The mechanization of the Middle Ages: An intellectual history of medieval machine building (Vitruvius, Theophilus, Villard de Honnecourt, Guido da Vigevano)

This dissertation is an interdisciplinary study of the development of mechanical engineering, particularly as applied to industrial purposes, in the European Middle Ages. The medieval period saw the creation of not just a number of useful devices, but of a large group of inter-related devices, representing a new, systematic approach to the application of machinery to a potentially infinite number of basic human needs. The Roman cornmill evolved during the medieval era into hammer mills, fulling mills, sawmills, mechanical bellows, and a number of specialized production mills which could grind, pulp, mash, rend, tear, press or otherwise reduce agricultural and mineral products. Dozens of medieval industries were able to mechanize portions of their manufacturing process, increasing both the quantity and quality of goods. The European windmill, also an adaptation of the watermill, was invented in England during the twelfth century and quickly spread across Northern Europe, tapping another natural power source and increasing the range of power technology beyond riverbanks. By the end of the thirteenth century, the invisible force of gravity, which had hitherto only serviced society by moving water through conduits, was finally harnessed by machinery. In one of the most intellectually exciting moments of the Middle Ages, the verge-&-foliot escapement was invented, tapping and controlling the flow of gravity, allowing for the first mechanical clocks. The level of technological aptitude implied in the construction of these clocks—which did not become forgotten showpieces of artful gadgetry but basic components of Western culture—is clear indication that mechanical engineering had developed into a distinct discipline during the medieval era.; Four period builders who left valuable technological writings are analyzed for what they reveal of technical and craft methods, and in order to extract clues towards the reconstruction of the intellectual life of pre-modern engineers: Vitruvius (c. 25 B.C.), Theophilus (c. 1100), Villard de Honnecourt (fl. 1235) and Guido da Vigevano ( fl. 1335). A new interpretation of the Sketchbook of Villard de Honnecourt is presented; also, the author's reconstructions of military devices described in the Texaurus of Guido da Vigevano, which are mechanically derived from watermills and windmills.