Heron's Steam Engine!

It is the hubris of most men, who look upon to the centuries of long ago, to feel that we are the most intelligent, advanced and civilized of any that has ever been. Yet, I wonder if that is actually true? Then the idea came to me one day while I was watching a bit of cable television, actually it was the history channel and they were talking about ancient technologies that mimic that of today’s world. After a bit it occurred to me that we as men and women of the 21^st century, are probably not the best there ever was. In fact, we are probably not even in the top five if we are to be honest about the way things are today.

First, if we are to look at military technology, many of us think we were the first to think of many of the modern weapons that we use in war today. That is far from the truth; take for example the flamethrower. A fearsome weapon that was first seen during the 2^nd World War and was feared by all those who faced it, but was it first seen at that time? Actually no, Greek fire has been known about and used at least two thousand years before the advent of the modern flamethrower. For those who are unfamiliar with Greek fire, it was a weapon that used a sticky and highly flammable fluid under pressure that shot a flame as far as 50 feet into the air. This weapon was so feared that many fleets simply would not engage the enemy if they though the enemy had the “fire”. Then there was the case of hand grenades. This is again a weapon that we all associate with the 2^nd World War, but were actually used by many nations including the Chinese. The same could be said for the advent of rockets, cannons, armored cars, etc.

Yet, if we searched we could find a number of examples where our forefathers used and developed technology that we associate with modern society. The clock is an example, where ancient Chinese and Greek, used water or the sun to tell time, we use quartz. Yet, the result was the same. There is the ample evidence of robots being used as part of religious ceremonies to awe the masses. In fact, one researcher suggested that one good way to improve your membership as well as the collection plate in ancient times was through the use of technology. Since, there is no evidence of television, the good old fashion church gathering was considered an excellent method of entertainment for the masses. So the churches of the time did their best to have the latest and greatest of entertainments in order to inspire the awe of their members. Robots and mechanical technology played a significant part in this. Something we only associate with modern society.

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Redgage picture of the day-----fountain grass

Enjoy!