well, can't sleep.
LUCY is at the Houston Museum of Natural Science http://http//lucyexhibition.com/about-the-exhibit.aspx in what I believe to be the first US tour, if not, ever of LUCY the little hominid that could. The exhibit touts the culture and history and richness of Ethiopia with Lucy as the ambassador. It does accomplish that, but what struck me was the dichotomy of theory. The majority of the first part, the Ethiopian culture part, was focused on the area's strong Christian ties: Kings converting, meticulously carved wooden crosses, and architecture - churches carved out of stone. That was quite amazing. Rather than quarrying the stone, carving, and stacking it up, the Ethiopians carved down into a hillside some thirty to fifty feet (10 to 18 meters).
LUCY is at the Houston Museum of Natural Science http://http//lucyexhibition.com/about-the-exhibit.aspx in what I believe to be the first US tour, if not, ever of LUCY the little hominid that could. The exhibit touts the culture and history and richness of Ethiopia with Lucy as the ambassador. It does accomplish that, but what struck me was the dichotomy of theory. The majority of the first part, the Ethiopian culture part, was focused on the area's strong Christian ties: Kings converting, meticulously carved wooden crosses, and architecture - churches carved out of stone. That was quite amazing. Rather than quarrying the stone, carving, and stacking it up, the Ethiopians carved down into a hillside some thirty to fifty feet (10 to 18 meters).
There are no scale figures in this, but the doorway in the bottom right corner is about three feet wide 9-10 feet high. The exhibit didn't have any interior images; i would love to see what happens inside. Really, quite spectacular; and the lovely red stone with yellow/green mold or sulfur or whatever, weathering it.
There were a few Q'uran from the 17th century, some illuminated scriptures, some painted wooden planks with Christ depicted in THEIR image; although the nose was always to thin...even in their burial carvings, thin nose, massive male member. Anyway, after wading through all of the Christian icons, a spear or two, and a couple of coins, one would walk into a fourth room where a movie narrated by the 'founder' of Lucy played along the far wall. The other two walls contained the story of evolution - our mutant ancestry - and in the middle of the room before you arrived at the movie benches, were five skulls ranging from first break from Chimpanzees to Lucy's lineage. Ah, what brow ridges. The next room was Lucy's. She's small: about 3'-6", 80 to 100 lbs. Nicely done display: her life size, furry mock-up as she would have been was in the middle, encased in glass. Off center to that was her skeletal remains laying down on black foam, encased in glass. Those bones were 3.2 million years old.
3.2 million years old......damn, that's old.
And, at the top of the room along a wall was here skeletal remains standing up, in their respective locations facing the furry mock-up. In a half moon shape, lining the rounded walls was the evolutionary story of hominids and such: ending with a very clever piece about homosapians being the first of the lineage able to record and contemplate their own history. At first I didn't realize they were talking about current homosapians - clever way to include one in history and mark them in the timeline and sell you or charge you perhaps the evolutionary notion. I wonder if the exhibit would have been constructed differently in other areas? For a moment, I thought I was back in Kansas - bible beaters drumming away on animal hide instruments...I wonder what Ethiopians, the average one, would think about the strong christian balance to such a strong evolutionary theme? To me, a clear example of how our perceptional lenses frame, alter, distort, and/or otherwise create both history and contemporary thought/theory/fact. Could it have just been presented for what it was? the science of it? the archeology? probably not considering Galveston/Houston has the largest Catholic diocese in the country. Just had a Galveston bishop? or Monsignor? elected to the college of Cardinals.
3.2 million years old......damn, that's old.
And, at the top of the room along a wall was here skeletal remains standing up, in their respective locations facing the furry mock-up. In a half moon shape, lining the rounded walls was the evolutionary story of hominids and such: ending with a very clever piece about homosapians being the first of the lineage able to record and contemplate their own history. At first I didn't realize they were talking about current homosapians - clever way to include one in history and mark them in the timeline and sell you or charge you perhaps the evolutionary notion. I wonder if the exhibit would have been constructed differently in other areas? For a moment, I thought I was back in Kansas - bible beaters drumming away on animal hide instruments...I wonder what Ethiopians, the average one, would think about the strong christian balance to such a strong evolutionary theme? To me, a clear example of how our perceptional lenses frame, alter, distort, and/or otherwise create both history and contemporary thought/theory/fact. Could it have just been presented for what it was? the science of it? the archeology? probably not considering Galveston/Houston has the largest Catholic diocese in the country. Just had a Galveston bishop? or Monsignor? elected to the college of Cardinals.
1 comment:
riiight, now i remember. i was telling someone the other day, "lucy is in houston."
i wish the world were more focused on archeology instead of other expensive things, like wars.
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