The Greatest Artifact in the History of Mankind

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2003-12-27 12:40am

Darth Wong wrote:Ten thousand years from now, that moon plaque will still be there. You can't say that about too many other things we've made.

True - Unless it gets destroyed by an Eclipse-class SSD's Superlaser...

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2003-12-27 12:43am

I have several in mind. The most prehistoric is the very first wheel, the more recent being the Wright flyer or the moon plaque.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2003-12-27 12:46am

the first human kart has likely decomposed into a state of nonexistence by now. but for artifacts i'd likely include the sputnik, or whichever the first probe was called that was launched into space.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2003-12-27 12:58am

Rob Wilson wrote:
JME2 wrote:These are the words that Walter Donnovan (Julian Glover) uses to describe the Holy Grail in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' which I had the pleasure of receiving for X-Mas and was watching last night.

But it got me thinking. What do you, regardless of age, race, or culture, consider the the Greatest Artifact in the History of Mankind to be?
Either Water Sanitisation and Purification technologies through the ages, or the establishment of Science-base medical research. Annals of both are available so if you can have the books of the bible then the recorded data on these in either book or electronic form also count.

And for the obligatory silly answer - the String thong and Bikini top.

Lunar Landing.....thong Bikini...hmmm

Well I give the moon bit...only because I have seen women who should NEVER where thong do...and have had been scarred as such.

StarshipTitanic · Post by **StarshipTitanic** » 2003-12-27 01:08am

Darth_Zod wrote:the first human kart has likely decomposed into a state of nonexistence by now. but for artifacts i'd likely include the sputnik, or whichever the first probe was called that was launched into space.

Sputnik burnt up a few months after it was launched.

Grand Moff Yenchin · Post by **Grand Moff Yenchin** » 2003-12-27 02:01am

I'd like to pick Goddard's rocket, unfortunately there's only a replica.

Pioneer 10 is also on my list of candidates, first thing out of the system.

And, for an amusing thought, the First Bone-Club from 2001.

Post by **Rob Wilson** » 2003-12-27 12:26pm

Nathan F wrote:Then there is the previously mentioned first copy of either the Hebrew Bible or Christian Bible, both of which have, whether you agree with them or not, had a huge impact on society and human development (as was previously said).

But not for the better, by any strecth of the imagination. The only widespread religious text not to have lead to open warfare and bloodshed against non-believers is the writings of Buddha - they simply brought bloodshed on Buddhists in tibet instead.

Grey's Anatomy is a single volume that has done more for humanity and saved more lives than all the religious texts in the world combined.

No religious text has ever brought good health, saved lives and bettered humanity. And if you want the undiluted and unchanged stories and parables of the Christian bible, then you want the myriad Persian and Roman religious texts it copied them out of.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » 2003-12-27 03:33pm

My money is on Voyager 2. It lasted much longer than anyone expected, and made major discoveries about 4 planets. And, it will probably outlast our civilization.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-12-27 04:03pm

Well, it'll take more than 10,000 years for the Pyramids to erode to nothing, barring major climatic changes.
They get my vote for most indestructable.

There are no first drafts of the bible, so that doesn't count.

Khufu's funerary barge found next to the Great Pyramid is the oldest ship in the world, and aside from reconstructed stitching, is more original than either USS Constitution or HMS Victory, and has several thousand years on them to boot. Whether it's the greatest or not, I dunno, but it should definetly rate on the list.

However, I'm going with Voyager 2, also, as the Big One. It's man-made, and on it's way to interstellar space.

Symmetry · Post by **Symmetry** » 2003-12-27 05:37pm

The ashes first firepit.

Lancer · Post by **Lancer** » 2003-12-27 11:13pm

Frank Hipper wrote:Well, it'll take more than 10,000 years for the Pyramids to erode to nothing, barring major climatic changes.
They get my vote for most indestructable.

There are no first drafts of the bible, so that doesn't count.

Khufu's funerary barge found next to the Great Pyramid is the oldest ship in the world, and aside from reconstructed stitching, is more original than either USS Constitution or HMS Victory, and has several thousand years on them to boot. Whether it's the greatest or not, I dunno, but it should definetly rate on the list.

However, I'm going with Voyager 2, also, as the Big One. It's man-made, and on it's way to interstellar space.

Hmmn, how about the US flags on the moon from the Apollo missions?

Post by **Rob Wilson** » 2003-12-27 11:53pm

Just on the voyager units, anyone know how long it will take vacuum ablation to push them to the point where they disintegrate? They were after all made from thin materials in the first place to keep weight down. The lunar lander has a better chance of surviving longer (unless it's hit by a meteorite - the moon has craters for a reason afterall

).

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-12-28 12:46am

I'd say it would probably be something that humanity couldn't have thrived without, like the first wheel, or the first electric generator.

It could be something that shows off the feats man is capable of pulling off, like the atomic bomb, or Voyager. However, it might change in the future, as more powerful bombs are made, and more sattelites are launched.

(humor)However, it could be something that demonstrates man's ability to create great evil, like the first film roll for Gigli. (/humor)

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2003-12-28 12:49am

Dalton wrote:The Holy Grail was a fucking cup.

