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Originally Posted by Morthoron
Oh, and Macalaure, we forgot to add something in our discussion of real-world chronology as opposed to Middle-earth stagnance. The Real World had its Stone, Bronze, Iron and Steel Ages; whereas, the high cultures of Middle-earth went directly to steel and mithril (although limited in quantity).
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Yep. The professor does put Middle-earth into the technological and cultural state he wants them in as quickly as possible - and then he doesn't let it go again.
It occurred to me that most technological advances aren't acquired by the slow process that we have in reality, but are taught or at least facilitated by people who already were advanced. We can assume that Elves and Men, when they appeared in Middle-earth, were at the level of hunter-gatherers. For the Elves, the Valar preempt their natural development and fast-forward them into the steel-age (although the Noldor surpassed them in some ways a little later). The same happens more or less when Men, especially the Edain, meet the Elves. The Numenoreans developed mostly on their own, but they're a case of intellectual mass-doping, so their results are invalid. The Rings of Power could not have been forged without the help of the Maia Sauron, and in the 3rd age, the only ones to use the mentioned gunpowder are the Maiar Gandalf and Saruman. When left to their own devices, most Middle-earthian cultures seem to either slowly deteriorate/stagnate after reaching an early (induced) peak (Eldar, Dunedain, the Dwarves, too), or progress incredibly slowly throughout (Avari, Easterlings).
The political/social stagnation is even more apparent. I mean, you can put all major events of the 3rd age into a few lines. Try to do that with real history.
I don't mean to criticise. Middle-earth is fine as it is. Who knows whether it would still be as appealing if it would feel more real and less mythological.
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technology should have been important to Sauron -- he might have been immortal, but his armies were shortlived and poorly clad
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The evil side indeed completely stagnates technologically after the creation of the One Ring. Maybe the part of his power that Sauron put into his Ring was mostly brain power.
