Technological Advancements of the 15th century World History/AP

Technological Developments Advancement in ship designs Development in navigational instruments Invention of the printing press Weapons

Caravel Ship Design Developed on the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal. Was based on the design of the vessels used by the Arabs. It has two of three masts with triangular (lateen) sails. As time went by it increased in size with a square sail on the foremast and lateen sails on the others. The square and triangular shape combination of the sails gave the ship the ability to sail close to the wind, this was essential if successful voyages were to be made in regions where the wind pattern was unknown. Sailors could now handle the ship better at sea

The Stern-Post Rudder Helped sailors to maintain a steadier course.

The Astrolabe Was used to tell the location of the ship at seas using lines of latitudes. The astrolabe was used to observe either the altitude of the sun at midday or the altitude of the polar star at night. It consisted of little more than a graduated metal circle with a revolving pointer and a turning board in the centre.

The Quadrant This was a graduated quarter circle of wood, with sighting holes mounted on one edge, and a plumb-bob hanging from the apex. This was used to determine the location of the ship at sea.

Invention of Printing Press With the invention of the printing press information about geography, science, literature and news could be copied and passed on easily in the form of books, charts and maps. Improvement on Chinese moveable type and traditional woodblock printing First used in Europe by Johannes Gutenberg in 1493

Weapons The earliest guns were probably produced by the Arabs in North Africa about 1250 CE. These were soon copied in Europe and by the 15th century gunpowder and guns of all descriptions were widely used. Caravels soon carried cannons.