Iran's Early Encounter with Three Medieval European Inventions (875-1153 AH/1470-1740 CE)

摘要

The production of the mechanical clock, the printing press, and firearms in Western Europe during the Middle Ages is considered the precursor to many subsequent technological advances. This paper briefly reviews the introduction of these inventions to Iran, and the pace of their adoption in that country. Firearms were more readily accepted, but clocks and printing took a longer time to become prevalent. This paper will also examine some of the possible explanations for the contrast between the rapid spread of clocks and printing in Western Europe and the lack of their widespread adoption in Iran. This phenomenon cannot simply be attributed to scientific and technological backwardness, nor can it have been due merely to geographic or cultural differences. This underscores the significance of the overall social and economic conditions, which are in turn explored.