so you find yourself in 272 bc....

[Aemilius Paulus]

Making things like that without the support base of technology we have today would be almost impossible for one person to do..

Umm, you would think I knew how to make all those things if I mentioned them... I did not mention what I could not do, and when I did (nickel and titanium), I informed the readers that it was unlikely.

All that would be nearly impossible to do, sure you could probably make greek fire and black powder relatively easily but nitroglycerine?

First of all, not probably, but certainly. Back in Russia I produced black powder and then made bombs from it to test it. I used nitrates, ground anthracite and lignite (to test the difference) coal (I had no charcoal unfortunately, but it is easy to make), as well a sulphur of course. 6:2:2 was the precise formula, with nitrates being the "6".

Oh, and I used grainy gunpowder which was invented in the late 17th century, which increases the power of the black powder by at least tens and even hundreds of times. Not only this, but the grainy gunpowder is highly resistant to moisture and is much easier to load, as it is no longer a powder but more like large-grained sand. To produce it, you need to wet regular powder, make balls from it, dry them, and then break them apart. That is pretty much all.

I even made a cannon from an old, thick pipe, and then soldered the end, and to make sure it held, I made some concrete and built a base for the cannon, as well as pouring some concrete on the breech end of the cannon, as I obviously did not trust the solder to hold it. Then I fired the cannon of course, by a remote firing using a kerosene-soaked cord. It was unforgettable

As for nitroglycerine, I read the Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, where he meticulously described how to make nitroglycerine just from the things you can find lying around anywhere in nature. Not hard.

there won't be tubs of nitric acid, sulphuric acid and glycerol just lying around you'd need to know how to make those,

Easy. Acids are not difficult to make, and I have read how to produce them. Seriously, how do you think they made they made sulphuric acid in the 8th century? I will use coal to obtain the sulphuric acid (not awfully efficient, but pretty simple), and then use the sulphuric acid on copper nitrate to produce nitric acid.
and how to make/extract the reactants to make them.

Extracting nickle? very difficult. Ditto the titainium, extremely hard to do.

First of all, it is not "nickle", but nickel!!! The former one is unobtainable as it does not exist. But yeah, those two I said that I "may" do if I could. It all depends on how hot of a furnace I can make. They are not essential. I will teach Romans how to make steel, and if I can get them to produce stainless steel, well, that is a bonus. And titanium was rather wistful thinking. At best, I can extract it in an exceedingly impure form. Which is why I did not guarantee the success of that operation.

a. You need acid for nitroglycerine (why would you want it anyway?)

I already know hot to make it. The reason I am going to make it is because nitroglycerine is the most powerful explosive I know how to produce. I will use it to mine and detonate enemy walls in a way my simple gunpowder cannot. It will also be of great aid in civilian technologies.

b. There's no industrial base so mass-producing anything will take decades.

Unlike Americans, I am a patient person, and do not want everything "fast" and "easy". Not to mention, there is no dire need for industrial production of nitroglycerine. Black powder will do, as it is simple as hell to make, and as I ahve said, nitroglycerine will only be used in rare sieges.

c. Sulfuric acid as a wall defence weapon? With Greek Fire and gunpowder available? That's kind of, uh...

You need much less of it than Greek fire to disable targets. Hence its usefulness in missile weapons.

d. How are you going to use, or even obtain, oil? Conquer the Arabian Peninsula, and then you have to actually build all the engines that use oil, which I don't think you can do.

I will conquer the Mesopotamia where the oil has been extracted through wells for millennia. Romania, or Dakia, also has very substantial oil deposits (Ploesti fields). I never said I will build cars or other machines that use oil. I cannot do that, build those engines, nor refine oil. I will simply substitute oil for where wood is used.

e. Maybe you can vaccinate against smallpox, but the plague? We don't even have a vaccine for that now.

Of course not, who do you think I am? An idiot? I read enough NG to know what bubonic plague is. In any case, the Ha! is on you. If you read even a paragraph on the Antonine Plague, you would know that according to descriptions of Galen, the most renowned doctor of that time, it was either smallpox or measles. EPIC FAIL. That plague was not bubonic at all. Just because it is called a "plague" does not make it bubonic. A plague is any highly infectious disease that kills enormous amounts of people in the old times (no one officially called the flu of 19187 a plague). Smallpox is not very difficult to vaccinate against, especially given that Jenner made one in 18th century with relatively little scientific strain.

In short, your dream could be accomplished by the time of your grandchildren, but probably long after you are dead (unless you are the Yankee in King Arthur's court on steroids).

