The Middle Ages was a period of great scientific and technological advancement. Trade increased as towns began to grow, and medieval people found more efficient ways of doing work by inventing new machines. The inventions of the heavy plow, horseshoes, and harnesses resulted in more food to eat, and more crops for trading. Easy-to-understand text and brilliant full-color illustrations will help children follow the advancements in medicine, military weapons, and astrology up until 1500. Topics include: - The power provided by watermills and windmills for laundering clothes, casting iron, and pressing olive oil - How the development of textiles such as silks, wool, and leather affected trade with China and the Middle East in the 1200s - How African craftworkers worked with metal, and the bronze and gold sculptures and jewelry that they made - Medieval peoples' belief in the four humors, and the surgical procedures and herbal remedies used - Astrological inventions such as China's water clock Teacher's guide available.