Lost Treasures Issues - Essay Example

?(your first and (your teacher’s LOST TREASURES History is witness to the many changes that have transpired in this world we call home. From the beginning of time, numerous events caused by man and nature have shaped our world to the place we know it today. Ironically, these same factors are the possible reasons we are now missing many significant contributions to different societies and the world in general. From big things like places and civilizations to small items like books and other artifacts, history has seen these emerge in the world only to be lost to man forever. The ancient groups of people who once roamed the earth are best examples of lost treasures. The Oxus settlement in Turkmenistan is one such society. Discovered by Viktor Sarianidi, the dig site in the Kara-Kum desert reveals a walled city with hundreds of artifacts, testament to the early settlers in this part of Central Asia. (Lawler) The reason for the disappearance of this civilization has yet to be confirmed. Until today, archeologists and experts only have assumptions on how this entire civilization disappeared on the earth. Based on the archeological findings and location of the latter, migration and diseases are two of the suspected possible reasons for the cessation of the Oxus’ existence. Unfortunately, the knowledge of the Oxus people can only be surmised from the collection recovered at the dig site. We can also only guess at the extent of the literary pieces or forms the Onux society may have had. The Mayan civilization is another group who would have been a great influence to more modern societies had their literature been available to us today. Mayans are believed to have been an outstanding group of people in Central America during the Spanish era of conquests. Despite having no skill or knowledge of the wheel or metal tools, they were able to build temples and pyramids. Artifacts also reveal a system of writing, mathematics and astrology which can be considered advanced for the Mayans during that time. The Popul Vuh is a sample of Mayan literature. It is a book believed to have been used by the Mayans to answer questions regarding creation and the earth. Unfortunately, it is only one of three Mayan books that is believed to exist and survive the test of time. Because of this, insight on the Mayan’s systems are hard to understand. Before the invention of the dawn of printing, literary pieces were handwritten. Ancient studies reveal that the early men used to depict their lives on cave walls, rocks or leaves. As such, these works of our ancestors risk being damaged or lost due to natural or man-made disasters. Other reasons for the loss may also be theft and the author’s own doing. One example of this is the destruction of the library in Alexandria where it is believed, thousands upon thousands of ancient writings were destroyed. The city in Egypt was founded by Alexander the Great while the Museum or Royal Library of Alexandria was founded by Alexander’s successor, Ptolomy II Soter in 283 BC. (Chesser) It is believed that the Royal Library of Alexandria contained literature from Assyria, Greece, Persia, Egypt, India and other places (Chesser) and so there is great disappointment and regret as to its destruction. Until today, unfortunately, there are just speculations based on existing literary works that refer to the library and the reason why it was destroyed. Historians refer to a few incidents in ancient times that may have caused the loss of literary work in Alexandria. One of these was a fire during the reign of Julius Ceasar. It is said that Ceasar had ordered a fire on the enemy Egyptian fleet at Alexandria’s harbor. Sadly, the part of the city where the Library was located accidentally got caught in the flames and burned down. Another reason was supposedly the conversion of the Library into a Christian Church during Theophilus’ reign of Alexandria. Moslem Caliph Omar was also blamed for the destruction of the Library when the Moslems conquered Alexandria in 640 AD. (Chesser) Omar was informed of the contents of the library and it is said that he ordered for the contents to be used as firewood for burning the bathhouses in the city since he assumed the texts would not be in line with the Koran. Sadly, none of these stories give insight on how the Library of Alexandria was really destroyed. The only fact in all of these is that the wealth inside the great institution is forever lost to mankind. World Wars I and II are also attributed with ruining a lot of historical documents. These include war letters, government papers, countless public and private books and other forms of literature. It is disheartening to know that people of today would never be able to appreciate the learning they could get from these lost literature. On a personal note, the reading I would probably save is the Four Freedoms by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This is FDR’s speech for his State of the Union address, ironically before American-Japanese war. It was written two years after World War II started. I will save this document because I think it is important for future generations to know the history behind the freedoms they are enjoying now as Americans. It will also serve as a reminder to the current generation that these freedoms exist and so they should have every opportunity to invoke them as long as these are not used to harm others. The four freedoms which are supposed to be the fundamental freedoms everyone, inside or outside America, should have are; namely, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. With the events happening globally, I think it is time for society to revisit these freedoms and nourish them for future generations to enjoy. During this time of extreme global happenings freedom of speech and freedom from fear are the two more important statements. With as many different countries and people that exist in the world it is impossible for everyone to have the same view on life. If everyone had freedom of speech, it would allow for new ideas and possibilities to open up. Everyone would be able to share those ideas and in a way help another person by giving them an answer they have been looking for but could not find. Since everyone is raised differently everyone’s outlook is going to be different and that difference could be the key to someone else’s ignorance. Freedom from fear can be associated with this because if people do not have to fear about what they say or who they say it to, then they have the potential to move past petty problems and work together. In addition, being able to make a choice and not suffer repercussions would allow people to work together towards a common goal. The last two freedoms, though just as important, have a better chance of survival if the first two freedoms are followed. Freedom of worship is the next important thing because as diverse and as far flung as people are they are not going to worship the same deity or even on the same day. Having the freedom to worship whoever, whatever and whenever would allow people to be comfortable and practice what they believe and not have to fear what other people might say or do. It would also allow people to spend the time they use hiding what they are doing on activities towards a goal that can help them or even help the society they live in. Lastly, freedom from want would allow people not to worry about a life necessity like food, drinkable water or shelter. If everyone had these basic things then people could speak their mind without fear, could worship how they want and when and not have to fear that their life necessities could be jeopardized. In turn, this would eventually lead to equality for all and make the world a much better place. Reference: Chesser, Preston. “The Burning of the Library of Alexandria.” EHistory Archive. Ohio State University Department of History. 01 June 2002. Web. 15 December 2013. Lawler, Andrew. “Central Asia’s Lost Civilization.” Discover. Kalmbach Publishing Co., 30 Novermber 2006. Web. 15 December 2013. Read More