Heh, good book it was. Especially the Gatling-gun the knights. In any case, I would choose Romans or Classical Greeks above any culture in the history of mankind to institute those changes, as IMHO, they woudl be the most receptive. And since Classical Greeks were such a tiny, and geographically isolated civilisation, with little resources, the Romans are certainly the better choice. It will be difficult, but the most crucial military changes will catch on pretty quickly, as their benefits are the most clear and present ones. I will start the change, and by the time I am dead, the machine will be already in motion.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

It surely would not take decades to train an army in using firearms. Using firearms is a lot more easier than using a bow, or let alone a sling. Melee-fighting also requires lots of skill (and balls, of course), much more than simply using firearms. Firearms did revolutionize the military because of the effectiveness, that means, once you could aim at your target and actually hit it, they replaced all other ranged weapons because they were so easy to produce and to be used.

So the main problem in AP's idea is the construction and mass production of those firearms, which I really doubt would be doable within any reasonable limits (AP's lifespan). Training would be simple, first you personally train ten officers, then each trains another ten, and so on.

I think what I really would do is simply re-building my EB-empire in history. Then I would have my slaves build the biggest palace ever made by man for me. I would be the only male in this complex, save for the guards. In the basement would be a giant swimming pool inhabited by thousand of crocodiles which I would use for ritual executions on a weekly basis.

I would promote my prostitutes and sometimes my cats into the Senate, and everytime I visit the Senate, I would humiliate the upper class by asking my cats if they agree with any proposals by the Senatores, and when these meow, say "Oh, no, pussy says she has a better proposal on that matter." Anybody who thinks he's too good to listen to pussy goes to the crocodiles.

[Azathoth]

Why don't you go pitch the concept to Turtledove?

So the main problem in AP's idea is the construction and mass production of those firearms, which I really doubt would be doable within any reasonable limits (AP's lifespan). Training would be simple, first you personally train ten officers, then each trains another ten, and so on.

I think what I really would do is simply re-building my EB-empire in history. Then I would have my slaves build the biggest palace ever made by man for me. I would be the only male in this complex, save for the guards. In the basement would be a giant swimming pool inhabited by thousand of crocodiles which I would use for ritual executions on a weekly basis.

AP knows how to use guns?

And you're starting to sound like an ancient Bond villain, CN.

[A Very Super Market]

He wouldn't be too out of place in the East....

[Aemilius Paulus]

Oh, and also, hot-air balloons (I know the basics, I know where to get natural gas, and knowing the basics, with trial-and-error, I could produce an invaluable scout - the French used the balloons in Franco-Prussian war especially, to report enemy movement; The Prussians invented a special AA cannon to combat the balloon, as guns and bows did not have the range)

Then I would make a compass and discover Americas. There I will attempt to create a secret Roman Empire, so in case the Old World one falls, the New World one remain safe for a time being. I will keep it secret to deter any Columbus-like individuals. And I will spread the myth of horrific dragons and monsters in the Atlantic Ocean to scare-off future explorer. I may even bring a stuffed anaconda to illustrate the example, or dig up some dinosaurs to further frighten the people. Also, there I will go to Chile and discover the immeasurable bat-guano deposits which will create a fantastical agriculture.

[bobbin]

As for nitroglycerine, I read the Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, where he meticulously described how to make nitroglycerine just from the things you can find lying around anywhere in nature. Not hard.

heh didn't know about that, wouldn't recommend trying to make it though it's severely unstable stuff.

Easy. Acids are not difficult to make, and I have read how to produce them. Seriously, how do you think they made they made sulphuric acid in the 8th century? I will use coal to obtain the sulphuric acid (not awfully efficient, but pretty simple), and then use the sulphuric acid on copper nitrate to produce nitric acid.
and how to make/extract the reactants to make them.

Oh i know sulphuric acid is easy to make, but nitric acid...where would you get copper nitrate from in 272bc? a better source of nitrate would be saltpetre which is much easier to produce given the technology at the time

First of all, it is not "nickle", but nickel!!! The former one is unobtainable as it does not exist. But yeah, those two I said that I "may" do if I could. It all depends on how hot of a furnace I can make. They are not essential. I will teach Romans how to make steel, and if I can get them to produce stainless steel, well, that is a bonus. And titanium was rather wistful thinking. At best, I can extract it in an exceedingly impure form. Which is why I did not guarantee the success of that operation.

