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Sexists: "Girls can't be interested in history" Girls: "Literally slay queen"
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this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2025
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Imagine the ammo you'll have to drag with you? You'll need massive amounts for a heavy machine gun.
Small arms fire would be better. But be careful. Reverse engineering with a found casing would happen. Changing the world forever.
Nobody:
The Romans after some reverse engineering:
Yep, this inevitably leads to Space Romans.
Imagine if some of the high ups in Rome heard that Boudicca had a mysterious craft that can shoot small darts at impossible speed. If anyone had such weapon, they will conquer the world.
Space romans:
On the other hand, they might dismiss it as a waste of ammunition. AFAIK There are Roman sources which complain about the polybolos being one.
You sure? As far as I know, there aren't any Roman sources about use of the polybolos.
Unfortunately I don't remember exactly where I read this, but I think it might have been on an explanatory sign next to a reconstructed polybolos in a museum a long time ago.
Obviously this is just a fun hypothetical but I doubt the Romans could learn anything valuable even from an entire captured weapon system because they simply could not create the base materials to duplicate it. Modern steel is far beyond their reach, it would seem like alien technology.
On the other hand, the Romans were really, really good at adapting technologies and equipment from not only conquered peoples, but also their enemies. Remember when they simply copied Carthage's ships and replaced Carthage as the dominant naval power in the Mediterranean?
The comparison does not hold up though. They were great at adapting same-era technology, but they would literally have to invent industrialisation and modern steel industry for them to be able to replicate a modern day machinegun. That is not something they would be able to do just by examining the object.
Yeah that's a fair take. No way they get anywhere close to making a modern gun.
I bet they'd make a cannon instead.
Steel is probably the matter of least concern, here. You can make a gun out of theoretically near-anything, so long as its service life is not a concern. Happening upon the formula for gunpowder and mercury fulminate by mere observation, though, would be like winning the lottery after being given a free ticket as a promo for being the millionth person to walk through the convenience store doors.
I mean, I'm pretty sure after getting the front lines raked just a few times, the resolve of the Romans would be pretty battered.
Counterpoint: Second Punic War. Can't be worse than the shit Hannibal was up to.
I mean, Hannibal routed the Romans in the battles. He just couldn't stop the stupid bastards from coming back for more after a month or two.
In 9 CE, the Germans under Arminius' command obliterated the 3 Roman Legions of Varus and thus, put an end on the Roman plan of conquering Germania magna.
I blame autocracy