The below is not an all encompassing breakdown of Hyborian technology
mostly from LSdC, but it does give some insight to the advancements
of the Hyborians as compared to later medieval societies and perhaps
shows just how well Robert E. Howard's world was put together.
Here is a small breakdowm of Hyborian Age technology and advancements.
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Mining and Metallurgy:
The Hyborians knew six of the seven metals of classical antiquity:
gold, silver, copper, tin, lead and iron. There is a frequent
mention of brass which also suggests the knowledge of zinc, but
there is not a mention of mercury unless it is used to back mirrors.
The Hyborians are familiar with iron and often refer to it as
being of "extraordinary hardness". Ores are extracted
by the use of mine slaves as evidenced in "The God in The
Bowl".
*****
Leather:
The Hyborians wore a great amount of leathern garments and clothing.
In the story "The Tower of the Elephant", Howard writes
of a "blackjack", a molded and tarred drinking vessel.
References to leather can be found throughout Howard's Conan stories.
"Ale splashed over the jack's lip, and the Kothian roared
in fury, dragging at his sword."
REH-The Tower of the Elephant
*****
Glass and Vitreous Materials:
The Hyborians not only had glass as found in the story of "The
Devil in Iron", but clear window glass as referenced in "The
Hour of the Dragon" as well as shatter resistant glass as
described in "Rogues in the House" and "Red Nails".
The vitreous materials, both artificial and natural are highly
developed, as glass mirrors are spoken of frequently. In the tale
"The Devil in Iron" glass is used as the steps of a
dais, "The Hour of the Dragon" references crystal drinking
vessels and "The God in the Bowl" speaks of a diamond
Zamorian goblet. In the Howard tale of "Red Nails",
it is written that there are "translucent sheets of some
crystalline substance". The Hyborians possessed an uncanny
ability to work hard substances and also practiced the art of
faceting gems as found in "The Tower of the Elephant".
"Murilo saw that it was a panel of heavy glass that
had fallen across the doorway. Through it he saw the pallid faces
of the conspirators. Petreus, throwing out his hands as if to
ward off a charge from Thak, encountered the transparent barrier,
and from his gestures, said something to his companions. Now that
the curtains were drawn back, the men in the pits could see all
that took place in the chamber that contained the nationalists.
Completely unnerved, these ran across the chamber toward the door
by which they had apparently entered, only to halt suddenly, as
if stopped by an invisible wall.
"The jerk of the rope sealed that chamber," laughed
Nabonidus. "It is simple; the glass panels work in grooves
in the doorways. Jerking the rope trips the spring that holds
them. They slide down and lock in place, and can only be worked
from outside. The glass is unbreakable; a man with a mallet could
not shatter it. Ah!"
REH-Rogues in the House
*****
Textiles:
Wool and linen are presumably used, though never specifically
mentioned. Silk is used in the form of velvet as found in "The
God in the Bowl" and "The Hour of the Dragon",
there is also a mention of satin in "The Slithering Shadow"
and unspecified materials in "The Tower of the Elephant",
"Queen of the Black Coast", "Red Nails" and
numerous other Conan tales.
"I am bound for Kush, to trade beads and silks and sugar
and brass-hilted swords to the black kings for ivory, copra, copper
ore, slaves and pearls."
It was guided by the long sweep from the poop, and propulsion
was furnished mainly by the broad striped silk sail, aided by
a jibsail.
REH-Queen of the Black Coast
Floor, walls and ceiling were of the green glassy stone,
the walls decorated with gold frieze-work. Furs and satin cushions
littered the floor.
REH-The Slithering Shadow
*****
Chemistry and Chemicals:
Beer, ale and wine were guzzled with great gusto. Sugar was mentioned
in "Queen of the Black Coast", mummification was mentioned
in "The Hour of the Dragon" and the knowledge of strong
acids were written in the tale of "Rogues in the House".
*****
Cities:
Hyborian cities were more advanced in ways than actual cities
of antiquity. In "The Tower of the Elephant", "The
Scarlet Citadel" and "The Hour of the Dragon" the
cities were lighted at night. Temple districts suggested a type
of zoning. Some cities are those left over from ancient times
built in the form of interconnected halls, making the city in
essence one large house. Xapur is green, Xuchotl features interconnected
houses built of stones of various colors and Xuthal was interconnected
and green.
