For what it's worth, although this is a classic example of how technology
can change history, there are some who very seriously dispute it.
Unfortunately, nobody has ever provided me good references to refutations.
Having said that, I think you've stated the argument slightly wrong -- it's
that the stirrup directly led to the *creation* of an aristocracy, which is
implied by the description you gave.
Popping up to the parent topic, I'd argue that the most important recent
"invention" is a meme -- the idea of a self-regulating system. That
breakthrough led to all sorts of machinery, government and other systems
that were generally inconceivable more than 500 years ago.
I think that today, we're living at the time of an equally important such
"invention" -- the self-organizing system, as exemplified by the Internet.
I'm writing this from the O'Reilly Peer-2-Peer conference, so this sort of
thing is very much on my mind.
Nick
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On
Behalf Of Darryl Shannon
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2001 10:16 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Most Important Invention?
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.
=====
Darryl
Think Galactically -- Act Terrestrially
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