First of all, I must mention the explosion that happened in Prague today. I’m fine, my family’s fine. I saw it on the news like everybody else. I did happen to go into the center (but nowhere near the site of the explosion) shortly afterward and noticed that traffic was a mess, all the trams were backed up and such. But it appears (touch wood) that nobody was killed and that’s all that counts.
Shit happens. What more is there to say? On to today’s blog.
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I always enjoy the archeology programs on Discovery Channel or The History Channel, such as but not limited to “Time Team.” You learn a little bit about the human history of the time which is quite different than learning the names of kings and the stories of battles. You learn what kinds of houses people lived in, what they wore, what kinds of work they did, and all that really gives me a feeling of connectedness. Even though they didn’t have phones and TV, cars and planes, or fast food restaurants, they were amazingly like us in the ways that count. So many things: eating, sleeping, pain and suffering, music, love of family, love of animals, lust, fear, and death are cultural constants. There has never been a civilization on Earth that has not had them.
A Distinguished Archeologist
I love those programs but, like with zoos, I know there’s still something that’s not quite right.
There were two stories I read today about that. In Mexico, a robot was used while excavating a very ancient, i.e. pre-Aztec, temple, and they found graves that were over 2,000 years old. (I have heard that in some South American Indian languages, the word for “archeologist” is the same as the word for “grave robber.” It makes sense.) Still, 2,000 years. It’s not like their relatives are going to be offended. And the use of a robot was very cool.
The 2nd story was about a dig in England, and a grave of a young girl who they think might have been murdered, because her skull was crushed. That’s sort of a giveaway but, I do find these programs amazing because they examine the teeth and figure out what people ate, and what social class they belonged to, and some seriously detailed stuff. Anyway, she lived sometime in the 15th or 16th century.
What if they dig up a grave from the 17th century? The 19th? The 20th? How close to the present can we come before it actually does count as grave robbing?
Also, if we feel free to dig up bones from a mere 500 years ago, that makes a mockery out of the idea that we will rest in peace forever. 500 years from now, some archeologist may dig us up and say “Hmmmm. These people were obviously overweight, watched way too much TV and wore bad shoes.” How we feel about the matter won’t enter into it at all.
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