Riding the Six (7/27/06)
I got to the bus stop with plenty of time to spare this morning. I’m wearing my blue and white collared shirt and my need-to-be-washed khakis. They have a few spots, from what? I’m not sure. Probably butter from my morning bagel.
My pockets are bulging with the usual—keys, bus pass, ID for work, wallet, cell phone. In my hands is a 1500-page behemoth of a book on the history of Europe. I’m on page 85. I’ve got a ways to go.
The bus comes before any of the other regulars get to the bus stop and I hop on to a relatively full ride. I stand for a few blocks until three people from the lofted back-section of the bus get off and I take a seat in the corner of back row.
It takes both of my hands to open the book—it is that big.
I begin reading about the Minoan civilization, apparently the oldest known civilization in the world. They had a monopoly on the sea trade in the Mediterranean and lived in unfortified palaces on the island of Crete. The author weaves in and out of mythology, touching on the subject of idols, worship, and sacrifice.
I’m a big fan of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as mythology. I’m not sure if I necessarily believe it (I don’t think I do?), but the stories sure are fascinating.
A huge eruption on the cone-shaped island of Thera decimated Crete, almost all of the islands around Italy and Greece, and the coasts of the mainlands themselves. This explosion came to be known as one of the first world-wide natural disasters. Evidence of sulphuric acids in Greenland, along with carbon-dating at Thera itself, shows that the eruption occurred around 1628BC. The debris from the explosion created some very well-preserved tombs, which was another way historians and scientists are able to date the eruption.
The Minoan's trade and homes were crushed by the natural disaster, which eventually led to the take-over by the Dorian warriors… which is where the chapter ended and the bus pulled up to my stop.
I hopped off the bus downtown, wishing I was in Crete searching for signs of life from 3000+ years ago.
I got to the bus stop with plenty of time to spare this morning. I’m wearing my blue and white collared shirt and my need-to-be-washed khakis. They have a few spots, from what? I’m not sure. Probably butter from my morning bagel.
My pockets are bulging with the usual—keys, bus pass, ID for work, wallet, cell phone. In my hands is a 1500-page behemoth of a book on the history of Europe. I’m on page 85. I’ve got a ways to go.
The bus comes before any of the other regulars get to the bus stop and I hop on to a relatively full ride. I stand for a few blocks until three people from the lofted back-section of the bus get off and I take a seat in the corner of back row.
It takes both of my hands to open the book—it is that big.
I begin reading about the Minoan civilization, apparently the oldest known civilization in the world. They had a monopoly on the sea trade in the Mediterranean and lived in unfortified palaces on the island of Crete. The author weaves in and out of mythology, touching on the subject of idols, worship, and sacrifice.
I’m a big fan of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as mythology. I’m not sure if I necessarily believe it (I don’t think I do?), but the stories sure are fascinating.
A huge eruption on the cone-shaped island of Thera decimated Crete, almost all of the islands around Italy and Greece, and the coasts of the mainlands themselves. This explosion came to be known as one of the first world-wide natural disasters. Evidence of sulphuric acids in Greenland, along with carbon-dating at Thera itself, shows that the eruption occurred around 1628BC. The debris from the explosion created some very well-preserved tombs, which was another way historians and scientists are able to date the eruption.
The Minoan's trade and homes were crushed by the natural disaster, which eventually led to the take-over by the Dorian warriors… which is where the chapter ended and the bus pulled up to my stop.
I hopped off the bus downtown, wishing I was in Crete searching for signs of life from 3000+ years ago.
posted by MHG at
7/27/2006 11:22:00 AM
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