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?
ReplyDeleteMany objects from the past can tell us about the past. For example clothing from the past is very different from what we wear today, but it is still called clothing. A shoe can look totally different to what Jordans we wear now. Everything changes year after year but it's stilled called the same thing. Most people leave this stuff accidentally that we find years later. We can learn more about the past the past and how it is different from us.
If I found a item from the past I wouldn't really have a connection to that person who had it before but if it looked from the past years ago I would want to do my reasearch on it and see if it's worth anything or if it's never been seen before. And I would be the first one to discover this item from years ago.
If I was going to make a time capsule i would first but some cloths in there and pictures of like cars and phones and computers stuff that would be from the years I live in. And when someone opens it in a hundred years from now they can see what our lifes were like and what we have and see if our thing is similar or if they are totally different
Yes i believe that items from the past help people from the present day people figure out how we lived and such. Some things that we have discovered from the past would be very old buildings, old weapons, books, and tools. We have discovered these things intentionally and accidentally. Things that we have discovered are books or documents telling what exactly happened, the best example would be the bible. Another would be the roman coliseum. That and the weapons there tell that people fought each other in there.
ReplyDeleteIf i discovered an item from the past i would do research on it and keep it. I don't know if i would feel a connection with it. If it was just something random probably not, but if it was something that was used by my ancestors then yes probably. Either way i would be very curious to see who used it, when they used it, and why. I would definitely do research to find out more about the person that used it.
The items i would put in a time capsule for a future generation would be a vcr, a dvd player, all of the Star Wars movies, all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, all of the Lord of the Rings books/movies. I would throw in some money and comic books in there.
I agree with what Dylan says. I like how he says that the past helped people today from the present day people figure out how we lived and such other things. I also agree how he says we discovered many building, books, and tools from a long time ago. That also helped us become very modern today.
DeleteEveryday objects from the past can tell us history from the past. People lived very differently from what we live like now many years ago. For example, they lived differently, they dressed differently, they did basically everything differently because basically everything is modern to this day. No, I have not discovered anything different in an old house or apartment. But, when I replaced my floor in my room, I found out the previous person who lived here had a brown wooden floor. If I found a item from the past I wouldn't really have a connection to that person who had it before but if it looked from the past years ago I would want to do my reasearch on it and see if it's worth anything or if it's never been seen before. And I would be the first one to discover this item from years ago. The items I would put in a time capsule would be my money, phone, and other valuables that I own.
ReplyDelete