Billionaire venture capitalist Ellon Musk

In the year 2016, time travel has become a reality, inspired by the efforts of billionaire venture capitalist Ellon Musk. Through numerous trials and errors, some with fatal results, the past and the future have merged with the present, advancing humanity beyond our wildest dreams. Currently, historians employ this amazing technology to ensure that lessons from the past are well highlighted and learned from by sending teams who have learned ancient languages to try and experience that particular life. After being assigned to study the daily life of the Ancient Roman civilization, along with life in the English Kingdom during the Middle Ages, my history class in the FIT is ordered to infiltrate these societies and record all we see. After we conclude these experiments, we are to record our experiences in the official reports that will be published.
Back Into Ancient Rome
Our first excursion will see me live for a few days in the city of Capua, an important town in the ancient Roman republic, as a slave. However, I will not be any ordinary house slave. I will be a feared gladiator, competing to kill other men and wild beasts for the entertainment of the Roman populace. My experiences here on will be recorded in log entries that document my experiences through my eye camera and small microphones embedded into my skin. Through these various modifications, I have the ability to quickly record my experiences without attracting attention due to my “otherworldly” nature. Furthermore, in the case of danger, I only have to send a message using the nanotechnology in my brain to summon help, but I hope that the many body modifications I have will keep me safe.

Log 30541024: 08.34 PM, 73 BC the city of Capua, Ancient Rome.
After successfully emerging from the time travel portal in the hills around the town of Capua, I have been arrested by the Roman night guards who have taken us to the local Roman Prefect. In Capua, there is a Roman Prefect who is the final adjudicator for any issues the local people face. Many Romans now live in towns and cities, also known as Urbana, where they engage in various activities. There are many things that a Roman citizen can do in the cities for work and entertainment. Political office is reserved for the elite few who are from affluent households that have been in that area for generations. Such families often have many slaves that cater for their every need, ranging from physical tasks such as carrying them around to intimate functions such as body slaves who wash and satisfy the sexual needs of their masters.
In the ancient Roman society, people are born into castes, and it is very hard for people to move upper on the social classes. The most important people here are “the wealthy political elite who come from a family that has been influential in an area for a long time.” In this culture, the rich can get away with anything they like. Furthermore, the elite few make all necessary decisions regardless of how the repercussions affect the commoners and the slaves. Just below the rich, the tradesmen are important and quite respected because they provide essentials such as food, medicines, and wine. In addition to the political elite, business people have the ability to sway public opinion and influence major decisions that even the politicians cannot overturn.
Soldiers are another social caste who enjoys some liberties and rights in the ancient Roman civilization. Due to the nature of their work, they are well respected and feared by many because they are dangerous and will not hesitate to kill anyone who disrespects them, apart from the wealthy and influential. In many towns and cities, praetors command small bands of soldiers. More often than not, soldiers are responsible for the safety of the cities’ inhabitants, primarily of the wealthy and powerful. Local militias owned by the rich can also be tasked with ensuring security, order and apprehending runaway slaves and they are known as Fugitivarii.
Finally, at the bottom of this culture’s social pyramid, some commoners make up the largest portion of the populace. Peasants live in small houses in the cities or in the surrounding villages where they engage in farming, fishing, and hunting for subsistence. Slaves do all the hard physical work, ranging from farming, cleaning, carrying their masters to entertainment through physical bouts, in the gladiatorial arena. However, few slaves can acquire some simple education and help their master in simple tasks such as book keeping.
There are two kinds of slaves, servi publici who are enslaved by the Roman government. Often, they work in the emperor’s mines and other public projects such as road building. Private slaves who are called servi private are owned by wealthy individuals. With Roman armies invading and taking over lands as far as Persia, Egypt, and Spain, there is no shortage of people to enslave and be sold at public or private auctions (arcana tabulata catastae). Tonight, we sleep in a holding cell near the market where all slaves and common criminals are sold into slavery as a form of punishment. Tomorrow is a big day for me; I am going to be sold to a gladiator school around here, to be trained in fighting skills and hopefully entertain the public in the arena. Since I started a big brawl at the local establishment, the Prefect has specified to the Venalitii (slave trader) that I sold be to a Ludus. Capua is noted for its “many gladiator schools, known as the ludus.”
