Things you don't need to know...

Google maps in Roman time
By simulating movement along the principal routes of the Roman road network, the main navigable rivers, and hundreds of sea routes in the Mediterranean, Black Sea and coastal Atlantic, this interactive model reconstructs the duration and financial cost of travel in antiquity.
Taking account of seasonal variation and accommodating a wide range of modes and means of transport, ORBIS reveals the true shape of the Roman world and provides a unique resource for our understanding of premodern history.

And, also interesting:
Atlas of the Roman empire, with zooming possibilities

Example of the 'Google maps':
 

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I'm fairly certain that's one of the reasons the Caesars stayed away from Ireland: the road system then sucked. -p

Not to mention all those heathen druids and whatnot!
 
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Weird site:
https://jakubmarian.com/

With all sorts of maps, like the one I uploaded here, about the number of metal bands per 1 million people in Europe.
@pibbuR;, Scandinavians are the odd ones out, is it the food, the cold, the northern lights? ;)
The following map shows the number of entries (which represent both active and inactive metal bands) in Encyclopaedia Metallum, divided by the country's population in millions.

For comparison: There are 72 metal bands per 1 million people in the United States.


There is also a metal band map for South-America btw.
 

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That all the old Vikings play metal is clear - I'm surprised by Greece.
 
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The US beats those countries by number but still I'm surprised.
As an absolute number, the United States stands out as the country with the most heavy metal bands. With 17,557 active entries in the Encyclopaedia Metallum, the United States has more than three times the number of bands that than the second country on the list: Germany with 5,726
 
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Isn't that an issue due to the metric system again? ;)
Bah those subs are still not a foot-long and Subway got off on a technicality.:p
 
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Very interesting, thanks for the links!

It's only incidental but still somewhat related, I was watching how they were building their roads the other day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1aFWtBXHII

Their engineering prowess helped them a lot in their expansion.
It's a shame it only took one generation for most of their engineering knowledge to collapse. They should have built schools to pass on their knowledge to western Europe.

Then again you could blame the Catholic Church.
 
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It's a shame it only took one generation for most of their engineering knowledge to collapse. They should have built schools to pass on their knowledge to western Europe.

Then again you could blame the Catholic Church.

Once they progressively (or repeatedly) left England, or started to lose their West & East empires and others took over, you mean? It's surprising how some of the techniques were abandoned. I've seen a video of some flourishing settlements - we can even call them towns, that were left to decay, it's really sad.

Maybe there was a desire to forget about the period they were occupying the country (still thinking about England). Or they needed to keep traffic quiet for a while so they could invent left driving. ;)

They still left a major influence in many domains, since they were accepting locals in their nation and educated them. Techniques like roads, water supply, sewers, concrete, combat,… Not calculus thankfully.

I don't know how they transmitted their knowledge back then, through training in guilds or in their jobs? They kept a lot in writing (like concrete making, which was forgotten for a long time then used again later) but I have no idea how or whether they were teaching any of it, or to whom.
 
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Once they progressively (or repeatedly) left England, or started to lose their West & East empires and others took over, you mean? It's surprising how some of the techniques were abandoned. I've seen a video of some flourishing settlements - we can even call them towns, that were left to decay, it's really sad.

Maybe there was a desire to forget about the period they were occupying the country (still thinking about England). Or they needed to keep traffic quiet for a while so they could invent left driving. ;).
Yeah it was a shame how the roads, temples, and villas deteriorated so fast. It wasn't so in the east the Empire survived under the Greeks. The west collapsed into a dark age.

Link - https://www.quora.com/Why-was-so-much-knowledge-lost-following-the-fall-of-the-Roman-Empire
I don't know how they transmitted their knowledge back then, through training in guilds or in their jobs? They kept a lot in writing (like concrete making, which was forgotten for a long time then used again later) but I have no idea how or whether they were teaching any of it, or to whom.
From what I've read the individuals with the knowledge didn't like to share. So when they eventually passed and didn't train an apprentice the knowledge was lost.

Not saying others couldn't copy them but key parts were lost over time.
 
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Quite interesting!

One of the answers in your link puts it nicely:
Under Rome, people were writing encyclopedias (Pliny the Elder), developing medicine (Galen), produced maps based on exploration, building permanent roads, conducting trade with India and China, and amalgamating the knowledge of other cultures (architecture, medicine, agriculture, commerce) into their own society. You could be a Jew, a Christian, a Zoroastrian, or anything else as long as you paid your taxes and didn’t refuse to respect other peoples religions. They had a postal system, and standard currency, and a common set of business rules for everyone from London to Bulgaria.

Under the medieval church, there were several periods during which previously established knowledge was not allowed to be questioned. Galen was not studied so much as a small part of Galen’s medical knowledge was memorized by rote. Research on the interior of the body was forbidden until the 17oos. Any attempt to explore new knowledge was likely to be labelled as a heretical attack on god (ask Galileo and Copernicus). Numerous non-biblical rules, such as papal infallibility and indulgences, were added to the religion and given the authority of law. Biblical texts were changed to meet political objectives.

Although I believe Christianism only made it in England about 7-8th century, so a few 2-3 centuries after the last emperor left. But it must have been chaos for a while, with the invasions from the North and whatnot, so not much chance or desire to maintain all that knowledge.

From what I've read the individuals with the knowledge didn't like to share. So when they eventually passed and didn't train an apprentice the knowledge was lost.

Yeah, knowledge is power. So selfishly silly.

