.....no. Just, no. For god's sake if it were even in the 18th century we'd have seen firearms in widespread use.

Also, bear in mind it could easily be set far earlier. Leonardo DaVinci made sketches and designs that were eventually turned into modern technology (parachutes, and I believe the tank was based off one of his drawings), so it's entirely plausible that it's far further back than you claim.

Also, I would love to know what technology you're using to claim it's the 1920s. Given DaVinci's own ideas, which the tanks more closely resemble, you couldn't possibly be basing it all entirely on those. And the ships still use catapults, which is hardly modern tech. There's nothing electronic either, which also counters your assertion of the show taking place in the 1920s (not to mention a means of long-range communication other than riders, such as the telegraph, which was around and in widespread use even as far back as the Civil War).

I took the series as an almost Feudal Japan era, except for the slight advancements such as metal ships, tanks, etc. I actually don't see why the Fire Nation hasn't discovered gun powder and created primitive firearms as of yet. It might be that they simply don't require it, due to the element that they themselves can bend.

I see it as sort of another Naruto-based world, where they have computers and movie theatres but they simply didn't require any technological advances in military areas because ninja might was already doing the job. Probably the same thing here (without the computers and movies v.v), where Firebenders can shoot fire out of opennings in the tanks so they don't need to invest time finding other forms of explosives.

Yes, very good points no need to get angered though. Here are my thoughts, there is no way that in the 18th century there were cars that moved like 60 miles per hour, if you have seen the episode the chase, where azula chases them and they get no sleep youcan see this invention!

Alos, yes DaVinci did draw them, but he never had the materials to create them, do you know when they started building metal ships, well it wasn't in the 18th century.

They use catapults because they need to light the stuff on fire with firebending before they launch it.

Like I said Avatar is a very different world than ours, If you noticed there are very advanced inventions but they live in pretty much 15th 16th century china.

PS. Please don't get mad by this post you seemed a little heated in the one before.

Sorry for the double post, Doku you said exactly what I was trying to say!! Thanks

[glow=blue,2,300]Taed edit: As you can see it is easy to not double-post, just edit your original post instead. Please do not double-post again.[/glow]

the world of avatar is so difficult to compare to ours in terms of time. they have bending to assist them. i studied early civilization last year, and if my memory serves, most early civilizations made their houses out of adobe brick and and such. the earthbenders also seem to make their houses from earth. i dont no to many houses nowadays that are made of only earthlike materials (unless u go to iraq and the middle eastern countries). i dont no too much about the construction, though. it seems to be a mix with stuff from like, the Bronze Age or somethin all the way to like the Imperial age.

I've seen it, though the difference is unlike you I'm using the bulk of the world's technology to try estimating the time period. You seem intent on finding the most advanced part of it, even if only ONCE has such a thing appeared, and immediately using that object alone to define the entire time period. There *is* such a thing as inventing something that is way ahead of the time period (reference Da Vinci).



You're missing the point. If they can be designed that early, odds are in a fictional world that seems to exist within that timeframe; they can be built. You seem to be forgetting that we *are* dealing with a fictional world here...



See, if they were as advanced as you claimed though, they would have long ago discovered incindiary rounds for guns, etcetera (which by the way, were in use during your original assertion of a 1920s timeframe)



The cute thing though, is you said no such thing. You simply said they were like the Chinese. Nice try.

they arent anywhere near the 18th century. otherwise the foot soldiers would be using guns. and bows would have become obsolete. seriously, we've sed, "why do we need guns if we have firebenders?" so that the guys running up with spears can kill people just as easily. but if there were guns, that would take away from the weapon skills used by zuko when hes swordfighting, and then bending could have an equal.

actually makoto, he did sneak in "All and all the avatar world is not like ours, they have the technology, but it is almost as though they don't choose to use it. They are like the Chinese and like to live in very traditional huts and so forth."
so he actually did say that it is a different world.

and if not for war, knowledge would hardly be needed. basically, that is my version of the stuff Wan She Tong (or wutever the owls name was) said. do you realize the military designed jetpacks, but then discontinued the project after realizing the soldiers would be easy targets? the drill was designed to brake a hole in a wall. the tanks were designed to make rhinoes and ostrich-horses obselete, and to be resistant to earthbenders (except for Toph .

basically, that was the bulky form of me saying, they havent even reached the renaissance or maybe even the middle ages. (my knowledge of the renaissance and middle ages is mainly based on the epochs in the game "Empire Earth" which seems fairly accurate to most things.)

I never disputed that he said it was a different world, I disputed his claim that he'd said they pretty much lived in 15th or 16th Century China. All he said was they were like the Chinese. That's pretty vague. Granted I should have emphasized the latter portion of that sentence to show which part I disagreed with, but at least it proves someone else is paying attention.

Oh, and about the jetpacks thing Xai; it wasn't discontinued so much for the fact that the soldiers would be easy targets, but because of the fuel dilemma.

