[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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