Originally posted by Hewhoknowsall
Of course not! Here's a question:If you somehow took a cell phone into the past, which of the following would understand that it's technology and not magic?:
Stone Age
Classical
Medieval
Renaissance
Enlightenment
WW1/2I'd say the last 2, maybe last 3.
Ancient Greece and Medieval Iraq/Spain had very materialistic portions of society. Potentially more than today. How many Americans do you think would be able to distinguish the technology of 2000 years in the future from a miracle?
Aristotle, Averroes and others would certainly think to question any supernatural claim to a cell phone. Their religion might make them think it is something divine, I suppose.
The Enlightenment period, I think, would be the earliest at a stretch, but my money would be on the World War One period. Someone would see it being extremely useful for ending the Great War and would figure out how to apply it...
NEWSFLASH! Cellphone destroys Great Britain, Austro-Hungary celebrates!
You think Aristotle would see a cell phone and be like, "oh, clearly magic"
Or the Scientists of Medieval Baghdad?
Common people, of course, but that would be the same in any day. You aren't giving people of history enough credit to think they couldn't figure out it wasn't magic (not that they could necessarily figure out how it works exactly or understand its purpose).
@Rex
Here is an argument made in another forum (NOT by me) for Rome:
1. The M1A1 Abram tanks will find themselves blocked, yes, blocked by the roman limes. Caesar's ditches will slow the american advance to a hault.
2. Then , by deploying his hipaspides closer to the blocked tanks, Caesar can start taking them out one by one, using tar and greek-fire.
3. Further use of flaming arows against the 101 Airborne Division marines will prove itself of greater importance on a flat terrain, where the marines will find virtually no cover, ending up beeing pinned down by a halle of arrows.
4. To counter the enemy's mortar and heavy artilery, Caesar would sent his Heavy Cavarly upon them, slashing their crews in an instant.
5. Apache helicopters watching the area will find it dificult to take out their targets, due to the fact that the battle is already engaged by romans and the americans soldiers are virtually fighting close combat, in wich the legionaries will prevail, sooner or later.
6. With the machinegun bunkers of the American Army, Caesar can only sit back and enjoy the show as his balistae and catapults blast the entranchments apart.
7. The American Comander is taken prisoner by cavalrymen, running into HQ.
8. At precisely 3 P.M , an agreement is reached by all sides.
9. 3.30 P.M an all American surrender.
10. General Staff and GI's are taken as slaves.
Originally posted by inimalist
You think Aristotle would see a cell phone and be like, "oh, clearly magic"Or the Scientists of Medieval Baghdad?
Common people, of course, but that would be the same in any day. You aren't giving people of history enough credit to think they couldn't figure out it wasn't magic (not that they could necessarily figure out how it works exactly or understand its purpose).
I think I misunderstood the question, then. I took it as the 'understand and potentially use.' What is the word for that, taking technology more advanced than your own and developing your own by going backwards from the final product?
Originally posted by Captain REX
I think I misunderstood the question, then. I took it as the 'understand and potentially use.' What is the word for that, taking technology more advanced than your own and developing your own by going backwards from the final product?
No, I meant whether or not they would realize that it isn't magic.
Originally posted by HewhoknowsallYou mean if they just found it lying somewhere? Or if you explained it to them? And in how far would the cellphone even work? It's not like there's any signal or other device you could call back in their time. Then you have like what, 10 hours charge before it dies, and they can't speak the language of the writing on it. It's a very odd question, really.
Of course not! Here's a question:If you somehow took a cell phone into the past, which of the following would understand that it's technology and not magic?:
Stone Age
Classical
Medieval
Renaissance
Enlightenment
WW1/2I'd say the last 2, maybe last 3.
Either way it really depends on who found it.
That's it. Thanks Shak. I started to say 'Backwards technology!' but that just sounds like someone assembled something incorrectly or is still favoring an outdated piece of tech over currently available stuff. So yeah, I was thinking more of 'who could reverse engineer it,' which would be starting around the mid-1800's, with the Industrial Revolution.
Eh, I'm not buying it, Hewhoknowsall. The Americans can operate everything from a distance. The Romans cannot fight our jet fighters for anything, and I doubt the Americans would let the cavalry/footsoldiers get into close combat. Greek Fire worked great against wooden ships on the sea... dunno how well it would go with something metal unless used differently.
Originally posted by Hewhoknowsall
@RexHere is an argument made in another forum (NOT by me) for Rome:
1. The M1A1 Abram tanks will find themselves blocked, yes, blocked by the roman limes. Caesar's ditches will slow the american advance to a hault.
2. Then , by deploying his hipaspides closer to the blocked tanks, Caesar can start taking them out one by one, using tar and greek-fire.
3. Further use of flaming arows against the 101 Airborne Division marines will prove itself of greater importance on a flat terrain, where the marines will find virtually no cover, ending up beeing pinned down by a halle of arrows.
4. To counter the enemy's mortar and heavy artilery, Caesar would sent his Heavy Cavarly upon them, slashing their crews in an instant.
5. Apache helicopters watching the area will find it dificult to take out their targets, due to the fact that the battle is already engaged by romans and the americans soldiers are virtually fighting close combat, in wich the legionaries will prevail, sooner or later.
6. With the machinegun bunkers of the American Army, Caesar can only sit back and enjoy the show as his balistae and catapults blast the entranchments apart.
7. The American Comander is taken prisoner by cavalrymen, running into HQ.
8. At precisely 3 P.M , an agreement is reached by all sides.
9. 3.30 P.M an all American surrender.
10. General Staff and GI's are taken as slaves.
Whoever made this argument was a moron. I'm assuming thats supposed to say the tanks would be blocked by the roman lines. A tank could run over 1/2 of the roman empire without slowing. And they're made to withstand high temperature incendiary rounds. And all the arguments he made seem to be based on a belief that for some reason America wouldn't be firing at the Romans.
Originally posted by Hewhoknowsall
@RexHere is an argument made in another forum (NOT by me) for Rome:
1. The M1A1 Abram tanks will find themselves blocked, yes, blocked by the roman limes. Caesar's ditches will slow the american advance to a hault.
2. Then , by deploying his hipaspides closer to the blocked tanks, Caesar can start taking them out one by one, using tar and greek-fire.
3. Further use of flaming arows against the 101 Airborne Division marines will prove itself of greater importance on a flat terrain, where the marines will find virtually no cover, ending up beeing pinned down by a halle of arrows.
4. To counter the enemy's mortar and heavy artilery, Caesar would sent his Heavy Cavarly upon them, slashing their crews in an instant.
5. Apache helicopters watching the area will find it dificult to take out their targets, due to the fact that the battle is already engaged by romans and the americans soldiers are virtually fighting close combat, in wich the legionaries will prevail, sooner or later.
6. With the machinegun bunkers of the American Army, Caesar can only sit back and enjoy the show as his balistae and catapults blast the entranchments apart.
7. The American Comander is taken prisoner by cavalrymen, running into HQ.
8. At precisely 3 P.M , an agreement is reached by all sides.
9. 3.30 P.M an all American surrender.
10. General Staff and GI's are taken as slaves.
I do enjoy how the author of that loves to go on about Roman Siege equipment but doesn't once mention Howitzers, mobile rocket launchers or the artillery the US posses.
The Roman Army was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all time. But this is just a stupid comparison, and saying the US would dominate them isn't discrediting the Roman Army at all. Hell we still study them today at West Point I bet.