Difference between revisions of "3129: Archaeology Research"

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(→‎Explanation: There were some useful explanatory points in the two entirely deleted paragraphs. Like that archaeologists do do what he might have initially done, etc. Reinstated them in cut down/rewritten form.)
 
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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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[[Cueball]], tasked to look at details of active {{w|Paleolithic}} culture (the "Old Stone Age"), has 'discovered' developments that render obsolete the practices that he was supposed to be studying. He presents {{w|Copper extraction#History|the use of metals}} as his improvement over the stone {{w|arrowhead}}s used by early humans.
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*This page was created a long time ago and improved recently. Don’t remove this notice too soon.
 
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* The actual joke (he has accidentally discovered something that was already known) is buried 3 paragraphs deep, it should also be mentioned in the lead, maybe.}}
 
  
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[[Cueball]] presents an improvement over the stone {{w|arrowhead}}s used by early humans. Stone arrowheads are produced through {{w|Knapping|shaping flint}} by expertly knocking flakes off a suitable raw piece of stone. In contrast, once {{w|Copper extraction#History|the use of metals}} is developed, a far more scalable industry can eventually cast smooth copper arrowheads as depicted in Cueball’s presentation.
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The caption below the comic tells us that Cueball has based his entire {{w|dissertation}} on the false proposition that an archaeologist's job is to advance technology from some historic level, rather than revealing it. This would be considered disastrous for Cueball, as dissertations take a large amount of time and effort to complete, and he may have instead used the effort to effectively reengineer several thousand years of human development, leading away from the original subject, if not just have taken on entirely modern techniques and learnt nothing of any value at all. He even calls the process he uses "my method", perhaps implying/claiming that it is a personal innovation with ''no'' historical standing.
  
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It appears that Cueball was tasked to look at details of active {{w|Paleolithic}} culture (the "Old Stone Age"), in the era that extended until not quite 10,000 BCE, but has accidentally 'discovered' developments (routhly equivalent to those that occured from around 6,500 BCE to 5,000 BCE) that actually render obsolete the practices that he was supposed to be studying.
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Some archaeologists put considerable effort into researching the processes used to create ancient technologies to determine how they were achieved, when historical records do not include that information, and asking questions such as which processes could have led to the objects that we see now. Researchers into stoneworking methods do examine extant flint arrowheads, and the locations in which they were made, and then test knapping procedures for themselves to find out what gives results consistent with the evidence.
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In real history, this was initially with lumps of copper nuggets being taken and cold-hammered into awls, chisels, ornaments and spear heads (perhaps by first trying to apply stone-knapping techniques upon different kinds of rock, in areas where different geology forced such experimentation with 'inferior' raw materials), before later learning that heat from campfires fould be used to soften and rework it in completely unprecedented ways. After that, it took improvements in the management of fire and heat to to be able to fully melt, refine and cast it. (And leading eventually to deliberate alloying with the contents of tin-bearing rocks to create the ''next'' 'age' of development.)
 
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Metalworking requires some knowledge of ores and often (depending upon the processes used for any given metal) how to maintain and control high temperatures. The era of mass-produced metal objects heralded the waning of the {{w|Stone Age}} and eventually led to the {{w|Bronze Age}}, by way of the copper-using {{w|Chalcolithic}}, in some parts of the world. Once metal arrowheads were produced, in any given region, the practice and expertise of making flint arrowheads largely died out.
 
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The caption below the comic tells us that Cueball has based his entire {{w|dissertation}} on the false proposition that an archaeologist's job is to advance technology from some historic level, rather than revealing it. This would be considered disastrous for Cueball, as dissertations take a large amount of time and effort to complete, and he may have 8nstead used the effort to effectively reengineer several thousand years of human development, leading away from the original subject, if not just have taken on entirely modern techniques and learnt nothing of any value at all. He even calls the process he uses "my method", perhaps implying/claiming that it is a personal innovation with ''no'' historical standing.
 
