YOU MY FRIEND HAVE JUST STUMBLED ONTO WHAT MAKES THE STARGATE POSSIBLE

<3

It kind've makes what we do now Almost seem meaningless towards the future... but then again... Why should that bother our current happyiness?

Arcology.

ONly goes so far before they deem something as madness or Inconclusive. I myself don't plan on doing anything that's gonna grab there attention in such a way that they wanna go into my grave, dig up my bones and post my naked skelly in a glass wall just so that kids can make fun, and scientists can try to bring me back from the dead to be there guinea pig. ^ ^

An arcology is a well established museum (of sorts) or a collective. I'm referring to the museum bit. Selfish religions have already destroyed much in the past, Nearly as much as barbaric, uncivilized people. If you ask me there isn't a difference, except one pretends to be outwardly kind while destroying civilizations, ethnicities, and lifestyles without batting an eye.

They are still doing that to this day, This is why all members of a religion are responsible for the acts others take, especially if they do not publicly act out against their "brothers and sisters" behavior.

Easy to say they don't condone the behavior while it is actually still permitted, or generally ignored.


But I am off on a tangent, back on topic - We need to keep as much history and truth recorded as possible, even if those opinions and values are far different. All art, all literature, all creative products, all inventions - We need to keep these things known.

Egh, it's either way for me... my impact will be what it is and what I make it to be. That being said if something big comes from it then 'WOOHOO' for me. ^ ^

Yay, im not the only one who thought on that, hehe

This is possible. =3 It's also possible that said advanced civilizations stumbled upon alcohol and fell into chaos a short time later. XD

Like Ireland? o.o

It's entirely possible. =3

Eh, define "advanced societies". Something along the lines of Egyptian or Harappan society, sure... There's probably dozens that we haven't yet discovered. But anything beyond that level of technological sophistication tends to stick around.

Our civilization, or at least the remnants thereof, will be around for much longer than 5000 years. The strides we've made in metallurgy alone will make sure that while the concrete crumbles, the steel girders will remain in some fashion. Plus there's all the non-biodegradable plastics we have laying around that'll stick around for TENS of thousands of years. :)

By advanced I am referring to egyptian or even modern levels. Given that human populations were small as far as we can tell its unlikely that the societies would have been very large so a cataclysm of any kind could have wiped them out.

I believe there have been more advanced civilizations than our own on earth past. What is interesting is that the actual VISUAL remains of our race would be gone in 100-200 years easily today since they are METAL and GLASS. Our stone buildings would last for about 2000-5000 (as stated) years before being completely gone. However, we do not build them to the same RIGID specs the Romans and Egyptians did. Example being they have to constantly repair stone buildings in the USA all the time since they no longer know how to build them to those ancient specs.

Irony has it, that if we disappeared today, it is more likely that Roman and Egyptian buildings would be found rather than our own in the next 5000 years. Also, the ancient stone and clay tablets would still be around whereas the CD's and paper books would be gone in less than a year from no one taking care of them and exposure.

History Channel actually did a thing on this and explained how fast things would disappear and as the irony remained, the pyramids and the ancient Roman civilization would still have remnants around while everything modern would be gone in an instant.

Here is a better question:
If the civilizations of today went bust, who would replace us? How? What would it look like?

If you had kept watching Life Without People, instead of just the first episode, you'd know traces of our history could be found millions of years later. Also, it is impossible another civilization existed prior to ours. There would be something. They would have developed something that would expose their existence. For example, look at plastic. It never breaks down. Anything made of plastic could be found long after we are gone.
A lot of our mega structures would remain for a time but the problem is that humans and structure placements have different ideas on what is best. People love coasts, especially ocean coasts. Such conditions wreak havoc on a building's structure durability.

If we are wiped out, nothing would replace us. Odds are we will be taking this planet down with us.

history channel offers great shows X3

which one was that you mention? about our technology and the ancient civilizations? =3

It's actually the opposite: We build buildings much closer to the minimum required to make them stand, which makes them cheaper and allows us to build more of them. Compare this to old buildings where engineering sciences were not a developed so they overdesigned it to support much more than needed. Thus giving it more durability, but it's no empire state buildiing.

There's nothing fancy about ancient technology. Every bit of technology worth having exists now in the present, and there's plenty of room to develop more. The most stunning things to contemplate is that man isn't necessarily any smarter than 2000 years ago or more, and how much of our "intelligence" is based upon items we have now.

