Baraka_Guru

Most of us could become scribes. All this requires is being able to copy from a manuscript text onto someone's private pages. Think of it as being a medieval photocopier. Regardless of what we do now, most of us could copy from one book to another. As long as you went to a larger city, I'm sure you could find a job as a scribe. As a public scribe, you would scribe information for record keeping, and you could possibly also write letters via dictation. You would, of course, need to know the language for dictation and record keeping, but you could perhaps start as a transcriber of manuscripts as you brushed up. You could also be a scribe for the Catholic Church.

You could also work for merchants as an accountant to keep track of goods, ships, caravans, and money. All you need is an abacus, a quill, an inkwell, and some paper. You might have to work as a grunt first before they realize you were educated enough to do more intelligent tasks.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

roachboy

much would depend on where you landed.
mostly, europe in the early 11th century would probably have been a dismal backwater. think song of roland. yuck.
there is this society of creative anachronism thing, which enables folk to imagine that because every bourgeois is so special that fate would decree they projected backward in time as an aristocrat-type and so would be able to mobilize their serfs for sessions of whacking and dismembering and maybe even, if the timing was right, a vast exercise in collective futility like a crusade.
but this is a dismal period. pre 11th century renaissance--pre-aquinas, pre-ockham.

better to land in what is now iraq. way way better.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

Willravel

Precisely. One would be better off, if dropped off in Europe, heading East or South to Africa. Around 1000 physicians and philosophers were popping up all over the Islamic world and were far and away welcomed. I'd love to speak to Avicenna about his philosophies and sciences.

The only real issue with this would be if you're a woman. Unfortunately, at this time there were really very few places in the world where you could expect to be treated with respect. The only real possibility I can think of would be to see if you can cross the Atlantic and settle in with Native Americans.

Baraka_Guru

And this is why it is a question of survival, not a question of prosperity.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Giant Hamburger

I would dress like a clown and do the robot dance until someone smashed my head in.
I may or may not have cymbals on the insides of my knees.

pocon1

nothing to say

Willravel

Giant Hamburger would outlast us all due to his ability to fly.

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.

pocon1

nothing to say

Willravel

Actually, children in that use would be "liberi". Well look at that, I actually do know a little latin!

And in the year 1000, a 24 year old would be middle-aged, not a child.

Baraka_Guru

This is full forpampred and forlived. It y mowe forleten.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

loquitur

If we arrived in the year M (that's how it would have been written in Europe back then) we'd be immediately suspect for having all our teeth.

Willravel

Now that's an interesting point. I kept going back in my mind to the idea that most of us would be considered to appear like royalty. Teeth, hair, etc. would all appear much better than your average surf. Imagine if someone appeared today driving an Aston Martin wearing a Jon Green custom suit and an Omega watch, with perfect complexion, in perfect physical shape and didn't speak the language. I would assume this man was likely quite rich and at least a bit powerful.

pocon1

nothing to say

LoganSnake

Ooooh, British, of course!

I mean, come on. He just described James Bond.

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Willravel

Of course it's serf and not surf. I also often spell grammar "grammer". They're called quirks and I've got oodles.
Name me one individual in the US who is powerful but not rich.

sapiens

Probably doesn't matter, but he didn't suggest that. He effectively said "rich, but not powerful".

Willravel

I'm suggesting a link, be it correlative or causal.

highthief

I thought Will was talking about a "smurf". I think he'd do very well as a smurf. Is he more than three apples high?

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

sapiens

It's not necessarily a question of correlation. He could be saying you could be rich, but not powerful. You're asking him to name someone who's powerful, but not rich. I do agree that they are likely correlated.

Back to the OP, I would awe them with my clever physical comedy and impressive physique - no language abilities necessary.

Willravel

If apples were 2' high, I'd be exactly 3 apples high. *goes off to find giant apples*.

Hehehe... yes, I decided it would be better to ignore those.
I suppose that's how one defines power. One with a lot of money does have economic power. Probably status, too. What would be the modern equivalent to a medieval land owner?

jorgelito

A modern land owner...?

Willravel

...maybe I should rephrase. What would be the modern incarnation of a lower level member of the aristocracy in medieval times?

pocon1

nothing to say

Willravel

Still grumpy, eh?

The flashy car was a status symbol, but it does establish a decent income. This is why it's exceedingly rare to see a ticket distributor of a movie theater driving a new Jag.

Speaking of incomes, the average income in Washington DC is about $46k a year. What would you call someone who makes more than double the average income of the people in their community, like a Georgetown professor?

pocon1

nothing to say

Willravel

WOOSH!

pocon1

nothing to say

Willravel

Oh, that's not me. I googled "hand over head". First image.

pocon1

nothing to say

Baraka_Guru

Did somebody say "humour"!?

This calls for a physician!



This is actually important for your survival. This is how people described different temperaments. (Hint: Stay away from the choleric!)

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

pocon1

nothing to say

Willravel

Okay, a real answer:
First off, if it's really random, odds are you'd be deposited nowhere near other people. This means survival 101. Shelter, food, water, safety. If you're lucky, someone might meet you or you might find someone when you're exploring or hunting, but really it's likely that you'll simply live out your life in a forest somewhere. And it's actually better. We'd be bringing back bacteria and viruses that didn't exist then, and that as such there were no antibodies for.

