5th Century BC - Inventions, Discoveries, Introductions

Inventions, Discoveries, Introductions

• Cast iron is first used in the Chinese Kingdom of Wu with the innovation of the blast furnace, and soon becomes widespread for agricultural tools and weapons during the Warring States.
• Trebuchet catapult is first used by followers of the Chinese philosopher Mozi.
• The Greeks invent the Anchor with flukes.
• The Greeks start to use shear-leg cranes for construction and loading of ships.
• The Greeks invent linear perspective.
• The Greeks develop an indirect lost wax process for casting bronze.
• The Chinese hydraulic engineer Ximen Bao (西門豹) oversees an enormous canal system for agricultural irrigation, while employed by Marquis Wen of Wei (文侯) (445 BC–396 BC).
• The Chinese philosopher Li Kui writes the Book of Law (Fajing, 法经) in 407 BC, the basis for the law codes of the following Qin Dynasty and partially that of the Han Dynasty.
• Creation of the Berlin Foundry Cup (early 5th century).