Preserving the world's most important artifacts

[Aurelia]

The Memory of the World Register lists over 800 historic manuscripts, maps, films and more to help raise funds for preservation. What, in your opinion, should be added to the list?

 

 

Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-arch...-Artifacts.html

Edited April 4, 2009 by Aurelia

[sylla]

The Memory of the World Register lists over 800 historic manuscripts, maps, films and more to help raise funds for preservation. What, in your opinion, should be added to the list?

 

 

Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-arch...-Artifacts.html

Given the current electronic documentary storage capabilities and the expected improvements, methinks the right question would be which documents SHOULDN'T be added to that list (for example, Mein Kampf).

[sonic]

Given the current electronic documentary storage capabilities and the expected improvements, methinks the right question would be which documents SHOULDN'T be added to that list (for example, Mein Kampf).

 

But I think 'Mein Kampf' with its 164,000 grammatical and Syntactical errors should be kept - along with the propaganda films of Goebbels - as illustrations of what can be achieved by warped thinking and beliefs. If you actually read any of it, the lack of clear-headed logic is insightful.

Edited April 5, 2009 by sonic

[Aurelia]

But I think 'Mein Kampf' with its 164,000 grammatical and Syntactical errors should be kept - along with the propaganda films of Goebbels - as illustrations of what can be achieved by warped thinking and beliefs. If you actually read any of it, the lack of clear-headed logic is insightful.

 

I agree. And aside from moral considerations, "Mein Kampf" is part of history whether we like it or not.

 

Anyway, while browsing through the list I noticed that there's not much (read nothing, at least nothing I could see) from the Roman period. I wonder why...

[sylla]

But I think 'Mein Kampf' with its 164,000 grammatical and Syntactical errors should be kept - along with the propaganda films of Goebbels - as illustrations of what can be achieved by warped thinking and beliefs. If you actually read any of it, the lack of clear-headed logic is insightful.

 

I agree. And aside from moral considerations, "Mein Kampf" is part of history whether we like it or not.

 

Anyway, while browsing through the list I noticed that there's not much (read nothing, at least nothing I could see) from the Roman period. I wonder why...

Then, you answered your own original question; by the same measure, ALL documents should be preserved.

 

Roman documents? From the original link, I was able to spot:

 

- Vienna Dioscurides;

- Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer;

- Tabula Peutingeriana;

- The Bibliotheca Corviniana Collection;

- and maybe even the 42-line Gutenberg Bible.

[Aurelia]

Then, you answered your own original question; by the same measure, ALL documents should be preserved.

 

Roman documents? From the original link, I was able to spot:

 

- Vienna Dioscurides;

- Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer;

- Tabula Peutingeriana;

- The Bibliotheca Corviniana Collection;

- and maybe even the 42-line Gutenberg Bible.

 

You're right, sylla. Perhaps I should have been more specific. I agree that documents and books such as "Mein Kampf" should be preserved although it would not be number one on my list of items that should be added to the UNESCO Register.

 

As for the list of Roman documents, yes, once again you're right about Dioscurides (I didn't spot it the first time), and probably some of the documents in the Egyptian papyri collection (I assumed they only concerned papyri pre-dating the Roman period) . I was mainly looking for documents that were actually produced in the Roman period, which is not really the case with the Tabula (very interesting nonetheless!), Bibliotheca Corviniana or the Gutenberg Bible.

[caesar novus]

methinks the right question would be which documents SHOULDN'T be added to that list (for example, Mein Kampf).

Mein Kampf becomes more interesting when paired with the draft of it's sequel which has only recently been published in english: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zweites_Buch

 

It's principles may not have changed, but the recommended strategy in some cases is reversed in Hitlers sequel (esp for USA, somewhat for UK). Suddenly the Nazi strategy and tactics become more clear in how they dynamically operate, if not at all the core motivations.

Edited April 6, 2009 by caesar novus

[sylla]

Then, you answered your own original question; by the same measure, ALL documents should be preserved.

 

Roman documents? From the original link, I was able to spot:

 

- Vienna Dioscurides;

- Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer;

- Tabula Peutingeriana;

- The Bibliotheca Corviniana Collection;

- and maybe even the 42-line Gutenberg Bible.

 

You're right, sylla. Perhaps I should have been more specific. I agree that documents and books such as "Mein Kampf" should be preserved although it would not be number one on my list of items that should be added to the UNESCO Register.

 

As for the list of Roman documents, yes, once again you're right about Dioscurides (I didn't spot it the first time), and probably some of the documents in the Egyptian papyri collection (I assumed they only concerned papyri pre-dating the Roman period) . I was mainly looking for documents that were actually produced in the Roman period, which is not really the case with the Tabula (very interesting nonetheless!), Bibliotheca Corviniana or the Gutenberg Bible.

The Tabula Peutingeriana is actually a Roman Map.

As its name suggests, the Bibliotheca Corviniana Collection includes many documents: most of them are Greek and Roman classics.

At least the New Testament is clearly from the Roman age and world.

 

I haven't been able to find the well-defined selection criteria for additional documents; anyway, my obvious personal suggestion would be the Trajan's Column.

Edited April 6, 2009 by sylla

[Aurelia]

The Tabula Peutingeriana is actually a Roman Map.

As its name suggests, the Bibliotheca Corviniana Collection includes many documents: most of them are Greek and Roman classics.

At least the New Testament is clearly from the Roman age and world.

 

The Tabula Peutingeriana is a medieval reproduction of a Roman map dating back to the 12th century

The Biblioteca Corviniana Collection is also medieval (not sure if it contains any original works from the Roman period although it does contain books by Greek and Latin authors)

The Gutenberg Bible was printed in 1455

 

Please don't get me wrong, all the above works are very relevant to the Roman period. What I meant is that I was looking for original Roman documents, not reproductions from later periods.

Edited April 6, 2009 by Aurelia

[sylla]

The Tabula Peutingeriana is actually a Roman Map.

As its name suggests, the Bibliotheca Corviniana Collection includes many documents: most of them are Greek and Roman classics.

At least the New Testament is clearly from the Roman age and world.

 

The Tabula Peutingeriana is a medieval reproduction of a Roman map dating back to the 12th century

The Biblioteca Corviniana Collection is also medieval (not sure if it contains any original works from the Roman period although it does contain books by Greek and Latin authors)

The Gutenberg Bible was printed in 1455

 

Please don't get me wrong, all the above works are very relevant to the Roman period. What I meant is that I was looking for original Roman documents, not reproductions from later periods.

Then the Vienna Dioscurides doesn't qualify either; we have basically restricted ourselves to papyrii, numismatics and epigraphy.

[Aurelia]

Then the Vienna Dioscurides doesn't qualify either; we have basically restricted ourselves to papyrii, numismatics and epigraphy.

 

It is true that the Vienna Dioscurides is a bit of a stretch as it dates back to the 6th century. However if we consider that it belongs to the Byzantine period (still known then as the Eastern Roman Empire), it could still technically be Roman. I'm not trying to restrict criteria here. I was merely observing that there were not many original Roman works in the UNESCO list, that's all.

 

When I asked what people thought should be added to the list, I didn't mean that they should only suggest Roman documents. My remark about the Roman period was just added as an afterthought.

[sylla]

Let me share some key concepts that I have found within the General Guidelines to Safeguard Documentary Heritage from the Memory of The World programme (R Edmonson, UNESCO, 2002):

 

1.2 Objectives of Memory of the World

(a) To facilitate preservation, by the most appropriate techniques, of the world

Edited April 7, 2009 by sylla