Post #4240423

If you wonder which civilization was more advanced around 800 CE, Western Europe or the Middle East, read this excerpt from the Wikipedia article about Caliph Harun al-Rashid: "A Frankish mission came to offer Harun friendship in 799. Harun sent various presents with the emissaries on their return to Charlemagne's court, including a clock that Charlemagne and his retinue deemed to be a conjuration because of the sounds it emanated and the tricks it displayed every time an hour ticked."