Yeah my bad there simple spelling mistake, i really think your underestimating the amount of knowledge and expertise that goes into making these things, there's more to making steel that blowing air through molten iron.

[Aemilius Paulus]

heh didn't know about that, wouldn't recommend trying to make it though it's severely unstable stuff.

Unstable only if sudden pressure is applied. You do not think making grainy gunpowder is dangerous, much less testing it??

but nitric acid...where would you get copper nitrate from in 272bc? a better source of nitrate would be saltpetre which is much easier to produce given the technology at the time

Well, as I said, I only mentioned stuff that I already know. I know it would be easier to obtain nitric acid from saltpetre (think of the gargantuan guano deposits of Chile) but alas, I do not know how to make nitric acid from that. I only read about producing it from copper nitrate, especially since I already have sulphuric acid. But I can always read more, and learn how to make it from saltpetre!

i really think your underestimating the amount of knowledge and expertise that goes into making these things, there's more to making steel that blowing air through molten iron.

Well, duh, of course you are correct, but the "duh" is there because you are sounding as if you did not read both of my previous posts. I never said I knew how to extract and work with titanium and nickel. I just said I will try, and see if it works. I have no idea how to work with them. But I do know the Bessemer process though. I studied it

[bobbin]

Unstable only if sudden pressure is applied. You do not think making grainy gunpowder is dangerous, much less testing it??

Yes it is but raw nitroglycerin is much more unstable and much more powerful, anything around or above 30 C is extremely dangerous and its a lot more sensitive to knocks or friction.

ps.I'd imagine the scariest part of making grainy powder is the breaking up of the cakes, i certianly wouldn't like to be hitting a big lump of explosive anytime soon.

Well, as I said, I only mentioned stuff that I already know. I know it would be easier to obtain nitric acid from saltpetre (think of the gargantuan guano deposits of Chile) but alas, I do not know how to make nitric acid from that. I only read about producing it from copper nitrate, especially since I already have sulphuric acid. But I can always read more, and learn how to make it from saltpetre!

Sorry i was running on the assumption that you were back in 272bc with the knowledge you have at this point. As for nitric acid from saltpetre its pretty simple, just add sulphric acid, distil the products and voilà!

[Aemilius Paulus]

Sorry i was running on the assumption that you were back in 272bc with the knowledge you have at this point. As for nitric acid from saltpetre its pretty simple, just add sulphric acid, distil the products and voilà!

Ahh, thanks! Now I have extra knowledge!! Ah, Are you a Brit/Commonwealth citizen?

[bobbin]

Yep i'm from Britian, Scotland to be exact and I can tell you it pleases me to see someone use the correct spelling of sulphur! none of this silly "sulfur" business.

[Aemilius Paulus]

Yep i'm from Britian, Scotland to be exact and I can tell you it pleases me to see someone use the correct spelling of sulphur! none of this silly "sulfur" business.

Yes, that and the fact you spelled "distil" with one "L" at the end, and not "distill". I also choose British English, despite living in America. American is a mere bastardisation, a dialect, deviating from the original and purer British English , 1/2.

Excuse me? Generalization much?

A generalisation, and a true one. I do not know if it is too much or just enough, but I do know that Americans value quick and easy things perhaps overtly so. Just look at their inventions , e.g.: "drive-thru" restaurants, banks, vaccinations, medicine. The vaccinations clearly overstepped it, especially so due to their significantly smaller effectiveness (anywhere from 20-50% less effective)

[Andronikos]

As for nitroglycerine, I read the Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, where he meticulously described how to make nitroglycerine just from the things you can find lying around anywhere in nature. Not hard.

That description is a little bugged. I have seen a chemistry olympiad whith that text and tasks were about small mistakes. But actually, you would obtain the products.

OTOH I see a bigger problem, the nitroglycerin is unstable and can explode during production or handling. With poor equipment aviable the probability of explosion only rises.

[The_Mark]

I'd team up with Archimedes to produce all kinds of superweapons and advanced maths and such, making Syracuse an impenetrable fortress (along with the rest of Sicily). If Roman hordes still get in, I'll pack up as much advanced tech created there as well as followers and migrate with them to modern-day Finland, creating a mighty northern kingdom - might take a while, but if find myself in 272BC I could as well as be immortal as well, so when the dark ages hit the rest of Europe, a great Finno-Greek civilization is ready to pour in and conquer the world.

[APX]

Unlike Americans, I am a patient person, and do not want everything "fast" and "easy".

Excuse me? Generalization much?