Or the hot chich that Jesus got to screw. Depends on what you believe.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 2003-12-29 09:08pm

An excellent reason for us to all chip in to fund a Vatican project to send a Papal Rocket to the Moon and build a giant replica of Jesus nailed to the cross with a plaque that states how good it was for humanity! Then we can dig giant trenches, using China's super laser aimed at Taiwan, on the Moon to put a smiley face there.

The Papal Rocket, I like that almost as much as the Papal Nuke.

Lancer · Post by **Lancer** » 2003-12-29 10:01pm

Jeremy wrote:An excellent reason for us to all chip in to fund a Vatican project to send a Papal Rocket to the Moon and build a giant replica of Jesus nailed to the cross with a plaque that states how good it was for humanity! Then we can dig giant trenches, using China's super laser aimed at Taiwan, on the Moon to put a smiley face there.

I'll not give a cent until the doomsdays of various other "pagan" and "heathen" religions occur first, thus proving christianity to be a sham (although that's assumed anyways).

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-12-30 05:04pm

Hmm... what if archeologists one day found an artifact confirming that the "lost continent" Atlantis had in fact existed?

I know it's about as feasible as (insert impossible event here), but what if?

The Aliens · Post by **The Aliens** » 2003-12-30 05:14pm

I'm going to have to say Pioneer 10, it's (IIRC) the first interstellar spacecraft, and has all those pictures on the side saying who us humans are and where you can reach us. It's the farthest man-made object from us now, and is probably going to still be going when we've blown ourselves up.

The Aliens · Post by **The Aliens** » 2003-12-30 05:16pm

Simon H.Johansen wrote:Hmm... what if archeologists one day found an artifact confirming that the "lost continent" Atlantis had in fact existed?

I know it's about as feasible as (insert impossible event here), but what if?

Well, does it really matter? Atlantis hasn't had any profound or defining effect on humanity, and it doesn't mark an accomplishment of ours, its just a historical curiosity. Granted, a great artifact could be found there, but Atlantis itself dosn't really count.

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2003-12-30 06:24pm

Jeremy wrote:An excellent reason for us to all chip in to fund a Vatican project to send a Papal Rocket to the Moon and build a giant replica of Jesus nailed to the cross with a plaque that states how good it was for humanity! Then we can dig giant trenches, using China's super laser aimed at Taiwan, on the Moon to put a smiley face there.

The Papal Rocket, I like that almost as much as the Papal Nuke.

The Papal Ninjas say you know too much.

Post by **Rob Wilson** » 2003-12-30 06:29pm

The Aliens wrote: Well, does it really matter? Atlantis hasn't had any profound or defining effect on humanity, and it doesn't mark an accomplishment of ours, its just a historical curiosity. Granted, a great artifact could be found there, but Atlantis itself dosn't really count.

You just know that somewhere out there is an idiot who on reading that will want to post "but they taught the Egyptians and Aztecs how to use magic to build pyramids, built Stonehenge, brought civilisation to africa, made landing strips for aliens in the nasca plains and taught the world about Longtitude."

I'm waiting for the book/programme to come out where it's revealed that the Masons are actually a long line of descendants from the Atlanteans, and that only this lineage are allowed to have positions of power in the world.

Come on, it's a better line of bullshit than shape-changing aliens ruling everything.

The Aliens · Post by **The Aliens** » 2003-12-30 07:25pm

There are a trashy bunch of novels out ther called "Psychic Zone" or something similar, and they essentially regurgitate those maniac shape-changing aliens stories to fill up two novels. Offensive. I think if any copies of "Origin of the Speices" are around 10 000 years from now, they'll be considered artifacts; bringing in a whole new school of thought to the world.

The Morrigan · Post by **The Morrigan** » 2003-12-30 08:02pm

Don Bradman's baggy green.

Sorry.

I suppose that the first horse-drawn (or whatever) vehicle would be a pretty important artifact, assuming that such a thing was still in existence, which is highly unlikely. It would represent a quite remarkable innovation in transport and in man's domestication of animals. The first sea-going vessel would also be pretty important. Many ideas and achievements that have changed the world have been brought about by exchanging ideas with people in distant places and artifacts like these would represent man's burgeoning interest in finding out what's over the next horizon.

PS:

Rob Wilson wrote:I'm waiting for the book/programme to come out where it's revealed that the Masons are actually a long line of descendants from the Atlanteans, and that only this lineage are allowed to have positions of power in the world. Come on, it's a better line of bullshit than shape-changing aliens ruling everything.

Wasn't that in Tomb Raider? Or was that the Illumenati?

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-12-30 08:42pm

The Great Pyramid is nothing more than glorified dirt-piling. The moon plaque is far more impressive.

I would venture that the Great Pyramids are also stunning achievements in the context of the time in which they were built.

The only widespread religious text not to have lead to open warfare and bloodshed against non-believers is the writings of Buddha - they simply brought bloodshed on Buddhists in tibet instead.

Actually, I believe warrior monks used to routinely extract concessions by force from the emperors of Heian Japan, and Nobunga needed to destroy large armies of warrior monks which were fielded by Buddhist temples in order to resist him.

I would, personally, rate the Voyagers as among the most important artifacts ever created.

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2003-12-30 08:50pm

The Parthenon, or what's left of it. Symbol of Athens, the first democracy.

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The Greatest Artifact in the History of Mankind

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