Unit 2: Ancient and Early Modern Industry
Industry did not begin with the Industrial Revolution. Ancient societies produced consumer goods on a large scale, serving markets spread over hundreds or even thousands of miles. In ancient Rome, India and China, large populations, centralized governments, and well-connected international trading routes created vast markets for all manner of goods, ranging from military and agricultural equipment to textiles and home décor. Entrepreneurs seeking to profit from these markets developed new techniques and new tools for mass production that laid the groundwork for future industrial advances. Many of these technological advances fell into disuse during the medieval period, but entrepreneurs continued to develop new commercial practices to organize and finance large-scale business.
In this unit, we will examine several important industries that developed in the ancient world, such as mining, metallurgy, and textiles. We will then see how merchant entrepreneurs developed the tools and institutions that led to capitalism.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 3 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- identify and describe important industries in China, India, and the Roman Empire;
- describe different forms of industry in Early Modern Europe; and
- explain how early forms of capitalism developed in Europe.
2.1: Industry in Ancient Rome
2.1.1: Mining
Read this chapter for an overview of Roman society at its height in the first and second centuries CE.
Read this article about Roman mining to learn how ancient Romans solved the technical problems of mining.
2.1.2: Glass Production
Read this article about the history and evolution of Roman glass production. The manufacture of glassware was known throughout the ancient world, but Roman craftsmen produced glass on an unprecedented scale. The invention of glassblowing during the first century BCE allowed craftsmen to quickly produce glass products in a wide range of shapes, bringing cheap glass to mass markets
2.1.3: Markets and Distribution
Watch these 15 podcasts to learn about how Rome was built and how supplies entered and exited the city. This series of podcasts uses images of Roman ruins and scale models to illustrate the architecture and urban development of the city of Rome. Through its port city of Ostia, Rome imported vast quantities of food and other commodities and exported manufactured goods across the Roman Empire. Roman industry often relied on cheap slave labor to supply large urban markets with goods.
2.2: Ancient Chinese Innovations
2.2.1: The "Four Great Inventions"
Read this article to learn about the origins of China's great inventions, which include the compass, gunpowder, paper, and printing. After reading about China's role in inventing each of these, feel free to read the articles about each specific invention for more history of the use and development of these tools.
2.2.2: Metalworking
Read this article to learn about the origins of bronze and copper metallurgy in ancient China.
Read this article to learn more about copper in ancient China.
2.2.3: Applying Industry to Agriculture
- Watch these lectures, which provide a general overview of agricultural change in China. Chinese farmers invented a wide range of devices to increase the yield of farms and to save labor, many of which were diffused to other parts of the world, especially Europe.
2.3: Other Pre-Modern Economies
2.3.1: Germania
Read this article to learn about economic development in Roman-occupied parts of Europe.
2.3.2: India
Read the first two chapters of this book to learn about pre-European cotton manufacturing in India.
2.4: Merchant Capitalism and Manufacturing in the Early Modern Period
2.4.1: Merchant Capitalism in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas
Read these two pages to learn how early forms of capitalism developed in merchant communities in Europe.
- Receive a grade
Use this assessment to check your understanding of the history of capitalism. This assignment is ungraded, and will not affect your final grade in this course.
2.4.2: Trading Companies and Consumer Goods
Read these notes and listen to this lecture.
