> Are there good historical examples of this happening, where foundational knowledge is completely lost? The Antikythera mechanism comes to mind. It dates to t

> Are there good historical examples of this happening, where foundational knowledge is completely lost? The Antikythera mechanism comes to mind. It dates to the 2nd century BC. Nothing like it was constructed afterwards, until the 14th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism