Ancient Machina - manufacturing

Greetings everyone,

I have not posted very many topics on this site before, but I thought that today would be a great day to write one. The topic of this thread, is ancient machina, specifically, whatever manufacturing processes were behind creating them. In our modern society, manufacturing is a greatly compartmentalized process, which involves thousands of suppliers, spread out all around the world.

Now, I am going to input a bit of my own conjecture, into stating that I do believe in the ancient Rama writings, which talk about Vimana's, and other technological wonders. In our current understanding, these would be considered out of place artifacts; as there was no society, or other entity which could have produced the parts needed to create any of these wonders. Nonetheless, I still think that there is an abundance of evidence to show that these things did exist in our ancient past.

Seeing as how these machina most likely existed (at least in my mind), how were they:
1. Created
2. How was maintenance / upkeep performed?

Obviously, there was no world-wide manufacturing capacity to build and maintain these machines in the ancient past. At best, I would think that any non-terrestrial civilization living on Earth, which utilized these machines, would have been a distant colony at best. Considering that they were most likely cut off, and needed to be a self-sustaining colony, they would have needed a means to repair whatever machina they brought with them; or to create new if the need arose.

In my mind, and the most logical option for this, would be the use of 3-d printers.
Now, I know most of you will just ridicule this thread, and I really don't care. I am just trying to open your minds to a possibility to explain how these Out-Of-Place objects could have occurred.

3-d printers
www.makerbot.com...


A 3-d printer, which either possessed or could be loaded with the specifications of any component; could flawlessly reproduce that part onsite. I think that there would have most likely been a specific caste which would have been trained in the operation and maintenance of these 3-d printers. These individuals quite possibly could have been the Royal and Skilled Engineers which are often mentioned in writings like the Mahabharata.

These engineers would have been skilled enough to probably program new components into the system, thereby creating new machines. The only thing that would have been needed, is the raw materials to input into the 3-d printer. On another another note, the need for such raw materials, as what would not typically be needed by a stone-age civilization, could account for some of the extremely old mines which litter the globe.

www.ancienttrenches.com...

But this is just my thought, you are welcome to reject the possibility or to expand upon it.

Thanks for your attention.

Good theory. I like it.

You should add some info about the caves you speak of.

In the Mahabharata they speak of flying ships (vimana).

That works with mines worldwide.

Add a machine that takes plant based materials and turns them into natural oil based plastic products. By grinding down the plants for use you have a closed systems for production and material gathering.

Just thinking about replicators...err 3D printing machines...

reply to post by InCeNdIaDrAcOnIs


Here is a link for some sections from ancient manuscripts. In some of these, they talk about the Royal Engineers which I spoke of earlier.

www.hinduwisdom.info...

Thanks everyone

abeverage
Add a machine that takes plant based materials and turns them into natural oil based plastic products. By grinding down the plants for use you have a closed systems for production and material gathering.

Just thinking about replicators...err 3D printing machines...

I'd like to see a 3D printer make a cup of "Tea,Earl Grey,Hot"

reply to post by abeverage


Exactly, thanks for the contribution. This is what I was primarily talking about. That, IF there was an ancient civilization which had such machines; then they would have had some form of a closed-system means for production and maintenance of said machines.

reply to post by InCeNdIaDrAcOnIs


And here is some links for these ancient mines. Some speculate that these were created by Neanderthals...but the point is, that they were mining stuff they should not have needed.

mathildasanthropologyblog.wordpress.com...
www.sntc.org.sz...

reply to post by Imagewerx


Give it 50-100 years. The technology will seem alien compared to what we have now.

Hope i live long enough to see some space colonization.

Any machine would in fact mean that there has to be an infrastructure capable of producing all individual parts. Making civilization way more complex.

The technological advances have to make it possible, for the machine getting imagined for the first time.

You can't imagine a space probe, if you never seen or heard about anything getting launched into space.
An increasing technological society, continuously expands, building from the last thing up.

I'm not really sure what point you were trying to make though ?

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


You basically just stated it. That there was no large system around which could have produced anything. Essentially, every part which would be needed, would have to be custom made. Considering the complexity of something such as a flying machine, obviously the parts were not made by hand. Hence, if they were not made by hand, and there was no large manufacturing infrastructure, then obviously there must have been some form of self-contained manufacturing apparatus such as a 3-d printer, which created the needed component.

InCeNdIaDrAcOnIs
reply to post by InCeNdIaDrAcOnIs

 

Here is a link for some sections from ancient manuscripts. In some of these, they talk about the Royal Engineers which I spoke of earlier.

www.hinduwisdom.info...

Thanks everyone

From your link, a random quote I checked:

" The atomic energy fissions the ninety-nine elements, covering its path by the bombardments of neutrons without let or hindrance. Desirous of stalking the head, ie. The chief part of the swift power, hidden in the mass of molecular adjustments of the elements, this atomic energy approaches it in the very act of fissioning it by the above-noted bombardment. Herein, verily the scientists know the similar hidden striking force of the rays of the sun working in the orbit of the moon." (Atharva-veda 20.41.1-3).

