What inventions appeared in China. Ancient Chinese inventions. Seismoscope - an invention of ancient China

Inventions of Ancient China

COMPASS became the first navigation device that allowed brave sailors to leave the seashores and go out to the open sea. The ancient compass looked like a spoon with a thin handle and a spherical convex part; the spoon itself was made of magnetite. The well-polished convex part of the spoon was mounted on a copper or wooden plate, which was also carefully polished. The handle of the spoon hung freely above the plate, and the spoon itself rotated freely around the axis of the installed convex base. On the plate the countries of the world were indicated in the form of cyclic signs of the Zodiac.

The role of a magnetic needle was played by the handle of a spoon. If the handle is put into rotation and then waits a little, then the stopped arrow (its role is played by the handle of a spoon) will point exactly to the south.

This was the very first ancient compass, called sonan - “knowing the south” and described by the Chinese philosopher Hen Fei-tzu.

In the 11th century, a floating compass needle was invented in China; it was made from an artificial magnet.

A magnetized iron compass, usually in the shape of a fish, was heated until red and then lowered into a vessel of water. Here she began to swim freely, and her head turned towards the south.

Modern compass.

InventionPAPER in China gave a new impetus to the development of mankind, and we must thank the ancient inventor Tsai Lun for the appearance of the much-needed material today.

In ancient times, people wrote on stones, leaves, tree bark, animal skins, turtle shells, bones and fabric, but each of these methods had many disadvantages.

Paper was invented by Cai Lun who was born in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). During his forty years of life at court, he served five emperors, won their favor and received the title of prince.

Before the Eastern Han Dynasty, bamboo wood or silk fabric were used to create books. In China, narrow strips of bamboo were used for writing, fastened together into a kind of books, on which symbols were mainly burned out. But due to their weight, such books were extremely inconvenient to use (the weight of one such book was about 50 kg). Although hemp paper began to appear at that time, the technology for its production remained immature, and it was accessible only to a few.

Tsai Lun proposed a new method. He ordered his assistants to collect tree bark, remnants of fabrics and nets unsuitable for fishing. His workers then crushed these materials and soaked them in water for a long time. When the mixture turned into a soft mass, it was heated, and then poured into special molds and exposed to drying in the sun. This is how the first samples of paper suitable for writing were obtained.

Production historySILKS originates in China during the Neolithic culture of Yangshao in the 4th millennium BC. e. Silk remained within China's borders until the second half of the first millennium BC. e. The Silk Road did not appear. For a thousand years, China remained the monopoly producer of silk. The use of silk in China was not limited to clothing; it also had other uses, such as writing.

Silk fabric is made from threads obtained from the cocoons of silkworms. Great care must be taken, since even noise, drafts or smoke can harm them, and the temperature and humidity in the room must be carefully regulated. And you can feed the worms only with leaves of the mulberry tree, and completely clean, exclusively fresh and dry.In early April, small caterpillars hatch from the eggs, and in 40 days they reach adulthood and can already spin cocoons. An adult caterpillar, as a rule, is flesh-colored, 7-8 cm long and as thick as a little finger.

These caterpillars weave cocoons on specially prepared bundles of straw. The process lasts 3-4 days, and the length of the thread of one cocoon ranges from 350 to 1000 meters. Silk is obtained from the cocoon by so-called unwinding. The cocoon consists of a silk thread and glue that holds this thread together.

To soften it, the cocoon is thrown into hot water. Since the thread of one cocoon is too thin, as a rule, they take the threads of 4-18 cocoons and, having connected them, pass them through an agate ring and attach them to a reel, which slowly rotates, and the threads, passing through the ring, are glued into one. This is how raw silk is obtained. It is so light that 1 kg of finished fabric contains from 300 to 900 kilometers of thread.

The Chinese zealously guarded the secret of silk production. Anyone who tried to transfer silkworm eggs, larvae, or cocoons abroad was executed. However, Korea and then Japan learned the secret of silk. It is believed that to Korea around the 2nd century. BC. it was brought by the Chinese themselves, who emigrated there. Silk appeared on the Japanese Islands in the 3rd AD. Then, in the 4th century. silk production was established in India. Then, over the years, silk fabric spread throughout the world and rightfully won its admirers among the richest people of that time.

