A fan of the possible, I sometimes overstate the unlikely. In recent years, I’ve toyed with the idea that the ancient past would “feel” different and might, in some ways, induce a state of shock on a time traveler from the present. (or vice versa.)
But then I read accounts such as this one about Pliny the Younger and I doubt the premise of my argument.
Perhaps, the lives of the rich today may not be that different from the lives of the rich two thousand years ago? Might the same be true for the poor?
Or, perhaps it’s far more elementary: the lives of writers haven’t changed much because language hasn’t changed much. What has changed greatly between then and now is how we move.
Many more of us now toil at work that is less physically demanding. We eat different diets. We play different sports. What would shock a time traveller would be the embodied meanings of our world.
To convey this to an audience you’d have to go beyond moving pictures and require actual movement: a video game that requires players to alter their movements and gestures in order to fit in and prolong the experience.