FWIW, there’s a really interesting series of books, starting with 1632.
A small WV town, for reasons unknown, suddenly finds itself in 1632 Germany, which is in the middle of the 30 Years War.
Hilarity ensues. Well, not really, but there is a lot of excellent extrapolation of how much those with advanced knowledge can and cannot change the past.
Recommended.
I think I could take a few things back 1,000 years and introduce them based on what I know.
- Basic steam power.
- Crop rotation.
- Antiseptic and rudimentary first aid.
- Water purification.
Take into account one basic thing, 1,000 years ago people drank beer and fermented beverages because water made people sick. Basic filtration and boiling alone would make water potable which wasn’t common 1,000 years ago.
How about, kill Mohammad
Slightly more seriously, I know enough now to be able to do some things. I couldn’t show them how to build a car, but I could show them how to build a bicycle. I couldn’t stop a plague, but I could teach the people sanitation and pest control. I don’t think I could invent the lightbulb, but I might be able to improve their lanterns.
I keep learning.
I would go for personal survival skills. Unless of course we’re allowed to bring a few modern day things with us. Then I would go for a bit of Metallurgy, Structural Engineering and Hygiene.
I actually tried to have a discussion along these line with by boss, who’s an expert sailor.
Let’s assume a modern nautical engineer was transported back in time to 1800.
He actually understands the math behind sail plans and hull designs, but has no computers or modern materials to work with.
Could he actually improve ship design significantly>
Couldn’t come to an agreement on the issue.
You might enjoy this series which explores this very topic, although 1000 and 1632 were quite different.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1632_series
There is a bit of swearing, etc. in these books.
Interesting thought experiment.
Like most, I think our ability to introduce new technologies would be severely limited. While there may be a few “Basic” technological improvements any of us could introduce, the need for other people to not only help build but to convince others could take a lifetime.
Back in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s, there was a TV series called “Connections”. The original series, hosted by James Burke. He did an extraordinary job showing how many or most of our technological advancements have been the result of years and years of smaller achievements attained by many others. Burke, basically reverse engineered the “Knowledge” required and traced it back to, in most cases a disparate group of both ordinary and extraordinary individuals that were spread over hundreds of years.
One of my favorite SF books - “Lest Darkness Fall” by L. Sprague DeCamp. The protagonist finds himself stuck in ancient Rome just before it fell. He becomes a newspaperman to hold the darkness at bay.
Assuming we’re not taking anything with us the first order of business would be to obtain some type of work for a wealthy landowner. This would keep us fed and sheltered. While doing that we can then figure out inventions that will allow allow us to become wealthy landowners....
One thing about the Hippocratic Oath intrigues me.
The part about not cutting for stones but leaving it to a specialist.
They may have been better than we think.
Could you even drink the water or survive exposure to the average human? We may have an idea of what the bacteria was like then, but I doubt our immune systems could adapt to the slight variations that would be inevitable over the millennium.
Some medical advances.
And I would show them how to make a wheelbarrow. :)
Perhaps, DaVinci was a time traveller stuck in that time doing as well as he could with the available resources at hand.
We’ve gained a lot of technical knowledge, but in the process we’ve lost some valuable insights. I think we’d be surprised at how much those “primitive” people from 1,000 years ago could teach us.