too soon for cinchona to reach Europe?
Could also have copied compartmentalization from the Ancient Chinese...
I seem to recall there were disinfectant poultices used in Roman times, rejected in the Middle Ages. Had they just stayed in use...
And am I wrong the triangluar (lateen?) sail is an advance over the square sail? Developing full rigging would be a big jump. Even the block & tackle (already in place?).
I'm also going to suggest you take Ben Braddock's advice: plastic. The technology/chemistry to develop a variety of polymer existed in Ancient Egypt.
(Believe it, or stuff it. )Yeah, metallurgy for long guns or cannon is problematic. (Bell-maker might be able to produce cannon.) Better advice: use a mangonel or something to throw ceramic jars full of lit gunpowder.
Might use a similar idea to create land mines. (IDK if you could produce pressure triggers. Flintlock "foot pedals"? Or discover fulminate of mercury?)
The Romans understood lead was toxic. For reasons IDK, they did nothing about it.
There's also a bunch of food crops available in the Americas that never gained popularity, all of which could seriously affect the European diet (& ag output); I recall an entire issue of The Plain Truth dedicated to it. (It's the only one I've ever actually kept.
)And how about making the vertical-axis windmill the standard? It's way more efficient.
Nikta.
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Not so much discovery as widespread distribution, but I would definitely say an earlier vulcanization of rubber. The mesoamericans were already doing some form of it 3000 years ago, by mixing it with sulfur-containing plants and other ingridients. The implications for industrial developments are potentially countless.
What about discovery and use of african vine rubber widely available in Kush
Fun fact: the Mongols brought water to a boil before drinking it because they thought it drove out malevolent spirits that caused illness.
well, they were right, kind of
there was a similar thing with the miasma theory, the belief that disease (malaria in particular) was caused by "bad air" and you could ward against that simply by shutting the windows and burning incense and stuff, which coincidentally is exactly the kind of thing that can keep disease-carrying insects like mosquitoes from biting and infecting you.