The jetpacks ran on a solid-carbon fuel supply; which was completely depleted after about 12 seconds. Which, defeats the entire purpose of having a jetpack in the first place (plus, god forbid you run outta fuel three stories in the air >.<). We also toyed with flying saucers, but those couldn't get more than six inches off the ground [when they worked].

There's plenty of things reminiscent of the Middle Ages though; such as the armored rhinos / ostrich horses, which are essentially like the heavy cavalry of such time periods *nod*.

i was more so referring to the soldiers armor (such as knights were said to have done. but perhaps that is a generalization or some sort of stereotype that i didnt realize regarding knights). rarely do earthbenders choose to cover themselves with earth. aang used this technique in the season finale and made a stone gauntlet in "The Drill" and then Toph used it during "Bitter Work," and of course the Dai-Lee rock gloves, but aside from those, it seems armor isnt something highly valued. if the fire nation chose to wear metal plate armor, they would have a huge advantage. And theoretically, a waterbender could probably make ice armor to provide some resistence to firebending and allow easy icicle shooting. (but bending probably requires alot of freedom of movement, so you dont want to be waited by armor)
but in regards to armor in our world, i believe the armor was made obselete when musket balls could pierce them so their was no longer a point in wearing all that gear.
and yes, the animals seem to be the only things wearing steel plates aside from the explosives guy in the Ruff Rhinoes. Aside from that, most soldiers seem to try to keep alot of free movement.

it seems that the statement should not be , "In what time period does avatar take place?" but more so, "What time periods does avatar have influences from?"

It seems that we have reached some agreement on it having some connections to the Renaissance (knights were around during that period, and were still around during the Middle Ages, but firearms came in the Middle Ages, so I think it would be more accurate to say shortly before the Middle Ages).
And I believe the first hot air balloons came from the Imperial Age. but it may be from the industrial. and then the first trains were in the 18th century or 17th, right? i think thats part of the industrial age.

i think the inventor at the northern air temple was a bit of a DaVinci of his time.

And just to point out, I believe DaVinci's plans regarding a tank was supposed to be a sort of conelike, armor vehicle with multiple guns sticking out of slots all around it, allowing the users to continue to fire while still reloading, giving them every angle all around them, and having cover provided by the tank. I remember hearing about it recently on a History Channel presentation so I may have forgotten some concepts and/or some qualities of DaVinci's tank . The show later talked to Dean Kamen and his Segway. I think it was using him as an example of a DaVinci of our time.
And just a side note: Another DaVinci-like man - Nicola Tesla. According to the people on Mythbusters, they say supposedly Tesla was sent back in time to introduce electricity to us.

Knights typically wore two sets of armor, usually in the following order:

1.) Some variety of thick cloth for padding
2.) Chainmail
3.) Platemail.

One or two might be brave enough to skip the chainmail step, but rest assured there wasn't a knight in their right mind that decided he didn't need platemail. Shortage of funds was rarely an issue, since it was actually a title class and generally meant you'd be getting a hefty income.

Anyway. Yes, I remember DaVinci's tank, which is why I believe that's where the fire nation's tank was sourced from. as far as I can see there's only the one opening, but I think I recall them actually rotating it at one point.

Cars were from as early as the 1800s, but I lack a specific date on this one. I do know however that they were expensive and considered novelty items amongst the rich .... and is it any coincidence that the only thing resembling a car in Avatar was owned by Ozai's Angels? A princess and a governor's daughter? (and Ty Lee, who's just a circus performer >.>)

I'll start checking on the dates for the air balloons and such when I get home from work, right now I've gotta take off.

The truth is that it is absolutely impossible to judge exactly what time period a place is in due to its technology. One reason is that its not on our timeline O.O When technology from different eras collide, what are you going to do? Take an average and hope its right?

Another example of technological imbalance, where Naruto was my first, is the newest Final Fantasy game: FF12. The airships fire energy projectiles and with the speed and manueverablity available to those things it seems like something taken out of a Star Wars space fight. However, the guns that are available for ground troops look pretty low tech and they are still using swords and bows.

@ Xia-di - There's no argument that guns would be more efficient for the non-firebending infantry, but that in no way can justify the time period. Just because the weapons would be a good idea, doesn't mean that the country is going to put funds towards creating them. If they already have a substitute, aka Firebending, then why would they be keeping their eyes out for a new long-range fighting solution. Its like recreating the wheel. While it would be better for them, if you already have a substitute then your technology in that field won't advance as quickly

Again, I jump to my Naruto example. The world has modern computers and movie theatres, but they don't use firearms as far as we've seen in the storyline. That's because the backbone of a country's military force is their ninja village and the shinobi there have no need for guns. They're just as proficient at killing with knives and throwing stars, as well as their jutsus which are probably as destructive as any tank. Some day firearms will be discovered in that world, but it would come at a much slower rate because there is no immediate need to advance military technology.