Why Europe?

[Unkotare]

Why would it?

I don't know. It sure would be interesting though. It could change in a positive or negative way or could remain the same. All I suspect is that a great deal of knowledge is kept hidden in there.

I would say "preserved" rather than "hidden," but would it change the question at hand?

No it wouldn't change the question. Hidden and preserved, how is that? If it were not hidden they could publish most of it. Nowadays we have the technology to copy them without damaging them, no? (I couldn't enjoy them though, lack of language proficiency)

Maybe that's the point. What do you think is there that we don't know about at least in general terms?

Early discoveries and esoteric knowledge.

Of what exactly, and if so why would it be hidden?

 

[Tilly]

Fossil fuels - the mineral economy.

Why Europe ruled the World

 

[Tilly]

I don't know. It sure would be interesting though. It could change in a positive or negative way or could remain the same. All I suspect is that a great deal of knowledge is kept hidden in there.

I would say "preserved" rather than "hidden," but would it change the question at hand?

No it wouldn't change the question. Hidden and preserved, how is that? If it were not hidden they could publish most of it. Nowadays we have the technology to copy them without damaging them, no? (I couldn't enjoy them though, lack of language proficiency)

Maybe that's the point. What do you think is there that we don't know about at least in general terms?

Early discoveries and esoteric knowledge.

Of what exactly, and if so why would it be hidden?

Non canonical gnostic writings

 

[Unkotare]

I would say "preserved" rather than "hidden," but would it change the question at hand?

No it wouldn't change the question. Hidden and preserved, how is that? If it were not hidden they could publish most of it. Nowadays we have the technology to copy them without damaging them, no? (I couldn't enjoy them though, lack of language proficiency)

Maybe that's the point. What do you think is there that we don't know about at least in general terms?

Early discoveries and esoteric knowledge.

Of what exactly, and if so why would it be hidden?

Non canonical gnostic writings

Oh, I was hoping it would be something like the recipe for that wine that never runs out.

 

[defcon4]

Of what exactly, and if so why would it be hidden?

I have no idea. One could be why the Knights Templar were annihilated? What the Templars knew threatening the Church's existence? Yes, their wealth was very attractive to lay hands on but there had to be something more important. I think the reason can be found in that library. They were digging under Solomon's Temple, their rituals were very unusual what we know about. They were religious but they had deeper understanding of the Bible's second layer message. Anyhow, that's just one thing I wonder about.

 

[Tilly]

Of what exactly, and if so why would it be hidden?

I have no idea. One could be why the Knights Templar were annihilated? What the Templars knew threatening the Church's existence? Yes, their wealth was very attractive to lay hands on but there had to be something more important. I think the reason can be found in that library. They were digging under Solomon's Temple, their rituals were very unusual what we know about. They were religious but they had deeper understanding of the Bible's second layer message. Anyhow, that's just one thing I wonder about.

Phillipe the Fair did 'em in. I thought it was to get his hands on their money and because their influence was a source of envy for him.

 

[Unkotare]

So as to the OP, I was thinking more along the lines of Guns, Germs, Steel, Geography, Livestock, or the other well-trodden theories.

 

[Tilly]

Curiosity, greed, determination, fossil fuels, industrial revolution, arrogance?

 

[Unkotare]

Curiosity, greed, determination, fossil fuels, industrial revolution, arrogance?

Did other regions lack those?

 

[defcon4]

Of what exactly, and if so why would it be hidden?

I have no idea. One could be why the Knights Templar were annihilated? What the Templars knew threatening the Church's existence? Yes, their wealth was very attractive to lay hands on but there had to be something more important. I think the reason can be found in that library. They were digging under Solomon's Temple, their rituals were very unusual what we know about. They were religious but they had deeper understanding of the Bible's second layer message. Anyhow, that's just one thing I wonder about.

Phillipe the Fair did 'em in. I thought it was to get his hands on their money and because their influence was a source of envy for him.

Not enough reason. It is one of the reasons of a more complex issue - that's my guess.

 

[Tilly]

Curiosity, greed, determination, fossil fuels, industrial revolution, arrogance?

