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Originally Posted by WarMachine
This bit has been bugging me all night. We have no idea what a previous, technological civilization would leave behind -- we can merely extrapolate based on our "verifiable" history(and there is a lot of room to maneuver on that score!).
We're not even sure where they're build-site/industrial center would be.
Additionally, if "Catastrophy X"® were to happen today, reducing current Human society to the Stone Age or worse, how much of our industrial footprint would be left 500-1000 years from now? Not much.
I am reminded of a WW2 book, "American Guerilla in the Phillipines", about a US soldier who escaped the surrender at Bataan/Corrigador and fought in the jungle until 1944. When they were trying to rig up a telegraph system, the main problem they had wasn't the Japanese...it was simple bandits, who would steal the copper wire in the night right off of the trees, to sell back to the Japanese.
Most of our industry, if left unattended, would simply rust away inside of 1000 years; add in riots/looting/wars/land-clearance/all-of-the-above, and most of our signature will be dust and rust, figuratively overnight.
As a straight-out speculation: Let's suppose a "technological" civilization existed c.11000-10000BC; now, completely destroy it -- the means are largely irrelevant. knock whoever survived back to a pre-Stone Age level.
Now, run the clock forward c.5000 years.
What would be left?
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1. Foundations of buildings.
2. Mines and their tailings.
3. Cities.
4. Roads and railroads.
5. Artifacts.(Yes; actual helicopter parts- some of those plastics and ceranics are vitually indestructable by any local natural process short of heat- and you would recognize the slag as manmade.)
6. Their environmental pollution.
7. Word of mouth/legends.
7. And if they were our equals?
SATELLITES IN ORBIT.
After all we dig up trilobites, don't we?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilobite
Trilobite
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
?Trilobite
Fossil range: Cambrian - Permian
Asaphiscus wheeleri, a trilobite
from Cambrian-age shale in Utah
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Trilobita
Walch, 1771
Orders
Agnostida
Redlichiida
Corynexochida
Lichida
Phacopida
Proetida
Asaphida
Harpetida
Ptychopariida
Proposed order
Nektaspida
Trilobites are extinct arthropods in the class Trilobita. They appeared in the Cambrian era and flourished throughout the lower Palaeozoic before slowly declining to extinction. The last of the trilobites disappeared in the mass extinction at the end of the Permian 250 million years ago. Trilobites are well-known, possibly the second most famous fossil group after the dinosaurs, and are the most diverse group of animal species preserved in the fossil record, consisting of eight, possibly nine, orders and over 15,000 species. Most were simple, small marine animals that filtered mud to obtain food.
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That is 250 million years DEAD.
Best wishes;
