How about the Stirrup?
The stirrup greatly tipped the balance of power from the foot soldier
to the mounted soldier. Which gave power to two types: the central
Asian nomad, and the Feudal aristocracy.
In Europe if you couldn't afford to keep a horse, you were nobody. I
think this invention deepened the class boundaries between serfs and
aristocrats/mafiosi. In the ancient world your typical adult male was
at least in theory supposed to also be a warrior. The stirrup made the
knights to much more powerful that the citizen-soldier or clan
member/warrior structure of ancient times vanished.
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Darryl
Think Galactically -- Act Terrestrially
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