From the Atharva-veda, Book 20, Hymn 41, lines 1 through 3:

1 With bones of Dadhyach for his arms, Indra, resistless in attack,
Struck nine-and-ninety Vritras dead,
2 He, searching for the horse's head, removed among the moun-
tains, found
At Saryanāvān what he sought.
3 Then verily they recognized the essential form of Tvashtar's Bull.
Here in the mansion of the Moon.

Care to explain?

Harte

InCeNdIaDrAcOnIs
reply to post by InCeNdIaDrAcOnIs

 

And here is some links for these ancient mines. Some speculate that these were created by Neanderthals...but the point is, that they were mining stuff they should not have needed.

mathildasanthropologyblog.wordpress.com...
www.sntc.org.sz...

First link is a chert mine. They didn't use flint?

Second link explains why the hematite was mined. It is the red ochre piugment we know the Neandertal used. This they "didn't need?"

Well, they thought they needed both so much that they dug them up and actually used them - leaving behind the evidence of their use.

Harte

That's cool your reading into Hindism. One of my fave religions. I bought the Holy Vedas and I've come across some very advanced sounding stuff. Amazing to me because of how old these writings are.

reply to post by InCeNdIaDrAcOnIs


Very clever idea's and given that we are only at the infant stage of home production with Three Dimensional laminar printing technologys and are already starting to use it in precision engineering, well imaging a far more ancient culture with more mature technology along these lines, there form of 3D printer may be beyond what we know and maybe even at the stage of having small deployable universal constructors which not only produce macromolecular objects but can taylor the very atomic structure's and produce specific molecular structures which could then be coupled with a 3D like process to produce far more varied applications than standard 3D printers no matter how advanced ever could, Cool S+F

I don't believe in ancient flying machines I suppose. During human prehistory we forgot far more things than we learnt. Prior to writing, imagine the number of things people invented that died with them. Consider that we're still discovering ancient water based machine calendars and all kinds of things invented by single persons.

Still, I think it's more fun to entertain this idea than dismiss it, OP.

I think the easiest answer is a self replicating machine. A society that has conquered space travel has such an abundant access to resources that I don't believe it would ever occur to them to be overly thrifty. I suppose that's one reason why also don't think it's possible ...

We would like to think our alien visitors would be respectful to our little planet, but why? What reason would they possibly have? Surely they would just see it as another rock and cover it in ET litter as they felt?

On the flip side, with their self replicating machines they would just need a small device which would instantly make a copy of their flying machine and a copy of itself as required. When the machine is damaged they wouldn't repair it, they would simply have their machine make another one.

If ET history progresses similar to our own history, by the time we hit space there would be no need to ask primitive creatures to aid in engineering anything since AI will do it for us.

reply to post by Pinke


See, you are getting more into the subject, than what I had originally thought of. I was just entertaining the notion of how an ancient (distant, self sustaining), space-faring civilization could maintain, or replace any of their machines; which would naturally need refurbishing, as all other mechanical devices do.

Basically, I was thinking that they most likely did not have a global, industrial manufacturing base, (as we have today); which could be utilized to replace, manufacture, or refurbish any type of machine.

Therefore, the most logical conclusion that I could come up with, is that they had to have implemented some kind of self-contained manufacturing device; which could perform the functions of literally hundreds of different industrial machines. Essentially, the closest thing that came to mind, which everyone could relate to, is the concept of a 3-d printer.

Now whether or not heir devices worked on a quantum level, or employed some type of nano-manufacturing...... is a topic for a different thread altogether.

reply to post by LABTECH767


Ahhh, excellent reply. This is one topic that I had also started to contemplate.

I began to think about a civilization, that is possibly tens of thousands of generations old....and the level of technology they could theoretically possess. A society such as this, would have technology that could utilize/ extrapolate /manipulate, the very programming language itself, which lies behind the nature of creation. The universe is so infinite; that a singular group of individuals from this society, (with their technology), could venture to some forgotten, distant corner of the galaxy...set up shop....and become instant "gods" of the entire planet they possess.

reply to post by InCeNdIaDrAcOnIs


It might be a little too much thought or detail, but I think it's important in considering your hypothesis and thoughts.

Outside of the thought experiment: If they could produce devices which build themselves then surely they would use these devices to perform mining and resource gathering? Would we then have to consider the concept that these devices leave human like mining tunnels? Why would they do this?

I suppose there is always the prime directive haha

reply to post by Pinke


Haha, Great Point!!!


Isn't it funny, ow the 'old P.D. always seems to F__K these "ancient aliens"!!

shaneslaughta
reply to post by Imagewerx

 

Give it 50-100 years. The technology will seem alien compared to what we have now.

Hope i live long enough to see some space colonization.

That very same technology that "will seem alien" in the next few years will be what ensures you'll be around to see the rest of it. I'm not convinced my generation will die and I'm pretty darned sure my daughter's never will.