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Do you think we(human race) have lost significant knowledge/technology at one point or another?

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I think we have lost technology or have been stifled in some areas. The dark ages basically held us back for hundreds of years due to the plague and famine, and war.
 
Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
I think we have lost technology or have been stifled in some areas. The dark ages basically held us back for hundreds of years due to the plague and famine, and war.
Click to expand...

 
Originally posted by: toolboxolio
Library of Alexandria fiasco set us back a millennium or so.

There are scattered records for a steam engine design from there. Can only imagine what else was in that monstrous place.

Thank ceaser... the fvcking horny idiot.
Click to expand...

Yup.

Steam engine, Greek fire (napalm or some other incendiary), there are even mentions of flying contraptions in India and Arabia...

A lot of technology was lost in that amount of time. Much of it we have rediscovered in the last couple millenia, but a lot of masonry that was done back in the day still astounds many people.
 
Originally posted by: toolboxolio
Library of Alexandria fiasco set us back a millennium or so.

There are scattered records for a steam engine design from there. Can only imagine what else was in that monstrous place.

Thank ceaser... the fvcking horny idiot.
Click to expand...

Why? The library was used many years after. The theory that Caesar destroyed the library is BS.
 
Few things that I thought of after reading the title:

Burning of the Alexandria Library
Fall of the Roman Empire and ensuing Dark Ages (darn Visgoths and other Barbarians)
Loss/Misplacement of DaVinci's documents

Additionally:
What happened to the designs for the Seven wonders of the anchient world (or the technology)
What about all the uheard of history from India/China while Europe was in the Dark Ages? I would find it hard to believe that gunpower/fireworks are their only invention.
 
The fall of the Roman Empire has to be the biggest loss of technology. The reservoirs, aqueducts, roads, and indoor plumbing were incredible feats of engineering for any time. The fact that these structures were plundered for their stone so people could build their hovels during the dark ages is a travesty.
 
Theres a few items on this page that are in line with this topic...the fact that the Egyptians had a battery is what caught me off guard..that and how similar the story from India does sound to Hiroshima
http://members.tripod.com/TheUnexplainedNet/Page7.htm


Quoted from another Site
"Scientists in India have been investigating the ancient Rig Veda texts, once thought to be entirely mythological, now believed to be coded knowledge of quantum physics[2]. These texts describe airplanes (vimanas), nuclear blasts, missiles, and other advanced forms of technology. Sometimes the technology is depicted in animal form or as divinity, as might be expected, for the remnants of science that survived thousands of years after its peak.

Was there an advanced society with advanced science? Many believe there was, and perhaps not so very long ago. We need to take a closer look at what the ancients might have known. It would seem that some of that ancient technology remained known for thousands of years. The Sumerians record 10 planets, which correspond to all the presently known planets out to Pluto and one more beyond. In November 14, 2003, a ?10th planet? (presently called a Kuiper Belt object and named Sedna) has been discovered[3]. It took an incredibly high-powered telescope to find it, as it is even smaller than Pluto. How would the Sumerians know about this? Our modern technology reveals far more than 10 ?planets? in our solar system, but Uranus and Neptune were ?discovered? within the past two hundred years."
 
I think we were steering away from the Atlantis thing because, it can instantly change a thread to fiction.
It could have and probably did exist at one time, but we have things that are currently in existence still that are being researched, so atlantis for now is just a a much better version of Stargate Sg-1 =)
 
It's sad, really, that within the last hundred years or so much knowledge and intel. would have rather been destoyed than seized. years of research, destroyed by those that funded it all.
 
Originally posted by: DaShen
Originally posted by: toolboxolio
Library of Alexandria fiasco set us back a millennium or so.

There are scattered records for a steam engine design from there. Can only imagine what else was in that monstrous place.

Thank ceaser... the fvcking horny idiot.
Click to expand...

Yup.

Steam engine, Greek fire (napalm or some other incendiary), there are even mentions of flying contraptions in India and Arabia...

A lot of technology was lost in that amount of time. Much of it we have rediscovered in the last couple millenia, but a lot of masonry that was done back in the day still astounds many people.
Click to expand...

i saaw some show on the History channel where they found models of things that looked like planes. there was one model of a "bird" that when they made a larger version of it, it was extremely aerodynamic and able to fly.

link to bird model

when they tested it the 1st time (in a simulator), it didn't fly very well, but they noticed that on the tail end, it looked like something was missing or broken off, like there were "rudders" (i think that's what they are called). once they added the rudders to the larger version, it flew pretty well (in the sim).
 