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Some archaeologists put considerable effort into researching the processes used to create ancient technologies to determine how they were achieved, when historical records do not include that information. This can be based on clues such as the chemical composition or physical details of ancient artifacts, and ask questions such as which processes could have led to the objects that we see now.
 
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In the absence of any historical documentation and accounts, researchers into stoneworking methods do examine extant flint arrowheads, and any of the flakes that were assumed to be removed from them on a historic worksite, and test knapping procedures for themselves to find out what recreatable methods give results consistent with the evidence. Cueball seems like he might be initially pursuing this approach, but has skipped to an entirely different set of materials and processes. And, although there were indeed copper arrowheads in subsequent pre-history, with no sign that he is even trying to match and recreate what he is doing now with what the more relevant artefact evidence indicates was being attempted then; it might as well be an entirely modern (albeit 'artisan') production process that does not even have a misplaced historical value to it.
 
  
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Cueball might have initially pursuing this approach, but has then skipped to an entirely different set of materials and processes. Also, though there were indeed copper arrowheads in subsequent pre-history, there is no sign that he even tried to match and recreate what he is doing now against what evidence suggests actually directly superseded the use of flint.
  
 
The title text claims that his 'discoveries' are unappreciated ''not'' because they are useless (in a completely different context, they might be an exciting academic pursuit), but because the academic 'establishment' has a stranglehold on the arrowhead industry and too many vested interests in flint-knapping to allow the {{w|disruptive innovation}} that this new change to copper weaponry might herald.  This is a humorous mashup of two classes of conspiracy theories, those of academia suppressing "the TRUTH" (according to pseudo-historians) and of oil, pharmaceutical, or other industries suppressing "free energy" or other such "innovations". In addition, {{w|Industry (archaeology)|"industry"}} is a term used in archaeology to describe specific types of tools made with the same methods; Cueball's technique would, technically, be its own new industry.
 
The title text claims that his 'discoveries' are unappreciated ''not'' because they are useless (in a completely different context, they might be an exciting academic pursuit), but because the academic 'establishment' has a stranglehold on the arrowhead industry and too many vested interests in flint-knapping to allow the {{w|disruptive innovation}} that this new change to copper weaponry might herald.  This is a humorous mashup of two classes of conspiracy theories, those of academia suppressing "the TRUTH" (according to pseudo-historians) and of oil, pharmaceutical, or other industries suppressing "free energy" or other such "innovations". In addition, {{w|Industry (archaeology)|"industry"}} is a term used in archaeology to describe specific types of tools made with the same methods; Cueball's technique would, technically, be its own new industry.
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==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
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:[Cueball stands in front of a roll-down projector screen, pointing to it behind him as he looks forward. The screen depicts two arrowheads: On the left is an arrowhead hewn from stone with the subtitle "Stone (traditional)". On the right is a smoother arrowhead with the subtitle "Copper (my method)"]
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:[Cueball stands in front of a roll-down projector screen, pointing to it behind him as he looks forward giving a presentation. The screen depicts two arrowheads: On the left is an rough arrowhead hewn from stone and on the right is a smoother arrowhead with just one a small dent in its surface. The arrowheads have labels beneath them, and beneath each label there is an extra line of text in brackets:]
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:'''<big>Stone</big>''' (traditional)
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:'''<big>Copper</big>''' (my method)
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:Cueball: In the process of analyzing Paleolithic stone toolmaking, I've stumbled on an improved technique for producing points and blades.
 
:Cueball: In the process of analyzing Paleolithic stone toolmaking, I've stumbled on an improved technique for producing points and blades.
 
:Cueball: Instead of stone, my method is based on the heating and shaping of copper ore...
 
:Cueball: Instead of stone, my method is based on the heating and shaping of copper ore...
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{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
 
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

Latest revision as of 17:16, 17 November 2025

Archaeology Research
The academic archaeology establishment is suppressing my breakthroughs because of the disruption it would bring to their prepared-core flake-based toolmaking industry.
Title text: The academic archaeology establishment is suppressing my breakthroughs because of the disruption it would bring to their prepared-core flake-based toolmaking industry.

