Assuming whatever takes him back is a two way street. What if his method of going back is a one way street and the way we are currently going into the future (check your watch, we're moving through time) is the only way back? You could be waiting the rest of your life -- which could be a short time or a long time depending on how well you can survive living in that age.

Look on the bright side, maybe you won't live very long.

At any rate, methinks you people have learned too much of your history from Monty Python.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_ages#Modern_popular_use

Yes, but how can you be sure rescuing you be worthwhile for the time machine's owner? It seems you are assuming time travel would be a low cost/low energy activity. What if the economics of time travel makes your rescue cost prohibitive?

From the question as posed it sounds like you were sent back in time accidently. It's easy to have an accident in the lab, I do it all the time. The question is, what will it cost to fix the damage (or retreive the traveller)? Worst case scenerio is they decide the best way to avoid damage to the known timeline is to kill you before you can mess anything up.

Imagine you are sitting in your cave when suddenly a small device pops into existence. It has note saying to hold it close to your body and press the red button.

Next thing you know, St. Peter is staring at you with a shocked look and says, "Wow, are you early!".

-Blast

any thoughts about becoming the next in-famous highway man? rob from the rich? at least for a little while before you become as malnourished as the locals.

Time travel is theoretically possible even beyond the fact we are traveling into the future at the rate of one minute per minute. Therefore, if we can travel 1,000 years in one direction, we can travel 1,000 years in the other direction.

Jeanette Isabelle

In keeping with the OPs intent"

I would solve the language problem by pretending to be a mute.

The guys who suggested finding a seaport are on the right track. Port cities would probably be accustomed to strangers from different places. Your superior knowledge would eventually help you excel.

If you decide to live off the land, stay away from major population centers, castles and transportation routes. The low population density would make it likely that you could find someplace to eek out a retched existence without attracting the attention of the nobles.

As for getting my history from Monty Python, I would always keep in mind that "No One Expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

Um, actually the original tales of Robin Hood had him stealing back money taken from common people by excessive taxation from the government...

But in a similar vein, maybe Nostradamus was a time traveler...

-Blast

p.s. Anyone here ever read "Lest Darkness Falls"? It was about a college professor who got sent back to the end of Roman times. He brought distilled alcohol, fumigation, perspective in paintings, and pockets in togas to the people and eventually managed to ward off the Dark Ages. It was a pretty good book.

I am not assuming that at all, a time machine needs to have fabulous amounts of energy. One either has to use negative energy, a nuclear reactor, an Orion's rift generator or something else of that nature.


Congratulations, you just created a paradox. You are dead and yet not dead at the same time, just like Schrödinger's cat.

Jeanette Isabelle

You dying in the past does not create a paradox at all. It actually cleans up the balance sheet quite nicely. You are killed and are thus prevented from overly contaminating the timeline.

I won't even start talking butterfly effect.

I'm starting to warm to the idea of surviving in a port town... The stranger aspect could work in your favor. I come from a far away land with strange knowledge and a liquid that will rock your world!

Medieval Coconuts