[LINK] Clay vs other mediums for storage of information Re: Digital doomsday: the end of knowledge
Marghanita da Cruz
marghanita at ramin.com.au
Thu Apr 8 14:51:10 AEST 2010
ARTHUR,Evan (Dr) wrote:
> A baked clay tablet can definitely outlast a hard disk,
> particularly in the deserts of Iraq. The example I am more
> familiar with, a set of marble stelai preserving the
> archives of the Athenian state, even more clearly
> demonstrates the trade off between ease of replication of
> the message and durability of the underlying medium. But
> there is another difference, namely the ability to degrade
> gracefully. A baked clay tablet or a marble stele can still
> provide a large amount of information even after it has been
> damaged, so long as that damage is not catastrophic. Kim's
> experience demonstrates the reverse does not hold true for a
> hard disk.
<snip>
> Knossos was the capital of Minoan Crete and home of the mythical Minotaur kept by King Minos.
>
> The first palace was built around 1900BC. It was
....
> The site was excavated in the 19th Century by Oxford Archaeologist Arthur Evan. The story goes that he had a long and costly battle with the landowner for the right to excavate and then controvertially tried to recreate the palace using concrete.
...
> Some of these large pots (if not all) have been reconstructed from fragments and patched with new clay.
...
> The highlight was the sample houses made of clay, dating back to 1600BC. Perhaps made for the Minoan Property Bubble or for development approval. There were also pre-wheel and pre-kiln pots as well as later ones.
<http://ramin.com.au/pottery/pottery-at-knossos.shtml>
Marghanita
--
Marghanita da Cruz
http://ramin.com.au
Tel: 0414-869202
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