Foot & Mouth + B.S.E.

[Melf]

if in the future when and if the records of f and m/bse pits were lost would the future archaeologists think that the 20 cent. brits either worshiped sheep+cattle? or that we burnt offerings to the gods/daieties of sheep+cattle?

 

[Anonymous]

I doubt it, as we now have records of everything, in many different forms.

 

[Beakmoo]

I doubt it, as we now have records of everything, in many different forms.

Given enough time, any period in history will become mysterious. Even the Victorian era is open to much interpretation, and that was only 2 or 3 generations ago.
I would agree though that evidence of the burning of cattle wouldn't last as long as the evidence of why it was done.

 

[SoundDust]

I doubt it, as we now have records of everything, in many different forms.

but forms of recording things can become obselete after a while (i.e. betamax)

 

[Anonymous]

but forms of recording things can become obselete after a while (i.e. betamax)

and then there is the problem of the advances in computing that will leave much of the data we are keeping today inacesable within a few years unless it's transfered to the newer formats.

For centeries we have relied on paper and ink as the best way of keeping records. We may have to return to it.

(Print out anything you think should be kept for posterity, crumple it up and chuck it in the bin. All the good things are found in the rubish.)

 

[JamesWhitehead]

One very ironic example of the modern speed of obsolescence was
the BBC's Domesday Book project which emulated the famous Medieval
account of the country using contemporary input from people in the
1980s. About ten years later, it was announced that the data was now
unreadable.

Late last year there was an announcement to the effect that - hurrah! -
a data rescue company had managed to retrieve the files and convert
them to a format with greater longevity.

There is a lot to be said for non-cutting edge technology, such as bog-
standard text and HTML files. Even so, we are often warned about the
durability or lack of it of carriers such as floppies and CD-Rs. Ho hum, in
the long term, we are all dead media.

 

[carole]

but forms of recording things can become obselete after a while (i.e. betamax)

And also, historical records, even meticulously kept ones, are open to interpretation.

Carole

 

[rynner2]

..historical records, even meticulously kept ones, are open to interpretation.

That assumes that we even recognise them as historical records.

The recent history of technology has shown that different recording methods can be contemporary, or quickly displace each other.

If there was ever a high technology society in the distant past, there's no guarantee that
1. Their media would have survived.
2. Their media would be recognized now.
3. Their media would be readable, even if recognized.

 

[marion]

If there are any stock farmers around in the future thay should be able to tell anyone that burning livestock helps keep the spread of disease down.

I love the way archaeologists call anything unidentifiable they dig up a 'ritual object'.