The History of Archaeology Part 1 - The First Archaeologists

The History of Archaeology Part 1 - The First Archaeologists The history of archaeology as a study of the ancient past has its beginnings at least as early as the Mediterranean Bronze Age. Archaeology as a scientific study is only about 150 years old. Interest in the past, however, is much older than that. If you stretch the definition enough, probably the earliest probe into the past was during New Kingdom Egypt [ca 1550-1070 BC], when the pharaohs excavated and reconstructed the Sphinx, itself originally built during the 4th Dynasty [Old Kingdom, 2575-2134 BC] for the Pharaoh Khafre. There are no written records to support the excavationso we dont know which of the New Kingdom pharaohs asked for the Sphinx to be restoredbut physical evidence of the reconstruction exists, and there are ivory carvings from earlier periods that indicate the Sphinx was buried in sand up to its head and shoulders before the New Kingdom excavations. The First Archaeologist Tradition has it that the first recorded archaeological dig was operated by Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon who ruled between 555-539 BC. Nabonidus contribution to the science of the past is the unearthing of the foundation stone of a building dedicated to Naram-Sin, the grandson of the Akkadian king Sargon the Great. Nabonidus overestimated the age of the building foundation by 1,500 yearsNaram Sim lived about 2250 BC, but, heck, it was the middle of the 6th century BC: there were no radiocarbon dates.  Nabonidus was, frankly, deranged (an object lesson for many an archaeologist of the present), and Babylon was eventually conquered by Cyrus the Great, founder of Persepolis and the Persian empire. Excavating Pompeii and Herculaneum Most of the early excavations were either religious crusades of one sort or another, or treasure hunting by and for elite rulers, pretty consistently right up until the second study of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The original excavations at Herculaneum were simply treasure-hunting, and in the early decades of the 18th century, some of the intact remains covered by nearly 60 feet of volcanic ash and mud 1500 years before were destroyed in an attempt to find the good stuff. But, in 1738, Charles of Bourbon, King of the Two Sicilies and founder of the House of Bourbon, hired antiquarian Marcello Venuti to reopen the shafts at Herculaneum. Venuti supervised the excavations, translated the inscriptions, and proved that the site was indeed, Herculaneum. Charles of Bourbon is also known for his palace, the Palazzo Reale in Caserta. And thus was archaeology born. Sources A bibliography of the history of archaeology has been assembled for this project. History of Archaeology: The Series Part 1: The First Archaeologists  - You are here Part 2: The Effects of the Enlightenment Part 3: Is the Bible Fact or Fiction? Part 4: The Astounding Effects of Orderly Men Part 5: The Five Pillars of Archaeological Method Bibliography

India After Independence-Cons Essays

India After Independence-Cons Essays India After Independence-Cons Essay India After Independence-Cons Essay It has been 65 years since India won its independence from the British. A lot has changed in these years. From the silent films to the musical blockbusters, from the patriotism to the capitalism, from joint families to nuclear families, India has grown and changed. But with the growing population of the country, the problems also grow manifold. On one hand Incredible India promises economic prosperity, greater opportunities, better infrastructure etc. But on the other hand, our government and citizens constantly fight battles against poverty, illiteracy, gender bias and many such social evils.The colonial rule following Macaulay’s prescription created an elite class that mediated between the British rulers and the common Indian. The resulting gap between the elite and people at large persists till today leading to a weak leadership, endemic corruption, policy failure and poor governance. Thus, for example, India remains trapped in a one-way globalisation, mindlessly copying irrelevant solutions from the West. Then, too, material progress since independence has been largely concentrated in the modern sectors, dictated largely by the stage of the world economy.Two separate circles of development got created, the rapidly developing modern one uncomfortably co-existing with the marginalised and crisis-ridden traditional sectors. the major economic and other problems of post-independence India have their roots in the disruption of Indian society caused by colonisation. The country’s persisting poverty, illiteracy, and general backwardness can be traced to the poor quality of political leadership because of its elitist roots, low investment due to the drain of the surplus, and the Indian societys loss of value for original and relevant ideas and knowledge. n a country where every second day there is a case of honour killing, caste discrimination and words scheduled caste and dalits are still a common parlance, Today social evils are gnawing the fabric of the country and turning it hollow. The most prominent among them is corruption. It is pervading every layer of the society be it administration, education, sports or any field. The society has transformed and gone are those days when meeting bare needs led satisfaction and a sense of contentment.Avarice and greed for more luxuries has made society selfish. People today want their interests to be suited rather than benefits of society at large. Not only is corruption prevalent in the donations that educational institutions ask for admission, but also in our daily chores. Even when you ask some staff to bring vegetables from market, he has a tendency to keep Rs. 5 for himself. What did he gain by that amount? He only lost his moral values and steered a little more towards the wrong side. However knowing all this, people still do the same.

Texas Decision to Refuse to Expand Medicaid Essay

Texas Decision to Refuse to Expand Medicaid - Essay Example As the paper stresses texas decision of rejection has protected the private insurance and encouraged its growth. Therefore, private insurance in Texas are affordable, and the number of people with insurance is increasing. Rejection of the Medicaid has affected the country negatively in that the country spending in the country funded health care programs for the uninsured is increasing. Once the expenditure increases the government increases tax thus causing an increase in price on different commodities. According to the research findings the Medicaid program harms the people though it is intended to serve. Expanding Medicaid means that patients who are already enrolled in the program many of whom have nowhere else to go for coverage will be competing for medical services with up to 20 million more people being added to the program. Moreover, the most vulnerable patients who have the greatest needs are likely to have the hardest time getting care. Texas rejecting the expanded Medicaid has protected its people from this problem. The expanded Medicaid under the Affordable federal Act provides a strong health care system. Provision of quality health care increases the number of residents with health insurance reducing the uncompensated care cost. In addition, healthy resident is a sign of productivity in that state. Medicaid emphasis more on coverage and not to care provided to the patients.