What Items Would You Place in a Time Capsule for Future Generations?
By CAROLINE CROSSON GILPIN JAN. 24, 2017
The 1770 Ear Inn in Lower Manhattan has revealed many souvenirs of past owners, including pottery shards, bottles, keys and a shoe.
Have you ever discovered anything hidden away in an old house or apartment? Have you ever stashed away something so you — or others — could recover it years later?
What stories have you heard about the discoveries of old things in buildings left behind in secret places?
In “The History Hidden in the Walls,” Caitlin Kelly writes:
“The practice of burying or concealing items in the structure of a house is called immurement,” said Joseph Heathcott, an architectural historian and urbanist who teaches at the New School in New York.
“It is actually an ancient practice that cuts across many cultures and civilizations,” Dr. Heathcott added. The most famous examples are artifacts entombed with Egyptian pharaohs in the pyramids, but he said that ritual objects have often been found in the walls of Roman villas and ordinary houses during archaeological excavations. “The history of Freemasonry traces its origins to the rituals of concealment by masons, sealing up secrets in their buildings,” he said.
Objects were often hidden away as a way to bring good luck to inhabitants. This was the case in Ireland, he said, “where it was common when building a home to bury a horse skull in the floor or under the hearth, a Celtic practice that dates back centuries. Sometimes it would be the entire skull, other times just the front section or the top without the lower jaw.”
In England and Ireland, it was also customary in many regions to bury dead cats in the walls or under floors of houses to ward off malicious spirits, Dr. Heathcott added.
Students: Read the entire article, then tell us:
— What can everyday objects from the past tell us about life long ago? What have people learned from uncovering items left behind, either intentionally or accidentally, in homes and buildings?
— If you uncovered an item stashed away long ago, would you feel a connection to the person who left it behind? How curious would you feel about the item you found and the person who used it? Would you want research to find out more? Why or why not?
—What items would you put in a time capsule for future generations, and why?
Everyday objects from the past long ago tell us a lot about what went on back then. It tells us that they had a different way of living back then. For example, the jitterbug phone. This shows that they didn't know much about technology with the phones. Also it shows how advanced we have gotten in technology with the phones. Also many people have found objects from long ago in their homes or outside somewhere. People sometimes find jewelry or metal objects from a long time ago. It shows what it used to look like back then and that it was valuable to the people that hid it. If i unstashed an item from long ago I wouldn't know how to feel. I would probably feel a connection because it shows that they didn't want it to get destroyed so they hid the item by burying it somewhere. I would of done the same thing. It could of been like an invasion from another country and they wanted to hide the item somewhere so they buried it. I think it would be a smart idea to do so. If I found the item I would be super curious about it. I would like to know what time period it was from so I can find out how long ago this was around and a person that it could've connected to. It could be used by a famous person and they might have hid it for a certain reason. I would want to know a lot about it and I would like to do research about it. It would be interesting if it was a big item used back then. Items that I would put in a time capsule are a phone and a watch and a basketball. These items mean the most to me so I would put all of them in there and so people can discover it and wonder what it is when they find it.
ReplyDeleteTyler your response was pretty good. I like the things you would put in your capsule. Especially the phone and watch. That could show them what we used and how it worked and even take ideas from it. The future would be more advanced by than but nothing like a blast from the past with those. Good job
DeleteWhat everyday objects from the past can tell us about life long ago is a lot actually. It can tell us what the style was back thing. It can show us what that is similar to in our world today and how much it has changed. Also it can show us how different things were made with less back than compared to today's modern day version. Things that people have learned from uncovering items left behind was they learned about the culture back then. They learned about what people were into back in the day and how things were made and how they were used differently.If i uncovered an itm stashed away long ago i would feel a connection between me and the people that left the item behind. First they left the artifact to one day be found and if i found it i would feel special. I feel like i'd be caring on that person's legacy and it would be my responsibility to share the artifact the right way. I'd be very curious about the artifact and the person. Id want to know what the artifact is and how it was used. Also why the person decided to leave it behind and what for. It would also make me wonder what type of person the guy or girl was that left the artifact behind, what kind of things they were interested in and how the idea of leaving something behind came to mind. I would want to research to find out more about the artifact and if he or she has any family so i could contact and tell them about the artifact and most likely give the artifact to the family for them to cherish. Items i would put in a capsule for future generations were a picture of myself and maybe a note of who i am and why i left this behind and what i was interested into. Just show a side of me and how the past was.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Eli. I think objects from the past do tell us a lot. Also i agree with researching the artifact to find out more. Also I agree with things you would put in the capsule.
DeleteBy Patrick Nardone
ReplyDeleteTheir are lots of items that tell us about the past. Like a phone it can tell us about the past. The items left behind tell us a lot. They tell us how people lived before us. They tell us what was used back then and how it was made. Stuff that left behind can tell us a lot. We can make connections from the past to see how old the item is. We can also see how the person lived too. I would be curious about who's it is. Also how it was made and for what reason. I would do some research to find out more if I thought it was cool. Or if it really interested me. I can think of a lot of items that I would put in a time capsule. I would put a phone in there to show people what tech looked like long ago. I would put in a dictionary to tell them how we spoke.
We said some similar things. I agree with what patrick is saying and what he thinks. I don't think we would have to put a dictionary in there because i dont think it would be that long. But anything can happen in this world
DeleteI agree with you Pat. Life is crazy sometimes and everything seems to have a bigger meaning to it than we can even imagine. I hope one day I actually can impact someones life with a time capsule.
DeleteI’ve heard of people hiding things away so later them or other people could find it and recover it. I’ve never done it myself because i have nothing to hide but i heard of a man once hiding away 20 million dollars in a bed. It was said that the mad had sent people to pick up the money little by little but the whole amount has never gotten recovered. Everyday objects from the past can tell us much information like what it was like, what kind of materials were mostly used, how they were made, what kind of people used them, etc.. People who have uncovered things from the past accidently can learn many things from their findings. They have found evidence of things rumored to have been going on during a certain time period and have the evidence to prove it. They have also found things like when it was last used, what it was used for. One object can tell many things about the time period, and other important factors. If i found an item stashed away from someone in the past i would feel like i have been in the time they were if i had enough information to know what time period it was. I would feel very curious about the item and most likely research what the item is and when it was used and all things to link up things to know a general feeling of what happened and why. I would put many things that would tell people about how this time period was and letter to tell them what had been going on at the time and see what i would expect in the future. Then the people or person finding it can know what happened when i had last touched it and seen it. I would give them a general feeling of what world i was living in at the time period. Even simple object can tell a long story of many things. 50-100 years from now people will be able to figure out what happened exactly and when because even know its crazy to see what people can figure out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Henry. Life is crazy sometimes and everything seems to have a bigger meaning to it than we can even imagine. I hope one day I actually can impact someones life with a time capsule. Great job on your response dude.
DeleteThe 1770 Ear Inn in Lower Manhattan has revealed many souvenirs of past owners, including pottery shards, bottles, keys and a shoe. I have found plenty of things hidden away in my house before, usually in the attic. The oldest item I have found in there was an original atari gaming system from the 1970’s. I have heard plenty of stories of people leaving things abandoned in weird places, mostly cars. Everyday objects from long ago can tell us about our past and how different life was back then and how technologically advanced we are now. If I found an item somewhere that wasn’t mine I definitely would feel some sort of connection that item because I know that item used to be used by someone else long ago and it’s crazy to think how it wound up there. It’s even crazier to think about how I rediscovered it, I think there’s a bigger meaning to everything. If I could put items in a time capsule right now I would put clothes in there to show the future generations our style and how we expressed ourselves.
ReplyDeleteSolid response marco. I agree with you on how its cool to rediscover stuff and it have meaning to you. We pretty much had the same thoughts. Good stuff my g.
DeleteIn the 1770 Ear Inn in Lower Manhattan, Many souvenirs have been discovered and have meaning towards people now. Many pottery shards, bottles, clothes, and keys are items discovered that people have meaning towards now. In my house I have found many items buried in the ground in my backyard or items in my house hold. One time my father and I found a old Beer bottle from the 1960's berried in the ground that we dug up. Another time i went to a abandoned house and found a old polaroid camera and kept it since photography is something big to me. I think its crazy how people discover something then lose it or it becomes worthless to them then later on in life someone rediscovers it and then it has meanings to them. If i could put items in a time capsule at this moment i would put CD's, DVD's and clothing just so people could see how we used to listen to music and watch movies and also now the style of our time.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of items that tell us about the past. Like a phone it can tell us about the past. I’ve never done it myself because I have nothing to hide but I heard of a man once hiding away 20 million dollars in a bed. It was said that the mad had sent people to pick up the money little by little but the whole amount has never gotten recovered. If I un-stashed an item from long ago I wouldn't know how to feel. I would probably feel a connection because it shows that they didn't want it to get destroyed so they hid the item by burying it somewhere. I have found plenty of things hidden away in my house before, usually in the attic. The oldest item I have found in there was an original Atari gaming system from the 1970’s. I have heard plenty of stories of people leaving things abandoned in weird places, mostly cars. Everyday objects from long ago can tell us about our past and how different life was back then and how technologically advanced we are now. If I found an item somewhere that wasn’t mine I definitely would feel some sort of connection that item because I know that item used to be used by someone else long ago and it’s crazy to think how it wound up there. One time my father and I found an old Beer bottle from the 1960's berried in the ground that we dug up. Another time I went to a abandoned house and found a old Polaroid camera and kept it since photography is something big to me. I think its crazy how people discover something then lose it or it becomes worthless to them then later on in life someone rediscovers it and then it has meanings to them. For the future, I would stash away some imperishable food. I would also probably stash some popular objects.
ReplyDeleteNice response Luis. I agree with you on how its cool to rediscover stuff and it have meaning to you. We had the same thoughts. Good job
DeleteThe 1770 Ear Inn in Lower Manhattan has revealed many souvenirs of past owners, including pottery shards, bottles, keys and a shoe. I have found plenty of things hidden away in my house before, usually in the attic. The oldest item I have found in there was an original Atari gaming system from the 1970’s. I have heard plenty of stories of people leaving things abandoned in weird places, mostly cars. They learned about what people were into back in the day and how things were made and how they were used differently. If I uncovered an it stashed away long ago I would feel a connection between me and the people that left the item behind. First they left the artifact to one day be found and if i found it i would feel special. I feel like I’d be caring on that person's legacy and it would be my responsibility to share the artifact the right way. Another time I went to an abandoned house and found an old Polaroid camera and kept it since photography is something big to me. I think its crazy how people discover something then lose it or it becomes worthless to them then later on in life someone rediscovers it and then it has meanings to them. If I could put items in a time capsule at this moment I would put CD's, DVD's and clothing just so people could see how we used to listen to music and watch movies and also now the style of our time.
ReplyDelete