*****
Monuments and Architecture:
The Hyborians knew the arch as written in "The Tower of the
Elephant", "The Devil in Iron" and "Jewels
of Gwalhur" and also the dome as found in "The Tower
of the Elephant", "The Devil in Iron", "Black
Colossus" and "Jewels of Gwalhur". Taking into
account the size and spaciousness of some of the domed areas it
can be assumed that the Hyborians knew of the "true"
arch and dome. In Howard's "The Scarlet Citadel" we
read that rare materials such as jet and jade are used for building
construction, some featuring ceilings of marble. It is also notable
that the tower in "The Tower of the Elephant" is cylindrical.
In various Conan tales there were also numerous mentions of secret
passages, sliding panels, trapdoors, deadfalls and many other
miscellaneous accessories.
*****
Houses and Furniture:
Most Hyborian houses are furnished with chairs, tables, and in
some cases desks as mentioned in stories such as "The Phoenix
on the Sword", "The Hour of the Dragon" and "The
Slithering Shadow". There is a mention of a sliding door
in "Black Colossus". Keys and locks are of an advanced
type, as found in "The God in the Bowl", "Rogues
in the House", "The Scarlet Citadel" and "The
Hour of the Dragon". These locks feature tumblers as well
as complex combinations. The normal lighting is by candle or oil
lamps of bronze or gold. Places such as Xuthal and Xuchotl are
lighted by "radium infused gems" and "green fire-stones"
as written in "The Slithering Shadow" and "Red
Nails".
"The light came from one of the radium gems which adorned
the walls of Xuthal." REH-The Slithering Shadow
"There was a rasp of metal against metal, and he heard the
clink of tumblers, as if a key had been turned in the lock."
REH-The Hour of the Dragon
*****
Waterworks and Sewage:
The most evident of sewage system use can be found in "Rogues
in the House", as Nabonidus's house features a private sewer.
In "The Phoenix on the Sword" and "The Hour of
the Dragon", Howard mentions water fountains.
*****
Roads and Bridges:
Roads for the most part seem to be well made. Some of the roads
are mentioned to be "white", suggesting that they are
graded and well kept as mentioned in "The Hour of the Dragon".
Bridges seem to be nonexistent in Howard's Hyboria, as there were
none included in his stories save the mention of floating bridges
in "The Scarlet Citadel".
*****
Fortification and Siegecraft:
In the tale of "The Devil in Iron" castellated or battlemented
walls are mentioned, as well as the use of molten materials such
as lead in "The People of the Black Circle". A portcullis
is mentioned in "Rogues in the House" and "The
Scarlet Citadel".
*****
Arms and Armor:
Hyborian swords are of mixed lengths, straight or curved and from
two-handed down to swords such as the Zhaibar knife and the Gahanta
knife found in "The People of the Black Circle" and
"The Hour of the Dragon". The latter mentioned weapons
are actually broadswords of machete dimensions.
Armor includes scale mail, ring mail, chain mail, brigandine
armor and steel plate armor. References can be found in the tales
of "Queen of the Black Coast", "Black Colossus",
"The Scarlet Citadel" and "The Hour of the Dragon".
Headgear is mentioned as the mail coif, horned helmet, bronze
crested helmet, visored helmet, visored salade, basinet, burgonet,
and morion. References to the above can be found in "The
Frost Giant's Daughter", "Queen of the Black Coast",
"The Hour of the Dragon" and the "Pool of the Black
One" as well as other tales of Howard's Conan.
*****
Machines and Siege Engines:
Howard writes crossbows into the stories of "The God in Bowl"
and "The Hour of the Dragon". In the tale of "A
Witch Shall be Born" Howard mentions unspecified types of
siege engines. In "The Scarlet Citadel" Howard includes
the mantlet. Missile types included catapults, mangonels and ballistas,
written in the tales of "The Scarlet Citadel" and "Shadows
in the Moonlight". Again, mechanisms were in place to operate
trap doors, deadfalls and other booby traps in stories such as
"Rogues in the House", "Jewels of Gwalhur"
and "The Slithering Shadow".