Gunpowder is a strong multicomponent explosive compound that has the ability to burn naturally without the penetration of oxygen in parallel layers, as a result of activity, forming abundantly heated gaseous products.

For quite a long time, the inhabitants of the European continent attributed to themselves the invention of gunpowder. And how stunned they were when they encountered firearms in India at the end of the fifteenth century! Diligent research by historians has proven over time that gunpowder was first invented by Chinese craftsmen much earlier.

The well-known Petrarch, back in 1366, compared the invention and rapid spread of gunpowder with an epidemic of a new plague, which is very symbolic, since the plague spread just from the Asian continent shortly before these times. After a certain time, a myth began to circulate that in China gunpowder was used exclusively for the purpose of making fireworks, but the Europeans had already figured out how to use it in their military battles. But careful research by authoritative world-famous historians has completely refuted such claims.

Coal, saltpeter and sulfur were completely common ingredients in traditional medicine even in ancient China. The soil in China quite arbitrarily released saltpeter, and the Arabs, who learned about saltpeter back in the eighth century, nicknamed it “Chinese snow.” The first mention of the flammable compound of saltpeter, charcoal and wood is found in the treatise of the doctor-researcher Sun Simiao “Basic Testaments according to the canon of the elixir of the highest purity,” the writing of which dates back to 682. It is very interesting and unusual that Sun Simiao did not notice anything supernatural in the extraction of a fast-burning substance, but at the same time he warned his colleagues against the unknown effect, considering it completely unnecessary. Such a flammable mixture was not gunpowder, but Sun Simiao’s followers did not listen to warnings and continued researching the unusual mixture.

And already in 808 there is a description of a certain mixture of saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal, which is true, which, neither in ratio, nor in shape, nor in burning rate, does not quite correspond to modern gunpowder, but deserves to be called gunpowder. This compound looked like a kind of paste, which was used for medical purposes as a means for disinfecting dangerous and deep wounds. This compound was called “hoyao”, combining in its name a pair of hieroglyphs - “medicine” and “fire”.

The first time in human history that gunpowder was mentioned for military purposes was in 970, when military commanders Yue Yi-fong and Feng Yi-sheng began using fresh burning gunpowder in incendiary arrows. It is possible to find a detailed description of three recipes for black powder with different combustion rates in the Chinese treatise “The Basics of Military Science”. In 1132, the first firearm was invented - the squeal, the inventor of which is considered to be Chen Gui, and in 1232, during the siege of Kaifeng by the Mongol regiments, the Chinese already used cannons, which were abundantly loaded with explosive bombs and stone balls.

Speaking of gunpowder, it would be completely wrong not to mention one of the most popular prides of Chinese craftsmen - fireworks. This art has developed over many centuries, initially it was used for ritual purposes - according to the Chinese, bright light and noisy sounds had a deterrent effect on evil, unkind spirits. After some time, fireworks became a mandatory attribute of all kinds of special holidays, and professionals who knew how to create patterns in the sky using successive shots were considered very respected and noble people in the country.

As a result of all of the above, it should be said that lengthy debates and reflections on the benefits or harms of this invention can in no way make it much less significant, and therefore the invention of gunpowder, like other great Chinese inventions, significantly changed the world for many times .

The inventions of ancient China became the birthplace of the greatest achievements of civilization that we still use today.

Over thousands of years, China has produced a stream of inventions, ranging from chopsticks - traditional cutlery and wheelbarrows - to sophisticated sensors and advanced financial concepts.

But in China there are four famous inventions, traditionally called the Four Inventions of Ancient China.

These are paper, gunpowder, compass and seal.

Paper

The fact that paper was invented in China is known from ancient historical records. It is interesting that the word “paper” in Western European languages ​​is derived from “papyrus” and only in Russian it inherited the eastern pronunciation.

Around 2200 BC, the Egyptians in the lower Nile region discovered that papyrus could be shaped to make it easier to write on. Papyrus for writing was cut into thin strips, which were soaked for a long time in water, and then tapped, clamped into a sheet. But it wasn't really the product we know, it was difficult to write on and it was expensive. The product was an improvement over materials previously used for writing such as bone, wood or stone.

