Surviving Time...

I realize we were supposed to start blogging 2 weeks ago but I was not quite happy with my efforts on some of my responses so I have delayed their publication. However, I do have an article response I would like to post today and I hope to make revisions to my other responses tomorrow and should post them by tomorrow night if all goes according to plan.

The Article:University of Nottingham. "Skeleton Found At Roman Site In Britain Mystifies Archaeologists." ScienceDaily 16 September 2009. 29 September 2009 /releases/2009/09/090915140924.htm>.

The Response:

I just finished reading an article I found online at sciencedaily.com about a skeleton that was found at a Roman site in Britain. The skeleton was found laying on its side, which researchers believe may indicate that the person was executed or murdered as this was not part of the standard burial practice in the region and time period. However, it was not the skeleton that intrigued me about this article, instead, it was a simple line, “There are flints so sharp you could still shave with them”, a quotation from Dr. Bowden referring to the finds that have been made at the same site dating back to the iron age and as far back as approximately 10,000 BCE. Even to me, a student of archaeology, it seems almost infeasible to think of something so fragile to maintaining its edge for such an extended period of time. An inescapable fact of life is that all things, whether it be stone, steel, or ceramic, age and deteriorate over time. If given enough time everything will eventually rot and crumble and turn into dust, nothing can escape time, not even the most beautiful marble sculpture or painting. When considering what has survived throughout the past few millennia and found its way into museums it is interesting to consider what we have and what was. Undoubtedly, the examples of artwork that have survived to the modern day are only but a mere fraction of what once was. The best bronze sculptures, frescos, pottery, etc have more than likely been lost to time or the hands of men. In either case, I find it interesting to think about have has survived. Rarely do we uncover a magnificent piece of art but far more commonly we find a perfectly preserved stone tool, something which may date to thousands of years before the iron age, a time where art was probably unappreciated and most people were more concerned about where their next meal is coming from. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that Time is a cruel mistress, it preserves things that most people would consider useless (by today’s standards) and destroys things that most people would consider priceless.