Exhibit H:
Did the Mongols develop new technologies?

Source: Mongolcatapult, Wikimedia

There was a great deal of construction started and supported by the Mongols. Many of the towns the Mongols destroyed rose again a few years later with Mongol help. Courier services were expanded and many additional way stations were built along trade routes, where both troops and civilian travelers could get food, drink, lodging, and a change of horses. In China under Kublai Khan, the postal relay system came to include 1400 way stations 14-40 miles apart.

Roads and bridges built originally to service the Mongol military became trade and travel routes. The extension of the Grand Canal to Beijing by the Mongols allowed cheap transport of rice from southern to northern China. The Mongols excelled in military technology; however they are credited with some inventions and tactics that many people find appalling, like siege warfare and the human shield.