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Originally Posted by Alfirin

I can think of several "lost formulae" that would be very valuable today but are no longer within our knowedge. How about Damascus steel, generally still regarded as the finest in the world? We've gotten close but as far as I remember we still haven't made any steel in modern times that equals it in quality and toughness.

Surely we have even better materials today (but, being made in huge batches, aren't as unique as the thousands of individual mixes of steel). I would use the analogy of my wife's cookies. There was that one batch that was the best - all are mostly great - but some contaminant made that one batch stick out (could have been the coffee). And I found this regarding recapturing the tech.

Or "greek fire", we still don't know what went into that and I am sure there is someone who could find use for it in modern times.

A cruise missile or any of its small children isn't as useful? And against wooden sail boats?

Lest you think all of the lost tecnology is exculsively military (and hence, some might argue, things which are better left lost) How about a Stradavarius violin. No morder violing make can make one as good and most reasarchers agree that it isn't all in the fact that they are so old. (one program I once saw suggested that the secer could be unusual growth rings in Italian trees caused by the climate condions durng the time preceding and during the so called "Little Ice Age"

As you can guess, I can disagree here as well. Show me an objective 'double-blinded' study where a Strat is compared to a better quality violin made today. I've seen too many studies where 'designer labels' bias 'professionals' into making subjective judgments, thus securing their jobs.

Then again, with my tin ear, they'd both most likely sound like fiddles.

For the most part I agree that in genereal as time progresses we tend to gain tecnical knowedge not lose it. but there are anomolies. The "Greek computer" has been discussed in an earlier thread, and most archeologists now concede that the "Bagdad Battery" really is a form of primitive electrical cell. There Hero's steam ball which had it been utilized (say some historians) could have given the ancient greeks the steam engine and the locomotive. Finally there is the famous "Pillar of Dheli" and iron pillar cast of such high grade metal that it has stood outdoors in a humid climate (India) for almost 2000 years as still show little or no signs of rust. that enogh for now

Surely there were smart (even smarter) people back then, but they didn't have the information that is at our fingertips today to help. On the other hand, to me most people are the same as they were in the past.

Sorry for being such a wet blanket.