It's getting P&R stuff so I'll stop there. But definitely a part of history I want to explore further.
 
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Elon Musk says 'almost anyone' can afford $100,000, a hypothetical price point for a SpaceX ticket to Mars: https://news.yahoo.com/elon-musk-says-almost-anyone-124230757.html?guccounter=1

pibbuR starting saving, hoping to live yet another 10 years.

PS. Space travel is the only high risk adventure I would take part in. Mountaineering? Climbing sky scrapers? Parachuting? Hanggliding? Base or bungee jumping? Forget it!!! Going to Mars? I'm in!! AND I WON'T ASK THE WIFE FOR PERMISSION!!!! DS.

PPS. On a more serious note: I don't think we should go to Mars. Too many risks. But I hope we do, in time for me to watch it. DS.
 
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What I learn from your post Pibs is that the super wealthy have absolutely NO idea how normal people live. Reminds me of Marie Antoinette and we all know how that ended !! :)
 
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We, the human race, have pretty much proven we cannot be trusted with the safety of any planet, at least up to this point in time. I'm all in favour of keeping the infestation confined to just this planet, until we prove to be better caretakers.
 
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The human race will never change it's just not our nature. Anyway it's been sixty years almost since we landed on the moon and haven't done anything great since then.
 
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What I learn from your post Pibs is that the super wealthy have absolutely NO idea how normal people live. Reminds me of Marie Antoinette and we all know how that ended !! :)
Heh, yeah. That was my take from his post as well. Faaar removed indeed.

I've got a decent paying job, but if I want to save $100 000 I'll have to save for probably 20 years and stop paying mortgage.
 
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We, the human race, have pretty much proven we cannot be trusted with the safety of any planet, at least up to this point in time. I'm all in favour of keeping the infestation confined to just this planet, until we prove to be better caretakers.
Well, there's not much we can do to destroy Mars so I guess it's a good place to try different things. :)
 
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Since Alrek mentioned "Close to the Edge", I thought it might be interesting to post the lyrics here (some of the most interesting parts of the lyrics are enhanced by me).

TL;DR; Don't read it. It's weird!!!!!

A hint which may be useful for interpreting the lyrics:
Back then mr Anderson used to write lyrics mostly based on the sound of the words. Which he kind of admits in the lyrics for "Going for the One": "Now the verses I've sang Don't add much weight"

BTW: If you actually want to listen to the song while reading, it's here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51oPKLSuyQY. (For the record: It's there also if you don't want to listen to it).

A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace
And rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace

And achieve it all with music that came quickly from afar
Then taste the fruit of man, recorded losing all against the hour
And assessing points to nowhere, leading every single one
A dewdrop can exalt us like the music of the sun
And take away the plane in which we move and choose the course you're running

Down at the edge, round by the corner
Not right away, not right away
Close to the edge, down by a river
Not right away, not right away

Crossed the line around the changes of the summer
Reaching out to call the colour of the sky
Passed around a moment clothed in mornings, faster than we see
Getting over all the time I had to worry
Leaving all the changes far from far behind
We relieve the tension only to find out the master's name

Down at the end, round by the corner
Close to the edge, just by the river
Seasons will pass you by
I get up, I get down

Now that it's all over and done
Now that you find, now that you're whole

My eyes convinced, eclipsed with the younger moon attained with love
It changed as almost strained amidst clear mana from above
I crucified my hate and held the word within my hand
There's you, the time, the logic or the reasons we don't understand
Sad courage claimed the victims, standing still for all to see
As armoured movers took, approached to overlook the sea
There since the cord, the license or the reasons we understood will be

Down at the end, close by a river
Close to the edge, round by the corner
Close to the end, down by the corner
Down at the edge, round by a river

Sudden call shouldn't take away the startled memory
All in all, the journey takes you all the way
As apart from any reality that you've ever seen and known
Guessing problems only to deceive the mention
Passing paths that climb halfway into the void
As we cross from side to side, we hear the total mass retain


Down at the edge, round by the corner
Close to the end, down by a river
Seasons will pass you by
I get up, I get down

In her white lace, you could clearly see the lady sadly looking
Saying that she'd take the blame for the crucifixion of her own domain

I get up, I get down


Two million people barely satisfy
Two hundred women watch one woman cry, too late
The eyes of honesty can achieve
(She would gladly say it amazement of her story)
How many millions do we deceive each day?
(Asking only interest could be laid upon the children of her domain)

I get up, I get down
..

In charge of who is there in charge of me
(She could clearly see the lady sadly looking)
Do I look on blindly and say I see the way?
(Saying that she'd take the blame for the crucifixion of her own domain)
The truth is written all along the page
(She would gladly say it amazement of her story)
How old will I be before I come of age for you?
(Asking only interest could be laid upon the children of her domain)

I get up, I get down
..

The time between the notes relates the color to the scenes
A constant vogue of triumphs dislocate man, so it seems

And space between the focus shape ascend knowledge of love
As song and chance develop time, lost social temperance rules above
Ah, ah
Then according to the man who showed his outstretched arm to space
He turned around and pointed, revealing all the human race
I shook my head and smiled a whisper, knowing all about the place

On the hill we viewed the silence of the valley
Called to witness cycles only of the past
And we reach all this with movements
In between the said remark

Close to the edge, down by a river
Down at the end, round by the corner
Seasons will pass you by
Now that it's all over and done
Called to the seed, right to the sun
Now that you find, now that you're whole
Seasons will pass you by

I get up, I get down
..
 
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