The invention of paper as we know it came from China in the 2nd century BC. In fact, early paper is very similar to modern paper in terms of concept and technology.

The inventor of paper is traditionally considered to be the Han Dynasty Chinese dignitary Chai Lun who was the head of a royal workshop in 2nd century China. He used various materials to make paper.

However, recent archaeological evidence suggests that the prototype of paper was in use in China two hundred years earlier. In any case, China was far ahead of the rest of the world.

How ancient paper was made

Lun tea made a product based on various fibrous materials, including rope, old fishing nets, rags, bamboo fibers, tree bark, and silkworm cocoons. Modern paper is still made from wood pulp. The Chinese used wood ash or lime, keeping it for up to 35 days. Another important ingredient was birch leaves, from which the mucilage was used to strengthen the material and make it even and smooth. The softened fibrous material was processed into a pulp that was more like porridge, and birch leaf extract was added for weight. This "porridge" was then filtered through a sieve, a flat mesh made of fabric trapping the fibers on the screen, the product was then dried. Paper is still made this way, having mechanized the entire process.

The invention of ancient paper by the Chinese dignitary Chai Lun was put into mass production in China. This mass production was ideal for low-cost, relatively light-colored product applications.

This is how paper was invented in the world.

The ancient paper gradually spread from China, reaching Korea in the 3rd century AD. Introduced to Japan in 600 AD, and then moved to Vietnam and India in the early 6th century. It took 1000 years after the invention of paper in China to reach Europe. The manufacturing technology reached Britain around 1490, when the first known paper mill was built in England. The product reached North and South America in the 16th century, when it became a truly global product.

During China's Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, many types of paper were developed, including paper made from bamboo, hemp, and mulberry. Rice paper is still used in Chinese painting and calligraphy due to its smoothness, durability and whiteness.

The only major difference between computer printer paper and Chinese rice paper is the "filler" to make the paper really smooth.

Seal

The second invention of ancient China, which went closely hand in hand, was the invention of printing. Reproduction technologies were passed down by word of mouth and there were very expensive handwritten manuscripts. Not only was it expensive, but it was slow and there was no guarantee that every copy would be the same. More than 2,000 years ago, a form of printing was developed in the Chinese imperial Western Han dynasty (206 BC-25 AD). It was a stone very similar to brass with relief for the dissemination of Confucian knowledge and Buddhist sutras. Building on this idea, the Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD) developed the practice of carving text onto a wooden board, which was then covered with ink and then printed onto a page of paper. This technique became known as block printing and was very similar to the concept of printing. This technology produced the first ever book with a confirmed printing date of 868. It was a Buddhist Sutra. It was the invention of printing that predates the first printed book in Europe by almost 600 years.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the technique spread throughout Asia to the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. But although this was a great step forward, this block of printing technology had a serious flaw. One mistake can be transformed into the entire product produced because it was unique. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a man named Bi Sheng invented the idea of ​​carving individual characters onto small, identical square pieces of clay that were hardened by slow baking. Thus, the world's first printing flare was made. Once printing was completed, individual parts were replaced and used in the future. This new technology spread to Korea, Japan and Vietnam, and then later to Europe. The next major invention of printing actually came from Europe when Johannes Gutenberg made individual characters out of metal.

And this was the invention of printing before the advent of the computer age.

Powder

Inventions of ancient China - the discovery of gunpowder. Everything from modern artillery shells owes its origin to this. The invention of gunpowder began with the search for the elixir of eternal life on behalf of the Emperor of China. Alchemists discovered that mixtures of certain fuels and ores could heat up in the right proportions and cause an explosion. The work of alchemists led to the discovery of gunpowder.

In 1044, a Song Dynasty explorer wrote "a collection of the most important discoveries of military technology," and in this text he wrote down three formulas for gunpowder. Each was based on saltpeter (potassium nitrate), sulfur and charcoal. The modern British scientist Joseph Needham identified them as early formulas for what we now know as the invention of gunpowder. The formula for gunpowder reached the Arab world in the 12th century and Europe in the 14th century.

