15 July 2010

Ancient!! Like, reallly, really old

The term ancient, which to me means something pre-AD 1000 at least, ain't what it used to be. Aside from the fact that young Clovis calls me 'ancient' - among other things - it now seems the official policy of AOL News, a reliable source, that anything from the 18th century is ANCIENT!

Imagine my surprise then when I read the headline "Ancient buried ship found at Ground Zero". I was expecting something Roman, if not Phoenician. Alas, it was from the 1700s apparently.

Reminded me that when Maire and I were upset that the new curriculum in history here at App U did not have a category for "medieval history" I was told by the anthropologist in charge of the committee that came up with the new curriculum that the existing category "ancient history" was intended to stand for "anything old" as in anything before the early modern (c. 1500).

I'm going to lay down now for a nap now... I'm feeling ancient and decrepit.

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