Future archaeology: "Ken just located a website that has had no hits within the last 28 years! It's an outstanding find!"
(strip by WulffMorgentahler, Politiken 23. feb. '08)
CHRISTINA'S Random thoughts on random subjects at random times. May contain traits of dirt and gravel.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Why blog?
There are numerous reasons to why I started blogging. But why blog?
Is it not just a symptom of our present culture where everybody wants to expose themself? Am I blogging because I am a kind of exhibitionist - only not physically but rather a mental exhibitionist? I want to expose my thoughts to the world, look at me, look at what I'm thinking?
The answer is NO.
I'm blogging to keep my head from exploding.
My mind is so full of thoughts. And paradoxically, this actually to some degree prevents my work from progressing. I get mentally constipated. More and more is constantly generated but it goes no where.
By blogging, I can let it out in a media where I do not have to reflect on form first, but can let it flow directly from the mind to the writing fingertips. Unedited.
I hope that blogging keeps my writing flowing and that the natural flow of words - from mind through fingers to screen - will transmit to my research work as well.
That I will learn to stop editing while I write (a very destructive procedure) and save the editorial process for later. I believe the blogging will help me to become more productive. Even though at first hand you might say it is taking extra time - that I might have used for my research instead.
Rather than imposing my thoughts on anybody I am hereby sharing them with those that may care to read it and perhaps share my interests, thoughts, ideas. Or disagree. And hopefully contribute with interesting comments.
A blog is a great media for transforming an unedited random monologue into an interesting dialogue.
So feel free to comment - I'm grateful for your contribution to transforming this now monologue into a dialogue.
And prevent my head from exploding.
Is it not just a symptom of our present culture where everybody wants to expose themself? Am I blogging because I am a kind of exhibitionist - only not physically but rather a mental exhibitionist? I want to expose my thoughts to the world, look at me, look at what I'm thinking?
The answer is NO.
I'm blogging to keep my head from exploding.
My mind is so full of thoughts. And paradoxically, this actually to some degree prevents my work from progressing. I get mentally constipated. More and more is constantly generated but it goes no where.
By blogging, I can let it out in a media where I do not have to reflect on form first, but can let it flow directly from the mind to the writing fingertips. Unedited.
I hope that blogging keeps my writing flowing and that the natural flow of words - from mind through fingers to screen - will transmit to my research work as well.
That I will learn to stop editing while I write (a very destructive procedure) and save the editorial process for later. I believe the blogging will help me to become more productive. Even though at first hand you might say it is taking extra time - that I might have used for my research instead.
Rather than imposing my thoughts on anybody I am hereby sharing them with those that may care to read it and perhaps share my interests, thoughts, ideas. Or disagree. And hopefully contribute with interesting comments.
A blog is a great media for transforming an unedited random monologue into an interesting dialogue.
So feel free to comment - I'm grateful for your contribution to transforming this now monologue into a dialogue.
And prevent my head from exploding.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Gross Distraction
Hmmm. Just thinking about how archaeology is so much a product of it's present context. Any given time.
Just now I'm working with material from the "Prussian" area - a place which is now days part of Poland but was before 2.ww. a part of Germany.
The find I'm working with at present was excavated and published in 1937. Thus right in the time of flourishing nazism.
So in order to retrieve information about this find, I must go to the source. Which turns out to be a publication named "Germanen Erbe". I order the title at the library. Recieve it at my desk. Open it. Full of images that are promoting the Swastica (which is in fact a symbol used by numerous prehistoric cultures around the world) but in a grim context.
All the images of the men dressed in military swastica-ornamented uniforms, small adds in the publication promoting various copies of ancient jewelry and other stuff to order - all with the Swastica symbol on it.
Off course all this distracts my attention from what I was actually looking for. Just a picture of an archaeological object.
But now I wonder if it is even right to use this publication. It makes me nauseous - litterally. I want to vomit because this publication is to such a degree reflecting the formation and promotion of the Nazi world order. And all I need is the picture and description of a small fibula. For a completely different context. I almost forgot to even look for it. And I'm reluctant to do so. Should my fingers even touch the pages of this - filthy - publication? It's like trying to study anatomy from a porn magazine. There's plenty of human limbs to see but the context is misplaced. Context. It's all depending on context.
Just now I'm working with material from the "Prussian" area - a place which is now days part of Poland but was before 2.ww. a part of Germany.
The find I'm working with at present was excavated and published in 1937. Thus right in the time of flourishing nazism.
So in order to retrieve information about this find, I must go to the source. Which turns out to be a publication named "Germanen Erbe". I order the title at the library. Recieve it at my desk. Open it. Full of images that are promoting the Swastica (which is in fact a symbol used by numerous prehistoric cultures around the world) but in a grim context.
All the images of the men dressed in military swastica-ornamented uniforms, small adds in the publication promoting various copies of ancient jewelry and other stuff to order - all with the Swastica symbol on it.
Off course all this distracts my attention from what I was actually looking for. Just a picture of an archaeological object.
But now I wonder if it is even right to use this publication. It makes me nauseous - litterally. I want to vomit because this publication is to such a degree reflecting the formation and promotion of the Nazi world order. And all I need is the picture and description of a small fibula. For a completely different context. I almost forgot to even look for it. And I'm reluctant to do so. Should my fingers even touch the pages of this - filthy - publication? It's like trying to study anatomy from a porn magazine. There's plenty of human limbs to see but the context is misplaced. Context. It's all depending on context.
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