Energy · c. 700 CE

Windmill

Persian vertical-axis mills grind grain using the steady winds of Sistan.

Panemone windmills with vertical shafts and reed sails were in use in eastern Persia by around the 7th to 9th centuries. They opened a second renewable prime mover alongside water, useful where rivers were scarce.

See it in the living tree Wikipedia

Arcs above join it to what it stood on, arcs below to what it led to. The bar places this stretch on the tree's whole timeline.

What it built on 2

Watermill 300 BCE
Sailing ships 3500 BCE

What it led to 1

Post mill 1185

Related measurements

The dashed line marks when it first worked.

Energy sources in England & Wales since 1800 Latest: 99.9 % of primary energy (2008) Source: Our World in Data

Wind electricity generation Latest: 2.71k TWh (2025) Source: Our World in Data

World primary energy by source Latest: 178k TWh (2025) Source: Our World in Data