After the morning arrives, we are bathed and dressed, and before long, we are standing at the auction stall, with tituli (placards) around our necks. These placards have information about us, such as our origin (nation) and any unique skills that a slave possesses. Slaves are valued due to their physical and mental assets. For instance, a friend I have just made tells me that slaves who have are physically healthy such as I am are usually favored for gladiator school, or for hard physical labor in public building projects.
As soon as we arrive at our new master’s villa, we are herded off to a separate compound where we find men training hard despite the midday’s sun. Sparsely dressed in cheap linen that only covers their privates, the gladiators are engaged in practice using wooden swords and shields. As soon as the lanista, (the trainer) spots us, he barks for our chains to be replaced with practice words. We are handed short wooden swords known as the gladius, and a shield (scutum) if you ask for it. He starts to tell of the various weapons and the favored fighting styles. For instance, the current champion of the house is a thraeces or murmillones, because he fights with both a sword and a shield. However there are also the equites, who ride horses into the Amphitheatre, the essedarii, who fight from chariots; and the difficult dimachaerus, who wields two swords at once. All this while, the other gladiators are attentive to the lanista, and after he is done, they surround us, shouting lighthearted insults at our purported inferiority.

As we wait for orders, on a balcony adjacent to the training field, the owner appears; a short, stubby man dressed in fine clothes. He is called lentulus (owner of gladiator school) Ovidius, and he immediately welcomes us and issues a long address about honor, brotherhood and how we will be adored by the crowd. He probably means none of it because the owners of gladiator schools are noted for their cruelty, and they only care for the fighters due to the enormous expense and rewards involved. However, the notions of brotherhood and respect among gladiators are correct, and many fighters consider each other familia (family).
As the day goes by, we train hard despite the heat, pausing only for water breaks. Roman gladiators are forbidden from taking wine with few exceptions such as The Saturnalia festival, which is held on December 17 and lasts for seven days. During this period, slaves can hope some reprieve from the usual monotony of serving the cruel masters. Late in the afternoon, to the relief of my friend, dinner is served. We are served with barley porridge and beans, with a supplement of ash water, which I remember is to provide the gladiators with calcium. After our miserly meal, the household medic, known as the medicus, inspects and treats any wounds and grazes from the day’s training. After inspection and bathing, we are herded into our cells, where we will sleep on straw beddings.
Before we sleep, my friend tells me all about being a gladiator. Like many Roman citizens, he is an ardent fan of the games and he quickly informs me of the various rules. He notes contests are typically single combat between two fighters who harbor similar size and experience. In fact, referees monitor the action, and they can stop a fight in case of serious injury to a participant. In the event of a long, drawn out match that fails to excite the crowd, opponents may be asked to leave the field. When a gladiator is severely wounded, or he concedes defeat by throwing his weapon down his fate is often decided by the spectators or the powerful that are in attendance. For instance, during the gladiatorial games held at the Coliseum in Rome, the emperor will try to curry favor by letting the people decide the fate of the downed fighter. By raising a closed fist with two fingers extended, waving a handkerchief or giving thumbs down, the crowd will decide a man’s fate while crying “let him go!” or “slay him!” depending on their desire.