The vast majority of buildings, in any era, are of low durability and will not last. When civilizations become reasonably powerful, you start seeing things like monuments which are stronger. A few of these monuments are strong enough to last through the millenniums, but not as many as you might think: Most have survived only because people have continued to maintain them, the only ones that have survived on their own are basically either really big rocks, (like the Buddhas of Bamyan), or piles of really big rocks, (like the pyramids).

There are a few big survivor structures from recent times. Hoover dam is one of the big ones, as are many of the larger dams. Also likely survivors, although less obvious, are the larger rail tunnels.

Of course, we also have a set of things which are going to outlast anything because they have been placed beyond the depredations of wind and rain. The most famous being Statio Tranquillitatis, even though all that is there are footprints, a few scientific experiments, a flag and an Apollo Lunar Module descent stage.

I digress, however due to time I will make it short:
All we have today is based on ancient design short of computers and cars. The Babylonians were the first to develop the battery, Greeks came up with bronze moving parts for an ancient clock they found in a galley in the Mediterranean... Just go look it up. Our calendar today is LESS accurate than those of the past, the Mayans to date have THE BEST calendar we have ever known for accuracy yet we do not use it. We still use the same sails developed over 5000+ years ago. The same ship designs for the most part and for smaller boats the same design. When we stack stones today, we do it less accurately than in ancient times.

Almost everything we make today is sub standard to what ancients made. Yes they made it stronger than it had to be... For a reason, so it would LAST. So there would be something in the future to use and remember. If they had simply buried their pharaohs... We would not have pyramids nor ANY knowledge what so ever of ancient Egypt. If they had not so painstakingly worked their writings into stone monoliths, we would know nothing of the Persians, Carthaginians let alone anything about the Celts.

People today are afraid to remember, they try to bury the past, because of this we have never ending problems and as the Greeks said: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Also, due to shoddy and poor building today it costs us BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars in the long run to maintain them. Back about 6 years ago the government of the USA did an estimate, it stated (yahoo news) that it would cost a MINIMUM of 1.7 TRILLION USD to only REPAIR what is damaged that the government and states own to ACCEPTABLE (C- ratings) levels.

You have traded your money for piece of shit buildings that will cost you dearly in the long run. That, is foolhardy.

When the Americans rolled over the Reine River with Shermans, they did so over ROMAN bridges that are still standing today. They still use Roman aqueducts in Italy because they WORK. What costs have they had to pay for it? Almost none. How much do we have to pay for pipes that break every year? Millions.

If you love your modern technology so much, just remember that that is just you speaking as this is just me speaking. We know for a fact modern technology would be wiped out completely if only the power were shut off or the oil to run out. Too much of it is based on dependency.

The end.

Let me quickly add:
Question: Who will remember us when we are gone? How will they remember us?
Answer: No one. There is nothing to remember us by.

Wow, and I thought I was the only one who though about the possibility of life after our species falls.

Well, we have discovered that the ancient Greeks had the ability to make a complex mechanism that some have called the worlds first analog computer. So there does seem to be proof that ancient civilizations were much more advanced than we give them credit for.

It makes me wonder, though. These technologies that appear to have been lost to time usually have a modern analogue. So if it took us hundreds or thousands of years to "rediscover" these things, imagine what would have happened had they never been "lost" in the first place.

Don't forget the first steam engine, vending machines, and self-opening doors in some temples. It's no wonder there was a period in Britain's history when most thought the Greeks literally knew everything.

That's not to say they were the only advanced civilization, of course; the middle east, for instance, was formerly at the forefront of culture, technology, and quality of life. In fact had technologies still lost to the world, such as Damascus Steel. An inventor named Al-Jazari lived during the 1100 to 1200s in the region, and created many incredibly advanced inventions, including the world's first known programmable robots.

Not without complex farming methods. The Neolithic Revolution shifted our primary method of sustenance to a sedentary farming life style that enabled larger and larger settlements and was pivotal in developing complex, civilized societies out of a species of hunter-gatherers. This revolution occurred 10,000 years ago, and yes the oldest of the old that we know of surface some 6000 years ago. That's 4000 years that it took for people to start recording for posterity.

There's certainly more civilizations out there that we have not yet found within this window of time and perhaps beyond it a bit too. their may indeed have been an earlier agricultural revolution but it's quite clear, if it occurred, it remained isolated for a relatively long period. As a good idea always spreads when it can. :3

It's not entirely true that everything would vanish in 5000 years... Some of the largest megastructures may still stand, such as the pyramids, though these would be few and far between.

