Love Neolithic Style or Eros Rigor Mortis

[3894]

I really don't like archaeologists. Really don't.

Leave the grave the *bleep* alone.

[Snowflake]

I saw this article this morning, very cool find. I've always wanted to go on a working archaeological dig (of course, now at my advanced age, my knees would protest loudly). Maybe a working vacation in Italy, yeah, that would work.

[flippyshark]

Originally Posted by 3894

I really don't like archaeologists. Really don't.

Leave the grave the *bleep* alone.

You don't like any of them? Or would you prefer they just left human remains alone but continued to excavate the other areas of ancient sites?

I can understand the sensitivity, since, in our own time, defiling a grave is taboo. But, I also think it's extraordinarily important that we learn all we can about who we are and how we got here.

In my own view, the people themselves are long past caring about it, and if the society that buried them 6000 years ago has vanished, I don't see it as much of a violation. This is how ancient people go from complete obscurity to being newly talked about, understood and celebrated.

If thousands of years from now, someone unearths my bones and examines my belongings, and thereby gains new understanding, I am totally cool with that. I just hope they don't conclude from my own example that 21st century society was a shark-worshpping cult.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by flippyshark

If thousands of years from now, someone unearths my bones and examines my belongings, and thereby gains new understanding, I am totally cool with that. I just hope they don't conclude from my own example that 21st century society was a shark-worshpping cult.

Actually, I think that would be very cool! I'd like to be around to witness that, and be able to remember this current life so I can really have a good laugh about it all.

[3894]

Originally Posted by flippyshark

If thousands of years from now, someone unearths my bones and examines my belongings, and thereby gains new understanding, I am totally cool with that.

You're cool with it but betcha the neolithic peoples wouldn't have been. We do not need to disrupt their graves.

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by 3894

You're cool with it but betcha the neolithic peoples wouldn't have been.

But how do we know that? Aren't we really just projecting our own feelings onto what we think the neolithic people though?

[3894]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

But how do we know that? Aren't we really just projecting our own feelings onto what we think the neolithic people though?

We'd have to see the grave itself - it's location and setup to know. My guess is that since we're just finding it now, it was pretty well hidden away.

Let's talk about the imposition of one culture on another. In this thread, we have references to Romeo and Juliet, Aida, the Simpsons' bones of an angel, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, and Pompei. We all see others through our own optic.

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by 3894

Let's talk about the imposition of one culture on another. In this thread, we have references to Romeo and Juliet, Aida, the Simpsons' bones of an angel, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, and Pompei. We all see others through our own optic.

Which to my mind is evidence that "culture" is dynamic and perhaps is a poor tool to use as a benchmark.

[3894]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

Which to my mind is evidence that "culture" is dynamic and perhaps is a poor tool to use as a benchmark.

Then we err on the side of caution and leave the graves the *bleep* alone.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by 3894

We'd have to see the grave itself - it's location and setup to know. My guess is that since we're just finding it now, it was pretty well hidden away.

Not necessarily. Just because something has lain undiscovered doesn’t mean it was deliberately hidden. There have been untold millions (perhaps billions) of people buried since the dawn of humankind; the vast majority of which have never been (and probably never will be) uncovered. In some parts of the world, discovering (and the subsequent archeological examination and removal of) buried remains on construction sites is a common occurrence. If these sites were to be left undisturbed when discovered, then very little would ever get built.