Let's say you have the chance to travel back in time to the Roman Republic...

Let's say you have the chance to travel back in time to the Roman Republic, but before the trip you'll have 4 years to learn about stuff that could be useful so you can change the course of history.

What would you do? Would you try and bring some semblance of modern medicine? Coal mining and steam engines? Oceanworthy ships? Would you study history and military tactics so you could be a great conqueror and politician? Go wild.

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Study up on automatic weapons and teach using and creating them to the romans

Those slants will go round eye when they see Titus Pullo drag them out of their shit huts by their hairless, yellow balls

I would perfectly emulate Julius Caesar's actions to have his glory. But with firearms, an airforce and iron warships.

The smart thing is to learn about soil revitalization, how to reverse or prevent desertification, and teaching them about modern crop rotation. And then about steam engines, and the printing press, along with vaccines and simple modern medicine. With a solid economic base behind it, with no reason to become less useful as time goes on with effective management, the Empire may remain for centuries longer, perhaps even until modern times.

In terms of military innovations, the Radio is perhaps among the most useful, long distance communication would have made the maintenance of a centralized republic much easier. The combustion engine may be needed, but I'd prefer just to teach them about all the horse related equipment they didn't yet have, along with the compound bow and the importance of horse archers.

I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I introduced automatic weaponry, guns generally, or environmentally damaging technology beyond what is absolutely necessary. Renewable energy would be far superior. If the Romans, using these innovations, could establish a dominant hyperpower, the world could become more peaceful, and hopefully the automatic weapon would never be invented. If I could have it my way, the brutality of the modern age would never have to come about, not the senseless deaths of millions in world wars, nor to totalitarianism of the 20th century.

Nothing could be better than a utopian society built on Roman virtue.

>Roman """""""""virtue""""""""""""

>became so decadent they fucking collapsed

Maybe really early on they were good, but that is because they still had people like Seneca, Cicero, and Marcus Aurelius kicking around. After the few decent Romans who gave a fuck about wisdom died it was all down hill.

Gunpowder alone would be enough.

Apart from that, the steam engine.

Those two would be more than enough to jumpstart the industrial revolution and have statues of Mars on Mars by 900 AD.

Considering we are talking about traveling to the time when some of those figures were alive and the rest yet to be born, and providing them with the media to spread their views much more easily, I just have to hope the prosperity, mixed with the constant industry provided by the chance to expand into Germania and beyond will maintain the good sides of Rome and prevent the growth of the bad. Plus, long range communication may allow the Republic to persist long enough for a wider franchise to occur, allowing the struggle for election in the republic to continue to drive virtue.

Introduce them to modern steelmaking methods, the basic concept of periodic elements, nitrogen fertilizer, and then electricity generation for the fellow anons and their electric stuff.

I'd carve "Kilroy was 'ere" in the wet concrete of the foundations of the Colosseum.

They did have the steam engine technology. They just only used it for toys.

I would introduce this concept:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaphore_line

That would instantly make their expansion more viable.

Nice.

Id study real basic shit not too advanced that they are running about with rocketlaunchers and macdonalds on every plaza, but enough to impress them with my knowledge of future technology.

Id then go back, tell them i am from the future and have a lot of knoledge, in exchange for many virgins, a palace, protection, and whatever i request, i will reveal something new to them each year until i die, if i was to run out id make shit up and pretend its real useful in the future, id also offer help on battles and tip them off if it went bad or not.
This could go to shit and they torture me for all my information, or i could live happily for the rest of my life in exchange for simple ideas and die knowing i never fucked the future too hard.

Network theory

See this thread very often here, so let's chance a bit. You have 4 years to learn about stuff that could be useful in a shitty country. That's my situation right now.

Live in a shitty country and I'm trying to help my city without success. I have knowledge in business, biochemistry and engineering. Trying to do volunteering work but people probably assume it is some scheme to murder or steal from them.
Also thought about approaching some uni/school and helping them create some organization for volunteer work to help the students get practical knowledge while helping people who cannot afford consulting.
>teacher says it is too much work and they dont have time
>students dont have interest in "working" for free
>possible clients just dont understand the concept at all

See

Another one
General systems theory
Another one
Ecology
Specifically socio-ecological systems and agroecology
Another one
Evolutionary game theory

I'm having your same problems but am trying to entire earth. This stuff seems like a good foundation

Will I end up as an ecologist L Ron Hubbard, the savior of humanity, or die an unaccomplished potato?
Tune in next time

if you unironically think L Ron Hubbard contributed to humanity I wouldn't put much stock in you doing the same. Also I am pretty sure technology like improved shipbuilding allowing increased volumes of trade and metallurgy would be more important for a fledgling industrial revolution.

I have basic knowldge in these fields but the greatest problem is passing the knowledge to other people AND making sure they use it.

...

>hopefully the automatic weapon would never be invented.

You're an idiot.

Sovereignty is based on relative lethality. The sovereign is the one who can unleash lethality more than their opponent.

Without lethality, you are powerless before the predators of the world.

So a regime of peace would need "automatic weapons"

You think Gauls would be more afraid of the trappings of civilization or of the lethality that civlization can dole out?

If you don't understand humans as social animals who are willing to sacrifice body and mind for social prestige, sex, power, and resources...

Well you don't understand humans at all.

I would just print out Wikipedia and build a library to house it in Rome

>travel back in time with piss-poor knowledge of latin
>no roman citizenship
>no skills
>literally one step above a slave
There's only so much you would be able to to, but introducing the printing press would probably be pretty easy.

Just find a book salesmen or any open minded businessman and harass them with the idea until they try it out.

The only thing I would bring with me is the knowledge and texts of what destroyed Rome, so that it may be avoided.

Medicine and agriculture would be pretty useful. For other things you need a lot of materials science technology before you can make and headway into actual items.

If you're travelling back to the Roman Republic era, you're centuries too early for any of that to matter.

I suppose that's true. But it's worth a shot.

I'll probably find a way to fuck them up