18-04-2005 21:52									#1
	Decoded at last: the 'classical holy grail' that may rewrite the history of the world Increase Your PM Length

http://news.independent.co.uk/world...sp?story=630165

Do read this.

quote: The original papyrus documents, discovered in an ancient rubbish dump in central Egypt, are often meaningless to the naked eye - decayed, worm-eaten and blackened by the passage of time. But scientists using the new photographic technique, developed from satellite imaging, are bringing the original writing back into view. Academics have hailed it as a development which could lead to a 20 per cent increase in the number of great Greek and Roman works in existence. Some are even predicting a "second Renaissance".

	18-04-2005 22:01									#2
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I expect classicists will be happy, having found something new to occupy themselves with. I doubt it will have much impact outside of a very narrow band of academia though.

	18-04-2005 22:01									#3
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Good

	18-04-2005 22:01									#4
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Cool!

Can't wait to see if Sophocles managed to spell Tehben's handle properly.

	18-04-2005 22:44									#5
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Great. Some of these have already been decoded.

I really hope they find a complete copy of Parmenides' poem, although it doesn't seem as if there was a lot of philosophy in this.

	18-04-2005 23:50									#6
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This is so cool.

	18-04-2005 23:53									#8
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( And it finally gives Classicists something new to debate and argue about! )

	19-04-2005 02:13									#9
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Tupac Shakur, anyone?

new texts

	19-04-2005 02:15									#10
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quote: new photographic technique, developed from satellite imaging

another feather in the cap aerospace... or, why NASA needs another Trillion Dollars!!

	19-04-2005 02:31									#11
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anti-nasa trolls

It's quite sad when you're dissing the organization that is responsible to one of the top ten of your country's legacy achievements.

	19-04-2005 02:37									#12
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quote: Originally posted by Az anti-nasa trolls It's quite sad when you're dissing the organization that is responsible to one of the top ten of your country's legacy achievements.

Well, it's like this: we had decent maps of the whole earth long before the Apollo space mission wonder was completed, but OTOH 30 years after finishing it we're nowhere close to being able to build modules for an interstellar space ship.

	19-04-2005 02:40									#13
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Wow... this is pretty exciting

	19-04-2005 03:11									#14
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cool! - well found snoopy

from the article and the first time seen by modern eye

'Key words from the master of Greek tragedy

Speaker A: . . . gobbling the whole, sharpening the flashing iron.

Speaker B: And the helmets are shaking their purple-dyed crests, and for the wearers of breast-plates the weavers are striking up the wise shuttle's songs, that wakes up those who are asleep.

Speaker A: And he is gluing together the chariot's rail.'

awesome.

Last edited by child of Thor on 19-04-2005 at 03:24

	19-04-2005 07:03									#15
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A second renaissance??

What do they expect to find on those documents? The unified theory of physics? Research notes on advanced nano-technology?

Unless you're Erich von Daniken I'd hardly think anyone would think the Egyptians would offer anything to us that could spark a new renaissance?

	19-04-2005 07:08									#16
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Mind you... it is a big discovery that could yield interesting information...

I'm just cynical about the second renaissance comment... everything else is quite exciting.

	19-04-2005 07:31									#17
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quote: Well, it's like this: we had decent maps of the whole earth long before the Apollo space mission wonder was completed, but OTOH 30 years after finishing it we're nowhere close to being able to build modules for an interstellar space ship.

Under Democracy we have to increase luxury spending to offset the effects of invading other nations. Duh.

	19-04-2005 07:47									#18
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quote: Originally posted by Dracon II I'm just cynical about the second renaissance comment...

It's British journalism. Therefore, it deserves to be overlooked

	19-04-2005 07:52									#19
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quote: Originally posted by Agathon Great. Some of these have already been decoded. I really hope they find a complete copy of Parmenides' poem, although it doesn't seem as if there was a lot of philosophy in this.

I wouldn't hope too much. Most of the philosophers before Anaxagoras didn't write anything or noything mcuh down adn aywa, iirc. Then again you'(ll know this more athan anyone else here.

Anyhow it would be iunteresting if they could present us with some new ideas. Most of the classical philosoophy is, to my surprise, little knowjn. but does it matterm tha t much when we have aristotle. ...?

	19-04-2005 08:44									#20
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quote: A second renaissance?? What do they expect to find on those documents? The unified theory of physics? Research notes on advanced nano-technology? Unless you're Erich von Daniken I'd hardly think anyone would think the Egyptians would offer anything to us that could spark a new renaissance?

Duh. Egypt was Hellenized at the time. A littler matter of a man called Alexandria. Egypt was the centre of Hellenistic culture for hundreds of years: the Great Library was situated there.

Think of us suddenly discovering a trove of lost Shakespeare plays and great art from the Renaissance. That would be an occasion of some wonder.

quote: I wouldn't hope too much. Most of the philosophers before Anaxagoras didn't write anything or noything mcuh down adn aywa, iirc. Then again you'(ll know this more athan anyone else here.

Some of them wrote. Parmenides is one I really want to get the rest of. Empedocles would be nice too.

quote: Anyhow it would be iunteresting if they could present us with some new ideas. Most of the classical philosoophy is, to my surprise, little knowjn. but does it matterm tha t much when we have aristotle.

If some Aristotelian texts came to light it would be a miracle.

	19-04-2005 08:45									#21
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A major part of the Rennaisance was classicism, a renewed interest in ancient history and culture, and an increased scholarship in both. This may well lead to a new outbreak of interest in classical learning. This will also, of course, greatly increase our cultural heritage.

	19-04-2005 08:53									#22
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Not if the people who think all education must be "technical" have their way.

	19-04-2005 08:53									#23
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quote: A littler matter of a man called Alexandria.

	19-04-2005 08:55									#24
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Ok you got me. I should proof my stuff. Oh the shame....

	19-04-2005 08:57									#26
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I could have DanSed you.

Let that be a lesson in humility to you, young Jedi.

	19-04-2005 09:00									#27
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You can't DanS someone once they've quoted your post

	19-04-2005 09:02									#28
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I think he means Alexander...

Sure this could result in greater historical knowledge and understanding of classical civilization.... but modern society is far, far beyond classical civilization and would not benefit from any major "rebirth" of science, learning and art, that a 2nd renaissance would imply. You might see some smidgen of a renaissance within your own faculty Agathon... but outside society is dealing with problems and implementing projects for which a renewed understanding of egyptian and hellenistic cultures would provide only a marginal (if any) amount of benefit or renewal.

I'm not knocking the significance of the discovery... I'm just knocking the kind of hubris of the idea that these discoveries could spark a second renaissance.

Oh wait... are you saying they were talking about possibly disovering a renaissance that occurred at the time of the parchments... when Greek and Egyptian culture fused? If so I apologize for my complete misrepresentation of the whole thing...

	19-04-2005 09:04									#29
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quote: Originally posted by Kuciwalker You can't DanS someone once they've quoted your post

You can when they forget to include your name because they were too lazy to hit the quote button.

	19-04-2005 09:06									#30
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quote: You might see some smidgen of a renaissance within your own faculty Agathon... but outside society is dealing with problems and implementing projects for which a renewed understanding of egyptian and hellenistic cultures would provide only a marginal (if any) amount of benefit or renewal.

Well, new discoveries of Shakespeare would probably interest a minority of people, but the value of the discoveries would last as long as we did.

No one is going to care much about obsolete technology 100 years from now. But people will still read Aeschylus.