Originally posted by: Rock Hydra
It's sad, really, that within the last hundred years or so much knowledge and intel. would have rather been destoyed than seized. years of research, destroyed by those that funded it all.
Click to expand...

At least some of it is making it through, unlike the Dark Ages where it recessed.

At this point from all the Tech lost just in the past 2k years we will be on track for where we should be in say....900 years.

Oh and pontifex I linked about that airplane and a couple others 2 posts up, theres a lot of cool stuff on that site, check it out =)
 
The dark ages alone set back technology about 500 years. We'd all be in flying cars right now if not for that :|

Stupid dark ages.
 
this is true, you know what, though? it'll all come 'round again. someone will say "how can I do x better than this" and honestly, I think unless most of the world falls to a debilitating disease or another world war (which in both cases is ultimately inevitable, but probably wont take place anytime soon), we're in good shape as far as technilogical progresion.
 
I think it's more accurate to argue that we have been held back in developing technology, or have had to re-invent, re-discover certain technologies because of the events mentioned (Alexandria, Plague, saccing of Rome, Crusades, etc...)

I think that if we rationalize some of these histories, some of this ancient technology probably mounts to myth. Here, I'm thinking about "Greek Fire." I've heard theories that the secret to creating Greek Fire was lost in Alexadria (OH, the Irony!), but modern science has never been able to reproduce it's supposed effects. Again, our evidence of this existing primarily amounts to accounts from sailers being terrorized by a superior Greek Navy. You have to assume that their accounts of massive pwning are as accurate as they remember them. If they see fire everywhere, your ship as it's being burned...then why not imagine that it's burning on the sea, as well? You would think that our vast knowledge in materials science and chemistry would be able to create something so apparently simple. Hell, we split the atom! Which begs the question "who gives a fvck about Greek Fire when we can just nuke 'em?

Currently, I think of how (due to politics, corporate interest, fundies, whatever) certain advances have been delayed to near-criminal levels. Alternative energy, embryonic stem cell research, etc. This doesn't bother me as much as it probably should, though...as I remain quite confident that the progress of technology can't be held back forever. It's a shame that asshats in power have to dictate funding due to their own personal interests, despite the potential advantages for all of humanity, but reason will always prevail, I think....despite the setbacks.
 
Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
I think we have lost technology or have been stifled in some areas. The dark ages basically held us back for hundreds of years due to the plague and famine, and war.
Click to expand...

war breeds technology like nothing else. the dark ages were the dark ages because of the fall of the roman empire (due in large part to its own stupidity) and not because of wars that happened during the dark ages.

and the plague played a large role in the formation of the modern state.

not to mention the plague hit centuries after the dark ages ended.

oh, and there was good farming when the medieval warm period happened, which included 200 years of the dark ages.

also, it's only called the dark ages because much of western europe has little written history in the record. the eastern empire was in a golden age at the time.
 
Originally posted by: zinfamous
I think it's more accurate to argue that we have been held back in developing technology, or have had to re-invent, re-discover certain technologies because of the events mentioned (Alexandria, Plague, saccing of Rome, Crusades, etc...)

I think that if we rationalize some of these histories, some of this ancient technology probably mounts to myth. Here, I'm thinking about "Greek Fire." I've heard theories that the secret to creating Greek Fire was lost in Alexadria (OH, the Irony!), but modern science has never been able to reproduce it's supposed effects. Again, our evidence of this existing primarily amounts to accounts from sailers being terrorized by a superior Greek Navy. You have to assume that their accounts of massive pwning are as accurate as they remember them. If they see fire everywhere, your ship as it's being burned...then why not imagine that it's burning on the sea, as well? You would think that our vast knowledge in materials science and chemistry would be able to create something so apparently simple. Hell, we split the atom! Which begs the question "who gives a fvck about Greek Fire when we can just nuke 'em?

Currently, I think of how (due to politics, corporate interest, fundies, whatever) certain advances have been delayed to near-criminal levels. Alternative energy, embryonic stem cell research, etc. This doesn't bother me as much as it probably should, though...as I remain quite confident that the progress of technology can't be held back forever. It's a shame that asshats in power have to dictate funding due to their own personal interests, despite the potential advantages for all of humanity, but reason will always prevail, I think....despite the setbacks.
Click to expand...

I always thought Greek fire sounded a lot like napalm.
 
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