Hey everyone! I have some disappointing news: today is the last day of my series," Hannah Takes on History!" It has been such a fulfilling experience and I hope you all have learned just as much as I have. But, it's not over yet because today's post is intriguing and amazing! I booked a flight over to the University of Oxford where I was able to meet with a professor and talk about the technologies brought to us from Medieval Europe. I present to you: the heavy plow!
The heavy plow was a breakthrough technology for agriculture in the medieval world. Nothing was more exciting than a plow that was able to plough deep and turn over heavy clay soil while still using oxen. The invention of the heavy plow made it possible to harness areas with clay soil, and clay soil was more fertile than the lighter soil types. The soil was way lighter in the south than it was in the north, so this plow was a breakthrough for the north of Europe. Suddenly, the fields with the heavy, fatty and moist clay soils became those that gave the greatest yields.Many historians believe that this heavy plow was the biggest reason for such an amazing revolution that allowed more efficient plowing and yielding. The economy in medieval Europe improved and this increased the growth of big cities with more people and more trade. The heavy plough started an upward spiral in new areas. Because of the increase in agricultural technology, population was able to strive in the medieval world. Before the heavy plow, people used a different plow called the ard. The ard worked for a while, but only on loose, sandy lands which were very rare to find in the north. So, the heavy plow not only allowed more land use, but also made it even easier to use on the sandy, north areas.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to actually see a heavy plow, but I was able to see some really cool pictures of some. People obviously don't use these exact plows today, but the heavy plow definitely shaped the way we use the modern plow today. We can also thank the ard plow because without that technology, the heavy plow may of not been invented when it was.
The heavy plow was a breakthrough technology for agriculture in the medieval world. Nothing was more exciting than a plow that was able to plough deep and turn over heavy clay soil while still using oxen. The invention of the heavy plow made it possible to harness areas with clay soil, and clay soil was more fertile than the lighter soil types. The soil was way lighter in the south than it was in the north, so this plow was a breakthrough for the north of Europe. Suddenly, the fields with the heavy, fatty and moist clay soils became those that gave the greatest yields.Many historians believe that this heavy plow was the biggest reason for such an amazing revolution that allowed more efficient plowing and yielding. The economy in medieval Europe improved and this increased the growth of big cities with more people and more trade. The heavy plough started an upward spiral in new areas. Because of the increase in agricultural technology, population was able to strive in the medieval world. Before the heavy plow, people used a different plow called the ard. The ard worked for a while, but only on loose, sandy lands which were very rare to find in the north. So, the heavy plow not only allowed more land use, but also made it even easier to use on the sandy, north areas.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to actually see a heavy plow, but I was able to see some really cool pictures of some. People obviously don't use these exact plows today, but the heavy plow definitely shaped the way we use the modern plow today. We can also thank the ard plow because without that technology, the heavy plow may of not been invented when it was.
I wanted to thank you all for joining me on this journey! Traveling is my passion and being able to teach you all about my learnings is amazing to me! Thanks for sticking along and I will be be back next week with new posts!