Ancient writings claim that gunpowder was first used for entertainment only with fireworks, but was soon exploited for its military potential. In fact, the earliest known illustrations of a cannon, dating back to around 1127, were found in China, during the change of rulers from the Northern Song Dynasty to the Southern Song Dynasty. Towards the end of the Song Dynasty, the Chinese invented multi-stage rockets.

Thus, the invention of gunpowder can be seen as the idea of ​​the rocket, which laid the foundation for human space flight. Scientist Joseph Needham also suggests that the idea of ​​an explosion in a self-contained cylinder inspired the internal combustion engine over time.

The invention of gunpowder allowed the Chinese to gain military victories and drive the Mongols away from their borders for decades. But eventually the Mongols were able to capture gunpowder technology and incorporate gunpowder into their supply. Captured Chinese experts began working in the Mongol army, and the Mongols began to expand their empire.

Compass

The invention of the compass is the fourth of the great inventions of ancient China. Although the Chinese did not master ore mining and copper production, they used the natural mineral. The natural mineral magnetite attracted iron. The arrow with magnetite always pointed north.

Thus, the inventions of ancient China are among the greatest achievements of mankind used in our time.

In today's market it is difficult to find products not made in China. Almost everything we use is made in China. Here, labor is much cheaper than in other countries, and people can come up with something that no one else can do. The best and most popular toys were invented by the Chinese; innovative household appliances, again, were born in China. In a word, even in the distant past the state was known precisely for its technical and other achievements. The discoveries and inventions of Ancient China formed the basis of modern production and became the prototype of many objects known to every person today.

Porcelain Heritage

Products made from Chinese porcelain are extremely valuable all over the world. Having such dishes at home means demonstrating to others your impeccable taste. Such things are valued for their unsurpassed quality and amazing beauty. Translated from Persian, the word “porcelain” means “king”. And this is truly so. In the 13th century in European countries, porcelain from the Middle Kingdom was incredibly valuable. The most influential people kept examples of Chinese ceramic art in their treasuries, framed in gold. And the residents of Iran and India were confident that Chinese porcelain was endowed with magical powers: if poison was mixed into food, it would change its color. Thus, the most famous invention made in Ancient China is, as you might guess, porcelain.

In the second millennium BC. e. (Tang period) ceramics appear, which are of historical and artistic value. A little later, proto-porcelain appeared, which did not have the characteristic whiteness and transparency. But the Chinese consider this material to be true porcelain, while Western art historians classify it as stone masses.

(the inventions of one of the most ancient states aroused and still arouse great interest) gave the world real matte white porcelain. At the very beginning of the 7th century, ceramists from the Middle Kingdom learned to produce porcelain masses by mixing kaolin, feldspar and silicon. During the reign, Chinese ceramic production flourished.

The emergence of cast iron

Already in the IV century. BC e. The technology of cast iron smelting was known in the Middle Kingdom. From the same period, and perhaps even earlier, the Chinese began to use coal as fuel, which provided high temperatures. It was in such a state as ancient China (achievements and inventions are described in our article) that the following method for producing cast iron was developed: stacks were placed in melting crucibles shaped like a pipe. The containers themselves were lined with coal and set on fire. This technology guaranteed the absence of sulfur.

Cast iron was used to make iron knives, chisels, plowshares, axes and other tools. Such material was not disdained in the production of toys. Thanks to their iron smelting technology, the Chinese cast trays and pots with incredibly thin walls.

Deeper, even deeper

In a country such as ancient China, whose achievements and inventions are actively used to this day, a method of deep well drilling was invented. This happened in the first century. The invented method made it possible to drill holes in the ground, the depth of which reached one and a half thousand meters. The drilling rigs used today operate on a principle similar to that invented by the ancient Chinese. But in those distant times, the towers for securing tools reached 60 meters in height. Workers laid stones with holes in the middle of the required area to guide the tool. Today, guide tubes are used for this purpose.

Then, using hemp ropes and bamboo power structures, craftsmen regularly lowered and raised the iron drill. This was done until the required depth was reached, at which a layer of natural gas lay. It was subsequently used as fuel in the salt production process.

