The Lost Artifacts

[Pertinax]

20 greatest "lost" items before 1900CE

one nomination per customer-

 

 

1. The Exoteric works of Aristotle

2. The Ark of the Covenant.

3. Pytheas of Massalia's description of Northern Europe

4. Marcellinus' first 13 books.

5.The Chest containing the Eluesian Mysteries.

6.The Rhodian Colossus.

7.The Sybelline Books.

8. the Pro-Cato of Cicero

Edited December 11, 2005 by Pertinax

[Primus Pilus]

Would the Great Library be considered too generic and nondescript? While certainly the building was probably marvelous in its own right, its the contents that were really the tragedy.

[Pertinax]

Would the Great Library be considered too generic and nondescript? While certainly the building was probably marvelous in its own right, its the contents that were really the tragedy.

 

I was agonising over that myself-an empty and bare egyptian tomb would be a lot less use without its contents,but the Hyperstyle Hall is significant as the biggest religious site ever built, its parts pregnant with meaning: so you might have answered your own question by voicing the doubt!

Edited November 28, 2005 by Pertinax

[Favonius Cornelius]

The lost tomb of Ghengis Khan.

 

Forgot my own rules: the tomb of one of the world's greatest conquerors, founder of one of the largest empires, is sure to contain some fantastic relics from across the world.

Edited November 28, 2005 by Favonius Cornelius

[Pertinax]

The lost tomb of Ghengis Khan.

 

ok its on the list-and your reason for the nomination please.

[FLavius Valerius Constantinus]

The tomb of Timuchin will be eventually found in the future thanks to

advancements in technology. But the works of Aristotle will never be recovered unless we have time-travel technology or by God, we'll struck jackpot by chance of find other surviving works. I nominate the works of Aristotle.

[Pantagathus]

A copy Pytheas of Massalia's actual manuscript that he published after his journey to Northern Europe in the 4th Century BC. Peri tou

Edited November 29, 2005 by Pantagathus

[Pertinax]

A copy Pytheas of Massalia's actual manuscript that he published after his journey to Northern Europe in the 4th Century BC.

 

Not many other non-extant manuscripts have stirred so much controversy for 2300+ years!

 

excellently provocative! more please.

Edited November 28, 2005 by Pertinax

[Pantagathus]

excellently provocative! more please.

 

As it is a lengthy background I will leave it to the infinitely resourceful, 19th Century Dr. William Smith to give you the primer: Pytheas of Massalia

 

As for the best modern book on the subject I *highly* recommend Barry Cunliffe's The Fantastic Voyage of Pytheas the Greek

 

Cheers!

Edited November 29, 2005 by Pantagathus

[Favonius Cornelius]

You know, I suppose the tomb of Khan is technically a location and not an object, so you can use the Ark of the Covenant instead.

[Pertinax]

You know, I suppose the tomb of Khan is technically a location and not an object, so you can use the Ark of the Covenant instead.

Ill buy that as a rationale-so do you intend to place the tomb on your monuments list? Does anyone feel that an explanation of the Ark is needed?

Edited November 29, 2005 by Pertinax

[Primus Pilus]

The ark is one of those things in biblical text that certainly must have some basis in hsitorical truth. Would it contain the original 10 commandents handed down by god himself, or does it have the power to level entire armies, etc.... as an atheist I would obviously think not, but finding such an artifact would still be of immense cultural and historical value regardless of the religious and mythical extras that are attached to its legend. As such, despite my own religious views, I'd be willing to argue in favor of its inclusion as a great lost artifact.

 

Just thinking outloud along a similar path, would not discovering something such as 'Excalibur' or some other item of Arthurian legend be an archaeological find that could prove, disprove or alter the course of European history? Unfortunately there is little historical record to support much of the legend as we know it and it would certainly be difficult to accept anything as a 'great artifact' that has been lost to us.

[Pertinax]

With "non-legendary" items we have a definite shopping list, I think Primus Pilus has identified the "legendary or possibly non-rational cultural totems". I wouldnt deny Excalibur as my tribal totem , but for the purpose of this list perhaps I have to exclude it. Ghengis Khans tomb should exist or should have existed at some stage of history so I think that is a clear inclusion ,Excalibur is a "possiblity" but much more likely to be an idea or totemisation of an artefact after the fact of a series of events.

What is the feeling on this?

[Pantagathus]

With "non-legendary" items we have a definite shopping list, I think Primus Pilus has identified the "legendary or possibly non-rational cultural totems". I wouldnt deny Excalibur as my tribal totem , but for the purpose of this list perhaps I have to exclude it. Ghengis Khans tomb should exist or should have existed at some stage of history so I think that is a clear inclusion ,Excalibur is a "possiblity" but much more likely to be an idea or totemisation of an artefact after the fact of a series of events.

What is the feeling on this?

 

Legendary item of the type need a different thread...

 

This thread should contain things that are specifically mentioned by numerous ancient sources as tangable realities in their time that we do not have access to in the present.

[Ti. Coruncanius]

Two works come to mind:

 

The lost books of Livy. Especially the second decade consisting of books 11-20 that covered the period from the end of the Samnite Wars (ca. 290s) to the conclusion of the First Punic War 264-241 and its aftermath (down to ca. 230). This was an important era for the Roman republic but it is poorly documented. The Lex Hortensia gives more power to the people of Rome; Rome nearly meets its match against King Pyrrhus of Epirus in the years 280-275; and then Rome squares off with Carthage in a 20+ year long war over control of Sicily. Rome is a very different place when Livy's narrative resumes in Book 21.

 

The historian Ammianus Marcellinus' first 13 books. These were said to cover the period from the Emperors Nerva and Trajan to when his History becomes extant in 354 AD. It might be nice to have his accounts of the tumultuous middle third century after the accounts of Dio Cassius and Herodianus end.