Thursday, May 10, 2012

Top of the Heap!

What's more fun than finding buried treasure? Not much, that's for sure. We opened up the discussion this week with Monday's Riddle. Lizzy reviewed, Misfortune Cookie by Sara Linton, which wove a fun mystery into the discovery of ancient treasures. Today, we're shouting out to some of the artifacts that helped map the human story. So, buckle up, because we're taking a quick trip back through time...

This week's top of the heap: Most interesting archeological finds!

Fairday: I cannot explain why, but, for me, it has to be the Dead Sea Scrolls. First of all, I'm fascinated by the Dead Sea itself, add in eons old mystery scrolls, and you've got a winner. I have no idea what their spiritual meaning is, but they really are very interesting! It's amazing to draw up an idea of was happening at the time when they were written, then hidden away in caves to keep safe. The fact that they are legible shows you how stories can just glide through time, riding on the back of language and communication. It's like opening a window into the past and peering through it to see what was really going on. ~ F

Here's a bit of the story behind the Dead Sea Scrolls:
The story of the Dead Sea Scrolls begins in 1947, when – so the tale goes – a Bedouin shepherd found a collection of apparently ancient scrolls in a cave above Khirbet Qumran, near the north end of the Dead Sea. Over the course of the next year, seven scrolls from the cave reached scholarly hands. When examined by experts, the importance and antiquity of the find was quickly understood... read more 

Here's a bit about the Dead Sea:
The Dead Sea in Israel is the lowest place on the planet and the biggest spa on the face of the earth. The Dead Sea is globally famous for its unique ability to heal many illnesses and solve many health-related problems... how cool is that- plus, there's nothing but brine shrimp and salt deposits at the bottom, which look like an over- turned Atlantis- very, very mysterious : )  

Lizzy: Archeology is such an amazing field.  New images of the past are always being discovered, allowing us to learn more about the people and cultures that came before us.  It was hard to decide which find was my favorite, but I have been reading a lot about Colonial America lately and find this time period fascinating. Learning about the hard life the settlers had everyday makes me realize how much our world has changed. All of the historical fiction I have been reading steered me toward the inscribed slate found in Jamestown in 2009 as the best find.  Archeologists believe the slate is from 1611 and it was preserved in an old well that was used for garbage since it stopped providing clean water. I love that it includes drawings and clues to life at that time.  Sorting through the past helps us to think more clearly about the present. I can’t wait to see what we dig up next!  ~L


23 comments:

  1. I have always loved archaeology!! Even got my BA in it. Nice to see people talking about it. Thanks!

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    1. Hi Shauna, So glad you dropped by. Archaeology is completely fascinating! ~ F

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  2. I agree, archeology is fascinating. I, too, am fascinated with Dead Sea Scrolls and the Mayan Codexes. The Jamestown stuff sounds interesting. Imagine findind something that explains what happened to Roanoke!

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    1. Hi Heidi, it's incredible what's buried out there, waiting for someone to stumble upon it. Great to hear from you! ~ F

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  3. Though this may not apply but I love the Mummy movies because of the historical parts and the Dead Sea looks beautiful would love to take a venture there.

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    1. Hi Cricket, Me too! I think it would be amazing to swim in the Dead Sea! Thanks for stopping by : ) ~ F

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    2. Cool about the Mummy movies- I think they are really fun! ~ F

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  4. I adore archeology! And the Dead Sea scrolls totally fascinate me! Funny enough, I just met an author who told me about her recent adventure floating in the Dead Sea with her girlfriends! Sounded so fun :0).

    And my son and I were just studying Jamestown with his school. Very cool.

    Also, I'm all about Mummy movies. Anything to do with Egypt really...

    GREAT post. :0)

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    1. M. Christine- Thanks for stopping by! So glad you enjoyed this post. How cool that you know an author who got to float in the dead sea. I am so jealous!

      That is awesome that you are studying along with your son! Jamestown is fascinating. Blood on the River is a great MG book about that settlement. I learned a lot from reading it and think it helped me to better understand that time period.

      I agree with you- Egypt is the best!
      ~F

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  5. I love the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but I have to say the Rosetta Stone has always been my fav find.

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    1. Donna- The Rosetta Stone certainly is amazing! ~F

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  6. History has always fascinated me. I'd love to be able to travel back to various places and times in history. I love living history museums for just that reason.

    For my money, the artifact from history that sparks my imagination is the Declaration of Independence, not just for what it represents, but for the great people in history who held it and signed their names. Cool.

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    1. Greg- I agree with you! History is so interesting. I find it more interesting every year. The Declaration on Indepence is certainly an important document for our country- and our history. It is really cool! :) ~Jess

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  7. How amazing and hopeful to be able to heal all health ailments by dipping into the Dead Sea. It's cool knowing there are some parts of the world that just can't be fully explained.

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    1. Claudine- I agree with you! The world is such an amazing place and we still have so much to learn. ~L

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  8. amazing tome too...fascinating! thanks for the scoop...fun to read!

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    1. Annmarie- Glad you found this post fascinating. Thanks for stopping by. :) ~F

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  9. I saw program about those scrolls and how they were examining the tiny pieces to put together the text whenever possible. Fascinating.

    I set out to be an archeologist after reading about the discovery of Troy. Unfortunately, I got sidetracked and became a linguist instead. Guess there's something of a connection there. I just never got my pick and whiskbroom as I'd planned.

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    1. Cleemckenzie- It is so amazing to see how they have come to know more about the scrolls and all the work that goes into figuring them out.

      How cool that you started out wanting to be an archeologist- but then became a linguist. They definitely have a lot in common. :) ~F

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  10. I guess this goes to show that you never know what was preserved and what you will find. It would be awesome to find something like either of these in an old abandoned well or cave!

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    1. Trey- I agree! I would love to find an ancient artifact. :) ~F

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  11. I didn't know about the Jamestown find. Cool. I read Blood on the River about that colony and I learned a lot. I liked reading about them.

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    1. Flex- I read Blood on the River and really enjoyed it. It was a fascinating read and I enjoyed finding out more about this time period. ~F

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