A visit to the Smithsonian short report
The activity was a visit to the Smithsonian's "Origins of WesternCulture Exhibit" at the National Museum of Natural History. Two friends The tour was started at 10:30 a.m. on March 22, 2004. The museum is located on the Main Mall at 10th Street andConstitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20560. The focus of this exhibit is on showing how ancient civilizationscontributed to the spread of various influences on modern Western cultures. The study of Western humanities always seems to spiral back to theseancient peoples who were the first to settle down in one place long enoughto develop agriculture and trade. As people developed the ability to growtheir own food, they naturally tended to group themselves aroundcentralized villages which allowed for trade and a degree of self-sufficiency through the introduction of various trades and artisans whichprovided practically everything people of the time needed. The importanceof establishing some type of political leadership to help coordinate asociety's activities is also interpreted in this exhibit. The impact and
peoples, the Sumerians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans,Phoenicians and others are featured in this Smithsonian exhibit. There are numerous artifacts and displays in the exhibit to help interpretthe evolution of Western civilizations, including a variety of prehistoricstone tools that were unearthed by students from the University of Chicago. The exhibit shows thatEgyptians, on the other hand, created hieroglyphics, a form of picturewriting that could also be used phonetically in cartouches. The exhibit also featured a colorful diorama of how modern lifestylescan be traced by to the beginning of city-states in Mesopotamia based onthe need for a political structure to coordinate irrigation foragricultural purposes. This exhibit has been in the museum for some time now, for about 25years or so. The Origins of Western Culture Exhibit is located on thethird floor, Hall 26, near the stairs entering from Constitution Avenue. The interpretation of the artifacts provided by the National Museum ofNatural History curatorial staff also emphasized this connection. According to the interpretive segments provided bythe curators, as more and more people began to live in communal groups,they were able to share ideas about improved agricultural techniques andcrop yields. The exhibit concludes with a displays and anassessment of the impact of the Hindu-Kush region's Indus River. Since many of these ancientcivilization's constructions were massive and enduring, researchers havelearned a great deal about the way these people lived their daily lives. The point is consistently made throughout this exhibit that earlyWestern civilizations were characterized by specific advancements in oneform or another, such as the early writing system of the Mesopotamians withcuneiform, the beginnings of sophisticated religious observations asdemonstrated by the elaborate carvings on the Egyptian mummy, as well asthe craftsmanship exemplified by the Greek artisans in their pottery. Western civilization owes a great deal to all of these civilizations due,in part, to the development of improved agricultural methods (particularlyirrigation), mathematics and writing. The Origins of Western Culture Exhibit also had aninteresting exhibit that showed a replica of a cave wherein variousartifacts have been discovered over the years.
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