North or East

You can list the inventions of Ancient China for a long time. The compass is worth mentioning in the top five. Since ancient times, the Chinese have known about the existence of magnets. In III Art. BC e. the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire learned that it could attract iron. Just as early on, they realized that this material was capable of indicating in which direction south and north were located. Presumably, the first compass was invented at the same time. True, then it resembled a magnetic spoon, which rotated around its own axis and was placed in the center of a device similar to a stand made of wood or copper. And the dividing line on the device indicated the cardinal directions. The spoon regularly pointed south. This apparatus was called the “spoon that rules the world.”

In the 11th century, instead of a magnet, the Chinese began to use magnetized iron or steel. At this time, Ancient China, whose inventions are truly amazing and unique, was also widely popular - a state where they used such a device in the following way: a magnetized steel arrow was lowered into a vessel with water. It was made in the shape of a fish and reached six centimeters in length. The figurine's head pointed only to the south. Over time, the fish succumbed to modifications and became an ordinary compass needle.

Stirrups

People started riding horses a long time ago. And for a long time they rode horses without support for their legs. Stirrups were then unknown to the Babylonians, the Medes, the Greeks, and other ancient peoples. When riding fast, people had to cling to the horse's mane to avoid falling. But the great inventions of Ancient China would not have carried such an honorable title if they had not truly deserved it. In the 3rd century, the Chinese figured out how to avoid such inconveniences. At that time, they were considered incredibly gifted metallurgists, and therefore they began to use iron and bronze to cast stirrups. Unfortunately, the name of the person who invented this item has not been preserved. But it was in the Celestial Empire that they learned to cast stirrups from metal, and they had an ideal shape.

If there was no paper

Ancient China, whose inventions deserve respect, opened a new era in book development. The Chinese managed to invent paper and printing. The oldest hieroglyphic texts date back to 3200 BC. e. During the Six Dynasties period, lithography was discovered in the Celestial Empire. First, the text was engraved on stone, and then an imprint was made on paper. In the 8th century AD, paper began to be used instead of stone. This is how engraving and woodcuts appeared.

According to legend, the inventor of paper was Tsai Lun, a servant of the emperor's harem. He lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Historical sources claim that Tsai used tree bark, fishing nets, and rags to make paper. This is the creation the servant presented to his emperor. Since then, paper has firmly entered the life of mankind and has become an indispensable attribute of its existence.

Chinese silk

For many centuries, Western countries knew China exclusively as a silk producer. Even in ancient times, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire possessed the secrets of making this wonderful material. Xi Ling, the wife of Emperor Huang Di, taught Chinese girls to raise silkworms, process silk and weave fabric from the resulting threads.

The most famous invention

The list entitled “Inventions of the People of Ancient China” would be incomplete without mentioning a substance such as gunpowder. Back in the first centuries of our era, alchemists from the Middle Kingdom learned to extract a mixture of sulfur and saltpeter, which, together with coal, is the basis for the chemical formula of gunpowder. This discovery was a little ironic. And all because the Chinese were trying to obtain a substance through which they could gain immortality. But instead they created something that takes away life.

Gunpowder was used to power weapons and for domestic purposes. Well, everything is clear with war, but what about peaceful life? What use was found for such a dangerous substance? It turns out that when there were outbreaks of a particular disease (epidemic), gunpowder played the role of a disinfectant. The powder was used to treat various ulcers and wounds on the body. They used it to poison insects.

A few more innovations

Ancient China (the inventions are described above) can boast of other discoveries. For example, it was the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire who invented fireworks, without which not a single solemn event takes place today. The seismoscope also first appeared in Ancient China. Tea, beloved by many gourmets, was learned to grow and prepare in this country. A crossbow, a mechanical watch, a horse harness, an iron plow and many other useful items also appeared here.

Throughout the history of mankind, there have been many inventions that completely changed the course of history at one point or another. But only a few of them have significance on a planetary scale. The invention of gunpowder refers precisely to such rare discoveries that gave a great impetus to the emergence and development of new branches of science and industry. Therefore, every educated person should know where gunpowder was invented and in which country it was first used for military purposes.

