There is another issue buried in this discussion.
When we look at historical development of anything technological, we tend to see the building steps - first this, then later this, and later still another thing. It's very much like the computer game "Civilization" where you have to achieve certain prerequisites before advancing to the next stage. And of course arms races feed into this - as your enemies develop new techniques, you have to counter-develop new ways to protect yourself from them, and so on. You can think of this as the 'milestones' of childhood development writ large in history, if you like. It's hard to build a spaceship if you've never built an airplane or a missile. A people typically did build better and better castles and better and better armor and better and better weapons...though of course there is also stagnation and backsliding in various instances as well.
But there's another way of viewing history. And that is that almost all human knowledge is irretrievably lost in each generation, and it's a fight to preserve all knowledge/information/skill/technological advances from one generation to the next. Atlantis, the mythical ancient civilization that was so much further advanced than what came after but was then completely lost sums up this view quite well. Looking at the destruction of the library at Alexandria or the loss of almost all Roman technology throughout the Middle Ages or the loss of certain techniques as civilizations have come and gone....this is a valid and fair view as well. Humans do struggle to pass things on from generation to generation, and much is inevitably lost, particularly when the means to teach the younger generation are disrupted by the destruction of civilization.
The problem is that while both views are based on reality and have truth in how history has played out, they have some obvious tension and can't simultaneously be true in every situation.
So, in Tolkien's view, most wisdom and knowledge existed at the beginning of time (with the Valar), and was then gradually lost throughout history. The elves in Valinor learned a lot and brought it to Middle-earth with them, and they taught Men, and then the Men became Numenoreans and actually expanded on that a bit, but then Numenor was destroyed, so a big step back again....
The fact of the matter is that at most times in Middle-earth, people are looking back to a greatness that has been lost to time. So, in that world view, it's hard to see the success of innovation and progress playing out. Doesn't mean we can't follow historical patterns of weapon and armor development. We of course can. It's just...fairly clear that Tolkien didn't do that.
When we look at historical development of anything technological, we tend to see the building steps - first this, then later this, and later still another thing. It's very much like the computer game "Civilization" where you have to achieve certain prerequisites before advancing to the next stage. And of course arms races feed into this - as your enemies develop new techniques, you have to counter-develop new ways to protect yourself from them, and so on. You can think of this as the 'milestones' of childhood development writ large in history, if you like. It's hard to build a spaceship if you've never built an airplane or a missile. A people typically did build better and better castles and better and better armor and better and better weapons...though of course there is also stagnation and backsliding in various instances as well.
But there's another way of viewing history. And that is that almost all human knowledge is irretrievably lost in each generation, and it's a fight to preserve all knowledge/information/skill/technological advances from one generation to the next. Atlantis, the mythical ancient civilization that was so much further advanced than what came after but was then completely lost sums up this view quite well. Looking at the destruction of the library at Alexandria or the loss of almost all Roman technology throughout the Middle Ages or the loss of certain techniques as civilizations have come and gone....this is a valid and fair view as well. Humans do struggle to pass things on from generation to generation, and much is inevitably lost, particularly when the means to teach the younger generation are disrupted by the destruction of civilization.
The problem is that while both views are based on reality and have truth in how history has played out, they have some obvious tension and can't simultaneously be true in every situation.
So, in Tolkien's view, most wisdom and knowledge existed at the beginning of time (with the Valar), and was then gradually lost throughout history. The elves in Valinor learned a lot and brought it to Middle-earth with them, and they taught Men, and then the Men became Numenoreans and actually expanded on that a bit, but then Numenor was destroyed, so a big step back again....
The fact of the matter is that at most times in Middle-earth, people are looking back to a greatness that has been lost to time. So, in that world view, it's hard to see the success of innovation and progress playing out. Doesn't mean we can't follow historical patterns of weapon and armor development. We of course can. It's just...fairly clear that Tolkien didn't do that.