If you were sent back to the roman era and could only bring a backpack of goods. What would you bring?

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[–] 59 points 2 years ago (2 children)

A book with pictures detailing all the processes required to make paper, and the schematics for a printing press. I know better than to presume my knowledge of electricity will be of any use, I know better than to think that I understand math better than ancient mathematicians, and I know better than to try to convince them that tiny little creatures are what cause illness. What I can do is jump-start humanity's ascent to modern technology by improving literacy a few centuries early

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  • [–] 28 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Dont forget ink recipe. A new type of ink had to be invented for the printing press. Soot, turpentine, and walnut oil should do it.

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  • [–] 35 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    And you give away the press for free, but the ink will cost a fortune!

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I want two books: How to Invent Everything and How to Rebuild Everything in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm. I'm good from there.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    The reason I bring picture books is because I know that I'm gonna die within a week, and anyone more than a few hundred years old would never be able to read English after I'm gone. But if Ptolemy gets his hands on a printing press? Buddy we're exploring the galaxy by Y2K

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