As we fall asleep, I am told that while the life of a gladiator is somewhat favorable compared to the common slaves who work in mines and other public works, it is quite short and brutal. An average fighter dies during their twenties, with the few remnants becoming lanistas. For instance, many of the fighters at my ludus are quite young, despite their rugged looks. Successful gladiators, he tells me, are adored by the masses and reviled by the ruling elite who hate the fact that mere slaves can gain such acclaim from the masses. He goes further to tell me that politicians in Capua and Rome, are resorting to hosting gladiatorial contests to garner public favor due to the mass appeal of these brutal games. Gladiators, being special slaves, are allowed to keep earnings from their fights, and if they are lucky enough they can earn their freedom if the crowd favors him enough to grant manumission (freedom)
A gladiator wakes up early in the morning to ensure much of his training is done before the harsh sun ensues. After a short practice, a morning meal of barley porridge, stale bread, and fruit is issued. I have noticed that most gladiators are a little round on the side, with a layer of fat at their midsection despite all the hard physical training. On inquiry, my friend advises me to grow one, due to the extra protection from superficial wounds that the “padding” will provide. While we are deep into the days training, a contingent of soldiers appears and herds us together, with chains quickly adorning our wrists. Whispers of a slave rebellion in a neighboring ludus are rapidly spread. However, many slaves here are fearful since the punishment for an attempt on the master’s life will be the end of all slaves in the household, according to Roman law. Since my time is almost running out, I summon for rescue, leaving for the Old Country.
Log 30541099: 9.04 AM, 1207 AD the borough of Liverpool
After quickly rescuing me from the infancy of Spartacus’ slave rebellion, my team is sent to infiltrate the medieval English society. I chose to go to the recently established borough of Leyrpole (Liverpool). Recently granted a charter by King John, the sleepy fishing village is typical of a medieval town. Here, people from all castes of life interact. As soon as I emerge, I am greeted by vast fields of wheat, barley, and oats. Farmers here are peasants who live in the lands of the rich, who offer them accommodation in exchange for labor. As far as my HawkEye can see, farmers are using primitive oxen driven plows to plow the fields. It a short walk to the nearest market where I find various merchants hawking their wares. I quickly purchase the appropriate fashion and mingle trying to find some form of work and accommodation suitable for a few days.
As I stroll through the little market, I find a simple tavern where some local men are playing some rudimentary form of chess. These locals are dressed in cheap looking wool tunics and long stockings, limited to mostly the colors brown, red or gray. On their feet, they wear clogs made of leather that is hardened by boiling. After enjoying the game for a few minutes, I decide to join, wagering a few days’ work in exchange for a turn to play. My opponent gives me a curious look but decides that the offer is too good to be passed upon. Despite employing various mathematical probabilities, I lose soundly and the winner, a peasant at a local lord’s manor, victoriously grins and beckons me to follow him.

Outside the establishment, we untether a horse drawn cart, which belongs to his lord. As I we walk slowly towards his master’s manor, my new acquaintance and I make small conversation, and I learn that despite the hard and brutal life these poor serfs are leading, they are a happy lot, who value family and religion above all else. With social castes that are quite similar to the Ancient Romans, the serf has little to no chance of growing up the social ladder despite all his hard work. On the way, we encounter various people who can be “easily identified by their dressing.” For instance, we meet a clutch of nuns from the local monastery who are clad in long black tunics. My companion informs me that they are the only source of medical help around and many people who fall sick around here rely on prayers and herbal concoctions, and rarely does one recover from even basic infections such as the flu.
After a long walk, we approach a small enclosure of houses sandwiched between a big forest and vast stretches of farmland. The little town is bustling with life, with unkempt children playing by themselves, while teenage girls and women are handwashing their laundry. As we approach my host’s house, some men are returning from the fields, thanking the growingly darkening weather as a reason for their break from work. As my new friend explains my presence, I am amazed by the resilience of these people who live in these hard conditions. For instance, the simple houses are made of stone or a series of interwoven branches that are filled with mud and straw. Thatched roofs are on all the houses and small windows that do not have any glass panes on them. I am told that glass is quite expensive and only the lords can afford.

Shortly, my host’s wife beckons us for a midday meal, which I hear is a rarity. The short, plump woman, who has a cheerful look, tells me that most of the time, they only take one meal per day, dinner in the late afternoon. The peasants or as the lords call them “velleins” only have necessities in their two-roomed houses. As we sit on the simple wooden stools, our food is served in hard baked clay bowls. Metal dishes and cutlery are a preserve of the wealthy since they are expensive and hard to obtain. In fact, the only metal in my host’s house is the large metal cauldron hanging over the cooking heath that his wife uses to prepare various broths and soups. For my lunch, I am served with ate coarse bread and with a surprisingly good stew comprising of beans, cabbage, dried peas with few bits of meat as a flavor. After the communal meal, we are served with bitter ale since my host informs me that water is filled with impurities.
