c. 500
Agriculture
Northern Europe
Heavy mouldboard plough
An iron plough that turns dense, wet northern European soils.
Why it mattered
Opened the north European plain to intensive farming.
Middle Ages
500
3 recorded milestones at this point in the record.
c. 500
Technology
South Asia
Wootz crucible steel
South Indian smiths made high-carbon steel ingots later famed as Damascus blades.
Why it mattered
The finest steel in the world for a thousand years.
c. 500
Science
India
Decimal place-value numerals of India
Nine digits and a positional zero made calculation compact.
Why it mattered
The number system now used worldwide.
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Nearby in the record
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South Asia
529Society
Justinian's codification of Roman law
Byzantium
c. 550Agriculture
Silkworm smuggling to Byzantium
Byzantium