Step 1: You're probably not going to be dropped off next to a stream with cover and such, so you'd need to scout a bit and then construct a makeshift shelter near where you think it'd be most prudent. Then you have to get as much firewood as possible and try to get a fire started. If you're damned lucky, you can get a fire going before nightfall. In the morning you scrounge for food, likely bugs. If you're lucky, you won't starve. After you've gathered some food and supplies, you go off in search of a more permanent residence.

Step 2: Once you find a place close to fresh water, and that you feel won't flood, and that's on high ground, you start digging. I'm thinking maybe a 15'x15' square, maybe 2' down. With the dirt excavated, you create a barrier around the hole, and pack it down well. Be sure that the ground of the hole is solid, maybe near rock protrusions from the ground. Do not dig into a sandy loam. After this, it's time to start developing tools. Hopefully you found ways to assist in digging, you'll need those. Let's be honest, the average person can't forge an axe, so you'll need to make stone axes. This will take time. You need to locate stones made up of strong enough material to actually chop wood, which probably means a dense volcanic or igneous rock like basalt, diorite, granite, or quartzite. Good news: you're in Europe. One of the reasons Europe was able to move ahead of many other areas where humans developed was the easy access to mine-able materials. But really, most of this will be trial and error. Bring back a collection of possible axe-heads and test them on nearby trees. Did it break? Discard and move on. Is it intact? Good. Now it's time to build your cabin.

Step 3: You should spread out to get your wood. Heh. You'll need fairly strong walls and supports, which means thick wood. Heh. I would suggest chopping down a few trees for the 4 corners of the house and planning on building a shed roof (or a flat roof which is lower on one side than the other). It'd be way too difficult to try and build a gable roof your first time. Once your 4 corners are in place, you get to mud and stacking. Use logs like bricks and mud like mortar. Hopefully you can find a loam rich in clay nearby, which would make a much better wall. Once 3 walls are up, it's time for a roof. This will not be easy. You'll need to have a set of supports in place, then use bent sapling poles to tie down bark into the roof in order to make it as waterproof as possible. Be sure it's waterproof by testing every square inch. If you notice dipping, you need thicker supports. The 4th wall will be for your stove. Gather as many rocks as possible and stack them up to the height of about 2' tall. Make sure it's strong and stable. You'll want it at this height in order to make cleaning out the ashes easier. You'll then want to build two walls on each side of the area that will host the fire and cover the back with a large flat stone you can move. Again, this is for clearing out ashes. Have the smoke stack open above the ash door and facing away from your home. It's made of wood, and the last thing you need is a fire. Finish the 4th wall on each side of the fireplace and seal them with the clay loam.

Oh, and don't forget an opening as a door. You don't want to have to exit through the ash door. After this, It's simply a matter of hunting for meat, finding berries and seeds to plant nearby and to cultivate, and saving up for winter. You'll want pelts to cover yourself at night, and a decent supply of dry wood to burn.

If you're lucky enough to get this far, you're going to get bored soon. This might be a good time to explore and map the area.

hannukah harry

will, that seems kinda defeatest, don't you think? even if you're not put down anywhere near another person (and i really don't think you'd be that far from civilization, although it could take days/weeks to find someone walking), don't you think it would make more sense to find civilization than to dig in and plan on being lonely?

i think, once you've found some food and water, it makes much more sense to search out civilization... it might be a crapshoot whether they kill you or not, but better that than going crazy being alone. and you never know who's land you're on, if they find you living there, you may have zero chance.

__________________
shabbat shalom, mother fucker! - the hebrew hammer

Willravel

There probably weren't even 30 million people in all of Europe around the tenth century. And that's over about 4 million square miles (7.5 people per square mile). To put that into perspective, Montana has about a million people over 147k square miles (6.8 people per square mile).

I see it more as pragmatic than defeatist. Once you're established and stable, then maybe you can go looking for people if you get lonely. But really, if you just set off, you're asking for trouble; predatory animals and the elements can make life difficult for a wandering stranger.

DaveOrion

Damn will, what happened to changing the world with your advanced 21st century brain power??? Now your going to live alone in the forest???

__________________
Syriana...have you ever tried liquid MDMA?....Liquid MDMA? No....Arash, when you wanna do this?.....After prayer...

LoganSnake

If I'm being transported into Europe in the year 1000, I'd want to be equipped with the following.





With enough fuel to last both a long, long, long time.













All kinds of ammo.





A guide...





Flint...



Lots of these...animal intestines or leather pouches don't sound comfortable...

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

highthief

If you take only one thing, bring one of the long guns with an automatic feature. After that, learning the language, getting a job, obtaining shelter will likely take of itself!

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

hannukah harry

cheater.

__________________
shabbat shalom, mother fucker! - the hebrew hammer

LoganSnake

Nothing wrong with a little cheating. At least I'll stand a better chance of surviving than the rest of the schmucks who will be transported naked.

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Willravel

Well as I said the odds of being deposited near a populated area are low, and the odds of surviving several days of looking for what passed for civilization then I would imagine are slim to nil.

Even if one found other people, one would have to ask one's self about the historical repercussions for each and every action. Even one living an unobtrusive and quiet life could still do incredible damage to the timeline. What if you flirt with a woman who is supposed to marry someone else and that was supposed to eventually give birth to Winston Churchill's ancestor? Could you be responsible for Nazi Germany leading a successful invasion of England? That responsibility is too great. The best thing to do would be to not make contact with anyone and try to erase the fact that you ever existed.

Without an advanced education in temporal causality (something not even taught yet), no one has the intellectual ability to effect the past with any certainty of positive result in the present.