Mesopotamian printing press?

The Arcadians destroyed and absorbed Sumner, then the Babylonians did the same to the Arcadians. Finally, the Pursians conquered the Babylonians. 'Neo-Babylonian culture' at that time would have been a provence of the Pursian Empire. Also, I doubt that something as complex and metal-intensive as a printing press would survive the sacking of a city-state. Copper was used as a form of money at that time.

WEll, it's not like this works like in Civilization. Babylonian culture continued under Assyrian, Median, Persian and Hellenistic rule, and a printing press used by its elites would continue to be used unless it was too capital-intensive (which it really isn't - it wouldn't cost more to outfit than your usual latifundium or seagoing ship). Technology tends to be transmitted rather than lost in conquests, and I can't see how the Assyrians, Medes, Persians or Macedonians would find printing useless.
 
Sorry, I wasn't clear. There were many inventions in the anceint world that were lost and rediscovered, sometimes many centuries later, that didn't change history. Batteries found in the ruins of Babylon, or navigational computers found in a sunken remains of a Helinistic era ship, just to give a couple of examples. Most of these would be closely guarded secrets of either the priest or artistian class, and they would be the first to be killed during the sack of their city. Most conqurers' kill the elite. The only people I know of that didn't, were the Mongols. The elite of the cities would have been the probable nucleus of any uprisings, so they had to go. While art and popular culture would be retained, anything assosciated with those elites, or not understood, would most likely be lost. Especially when it's made out of something as valuable as copper.
 
Sorry, I wasn't clear. There were many inventions in the anceint world that were lost and rediscovered, sometimes many centuries later, that didn't change history. Batteries found in the ruins of Babylon, or navigational computers found in a sunken remains of a Helinistic era ship, just to give a couple of examples. Most of these would be closely guarded secrets of either the priest or artistian class, and they would be the first to be killed during the sack of their city. Most conqurers' kill the elite. The only people I know of that didn't, were the Mongols. The elite of the cities would have been the probable nucleus of any uprisings, so they had to go. While art and popular culture would be retained, anything assosciated with those elites, or not understood, would most likely be lost. Especially when it's made out of something as valuable as copper.

I'm sorry, but that's pretty much all wrong. MOst inventions of the ancient world survived and throve, and very few ever were the secret of some closed-shop club. In all probability, that was more common in literature than reality. Conquerors in the ancient world commonly enslaved the elite of cities they took, and slaves with valuable skills would not be killed (if we can trust our sources, there were, e.g., express orders not to harm Archimedes). Many preferred to take a peaceful submission and run the conquered as their subject or client state. Something as obviously useful and simple as printing would not be kept secret - in fact, it could not be, given its real usefulness lay in mass market impact.

The Antikythera mechanism, BTW, has direct successors in the astronomical models of the Byzantines, Arabs, and Renaissance Europeans. It probably was never intended for practical application.
 
I'm sorry, but that's pretty much all wrong. MOst inventions of the ancient world survived and throve, and very few ever were the secret of some closed-shop club. In all probability, that was more common in literature than reality. Conquerors in the ancient world commonly enslaved the elite of cities they took, and slaves with valuable skills would not be killed (if we can trust our sources, there were, e.g., express orders not to harm Archimedes). Many preferred to take a peaceful submission and run the conquered as their subject or client state. Something as obviously useful and simple as printing would not be kept secret - in fact, it could not be, given its real usefulness lay in mass market impact.

The Antikythera mechanism, BTW, has direct successors in the astronomical models of the Byzantines, Arabs, and Renaissance Europeans. It probably was never intended for practical application.

I bow to your obvious superior knowledge of the anceint world. Your direct observations of that time period are indispensible to the rest of us. :rolleyes: Yes, common use technology that was recognized was preserved and transmitted, but there were many examples of technology, art, and science that did not survive; that was my point. As for the printing press being useful and simple, I reserve my opinion on that. Besides, who's to say that all conquerers would be as sophisticated as their victims? Besides, what is obvious to one group of people isn't always obvious to another.
 
Condescending? Are you sure you're not being a bit oversensitive here?

A critisism of one's logic or finding fault in their facts is acceptable, but simply attacking someone for disagreeing with you isn't. If I responded in kind, then I appologize, but we should get back to the point of the thread and not snipe at each other.

If you really belive that a mesopotamian printing press could affect history, then here's one way: Sumarian culture spreads far and wide, throughout the the area that in OTL is called the Middle East. The Persian Empire never forms, the Eyptian Empire becomes far mor liberal politically and religion losses influance in the Kindom. The 'Big Three' religions from there develop totally differently, with so many people reading about devergent cultures and ideas, tolorance as an ideal becomes popular thousands of years before it does in OTL. Religious wars are shorter, less bloody, and less distructive.

Ok, I played nice. Can we now get back to the thread?
 
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