In the evening, all the village folk gather outside by a fire where they narrate religious tales or sing songs that are allowed by the church. I have noticed that religion is an important aspect of these people’s lives and I am sure that the stories of a better afterlife do provide some hope for the poor serfs. As we retire to our straw bedding, my host informs me that tomorrow; the work will be plenty because we will be harvesting some wheat and barley before on the lord’s demesne (domain). Before the candles run out, the eldest child, a young girl named Mary is allowed by her father to read a passage from the Bible, which is the only book available in the servants’ small town. Her father tells me that she is the only one who is allowed to read because the lord’s son favors her and he may marry her. He hopes that by next winter, his family will be granted better housing after Mary, who is fourteen, is married.

Morning is here. My host is shivering from the biting cold, but he has no option but to wake up and start the day’s work. Outside, other men are gathered with their tools, ready to initiate the harvest with the hopes that they will receive a share for their labor. The serfs must ensure minimal wastage occurs since the lord’s needs have to be fulfilled first. As we move towards the fields, we start cutting the barley into sheaves before setting the sheaves up in shocks to ensure drying. At the end of the day, the sheaves are hauled by horse-drawn carts to barns with a threshing floor where women and young children are beating the grain with a jointed flail to detach the grain kernels from the stalks. Outside, other serfs are winnowing the separated grains by tossing it into the air to remove the chaff while the seeds fall into a sheet on the ground.
After the long day’s work, I notice that life in this town is a repetition of the previous day, with a mass on Sunday breaking monotony. For a serf, life revolves around the whims of the Lord in whose manor he resides. For instance, two to three days in a week are dedicated to working in the lord’s fields with little time left to cultivate their food. Meat, milk and eggs are a luxury unless the serf is lucky to own a cow, sheep or chicken. My host somberly narrates to me the fate of a few boys caught hunting the lord’s deer in the adjacent forest. After being flayed in public, they were hanged by the lord’s squire as a demonstration of his prowess (Mortimer 88). As the family falls asleep to attend mass the next day, I slip away at night, to return to my timeline. After my two journeys to the ancient world, I have a lot of data to compile.
Log 30541090: 4.00 PM 2016 AD, (Florida Tech) Florida
After returning from ancient Europe, I have a lot to go through. In my time travels, I have seen many changes, but many fundamental aspects of society remain the same regardless of the age and place. For instance, slavery is a common place from the ancient Roman culture, during the Middle Ages and up to the so-called “Age of Information” in the 21st century. The only difference is the type of enslavement which the poor and weak are subjected. During the Romans’ reign, widespread enslavement of conquered people was common with historians estimating that at its peak, slaves outnumbered Romans five to three. Slaves were mistreated and subjected to horrible punishments in case of any attempt to free themselves from their masters (Casson 58).
In the Middle Ages, serfs are victimized by the wealthy lords who demand free labor in exchange for miserly wages in the form of land and few other items. Furthermore, peasants are prevented from any education which may enlighten them to their plight (Blair 70). Just like the life of a Roman gladiator, the life of a serf was short, brutal and spent in servitude. In fact, even in death, a servant’s family was bound to give the wealthy Lord a heriot, a prize animal to ensure that he would let them live on his lands (Mortimer 46). Religion played a significant role in keeping the poor serfs and slaves in check by ensuring that the only days they enjoyed were religious holidays (Hinds 43). In ancient Rome, slaves were honored in the Saturnalia festival while in the Middle Ages; serfs were able to rest on the Sabbath and other religious holidays.
References
Blair, John. The Anglo-Saxon Age. 1st ed., Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2000.
Casson, Lionel. Everyday Life in Ancient Rome. 1st ed., Baltimore, the Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.
Hinds, Gareth. Beowulf. 1st ed., Cambridge, Mass., Candlewick Press, 2007.
Mortimer, Ian. The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England. 1st ed., New York, Simon & Schuster, 2010.