*****
Vehicles and Harness:
Camels were written in "The Hour of the Dragon" and
"Black Colossus". Chariots were common as evidenced
in "The God in the Bowl", "Black Colossus",
"The Scarlet Citadel", and "The Hour of the Dragon".
Ox wains and wagons are included in the stories of "Black
Colossus" and "The Hour of the Dragon". The use
of the stirrup was mentioned and found in the tales of "The
People of the Black Circle", "A Witch Shall Be Born",
"Shadows in Zamboula", "The Hour of the Dragon"
and "Red Nails".
"The steed snorted and quivered, but stood still while
the man bridled him and clapped on the gold-worked saddle, with
the wide silver stirrups."
"Conan rose in his stirrups, striving to make himself
heard above the tumult, and then, with a roar of mingled rage,
defiance and disgust, he wheeled and galloped back up the trail.
"
"She saw walled cities burst into flame, and fled screaming
before the slayers. She reeled naked and bleeding over burning
sands, dragged at the slaver's stirrup, and she knew the grip
of hot, fierce hands on her writhing flesh, the shame and agony
of brutal lust."
REH-The People of the Black Circle
"Conan stumbled toward it, and every step was a stabbing,
throbbing hell that flecked his lips with bloody foam. One misshapen,
groping hand fell clumsily on the saddle-bow, a bloody foot somehow
found the stirrup."
REH-A Witch Shall Be Born
"Drawing his foot from the stirrup he stole to the angle
and peered around it. Three men were moving down the road toward
the palm groves, and from their slouching gait he knew they were
Negroes."
REH-Shadows in Zamboula
"The fog was fading away. First the crests of cliffs
came in sight above the gray clouds, tall and spectral. Lower
and lower crawled the mists, shrinking, fading. Valerius started
up in his stirrups with a cry that the horsemen echoed behind
him."
REH-The Hour of the Dragon
"The woman drew a booted foot out of the silver stirrups
and swung down from the gilt-worked saddle."
REH-Red Nails
*****
Ships and Rigging:
The merchant ships of the Hyborian Age more often than not had
more oars and less sails than a proper merchant roundship, but
fewer oars and more sail than a regular war galley. References
to these can be found in "Queen of the Black Coast"
and "The Hour of the Dragon". These ships also feature
anchors with chain, topsails in the story "The Pool of the
Black One" and a jib or forestay sail in "Queen of the
Black Coast".
"The galley wallowed out into clear water, the oars
began to clack rhythmically; then a puff of wind filled the shimmering
sail, the light ship heeled to the gust, then took her course
like a swan, gathering headway as she skimmed along."
"The Argus was a small sturdy ship, typical of those
trading-craft which ply between the ports of Zingara and Argos
and the southern coasts, hugging the shoreline and seldom venturing
far into the open ocean. It was high of stern, with a tall curving
prow; broad in the waist, sloping beautifully to stem and stern.
It was guided by the long sweep from the poop, and propulsion
was furnished mainly by the broad striped silk sail, aided by
a jibsail. The oars were for use in tacking out of creeks and
bays, and during calms. There were ten to the side, five fore
and five aft of the small mid-deck. The most precious part of
the cargo was lashed under this deck, and under the fore-deck.
The men slept on deck or between the rowers' benches, protected
in bad weather by canopies. With twenty men at the oars, three
at the sweep, and the shipmaster, the crew was complete."
REH-Queen of the Black Coast
*****
Miscellaneous:
Again we find mirrors as referenced in "Rogues in the House",
and there is an inclusion of barrels as found in "The Tower
of the Elephant". Candles can be found in numerous tales
such as "The Tower of the Elephant", "A Witch Shall
be Born" and "The Hour of the Dragon". A fork is
mentioned in "The Slithering Shadow". In "Rogues
in the House" Conan answers a question about the time of
night, which suggests some type of known time keeping device although
none is mentioned. Writing material most often consisted of parchment,
stylus and waxed papyrus.
*****
Science:
Tolkemec has a type of electronic disintegrator in "Red Nails",
and there appears to be variations of synthetic food in "The
Slithering Shadow". Optics are advanced to the point of having
spy tubes in "Red Nails" and "Rogues in the House".
In "The Hour of the Dragon" Earth is mentioned as a
planet, denoting advanced cosmology.
