Originally posted by Aster Phoenix
Not all of our historical information was garnered from graves.
yes, but considering how wet archeologists get when they find them, I'd assume a lot can be.
and I'd think there are very unique things that can be garnered only from graves.
This doesn't even begin to address tombs, where, depending on the culture, some of the most priceless cultural artifacts are kept
also, many times burial sites are found by accident, and given the nature of human history, it is likely people have been buried over a good portion of the world (bones decompose). What is to be done about this? Should excavation of sites be prevented because someone might have been buried there?
and what about people who died at sea? is the ocean then one big grave? what about for those given a naval funeral, or a funeral pier?
what about indian culture where the ganges is both a place to be spiritually cleansed and a place where bodies are buried?
Originally posted by Aster Phoenix
I can't say for sure. But yes I would be willing to forgo the knowledge if it meant avoiding disturbing a person's resting place.
A person? How do you know what these people would think? If in 5000 years your grave was dug up and your bones were examined in order for the people of the future to understand us better, wouldn't you see that as a way of being a spokesman for the rest of us? You would be teaching the future about the lives we live now. I would personally find that to be an honor.
Originally posted by inimalist
yes, but considering how wet archeologists get when they find them, I'd assume a lot can be.and I'd think there are very unique things that can be garnered only from graves.
This doesn't even begin to address tombs, where, depending on the culture, some of the most priceless cultural artifacts are kept
also, many times burial sites are found by accident, and given the nature of human history, it is likely people have been buried over a good portion of the world (bones decompose). What is to be done about this? Should excavation of sites be prevented because someone might have been buried there?
and what about people who died at sea? is the ocean then one big grave? what about for those given a naval funeral, or a funeral pier?
what about indian culture where the ganges is both a place to be spiritually cleansed and a place where bodies are buried?
Okay some of those situations don't really apply. If I found a grave by accident, I would do my best to restore it to the way I found it and leave it alone. I just think a person's final resting place is a sacred thing. Is that such a bad thing to believe?
Originally posted by Aster Phoenix
Okay some of those situations don't really apply. If I found a grave by accident, I would do my best to restore it to the way I found it and leave it alone. I just think a person's final resting place is a sacred thing. Is that such a bad thing to believe?
lol, no, its not a bad thing to believe
I think it is inadvisable to put that belief ahead of research
I also think it does not logically hold when applied to the situations i mentioned
This thread has proposed that the bones be returned once finished being examined, would that satisfy you?
Originally posted by inimalist
lol, no, its not a bad thing to believeI think it is inadvisable to put that belief ahead of research
I also think it does not logically hold when applied to the situations i mentioned
This thread has proposed that the bones be returned once finished being examined, would that satisfy you?
I myself would still not do it. But at least they are doing that much.
Originally posted by Bardock42
Exactly, that's just your opinion, and I damn well don't have to pay for that as it is a ridiculous one.
mind you, you would be paying for them to be dug up in the first place, for them to be examined, and for them to be displayed and maintained
lol, totally off topic, but what are your feelings about public funding for research and museums and such?
its quite rigidly structured.
bardock, if you live in germany then its not your tax payments that will pay for this. any ways I pay too much tax as it is!
inimalist: some things are worth spending public money on.
I feel that the millenium dome was the biggest waste of public money going! I feel that that money could have been better spent on ways to preserve the green spaces we have and to creat new ones. also the new renewable energies research they have been going.
I'm not totally against research and history as you have clearly made out. I just feel that places like SH should be preserved as best possible and not disturbed too much.
Originally posted by Lara
inimalist: some things are worth spending public money on.
I feel that the millenium dome was the biggest waste of public money going! I feel that that money could have been better spent on ways to preserve the green spaces we have and to creat new ones. also the new renewable energies research they have been going.I'm not totally against research and history as you have clearly made out. I just feel that places like SH should be preserved as best possible and not disturbed too much.
I'd actually appreciate it if you mentioned which nation had archeological practices that you agreed with...
obviously I disagree that any "spiritual energy" mumbo jumbo should affect research, and personally feel that researchers and museums will do a far better job preserving the artifacts and bones than the ground will.
Originally posted by Lara
how can a facility like that preserve them any better then the ground they have been in for over 5,000 years? BTW bones take thousands upon thousands of years to decomp.
your first sentence is not logically followed by the second. Bones are no longer decomposing when they are properly stored.
Regardless of decomposition, there are numerous other things, like stress from climate and seasonal change, and at the very least, pets, that bones in museums are protected from.
and not to be glib, the people in museums make their living from and have dedicated their lives to these bones, rather than them being part of some hokey mysticism. They are personally and financially motivated to care for and respect them, as opposed to just feeling good because they are in the ground somewhere.
Originally posted by Lara
which then leads to: what the hell do you think natural energy sources are???
lol, explain them to me
which leads to: why wont you answer my question about archeology?