From gunpowder to brushes
Archaeology is undeniably wonderful - without
it, we would know very little of the past deeds and customs of this world. We
wouldn’t have a clue what ancient people used for tools, why Egyptian people
bothered to mummify the dead, how cave-people survived, or what the Romans ate.
The past would be a misty memory, of which only a few books could, to
some extent, elucidate.
It seems that archaeology has been around forever, but in fact it is a fairly
new science.
When Pompeii was discovered in the 1700’s, archaeology was still in its
infancy. Though, of course, most of the archaeologists loved
history, they hadn’t learnt how to care for ancient artifacts. They
sometimes used methods such as gunpowder to excavate, and often sold artifacts
to use as decorations. Because of this, a good many artifacts were lost
or accidentally destroyed.
I read a story once of a farmer who found a huge collection of Ancient Egyptian
mummified cats in his field. Some were sold by children for pennies, but
most were burnt down to use as fertilizer. You can imagine the
distress of today’s archaeologists at such a loss!
These days, great care is taken when excavating. Instead of gunpowder, tools like brushes and small spades are used. The site of the dig is carefully made into a grid with string, and dirt is sifted through a sieve-like instrument to make sure nothing is missed. And except for research purposes, artifacts are left in their original location.
Through archaeology, many things have been found to prove the truth of biblical records. For instance, it is known that many ancient tribes have a worldwide flood story, and also that many word-of-mouth bloodlines go back to three forefathers, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, though sometimes they have different names. And when I read Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green, I was surprised as to how similar the Egyptian tale of creation was to the biblical account. Though warped, the story of Creation, handed down through generations, was still there. The Egyptians also believed that their god Osiris would one day come back from the Land of the Dead and rule on earth, which is very similar to God’s promise!
The word
“proof” is used too often
Archaeology shows us what it was like to live
thousands of years ago. But many things can never be proved, so to
speak, by archaeology. Conclusions can be come to, but in many
cases, what these conclusions will be depends on the personal interpretation of
the archaeologist.
For example, the city of Troy. Most have heard the tale of the Trojan
horse, which is based on Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad. Back
in the 19th century, most scholars thought Troy was merely a myth. Then
along came a man called Heinrich Schliemann, who was passionate believer in
Homer’s poem. Heinrich gave up his flourishing business to search for
Troy, and, using clues in the poem, discovered it. The scholarly world was
amazed. Because Heinrich was biased, he was able to find something that
was considered a myth.
Years later, further excavations were done on Troy by someone else. He
declared that he had “proof” that the city wasn’t Troy at all. So once
again there is disagreement over its existence.
Facts are interpreted in the view of the particular archaeologist. One
might find a dish and say it was specially made for a king, another might say
it was stolen by a pirate. In the end, one must realize that most things cannot
really be proved unless it has been seen.
Some archaeologists have tried to prove -or contradict- biblical events with
archaeology. It was apparently proved that the city of Jericho was
nonexistent, until further research led to the belief that it did. It
seems that facts change about every 50 years, when someone else comes along
with different interpretation and better technology.
What with all this controversy, it’s hard to know what to believe. In the
end, what the Bible says is the real truth, and it can be trusted no matter
what anyone else says. One writer put it this way: “a faith that
provides truth is much to be preferred over a research program that does not.”
And I think he’s hit the nail right on the head.
From gunpowder to brushes
Archaeology is undeniably wonderful - without
it, we would know very little of the past deeds and customs of this world. We
wouldn’t have a clue what ancient people used for tools, why Egyptian people
bothered to mummify the dead, how cave-people survived, or what the Romans ate.
The past would be a misty memory, of which only a few books could, to
some extent, elucidate.
It seems that archaeology has been around forever, but in fact it is a fairly new science.
When Pompeii was discovered in the 1700’s, archaeology was still in its infancy. Though, of course, most of the archaeologists loved history, they hadn’t learnt how to care for ancient artifacts. They sometimes used methods such as gunpowder to excavate, and often sold artifacts to use as decorations. Because of this, a good many artifacts were lost or accidentally destroyed.
I read a story once of a farmer who found a huge collection of Ancient Egyptian mummified cats in his field. Some were sold by children for pennies, but most were burnt down to use as fertilizer. You can imagine the distress of today’s archaeologists at such a loss!
It seems that archaeology has been around forever, but in fact it is a fairly new science.
When Pompeii was discovered in the 1700’s, archaeology was still in its infancy. Though, of course, most of the archaeologists loved history, they hadn’t learnt how to care for ancient artifacts. They sometimes used methods such as gunpowder to excavate, and often sold artifacts to use as decorations. Because of this, a good many artifacts were lost or accidentally destroyed.
I read a story once of a farmer who found a huge collection of Ancient Egyptian mummified cats in his field. Some were sold by children for pennies, but most were burnt down to use as fertilizer. You can imagine the distress of today’s archaeologists at such a loss!
These days, great care is taken when excavating. Instead of gunpowder, tools like brushes and small spades are used. The site of the dig is carefully made into a grid with string, and dirt is sifted through a sieve-like instrument to make sure nothing is missed. And except for research purposes, artifacts are left in their original location.
Through archaeology, many things have been found to prove the truth of biblical records. For instance, it is known that many ancient tribes have a worldwide flood story, and also that many word-of-mouth bloodlines go back to three forefathers, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, though sometimes they have different names. And when I read Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green, I was surprised as to how similar the Egyptian tale of creation was to the biblical account. Though warped, the story of Creation, handed down through generations, was still there. The Egyptians also believed that their god Osiris would one day come back from the Land of the Dead and rule on earth, which is very similar to God’s promise!
Through archaeology, many things have been found to prove the truth of biblical records. For instance, it is known that many ancient tribes have a worldwide flood story, and also that many word-of-mouth bloodlines go back to three forefathers, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, though sometimes they have different names. And when I read Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green, I was surprised as to how similar the Egyptian tale of creation was to the biblical account. Though warped, the story of Creation, handed down through generations, was still there. The Egyptians also believed that their god Osiris would one day come back from the Land of the Dead and rule on earth, which is very similar to God’s promise!
Archaeology shows us what it was like to live thousands of years ago. But many things can never be proved, so to speak, by archaeology. Conclusions can be come to, but in many cases, what these conclusions will be depends on the personal interpretation of the archaeologist.
For example, the city of Troy. Most have heard the tale of the Trojan horse, which is based on Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad. Back in the 19th century, most scholars thought Troy was merely a myth. Then along came a man called Heinrich Schliemann, who was passionate believer in Homer’s poem. Heinrich gave up his flourishing business to search for Troy, and, using clues in the poem, discovered it. The scholarly world was amazed. Because Heinrich was biased, he was able to find something that was considered a myth.
Years later, further excavations were done on Troy by someone else. He declared that he had “proof” that the city wasn’t Troy at all. So once again there is disagreement over its existence.
Facts are interpreted in the view of the particular archaeologist. One might find a dish and say it was specially made for a king, another might say it was stolen by a pirate. In the end, one must realize that most things cannot really be proved unless it has been seen.
Some archaeologists have tried to prove -or contradict- biblical events with archaeology. It was apparently proved that the city of Jericho was nonexistent, until further research led to the belief that it did. It seems that facts change about every 50 years, when someone else comes along with different interpretation and better technology.
What with all this controversy, it’s hard to know what to believe. In the end, what the Bible says is the real truth, and it can be trusted no matter what anyone else says. One writer put it this way: “a faith that provides truth is much to be preferred over a research program that does not.” And I think he’s hit the nail right on the head.
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