The Invisible Middle Ages: Gutenberg with the invention of printing may have executed up to 90.000 people in Europe
Scientists investigated one of the dark periods of the old continent
article from newsbeast.gr
Gutenberg's 15th-century invention of printing not only benefited humanity, but also harmed it at the same time, new research has claimed, as it may have led to the execution of up to 90.000 people in Europe.
The study led by Kerice Doten-Snitker, a postdoctoral researcher on complexity at the Santa Fe Institute, was published in the journal Theory and Society.
A publication by the website Interesting Engineering wrote that typography may have helped fuel the 300-year-old witch hunts on the old continent, with at least 12.000 trials officially recorded.
Doten-Snitker argued that the invention of printing may have allowed the rapid spread of ideas about magic that were previously confined to small intellectual circles, such as religious scholars and local inquisitors. The Middle Ages had already manifested its dark face.
For the study, the scientists built on previous research, looking beyond broader economic and environmental factors. Among other things they focused on how new ideas about magic spread through social and commercial networks, influencing attitudes in a slow but powerful way.
They analyzed data on the timing of witch trials and the publication of witch-hunting manuals from 553 cities in Central Europe between 1400 and 1679. The findings showed that after each publication of the Malleus Maleficarum—the most notorious witch-hunting guide— followed by an increase in related trials.
They also noticed that when a prestigious city adopted anti-witch practices, those nearby and with less influence followed.
"Proximity to witch-hunting urban centers was said to play an important role," Doten-Snitker said, adding that it took time after a witch-hunting book was published because "people had to process the information they were receiving and even with original way for their time".
"Malleus Maleficarum" - or in Greek "The Hammer of the Witches" - is published by Daedaleos publications, translated by Anna Vantis. The original 15th century manual is published for the first time in its entirety in a Greek translation, divided into three sections. "The Hammer of the Witches" is not only responsible for the death of thousands of women during the years of the holy examination. It is also responsible for the harsh treatment and stigmatization of millions of women over the years. By reading it, we may realize that the Middle Ages are not so far away. Maybe we can understand what caused this inhumane hunt and stop repeating it.