Background to the appearance of gunpowder

For a long time, debates raged about when gunpowder was invented. Some attributed the recipe for the flammable substance to the Chinese, others believed that it was invented by Europeans, and only from there did it come to Asia. It is difficult to say with an accuracy of one year when gunpowder was invented, but China must definitely be considered its homeland.

Rare travelers who came to China in the Middle Ages noted the local residents’ love for noisy fun, accompanied by unusual and very loud explosions. The Chinese themselves were very amused by this action, but the Europeans inspired fear and horror. In fact, it was not gunpowder yet, but simply bamboo shoots thrown into the fire. After heating, the stems burst with a characteristic sound that was very similar to heavenly thunder.

The effect of exploding shoots gave food for thought to Chinese monks, who began conducting experiments on creating a similar substance from natural components.

History of invention

It is difficult to say in what year the Chinese invented gunpowder, but there is evidence that already in the sixth century the Chinese had an idea of ​​a mixture of several components that burned with a bright flame.

The palm in the invention of gunpowder rightfully belongs to the monks of Taoist temples. Among them there were a lot of alchemists who constantly carried out experiments to create They combined various substances in different proportions, hoping one day to find the right combination. Some Chinese emperors were heavily dependent on these drugs; they dreamed of eternal life and did not hesitate to use dangerous mixtures. In the middle of the ninth century, one of the monks wrote a treatise in which he described almost all known elixirs and methods of their use. But this was not the most important thing - several lines of the treatise mentioned a dangerous elixir, which suddenly caught fire in the hands of the alchemists, causing them incredible pain. It was not possible to extinguish the flames, and the whole house burned down in a few minutes. It is these data that can put an end to the dispute about what year gunpowder was invented and where.

Although, until the tenth and eleventh centuries, gunpowder was not mass produced in China. By the beginning of the twelfth century, several Chinese scientific treatises had appeared detailing the components of gunpowder and the concentration required for combustion. It is worth clarifying that when gunpowder was invented, it was a flammable substance and could not explode.

Gunpowder composition

After the invention of gunpowder, the monks spent several years determining the ideal ratio of components. After much trial and error, a mixture called the “fire potion” emerged, consisting of coal, sulfur and saltpeter. It was the last component that became decisive in establishing the homeland of the invention of gunpowder. The fact is that it is quite difficult to find saltpeter in nature, but in China it is found in great abundance in the soil. There are cases when it protruded onto the surface of the earth in a whitish coating up to three centimeters thick. Some Chinese chefs added saltpeter to food to improve taste instead of salt. They always noticed that when saltpeter got into the fire it caused bright flashes and intensified the burning.

Taoists knew about the properties of sulfur for a long time; it was often used for tricks, which the monks called “magic.” The last element of gunpowder, coal, has always been used to produce heat during combustion. It is therefore not surprising that these three substances became the basis of gunpowder.

Peaceful uses of gunpowder in China

At the time gunpowder was invented, the Chinese had no idea how great a discovery they had made. They decided to use the magical properties of the “fire potion” for colorful processions. Gunpowder became the main element of firecrackers and fireworks. Thanks to the right combination of ingredients in the mixture, thousands of lights flew into the air, turning the street parade into something very special.

But one should not assume that, having such an invention, the Chinese did not understand its importance in military affairs. Despite the fact that China was not an aggressor in the Middle Ages, it was in a state of constant defense of its borders. Neighboring nomadic tribes periodically raided the border Chinese provinces, and the invention of gunpowder could not have come at a better time. With its help, the Chinese consolidated their position in the Asian region for a long time.

Gunpowder: First military use by the Chinese

Europeans had long believed that the Chinese did not use gunpowder for military purposes. But in fact, these data are erroneous. There is written evidence that back in the third century, one of the famous Chinese commanders managed to defeat nomadic tribes with the help of gunpowder. He lured the enemies into a narrow gorge where charges had previously been planted. They were narrow clay pots filled with gunpowder and metal. Bamboo tubes with cords soaked in sulfur led to them. When the Chinese set them on fire, thunder struck, reflected several times by the walls of the gorge. Clods of earth, stones and metal pieces flew from under the nomads' feet. The terrible incident forced the aggressors to leave the border provinces of China for a long time.