The things on the moon would also survive with huge longevity, since the lack of atmosphere makes for almost nothing to wear away at them.

But yeah, by and large our civilisation would be wiped off the face of the earth... Though I quite like the thought of our fragility.

...you know, that's kinda depressing when you say it like that. Still, we can't just strive to live as we are right now; human ingenuity and curiosity will always want us to get bigger, faster and better things.

Then we'll probably achieve such a peak in technology that we'll reset ourselves again like we did millenniums ago. >_>;

I think we'd notice gigantic skyscrapers if there were any. oo;

Mt. Rushmore.

erosion.

Agreed, there is currently a year-round effort to preserve and maintain Mount Rushmore; cracks cleaned out and filled with flexible latex caulk, cleaning the stone of 'invasions' from plant life, constant constant CONSTANT inspections of every inch to make sure no president gets a 'sphinx face.' Those are some high-maintenance ex-presidents up there.

There's a saying from Antiquity: "Man fears time, but time fears the Pyramids." Those structures will be around as long as the mountains, because they're BUILT like mountains. Granted, the desert may decide they look better buried under the dunes, but they'll still be there, even if you have to dig down a hundred feet to find the top.

This is why we need to irrevocably scar the world in order to leave a massive impact of our current way of life behind for all future civilizations to witness.

....Mad man ramblings aside, this IS something interesting to think about.

There have been at least a few ancient cities that reached populations beyond 100k people. They all collapsed.

This could also be applied to entire universes, which leaves me with very depressing thoughts sometimes.

in comparison to time itself which is infinite, this entire universe as we know it is less than a quark.

Infinity/x= infinity, where x=/=0
x being any existence, matter or otherwise

I think you're giving in to exaggeration a bit there. The vast majority of our society as it stands would disappear with stunning rapidity, but there are always places where certain conditions exist that improve how long an object takes to decay. Considering how rapid we are about learning from the past, it'd be ridiculous to think we hadn't found ANYTHING by this point. Not alot, maybe, but besides some 'odd' artifacts like that plane-shaped object from.. south america.. there just isn't even the remotest shred of evidence.

You are correct. If we had cities in the arctic they would last much longer, but unfortunately we don't :P

We have outposts in the arctic. :3

Perhaps George Lucas was onto something when he began with "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

It is impossible. The human race is at its prime. If another great civilization existed, there would have to be SOMETHING. For example, did you know many types of plastic could still be found millions of years later? If you bury a plastic cup underground, archealogists 50 million years later could dig it up. It would take roughly 300 years for our civilization to really disappear, but traces will always be here. We have had such an impact during our short time... The planet will never be able to rid itself of our civilization.

plastic breaks down into particles eventually, well within 500 years. It just doesnt turn into an organic form for 1000 years :P

yes, and thats why our oceans are full of plastic particles, brought to you by such nice islands like the great pacific garbage patch (wich is about the size of texas).

The Pacific Garbage Patch is composed primarily of microscopic plastic particles. Any images you find of floating fields of crap are typically taken from behind trash barges.

this may be true, but if you would push them together it would still cover a massive area, just as big as texas. and still massive amounts of trash and rubbish gather on many beaches around the world, wich alone isnt a nice sight.

on top of that the microskopic particles are even worse then a swimming big piece of junk, because it pollutes on a mush smaller level: fish and other seaanimals eat them or mistake it for plankton, and in the end the fish are served on our plates. it is impossible to make sure we dont eat any of these plastic particles, if we eat fish.

Depends upon the conditions. If the plastic gets embedded into mud and dries, it can be preserved nicely.

awesome, that's exactly what I don't understand XD

those gaps of history, why?

Because of barbarians periodically toppling the nascent civilizations and killing off anyone smart enough to give them trouble. Timur-i-Leng vs. Persians, Attila vs. Rome, and the Mongols vs. A Whole Lotta People come to mind.

mmm... true that, never saw that side as well

funny how story repeats itself as the smart guys die first

Well, them scrolls and parchments make damned fine kindling too.

yesh, good idea X3

So THAT'S where that can of 'Paleolithic Cola' I dug up in my backyard came from! ;)

Everything (matter) recycles eventually, so i think that we could find even earlier civilizations eventually.

the oldest traces of ancient civilisations predate those wich are 5000 years old by another 5000 years, such as some temples in south america (i'm not sure if it was machu pichu, or at least some buildings there) and this big temple in india, wich name i forgot. there are several structures on earth that were probably used to observe the sky, as they are build according to constellations and relations to them about 10.500 years ago.

strange number, those 5000 years. add the mayan calender and you have your perfect world apocalypse scenario =P

Unless the advanced civilization was completely ass-backwards in regards to medicine, there would be plenty of evidence of advanced civilization lying in the ground.

