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26 Comments
- dattaway, on 10/11/2007, -0/+29"The texts, formulas and drawings by Archimedes, executed in brown ink, were erased in the Middle Ages and overwritten with a religious text. Specialists at the museum irradiated the pages, made of goat leather, with UV light. Then they were bombarded with X-rays in the particle accelerator..."
This proves that wiping your hard drive with a single pass of random data does NOT work 2,000 years from now. - geronimo, on 10/11/2007, -0/+10After struggling to figure it out, Archimedes discovered how to determine density while relaxing in a bath tub.
So take a break once in awhile. - Jadart, on 10/11/2007, -3/+12One of the things that saddens me more then it angers me is the many futures destroyed by ancient wars. If things like this and the burning of the Royal Library of Alexandria never happened we would surely be thousands of year ahead technologically.
- QEDbitches, on 10/11/2007, -2/+11This discovery just goes to show that it's the victors of battle that write the history books.
- CornStarch, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9Dark age Christians really did a hell of a ***** job on anything science didn't they.
- Buzzbean, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8"Archimedes was often so engrossed in thought that he would forget to eat -- and he bathed infrequently." - He was an early geek!
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5yep and they are trying to do it again
- Faiakes, on 10/11/2007, -5/+9Typical.
Christian fanatic, takes piece of scientific history, wipes it clean to write the ramblings of his religion.
Who knows how many more scientific treasures were lost this way. The Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire) was a truly dark place after the Greek civilization was murdered by those savages.
Barbarians... - heiroglyph, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6Is there anything that religion can't mess up?
- otep, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5 "Do not disturb my circles"
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3i guess the book burners like "wide screen"
- tritiumpie, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5"But science eventually took a turn for the worse in the Byzantine Empire. In 1229, a monk picked up the primer on mathematics, not to study it but to recycle its valuable pages made of animal hide. Using a sponge and lemon juice, he rubbed off the ink. Then he cut the cleaned pages in half, rotated them by 90 degrees and bound them together to make a new book, which he proceeded to fill with prayers and liturgies."
Can always count on religion in the advancement science and rational thought.
/Sarcasm. And what a fitting metaphor. - noisey, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3One of Archimedes feats is said to be that he invented a way to focus mirrors and "burn" his enemies. At the end of the article they have a link (photo gallery) to pictures of a recreation this event. In photo 5 (of 5), you can see the mirrors focusing on a boat. But it doesn't look right, there's a guy in a black t-shirt sitting right next to the focal point.
Just thought I'd mention this. It was an excellent article, extremely well written. - originaldna, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2as well as burning of the mayan library
- Faiakes, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Errm, I've actually read history books?
Find a couple objective books about the practices of the "loving" christians and you will want to puke from the descriptions. It is shocking.
What is more shocking is that they dared called the Greeks blasphemers and demon worshipers....idiots - geffo, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1when the sun revolved around the earth and the church was at the centre of everything , death to blasphemers, ah the good old days.
- nreynolds, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2earth itself? because of the tilt of its axis? if that's what you were talking about, that's severly nerdy(and now I'm extra nerdy)
- elementfire, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1There's quite nothing like the Guttman wipe, though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutmann_method
Really, if someone NEEDS this wipe, why are they even using a standard computer, anyway? But, I digress. Sorry, this comment had nothing to do with the story. - heiroglyph, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3im in ur sand disturbin' ur circlez
- Buzzbean, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1"You disturbin' my dots...er...circles?"
- wishfairy, on 10/11/2007, -4/+4I think that is taking it too far. The mathematical theories of Archimedes were not lost, they continued to be taught, and still are to some extent today. The point is that no original manuscripts survive, the loss is a historical one. Similarly when the library at Alexandria burned, the loss was literary and historical. Hundreds of ancient texts are lost, but it is unlikely that technological advancement was hampered severely. True it is possible that had the library not burned we might have some more detailed knowledge of ancient mathematics or technology, but it is unlikely that we would be 'thousands of year(s) ahead technologically.'
- HairyFotr, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1i has circlez ^_^
NOOOO!!!11 they be distubing mah circlez!! - xedd, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1"Do not disturb my circles, Mom!"
"Shut up otep, and clean your room!"
There, I fixed it for you.
:) - invisiblesun, on 10/11/2007, -5/+3was the above comment too intellectual for you, diggers?
- scrag10, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1How do you know the Eastern Roman Empire was a dark place? How do you know the ramblings of his religion were not correct? We will never know anything that is altered could be used to hide the truth or to show the truth.
- xxTazxx, on 10/11/2007, -7/+2"Everything on Earth is crooked..."
I know something else that's crooked.
