Kevin's Watch

www.friesian.com/notes/oldking.htm

When I think of just how much Ancient Egyptian history was lost over the ages I'm frequently astonished. I understand many of the reasons but it still defies some of my assumptions. First of all there has been an uninterrupted occupation of Egypt by a populous that can trace its origins back to the very beginning and yet Egyptian and Western historians alike are forced to rely on very sketchy information to draw many of their often debatable conclusions. It didn't help matters that from time to time all traces of certain Egyptian historical figures were deliberately wiped from existence due to some transgression or other. There are many points of interest that may never be reliably clarified. For example it would be fascinating to read a detailed and accurate account of precisely how the pyramids were built without having to rely on archaeological forensics and insightful speculation. I suppose there may yet be an as yet undiscovered archive buried under the sand that could change everything.

I've always been a fan of the mythology of Egypt, more than the actual history, but I certainly agree that it is both sad and slightly strange that the historical record leaves some uncertainties.

Also of course, the destructive and competitive attitude of the early Egyptologists didn't help either.

--A

And yet, in long lasting cultures that are ongoing today, it's not uncommon. American women readers were fascinated by Anita Diamant's description of the lives of the Jewish Matriarchs in The Red Tent, and yet most is speculation on Diamant's part.

Even the life and times of JC is controversial among whose writings and teachings you study.

Just think that, for centuries, no one could read the hieroglyphs.

And only a very small fraction of ancient greek writings have survived time.

Yeah...it all disappears so quickly...

Always wondered what the archaeologists of the future will think of us...

--A

They'll be thinking : Didnt they have anything better to do than post about a leper?

That's funny, but this is a little bit more of an academic forum...

Coming back to the original point though: There are lot of things about the very early civilizations that I'd like to know as well.
For example, a few years back the BBC ran a program about what the world would have been like during the last ice age, with drastically lower sea levels, and then mentioned the ruins of possible contemperaneous buildings that can found off shore (around the coast of India if I'm remembering correctly). I've wondered ever since what those guys were about...and if rising sea levels at the end of that time tie into the various legends of the deluge. But I guess I'll never know...