Ghost of a flea: Credo quia absurdum

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March 23, 2006

Credo quia absurdum

OhGizmo reports on a remarkable discovery (via Yummy Wakame).

I think this is just about freaking incredible. Belgian scientists (previously known for their delicious chocolates), have been able to extract recordings from 5,000 year old vases. How can this be? Well, here�s the deal.

It seems that the vase makers used long sticks to carve decorations on the clay vases as they were being made on rotating stones. These sticks picked up the minute vibrations in the air (caused by, say, conversations) and transformed these into grooves and bumps, much like what happens when you make a vinyl record. The Belgian scientists then analysed these patterns and extracted what is believed to be the world�s oldest known recordings.

The documentary video explains the process using a 500 year old South American piece as an example then moves on to a piece from Roman Pompeii including the spooky muffled sound of spoken Latin laughter recorded two-thousand years ago. The website of Belgian archaeologist, Philippe Delaite is worth a look though in fairness I should point out the last three words of the documentary piece itself merit special attention.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at March 23, 2006 10:43 AM

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Comments

I feel that professor's astoundingly well-balanced pipe handling while gesticulating skills are at least 75% as impressive as that laugh in Latin. Did I pick out correctly that the potter said "I peed in that clay this morning, Octavius!" just before the gaffaw?

Posted by: Alan McLeod at March 23, 2006 01:08 PM

I too was impressed with his pipe gesticulating. Something I need to practice.

Posted by: Ghost of a flea at March 23, 2006 01:29 PM

If I were to presume to assist, I can inform you that my repeated viewing of the film over the last two hours leads me to believe that the trick is in the third and fourth fingers and how they cradle the bowl regardless of the particular Gallic academic verve being articulated at any given moment.

Posted by: Alan McLeod at March 23, 2006 02:49 PM