Human evolution/development

[Marklr]

Being brought up in Wythenshawe, I know all about ancient civilizations.

 

[mexico1970]

Being brought up in Wythenshawe, I know all about ancient civilizations.

Have you spoken at the Forum?

 

[Marklr]

Have you spoken at the Forum?

No, but I have at Haverley Cirlce.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

That still doesn’t explain why for example, the romans gave us a start regarding roads, sewers, bathe etc. but then we just turned our backs on it?

Wouldn't be the first civilization that fell into ruin because they couldn't afford the upkeep. Cleopatra, for example, ruled Egypt closer to the present day than when the pyramids were built, and they were only marginally less ruined than they are now. Angkor Wat, a huge city complex lost to the jungle when the ruling elites abandoned it (that's one theory, anyway). Did the Romans give us those things, or did they give themselves those things?

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

That still doesn’t explain why for example, the romans gave us a start regarding roads, sewers, bathe etc. but then we just turned our backs on it?

I'm pretty sure we didn't turn our back on it. Just didn't have the knowledge to keep it going. The organisation, the will.

 

[mackenzie]

No, but I have at Haverley Cirlce.

And Blue Moon, obviously ;-)

 

[Elbow beards]

I was just wondering how throughout history humans have developed. The thing that confuses me is looking back at Ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome etc. they built amazing structures roads, baths, sewers etc. but then you jump forward a thousand years or so in the dark ages say, you had mud roads and filth and disease. So it looks like we regressed? I had this conversation with I guy and he put it down to the increase of religion and frowning on any luxuries or signs of wealth. I would like to get your ideas on this.

In my uneducated guess I would say population booms. Overcrowding in inner cities and the inability or unwillingness to spend money on the problem. I'm assuming there were still very nice places with sanitation and roads but they were for the privileged few, the rest lived in squaller, would have been exactly the same for the poor of Rome.

 

[burning blue soul]

I’m no great historian so my ages may be off, but in the Tudor age the roads were mud and sewage was just thrown in the street, unless that was a different age all together

You're thinking of the Turdor age, mate.
Easy mistake to make...

 

[Aphex]

All those great cities were built on the pain and misery of the slave trade in order for the 1% to live in luxury.
Not sure there’s been too much regression…

I agree, the Barbary trade was awful

 

[BimboBob]

That still doesn’t explain why for example, the romans gave us a start regarding roads, sewers, bathe etc. but then we just turned our backs on it?

Simple.

Mistrust, war, stealing the dressed stone for their own building ideas, religion, myths (Roman London was virtually left to rot when the legions pulled out) but the main thing was the Saxons and Vikings. They had their ideas of housing, wooden mainly, and hardly used the Roman buildings. They had their own ideals, Gods and way of doing things. A society of hot baths, sewage systems and heated rooms wasn't in their plans.

Plus the knowledge that the Romans possessed just melted away. Legions go, many craftsmen leave as well due to the incoming Saxons. It was only the rich who really lived with hot water etc etc anyway so the great unwashed remained just that.

Take Fishbourne Roman Palace.

The largest know Roman palace north of the Alps. Very close to Chichester, itself a Roman walled town. Fishbourne had bath houses, heated rooms, mosaics etc etc on a very grand scale. Then it had a fire, probably got caught up in the Caraucius revolt, more fire and then left abandoned with it's stone being robbed by the good citizens of Chichester. Legions go, Chichester, inside the walls, remains mostly unoccupied until the 9th century when Alfred the Great gets threatened by the Vikings and orders the rebuilding of old Roman walled towns. Normans come some time later and the City rebuilds again, Castle etc etc. Except they don't rebuild the fancy stuff like bath houses. The technology is lost to them.

Rinse and repeat countrywide.