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Visual telegraph systems became very popular around the coast of the UK (particularly England) at a time when it was also possible to make money in the commodit
by bdfh42 14y ago
Visual telegraph systems became very popular around the coast of the UK (particularly England) at a time when it was also possible to make money in the commodity markets by knowing which ships were approaching port (and by implication their cargo) before anyone else.
So one might suspect that rapid messaging systems became popular when there was an economic case for them.
- edent 14y agoA very reasonable point. Although the Romans had a highly mercantile system relying on foreign trade.
- ovi256 14y agoNot only an economic case, but also being able to use your tech advantage without being bullied by an established competitor. "Oh you're using this weird contraption to outsmart me ? Cute, I'll use daggers in the hands of assassins, whatever bailiffs use to enforce trumped up court orders, or something of the kind." In other words, you need the protection of the law as an upstart. It can be argued that this was missing in the Roman world, while the economic case existed and even the tech was known.
- rmc 14y agoAnd you think at the start of the Industrial Revolution there was a perfect rule of law in UK & France? There were lots of thugs back then too.
- jacques_chester 14y ago> In other words, you need the protection of the law as an upstart. Rome in the mid to late Republic and early Empire had very sophisticated and stable laws and court systems, including a body of commercial law that was not seen again until thousands of years later.