What era would you like to live in?

That's an interesting question. One I'll have to think about.

If I could be protected from harm/diseases, I'd like to spend maybe a day in a small village of the middle ages.
Ditto for ancient Greece.

From the little reading I've done though, women were not treated well at all in ancient Greece. They remained in the home, and didn't venture out. Their living conditions were quite poor.

If you lived in the middle ages, you wouldn't want to be a woman of the aristocracy--they were just brood mares. Maybe the wife of a prosperous peasant or a merchant . . .

Sparta!

That sounds like a time I'd like to see. Especially to witness how women lived.

i think it would be interesting to start in about the 1600 and move forward by 50 years every month or so

a favourite story from Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series is one called Men of Good Fortune

Plot Summary

Our story opens in an English tavern in the late 1300’s. The customers grouse about taxes, impending wars, and the other myriad of problems that are affecting their livelihood. in the midst of it all, two pale customers come in and order drinks. They are Oneiros and Teluete, better known to us as Dream and Death, and at the moment, Dream is grumbling about being dragged to the mortal plain. Death reckons, however, that it is good for him to spend time among the humans and see things on their terms for a change.

As they settle in, they hear a brazen young man announcing that he has no intention of dying- that people only die because they choose to. Death and Dream are, to say the least, quite amused by this man’s boast, and as a sort of game, Dream asks his sister if she would entertain this man’s notions. She agrees, and Dream approaches the man and asks, “Did I hear you say you had no intention of ever dying?” “Then let us meet here again, in this tavern, in a hundred years!” The crowd around Hob Gadling erupts into laughter, but he seriously says, “I will see you in the year of our lord 1489, then.”

We move ahead, and it is now 1489, and the look on Hob Gadling’s face is one of disbelieve and caution. Staring at Dream sitting across him at a table in the pub, he asks, “How did you know?…Who ARE you…? Have I unwittingly made a bargain with the Devil?” to which Dream replies, “No…I am merely …interested”.

They go on to talk about the exciting new things that have come up, from chimneys to handkerchiefs, and Hob is excited about venturing into a new thing called printing.

“So you still want to live?’ asks Dream. “Oh, Yes” is the reply. Then they agree to meet again in a hundred years.

It is now 1589. Through the Shipping Trade, Hob has made himself a very rich man. With a huge donation to the king, he has even been knighted. He is no longer Hob, but Sir Robert Gadlen. His business is expanding and expanding, and there’s nowhere to go but up…

A Filthy, starving beggar arrives at the door of the Pub, and becomes belligerent when denied access inside. Upon recognizing the peasant as Hob Gadling, he asks the doorman to let him in. it is now 1689, and times have not been well for the young Hob Gadling. He has lost everything he had in the last century, his family and business, and asks ”Do you know how hungry a man can get when he is starving but doesn’t die?” Dream looks seriously at Hob, believing the game is over, and asks, “Do you not seek the respite of Death?, to which Hob flashes a beaming smile and says “Are you crazy? Death is a mug’s game…I’ve got so much to live for!”

By the time Dream meets up with Hob again in 1789 , he has become a successful Slave Trader, a profession that appalls Dream. Hob excitedly explains how cotton is traded for slaves, and the slaves are traded for tobacco and sugar, and then back again. Suddenly the two are accosted at their table by a woman and her two henchmen. She is Lady Johanna Constantine, and she’s been following the lead on a legend that spoke of The Devil meeting a Wandering Jew every century at a tavern. Dream flatly states “I am no Devil” and Hob offers, “And I’m not a Jew!” , but the team knows what they have , and attempt to abduct them, saying “There’s so much you can teach me. So much I can Learn.” Dream pulls out a bag of dust and says “No. I Think Not”. Lady Johanna is suddenly sobbing in a trance. He has shown her her old ghosts, and she is entranced by them. The two are free to slip out, and as they depart, Dream leaves Hob with something to ponder: “It is a poor thing to enslave another. I would suggest you find yourself a different line of business.”

Forward to 1889. Hob comments to Dream that he’s noticed he’s not the only one who seems to live forever. Over the centuries he’s seen quite a few people that seem to have been around as long as he. Then he turns the subject to the matter of why Dream meets him at the Tavern every 100 years. Really, Why does he do it? He’s seen what happens when someone lives forever, so that can’t be it. And after 500 years, Hob hasn’t changed all that much as a person. No, he concludes, the reason Dream come every century is because he’s lonely. This offends the Dream Lord to no end, that Hob would dare say that he needed friendship from a mortal! As Dream gets up to leave, Hob calls out, “Tell you what, I’LL be here in another 100 years, and if YOU’RE here then, too, it will be because we’re friends. No other reason, right? “Right?’ be asks, unsure of himself as Dream stalks off.

It is now 1989, and we see a very modern Robert Gadling in a blue suit and tie waiting anxiously at his table, while the customers grouse about taxes and impending wars, and all the problems that affect their livelihood. The door opens, and as the figure steps in, Robert stammers, “I…I wasn’t sure you’d be coming”

To which Dream smiles and says “I have always heard it was impolite to keep one’s friends waiting!”

the story opens and closes with very similar conversations despite the 600 year difference

The first and last meetings each have a scene where snippets of conversation around the inn can be seen; though the scenes are in 1389 and 1989 respectively, the conversations are very similar. For example, "No, of course the plague isn't God's punishment" matches "Don't be a pillock, Darren, of course AIDS isn't a punishment from God", as well as criticisms of two unpopular and resistance-inducing poll taxes, one instituted in the 1380s under King Richard II, the other instituted in the 1980s under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

That would make a great play and I'd go see it. You always have such interesting things to add, dj.

Now is my era of choice.

Now is the best time to be female (at least if you live in North America or most parts of Europe).

As just a tourist, I would like to see a Solstice during the Neolithic period in England, a re-visit in 1066, another go on the day Henry Viii married Anne, Italy the day the Sistine Chapel ceiling was finishing up, and France for a few days in the court of a twenty-something Louis 14.

I enjoyed the 1940s n 1950s.
It was a different world; it felt different.

I 'd like to go back then,
but with some modern technology, for comfort.





David

I have always been convinced I was born into a wrong time in history. I should have born into the time and place of Pride and Prejudice.

Then I would wear beautiful gowns and stroll through orchards with my beau.

You can do that today Spidey, and the best part is no will expect you get married when you return from your walk.

Funny, we just talked about this yesterday, after I explained the old 60s movie "the time machine" to my daughter. She asked me too, where I would travel
with the time machine and I replied that if I had a choice then I'd like to have
a peak into the future, say 2050 or so....

The past hasn't been too kind to women, not in the middle ages, the 1600s or
even up to the 1950s, so I would have no interest to be there.

You don't have to be a woman in those times, CJ. I'd like to also visit the dawn of man

I'd like to live in the 18th century era. Like in a Jane Austen novel. But only if I were a "Lady" or "Baroness" or some such thing.

I'd love to have my own servant that dresses me and cares for me. And I take walks and travel to Bath and go to balls.

Some one with my own thoughts - but you must be a "gentlelady" else you end up being a servant.

If it were just for a few days or so, i'd love to visit Japan about 5000 years ago. There is so much that we don't know about Jomon civilization. They invented pottery thousands of years before anyone else, and it now appears that they were not just old stone age and then middle stone age, but actually had attributes of new stone age at the same time that their tools were old and middle stone age. It also appears that they were growing rice while they were still hunting, fishing and gathering. Recently (within the last 20 years), a large town has been discovered in Japan at what is called the Sennai-Maruyama site, which was a large city by neolithic standards, with more than a thousand buildings. A society which does not yet have meallurgy, and uses old stone age tools, but which has pottery (a sedentary art--itinerant hunter-garthers have no use for pots) and is sufficiently well-organized for what was in stone age terms such a large city would be a very interesting place to visit. I wouldn't want to live there, though . . .

I couldn't do it. Women had no rights at all. I understand that women in Sparta had much more rights and respect than in most societies of that time - because the men were off learning how to use enemies' heads as bowling balls.

So, Spartan women are left running things - but that included severely mistreating Helots and having their sons ripped from them at age 7. I couldn't do it. Still, a fly on the wall vantage point of this society would undoubtably be fascinating.

Thinking of the time I'd like...

I'll be the first person here to admit wanting to live a millenia into the future (give or take a decade): 3010ish CE.

I'm pretty sure this mouth on me, and a searing problem with inequality would likely get me stoned or beheaded in most ancient societies... Plus, I'm not the best person to be skinning animals and boiling them down and stuff. If I can't thaw my edible creatures in a microwave, my family will perish. If my tribe would let me run off with the hunting party, I'd do great.

I want air conditioning, central heat, a washing machine, NyQuil, and chocolate mousse.

I guess I'm happy where I am.

If for a few days, I think it would be a worthwhile adventure to immerse in a time where I could have tried to be of help - like MS in the 60s, Germany in the 40s, SF in the 60s (OK, that's not to help anyone), Ireland at any time besides the Potato Famine - not that I like potatoes terribly much - or the hunger strike period more recently in history. You see a pattern.

I wouldn't have blown up royals and loyalists (unless they were in the act of trying to blow my homies up), but I would key their cars fortnightly.

undoubtedly...grrr