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

  • SanndyTheManndy@lemmy.world
    cake
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    4 months ago

    Spices, all knowledge I can carry as microfiche tapes, magnifying glass, a domesticated strain of penicillin, and seeds of modern crops.

    I will be able to talk to at least some of their merchants for, ahem, reasons. From then on I have at least some chance of survival.

    • DdCno1@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      5 months ago

      Speaking of Caesar, I think you vastly overestimate how useful a gun is against a bunch of determined guys with knives.

        • DdCno1@kbin.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          5 months ago

          Submachine guns eat ammo very quickly. You’ll maybe survive one fight or two, depending on your proficiency - and then you’re that barbarian with the death stick whose death stick isn’t working anymore, but has made a people who are famous for holding deep grudges for years and coming up with very creative punishments for their defeated foes extremely angry.

          Also, it’s not like Romans don’t have ranged weapons. They were experts at using the sling, which can kill you at the same distance as a firearm. They had bows and crossbows, throwing spears, etc. You are not prepared for any of this.

          • guyrocket@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            5 months ago

            You’re not really thinking this through. You started from the premise that this will fail and are only presenting thoughts that support that premise.

            The gun gets you whatever you want, including armor and whatever else. Kill one person, hopefully Caesar, and do it in front of as many people as possible. Then your demands start and must be met ASAP.

            There are plenty of possible paths to success just as there are to failure and neither is guaranteed.

            • bluGill@kbin.social
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              4 months ago

              Not that easy. Sure you could kill ceaser, but you can’t kill everyone who might take offense. you can be killed in you sleep. you can be killed by a mob as eventually someone gets through.

  • Alexstarfire@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    5 months ago

    1 gun and as much ammo as I can carry. I’m gonna need to get some people to work for me if I want to survive.

  • Psiczar@aussie.zone
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    4 months ago

    The recipe for making soap A general practitioner’s medical book A dummies guide to Latin A compass Water bottle with filter A taser Instructions on how to make a battery Instructions on how to make gun powder The rise and fall of the Roman Empire books

    • Semperverus@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      I would take a smartphone with all of wikipedia stored locally on it, and a USB solar panel or two.

      • CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        4 months ago

        IIRC there are these really durable laptops with solar pannels built into the lid that are made specifically to bring internet to people in third world countries. They’re naturally rather underpowered but you could still put a high capacity SSD in one and it’d be less likely to break than a smartphone.

  • le_saucisson_masquay@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    Without reading other answers, that certainly makes more sense than mine, I would take a cake. Like the best cake i ever ate in my life and eat it all immediately after being sent in Roman era. Because if I’m getting fucked at least let’s enjoy a last meal and nothing else i could take would matter. Guns, medicines,…? It would all run out anyway and it wouldn’t make me king of something.

    Edit: and also a bottle of good wine because Roman win tasted like vinegar.

    • xePBMg9@lemmynsfw.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      You and everyone you interact with will probably get very sick. Neither of you will be resistant to each others germs. Maybe you will set off another plague. Probably. I’m not an expert.

  • uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    4 months ago

    Analine purple will improve the colors of European flags (rather than sea-snail purple which is more expensive than gold.)