Day 88 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python
Today, I rolled out an experimental function for my civilization app—something I’ve never attempted before. The idea? Track what’s happening in neighboring civilizations within ±50 years of a major event. The goal isn’t to claim causation, but to look for ripples because history loves ripples.
Take Rome, for example. If you see a burst of military aggression from nearby empires around the same time Rome is wobbling, you can start to piece together the larger story. And it doesn’t stop at politics or warfare. Cultural and technological shifts—like paper-making or gunpowder—also spread from neighbor to neighbor, changing the trajectory of civilizations in ways subtle and spectacular.
Honestly, I was pretty excited to build this. It feels like uncovering the “behind-the-scenes” footage of history, where you see not just what happened but what was happening in the background.
Today’s Motivation / Challenge
Why does this matter? Because no civilization exists in isolation. Every rise or fall has echoes in neighboring regions. Whether it’s Rome watching the Huns thunder in, or India passing along the concept of zero, the world is full of crossovers. By tracking those overlaps, we get a richer picture of history’s interconnected web—basically, the original shared universe.
Purpose of the Code (Object)
The code adds a “sequence hints” feature that scans for major neighbor changes within ±50 years of a civilization’s events. The results are shown as a neat badge with tooltips, so you can quickly see counts and peek at details. It’s not claiming “X caused Y,” but it highlights when civilizations were moving in sync—or clashing in spectacular ways.
AI Prompt
Please add this function:
Day 13 — Sequence hints
- For each civ, list major neighbor changes within ±50 years (label “sequence, not causation”).
- Accept: UI badge shows counts; tooltip text is clear.
Functions & Features
- Scan for significant neighbor events within ±50 years.
- Display overlaps as badges with event counts.
- Provide tooltips with details like event type, year, and time delta.
- Sync with the same filters (region, tags, years).
Requirements / Setup
You’ll need:
- Python 3.11
Installs:
pip install streamlit plotly
Minimal Code Sample
def sequence_hints(civ, all_civs):
hints = []
for neighbor in all_civs:
if neighbor.id == civ.id:
continue
for event in neighbor.events:
if abs(event.year – civ.year) <= 50:
hints.append((neighbor.name, event))
return hints
Checks if a neighbor’s event happened within ±50 years and records it.
The Civilization Timeline Builder
Notes / Lessons Learned
The feature turned out to be fascinating in practice. I tested it with the Roman Republic, focusing on 0–400 CE, and the results popped:
- Gupta Empire
400: Decimal & Zero · tech · Δ5 yrs
415: Iron Pillar of Delhi · tech · Δ20 yrs
500: Decline Under Huns · war · Δ24 yrs - Kingdom of Aksum
330: Adopts Christianity · religion · Δ17 yrs
Not exactly the sweeping revelations I imagined, but enough to prove the concept. The catch? I only uploaded 12 civilizations so far. To make this function shine, I’ll need a much larger dataset.
Lesson of the day: even pilot versions can teach you a lot, but history—like data science—works best with more data points.
Optional Ideas for Expansion
- Add filters to focus on specific event types (e.g., only tech overlaps).
- Visualize the overlaps on the map with arrows or connectors.
- Show a timeline side-by-side view to compare ripple effects across civilizations.