We'd find teeth with metal or plastic fillings, skulls with metal plates, bones reconstructed and set with metal pins.

We'd find where this large, advanced civilizations threw their trash.

We'd find evidence of the tools they used.

We'd find evidence of the advanced sewer system required to maintain a healthy, modern lifestyle.

We'd find rusted pieces of alloyed metal that don't occur in nature.

We'd find cut gemstones and jewelery.

You know, all the stuff we find with the past civilizations we do know about.

Nuhuh!

There'd still be styrofoam. Forever and ever...

You can hardly build an advanced society without some resources, like metals. Even if the stuff constructed is all gone, there would be evidence of mining activities.

I think there would be an awful lot of our roads and concrete structures that wouldn't erode into nothingness immediately.

those things erode very fast :P

I think some of the erosion is due to use (Yes they do erode very fast!!) but there are so many giant concrete parking garages and raised pylons for supporting highways, not to mention the land cleared away for roads.

I think it would take awhile for ALL traces to be wiped away ^^

I have seen pictures of ancient cities that have been completely reclaimed by the desert and even most of Rome was abandoned for a good few centuries (actually more like almost a 1000 years) before people began to repopulate the city. Mostly when the city stopped being the main capital of the Roman empire and over so many centuries dropped from a population of millions to about the population of Dayton, Ohio. There are lots of engravings showing Rome with about 10 feet of soil washed into the streets and the entrances to some of the modern day popular ruins half buried :P

None of those ruins exceed 3000 years :P

Our concrete parking garages are not built out of incredibly durable materials like marble. You'd be amazed how brittle they can be. Without proper maintenance they could collapse in 60 years :P

Well, it's fun to think there were past civilizations on earth that had super technology and spaceships and holo-vixens!

Though, there might be enough junk somewhere that is protected enough from weather to not completely disappear ^^

Like all those planes out in the desert where it never rains very much and the ground is all rock and gravel!

no traces exist cause the aliens took them away when they decided to clean up the earth back in 12.000 BC....dont you guys read :p

Nah, everything was created last week. They just dropped all the cities in place and made everyone think they've been around for thousands of years

I'm pretty sure that beyond the realm of unsubstantiated conjecture, archeologists, anthropologists and historians have a much more clear picture of the progression of the human race than you seem to give them credit for.

I'm not pointing out fault with archeology anthropology, and history. Just presenting an interesting little idea :P

I can dig it. Though by definition a lack of evidence for A is not even vague proof of B.

Nor did I make such a claim :P

Mt. Rushmore is made of solid granite. Granite is an extremely durable rock. With it being acid-resistant, visible erosion of such a granite structure is unlikely to occur for many hundreds of thousands of years. It would take at least one million years for it to degrade as much as, say, the Sphinx in Egypt.

---

To more gracefully state what Zalin was saying:
The Life After People series that now airs (weekly? bi-monthly?), supports the idea that our most durable stone monuments are likely to survive for several millennia in some recognizable form.

That is true :)

im going to go along with "bullshit" :P all civilizations leave traces, since we have none we are the first with this advanced technology

I think you completely missed the thesis of my journal :P

About 3 million years ago, the civilization of Atlantis destroyed itself during a power struggle with a weapon that like an atom bomb except so powerful it basically broke the planet: it changed the axis of the earth, disrupted the weather, and broke the continental plate away from the rest of the Earth sending it spiraling to where it rests today. We now call it Antarctica.

The people who lived on Atlantis were a subspecies of human with a very advanced brain. Their skulls were elongated. The images in pyramids are of these people. They were not perfect, they basically tricked most of the humans into believing they were gods. In the pyramids there are images of air planes and helicopters. A type of plane that resembled a 747 was used for carrying grain from Chili/Peru to Atlantis. The runways found there were for landing these planes. In attempts to be more like their gods, the people of Chili/Peru molded their children's heads to be elongated.

If one were to dig deep enough in the right place, one would find remnants of technological prowess that surpasses what we have today.

The images of planes and helicopters were actually overwritten hieroglyphs.

There is evidence of south american civilizations coming in contact with egyptians as a temple has been discovered that contains mayan writing on its ceiling. The temple in question is currently closed off to the public but for a while it was indeed open.