From the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries, the Chinese improved their military capabilities with the use of gunpowder. They invented new types of weapons. The enemies were overtaken by shells launched from bamboo tubes and guns launched from a catapult. Thanks to their “fire potion,” the Chinese emerged victorious in almost all battles, and the fame of the unusual substance spread throughout the world.

Gunpowder leaves China: Arabs and Mongols begin to make gunpowder

Around the thirteenth century, the recipe for gunpowder fell into the hands of the Arabs and Mongols. According to one legend, the Arabs stole a treatise that contained a detailed description of the proportions of coal, sulfur and saltpeter necessary for the ideal mixture. In order to obtain this precious source of information, the Arabs destroyed an entire mountain monastery.

It is not known whether this was so, but already in the same century the Arabs designed the first cannon with gunpowder shells. It was quite imperfect and often maimed the soldiers themselves, but the effect of the weapon clearly covered the human losses.

"Greek fire": Byzantine gunpowder

According to historical sources, the recipe for gunpowder came from the Arabs to Byzantium. Local alchemists did a little work on the composition and began to use a flammable mixture called “Greek fire”. It showed itself successfully during the defense of the city, when fire from the pipes burned almost the entire enemy fleet.

It is not known for certain what was included in the “Greek fire”. His recipe was kept in the strictest confidence, but scientists suggest that the Byzantines used sulfur, oil, saltpeter, resin and oils.

Gunpowder in Europe: who invented it?

For a long time, Roger Bacon was considered the culprit behind the appearance of gunpowder in Europe. In the mid-thirteenth century, he became the first European to describe in a book all the recipes for making gunpowder. But the book was encrypted, and it was not possible to use it. If you want to know who invented gunpowder in Europe, history is the answer.

He was a monk and practiced alchemy for his benefit. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, he worked to determine the proportions of the substance from coal, sulfur and saltpeter. After much experimentation, he managed to grind the necessary components in a mortar in a proportion sufficient to cause an explosion. The blast wave almost sent the monk to the next world. But his invention marked the beginning of a new era in Europe - the era of firearms.

The first model of the “shooting mortar” was developed by the same Schwartz, for which he was sent to prison in order to not disclose the secret. But the monk was kidnapped and secretly transported to Germany, where he continued his experiments in improving firearms. How the inquisitive monk ended his life is still unknown. According to one version, he was blown up on a barrel of gunpowder; according to another, he died safely at a very old age. Be that as it may, gunpowder gave the Europeans great opportunities, which they did not fail to take advantage of.

The appearance of gunpowder in Rus'

Unfortunately, there are no surviving sources that would shed light on the history of the appearance of gunpowder in Rus'. The most popular version is considered to be borrowing the recipe from the Byzantines. Whether it really was so is unknown, but gunpowder in Rus' was called “potion”, and it had the consistency of powder. Firearms were first used at the end of the fourteenth century during the siege of Moscow. It is worth noting that the guns did not have much destructive power. They were used to intimidate the enemy and horses, which, due to smoke and roar, lost orientation in space, which sowed panic in the ranks of the attackers.

By the nineteenth century, gunpowder had become widespread, but its “golden” years were still ahead.

Smokeless powder recipe: who invented it?

The end of the nineteenth century was marked by the invention of new modifications of gunpowder. It should be clarified that for decades inventors have been trying to improve the combustible mixture. So in which country was smokeless gunpowder invented? Scientists believe it was in France. The inventor Viel managed to obtain pyroxylin gunpowder, which has a solid structure. His tests created a sensation; the advantages of the new substance were immediately noted by the military. The so-called smokeless powder had enormous strength, did not leave a soot and burned evenly. In Russia it was received three years later than in France. Moreover, the inventors worked independently of each other.

A few years later he proposed using nitroglycerin gunpowder, which has completely new characteristics, in the manufacture of projectiles. Later in the history of gunpowder there were many modifications and improvements, but each of them was designed to spread death over vast distances.

To this day, military inventors are doing serious work to create completely new types of gunpowder. Who knows, perhaps with its help in the future they will radically change the history of mankind more than once.