By the way, although I think it technically possible for Archimedes to have built a “920s style death ray”, I should point out that I strongly suspect that he didn’t. Exagerration is a lot easier than engineering, and more likely to account for the stories. There are just too many ways the “death ray” can end up not working – lack of coordination among your shield-bearers (or lack of focus if you’re doing it a la Mythbusters) and rainy days being your biggest headaches.
Communism
concepts of Hygiene, contagion, and sterilization through boiling/heating/alcohol would have the greatest impact. But in order to be effective, it has to become widespread knowledge. Therefore, the printing press would be needed to spread the word. If one attributed these ideas to ancient greeks, the establishment would be much more receptive than if they thought it was “new-fangled.” Also, if you flooded europe with thousands of books all saying that fleas on rats carry the black death and that washing after wiping protects everyone from getting the runs, the knowledge becomes ubiquitous and therefore accepted much quicker.
I would have an entire page devoted to the concept that “A Lot” is two words.
Actually, both are very much in the best interests of local rulers, though you may have to tap-dance a bit on the education. Police forces, by definition, support the social order. Now, some powerful and corrupt people may object, but the ruler will be seeing increased tax income as cities grow and corruption decreases. Likewise, local merchants and artisans will appreciate the peace to go about their trade, which increases said trade.
IRT education: Educated farmers farm more effectively. Effective farmers produce more food, which allows them to support a larger artisan and merchant class (not to mention a larger military). Artisan and merchant classes increase trade, which increases wealth, which increases tax receipts. The Serfdom model wasn’t all the efficient, and places like England did very well without wide-spread serfdom for a long time. This doesn’t mean that you need to make everyone a college grad - For people staying on the farm, an eighth-grade equivalent education is plenty enough to give them all that they need to know for efficient farming, while at the same time allowing educators a chance to pick out the bright stars for future education. School would taught during the times when the farming labor is less. i.e. Not at harvest, lambing, or planting seasons - Winter, late fall, and very early spring. Does that schedule sound familiar?
One of the ongoing problems in medieval governance was a lack of monetary resource by the ruling king/duke/government. Anything that eases the money crunch will be in the interest of the Powers That Be.
I got it… I just didn’t have a good response.
Sure! Theater leads to crowds, crowds lead to many people using the ‘necessary,’ which leads to sewage problem. Bring on the sewer system to handle the problem!
Hm, I know a fair amount of useless trivia…I once designed a steam powered rotoflex pump using period materials and tech. About the only real stretch I did was using tanned bull arteries as the flex tubing…This was for an SCA arts and sciences contest to design useful stuff for the King. Parameters had to be using period tech and materials.
The steam whirligig from ancient greece turned the axel that drove the pump. Was designed to circulate a light liquid through a cylinder packed with herbs to distill the essential oils. I figured it beat the old way of taking the bottom container and dumping it back into the top of the herb packed cylinder=)
Also had notes on how to make it water powered for really large quantities though I decided that the wind powered one was sort of silly=) though the dog in ‘hamsterwheel’ tredmill was good=)
Glass blowing was known at the time. I guess that canning food is one of the things I’d introduce right away. Pressure canning wouldn’t be immediately possible with 10th century tch, AFAIK, but cold packing type canning would be.
Crap. No, it wouldn’t. No rubber to form gaskets on the jars.
Fire? The wheel? Sharp, pointy sticks?
Pretty sure they already had those JThunder 