You wake up one day to find you are not in Kansas anymore

[Glass]

You have somehow ended up around 6000 years back in time somewhere in the middle east or north africa. So lets say at the height of the Egyption period in or around the cradle of civilisation.

What knowledge or skills from the 21st century do you have and would share with what ever civilization you find there?

This is a question I like to toy with from time to time. What do I know that could a) improve my lot now that I find myself in a place without everything we have today. b) What things would I share with the people of that period to improve their lot. c) would I use those things to garner great power and prestige d) would I share things that would be good for my fellow man e) would I withhold things that I know that would not be good for my fellow man

Do I know enough about any technology fron our modern history, steam engine and onwards, so that I could introduce that technology in a working form?

I know bits about stuff, but do I know enough about all of something to be able to construct it and make it work?

What things do you think would be worthwhile to introduce? Would you do it for humankinds betterment? Would you do it for your own betterment and not so much your fellow mans? Would you do it to gain great kudos and fame? Would you be guided by mistakes we have obviously made with some of our technology.

Some technology obviously relys on other technology to be possible. Good metalurgy is required to manufacture many things. How many people would know enough about metalurgy to make something possible like a boiler for a steam engine?

It possibly has some bearing on a post SHTF scenario but for the most part I think it is an intereting mental exercise. Remembering that they found batteries from ancient babylonia/baghdad. An ice cube machine in the wild west of the 1800's (ok thats a movie).

Think of bringing 18th century manufacturing to ancient egypt or even weaponry for instance.

What things would you introduce? It could even be ideas or philosphies.

[MNeagle]

I remember an old show (Twilight Zone maybe?), someone was being accused of being a witch because they knew how to light matches. But to prove he wasn't a witch, he was demanded to 'light it again' (the original spent match).

[Twisted Titan]

You would be surprised at how advanced to civilazations really were.....they would probally exceed what we have today

[Gaillo]

I would preach the value of non-coercion, property rights, and the outright evil of tyrannical government and war.
That's the only "technology" that I can see that human civilizations have failed to master!

[Hillbilly]

I would impress upon them the evils of usury and fiat currency. If a society could avoid that pitfall it might have a chance at attaining true Peace and Harmony.

[palani]

The thermos bottle. It keeps hot things hot and cold things cold. A most magical device. How does it know?

Ever watch "The Gods Must be Crazy"? Introducing a single Coke bottle to a Bushman society almost ends up dooming them to a constant state of war.

[Buddha]

I think that they had a pretty high tech level back then, definitely had something/things that we miss now.

As far as tech? How about a non-separable Red Sea?

[madfranks]

In an era where rubbing dung on your wounds and not washing your hands was the medical knowledge of the day, I'd say a basic knowledge of modern hygiene and sanitation would be very valuable.

[Gaillo]

In an era where rubbing dung on your wounds and not washing your hands was the medical knowledge of the day, I'd say a basic knowledge of modern hygiene and sanitation would be very valuable.

Indeed.
I've read articles that attribute our sudden increase in longevity during the 20th century NOT to advances in medical technology, but rather to improved sanitation and awareness of germ spread vectors (hands, sneezing, etc.)

[chad]

pac-man. or space invaders. mr. doo if i got really crazy.

[Buddha]

I would bestow upon them (some) the high ideals of point-shaving. They/I would make a killing on the chariot races and the javalin throw. Take that Anunnaki They/I would be rich beyond imagination and rule for All of Time, then after my immense wealth I would create eunichs from birth, loyal, to collect the dragon balls and wish myself immortal. I would wall off the Saharan so that sub-Saharan peeps could do their own thing, and leave me the hell alone, (edit to add, that would be an EPIC troll, to wall off the north sahara so that when some of them Sundanese types would finally cross the desert south to north to reach Egypt they would come upon a giant Byzantine type wall, and thirst to death at the wall LOL deucebags) I would then
/
Ok, never mind....

And yes, I said "deucebag" on purpose ;)

[Glass]

interesting replies. Not what I had expected in many cases. Lots of philosphy.

I was thinking along the lines of the steam engine or black powder. Maybe pizza!

There is defiantely a chance of being accused of being a witch or wizard by being able to come up with some modern tech.

What about the whole world is not flat thing?

Being that it is in the middle east, how about refining gasolene. Making an internal combustion engine could be a challenge but maybe a single cylinder is doable.

[Gaillo]

interesting replies. Not what I had expected in many cases. Lots of philosphy.

I was thinking along the lines of the steam engine or black powder. Maybe pizza!

There is defiantely a chance of being accused of being a witch or wizard by being able to come up with some modern tech.

What about the whole world is not flat thing?

Being that it is in the middle east, how about refining gasolene. Making an internal combustion engine could be a challenge but maybe a single cylinder is doable.

I hear you... but when you get right down to it, all of the REALLY interesting problems of human existence just don't have much to do with science and technology. Just the way it is.

[Skirnir_]

What knowledge or skills from the 21st century do you have and would share with what ever civilization you find there?

The criteria: that which can be replicated using their primitive state of technology, assuming a perfect translation.

In 4000BCE, the Neolithic Revolution had just completed, and the secondary products to be made from animals were being developed. The Copper Age was dawning. Therefore, whatever could be replicated is very limited. Even an ancient compass requires a lodestone, and those can only be discovered with other metals. Therefore, the best I could do would be early woodworking techniques, early metallurgical techniques, including the identification of various metals, a crude map of the world, and finally, that demons inhabit the area where Africa meets Asia.