Editing LosTech (section)

== Real Life ==

* '''Concrete''': Various forms of Concrete using (among other things) cement and volcanic ash were widely made during the Roman Empire, but the methods of producing these were lost in previous centuries. Turns out the secret to Roman Concrete was seawater interacting with silicon crystals to plug in any of the micro-cracks that would initially form after the concrete had cured. This is why you see ancient concrete buildings standing for 2000+ years near the sea while buildings made form modern/non-roman concrete begin to rot after ~20-40 years.
* '''Plumbing''': Some Four Thousand Years ago the Bronze Age Indian City of Mohenjo Daro had a complex sewer system. During the Classical Era it became the norm for cities to have sewers and during the Roman Empire public water supplies were fairly common with fountains and private plumbing for the rich. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, both would fade away in Western Europe, only re-emerging in the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment. 
* '''Greek Fire''': A napalm-like substance that was often used by the Byzantine Empire in naval warfare by shooting it out onto enemy boats. It's notable for still burning on the surface of water. Still hotly debated as to what it's made of, most experts agree it's got Petroleum as a base ingredient, and something else added to make sure it stays thick and goopy.
* '''Damascus Steel''': A rare example of modern LosTech being revived, just in a different way. A notably tough form of steel used in swords that has a cool wavy surface and was legendarily strong and flexible for the time they were made, giving rise to all sorts of tall tales as to what it can do from staying sharp for hundreds of years to cutting through the barrel of rifles. While the original techniques to make it were lost when the British Raj took over India, the actual metal itself (called Wootz) never disappeared and subsequent lab tests have created Damascus Steel so similar to the original you'd have to use a microscope to tell the difference, and arguably trying to reverse-engineer it created modern metallurgy.
* '''Clockwork mechanisms''': In the period between 60-150 BC there existed at least one clockwork orrey (Antikythera Mechanism) which could calculate various astrological phenomena tied to the Moon and the Sun and there are numerous mentions of similar mechanisms in the collections of various wealthy individuals. After the Classical Era it would take over a thousand years for the technology incorporating clockwork to start developing again. The reason for this was that the market for such devices was small and the people who made them were few in number and guarded the secrets of their trade carefully, being either self-taught or trained one-on-one by an established master. When these rare expensive mechanisms broke down, if they could not be repaired they would sooner or latter get recycled.

[[Category: BattleTech]]