Monday, February 1, 2016

Archeology 2600 BC. So, nothing has changed.


I was perusing the news on Yahoo today and found a most interesting archaeological dig in a tomb found in Abusir, southwest of Cairo. Khentkaus III was a queen in the era of the Old Kingdom (2649-2150 BC). Her husband, Pharaoh Neferefre (sometimes called Reneferef), ruled some 4,500 years ago. Carbon dating can predict her age and they can determine if she suffered from physical ailments, how she died, how many children she had.

Archeologists did find fragments of pottery, woodwork, copper and animal bones. It’s amazing how much they can determine by looking at a tomb and its contents.
The painstaking reconstruction of each item will show how she lived during that time period with one exception. They cannot reconstruct her face. Unfortunately, her skull was smashed, most probably by tomb raiders.

The writer of the article, Thomas Page for CNN, writes:
"(It was) a crucial period when the Old Kingdom started to face major critical factors: The rise of democracy, the horrific impact of nepotism and the role played by interest groups," he says, adding that climate change also played a role in bringing an end to not only the Old Kingdom empire, but those in the Middle East and Western Europe at that time.
Within 200 years of the Queen Mother's death, the Nile no longer flooded and drought consumed the kingdom.

So that is clearly climate change for ancient Egyptians. The article went on to say the drought brought about poor harvests and ultimately, financial ruin. No taxes, no more pyramids, no more building an empire on the backs of the commoners.

And I thought to myself, wow, nothing has changed in 4500 years: “a rise of democracy, horrific impact of nepotism and the role played by interest groups” and climate change. That frightens me. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

I can only hope that the world has the capacity for change in the next few centuries: where we can eliminate greed, crime, war, poverty, hunger and disease. A world where people are truly equal and truly free.  Can we work towards bettering ourselves and humanity? If it sounds like Jean Luc Picard’s vision of the 24th century, that’s what I’m going for. Can I get an “Alleluia?” More importantly, can I get a replicator?


Accessed 1 FEB 2016

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