Did other regions lack those?

Well, any kind of growth depended upon how much food a country could grow. That depended on energy. At one point the only energy was photosynthesis. Until Britain, for example, began using an alternative type of energy - fossil fuels - coal. That freed up workers, fuelled the industrial revolution and made expansion and exploration more doable. In the article I posted, the author postulates that the reason, say China, did not expand in this way at the same time, is that they continued to try to perfect agriculture instead of also trying to find better energy sources to improve production and free up possibilities. This argument seems better than many to me, and it of course allowed for curiosity and greed to develop beyond idle thoughts and desires and into action. Then, of course, exploration and discovery of other lands led to more wealth and the heathen Europeans were no longer restricted to production in their relatively small parcels of the lands from which they came?

 

[Tilly]

Of what exactly, and if so why would it be hidden?

I have no idea. One could be why the Knights Templar were annihilated? What the Templars knew threatening the Church's existence? Yes, their wealth was very attractive to lay hands on but there had to be something more important. I think the reason can be found in that library. They were digging under Solomon's Temple, their rituals were very unusual what we know about. They were religious but they had deeper understanding of the Bible's second layer message. Anyhow, that's just one thing I wonder about.

Phillipe the Fair did 'em in. I thought it was to get his hands on their money and because their influence was a source of envy for him.

Not enough reason. It is one of the reasons of a more complex issue - that's my guess.

I agree. Phillipe also owed them a lot of money, and he was concerned that they'd grown to become an army more or less, had participated in some kind of coup ? In Cyprus? (Can't remember), and that they wanted their own 'country' in the Languedoc. It's a long time since I read this stuff, but I agree there always seemed to be more to it.

 

[Unkotare]

Curiosity, greed, determination, fossil fuels, industrial revolution, arrogance?

Did other regions lack those?

Well, any kind of growth depended upon how much food a country could grow. That depended on energy. At one point the only energy was photosynthesis. Until Britain, for example, began using an alternative type of energy - fossil fuels - coal. That freed up workers, fuelled the industrial revolution and made expansion and exploration more doable. In the article I posted, the author postulates that the reason, say China, did not expand in this way at the same time, is that they continued to try to perfect agriculture instead of also trying to find better energy sources to improve production and free up possibilities.....

Um...come again?

 

[Bleipriester]

It was truly the dark age. While some epochal inventions were made and a whiff of humanity emerged in the late dark age, other aspects show that the European middle age was far behind the Romans in terms of society. Local princes had the right to deflower girls and women the night before their marriage. There was peonage and the working day had 12 hours. Few people could read and write. Spiked heads on the bridges. Authorities caused a stagnation of human development for centuries. Beggar was an officially recognized occupation. Of course there were different social classes. The Middle East was way ahead during this time.
When the age of reconnaissance began, people started to receive rights. That doesn´t mean that they were wealthy. In fact it was the time of the consolidation of the established system. Principalities that formed loose bounds grew to the today´s nations. During the reconnaissance, empires arose from these loose bounds. It was the birthday of the national identity. However, pure capitalism ruled the people and workers often earned nothing but a bunch of potatoes. The cities were full of barracks and workhouses. It was the socialist movement that pushed wealth. In the early 20th century, millions of Germans were organized in unions and the living standard slowly rose.

The middle age hardly witnessed any population growth in Germany:

Population of Germany

 

[Unkotare]

 

[Bleipriester]

What´s funny?

 

[Unkotare]

Ah yes, The Reconnaissance, an age of great observation...

 

[Unkotare]

What´s funny?

Your spelling or your pretend economics, take your pick.

 

[Bleipriester]

What´s funny?

Your spelling or your pretend economics, take your pick.

Both are ok resp. truthful.

 

[TheOldSchool]

There are many theories as to why a continent full of bloodthirsty, inbred, filthy savages should emerge from the so-called 'Dark Ages' and become the dominant region of the world for a long time. Just wondering which one y'all find most compelling. It's a fascinating historical question, in any case.

They stole gunpowder from the Chinese and figured out they could use it to kill lots of people and take their stuff