Ancient history is alive and well today -- and is, in short, old hat.
Submitted for your consideration, a tale of two worlds:
In the UK, a man is trying to decipher the intricate subtleties of symbols on a clay tablet from 3200 BCE that speaks to the current status of the home group, using the language of the time.
Across an ocean, in the US, two men will meet tonight, in 2012 CE, and use modern speech, attempting to speak to their own audience about current affairs within the home group -- providing observers can decode the oblique, nuanced language used.
The man in the UK is an Oxford University academic investigating arcane symbols, figures, and ancient language not used in more than 5,000 years. He says he could use some suggestions in cracking open the meaning of this true prize, if we'd care to join in.
The men in the U.S. are politicians, and have been running for their prize for what seems like more than 5,000 years. It's a cinch they will be using arcane language, too -- ancient symbols of what they really mean, and lots of figures, to boot. It will be up to us to crack open their true meaning, if we'd care to join in.
Oh, sure -- It's a given we'll all be making lots of "suggestions" in the US, all throughout the current event. Some of those suggestions will even be fit for family audience consumption, even though we are addressing our screens, using an assortment of hand signals and gestures. In the UK, though, people are being invited to share their suggestions regarding the clay tablet.
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