Long-abandoned, yet still working ancient technology

A staple of both fantasy and science fiction literature is the long-vanished Ancients, who left nothing but their buildings (or devices) behind. Somehow, these (usually) decrepit structures still work to some extent when discovered and activated by the protagonists. Doors open when their mechanisms are triggered, power sources still have a bit of juice, sometimes mechanical and/or triggered guardians are still active, and so on. Rarely is it in perfect working order, but there's usually still some functionality left.

On the flip side, our modern technology is so fragile that very little of is expected to last a lifetime, let alone hundreds or thousands of years un-cared-for...

How can these two be reconciled? What practical features would a device or building need in order to survive a long period of disuse and still be able to function?

I'm primarily interested in complex machinery, rather than computers and other electronics, but since so many of our machines are "smart" these days, I don't know if they can be separated.

posted over 9 years ago

Bobson‭

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