    Explanation[edit]

    Cueball, tasked to look at details of active Paleolithic culture (the "Old Stone Age"), has 'discovered' developments that render obsolete the practices that he was supposed to be studying. He presents the use of metals as his improvement over the stone arrowheads used by early humans.

    The caption below the comic tells us that Cueball has based his entire dissertation on the false proposition that an archaeologist's job is to advance technology from some historic level, rather than revealing it. This would be considered disastrous for Cueball, as dissertations take a large amount of time and effort to complete, and he may have instead used the effort to effectively reengineer several thousand years of human development, leading away from the original subject, if not just have taken on entirely modern techniques and learnt nothing of any value at all. He even calls the process he uses "my method", perhaps implying/claiming that it is a personal innovation with no historical standing.

    Some archaeologists put considerable effort into researching the processes used to create ancient technologies to determine how they were achieved, when historical records do not include that information, and asking questions such as which processes could have led to the objects that we see now. Researchers into stoneworking methods do examine extant flint arrowheads, and the locations in which they were made, and then test knapping procedures for themselves to find out what gives results consistent with the evidence.

    Cueball might have initially pursuing this approach, but has then skipped to an entirely different set of materials and processes. Also, though there were indeed copper arrowheads in subsequent pre-history, there is no sign that he even tried to match and recreate what he is doing now against what evidence suggests actually directly superseded the use of flint.

    The title text claims that his 'discoveries' are unappreciated not because they are useless (in a completely different context, they might be an exciting academic pursuit), but because the academic 'establishment' has a stranglehold on the arrowhead industry and too many vested interests in flint-knapping to allow the disruptive innovation that this new change to copper weaponry might herald. This is a humorous mashup of two classes of conspiracy theories, those of academia suppressing "the TRUTH" (according to pseudo-historians) and of oil, pharmaceutical, or other industries suppressing "free energy" or other such "innovations". In addition, "industry" is a term used in archaeology to describe specific types of tools made with the same methods; Cueball's technique would, technically, be its own new industry.

    It also opens up the alternate interpretation that the comic instead depicts a historic presentation, as a counterpart to how others depict future ones, set in the actual later-Paleolithic age, where this depicts the actual innovation of previously unknown metalworking techniques, leading up to the actual disruption of society that occured and potentially very real resistance by the traditionalists of the time. Though the existence of a a pull-down screen/displayboard in this period of history would be an entirely different level of anachronism.

    Transcript[edit]

    [Cueball stands in front of a roll-down projector screen, pointing to it behind him as he looks forward giving a presentation. The screen depicts two arrowheads: On the left is an rough arrowhead hewn from stone and on the right is a smoother arrowhead with just one a small dent in its surface. The arrowheads have labels beneath them, and beneath each label there is an extra line of text in brackets:]
    Stone (traditional)
    Copper (my method)
    Cueball: In the process of analyzing Paleolithic stone toolmaking, I've stumbled on an improved technique for producing points and blades.
    Cueball: Instead of stone, my method is based on the heating and shaping of copper ore...
    [Caption below the panel:]
    Too late, I realized that my entire archaeology dissertation had been based on a colossal misunderstanding.

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    Discussion

    ? Caliban (talk) 14:44, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

    Cueball has misunderstood the purpose of archaeology as being to study things in order to devise improved versions of them. As a result, he has ended up 'inventing' Bronze Age technology. 82.13.184.33 15:13, 15 August 2025 (UTC)
    And in the title text, he imagines the reason everyone dismisses it is because 'Big Knap' is conspiring to stop him destroying their profits. 82.13.184.33 15:27, 15 August 2025 (UTC)
    I think the joke is misunderstanding "archaeology research" to mean doing research to extend ancient technology. 2601:18E:C380:4FC0:D4F5:8EE1:51F6:82AF 15:12, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

    It's the kind of research project I can easily imagine my university Classics prof, Trevor Hodge, being on board with. He was very keen on students trying to reproduce ancient tech for themselves, with an eye towards them appreciating the challenges involved and that those people were intelligent and knowledgeable. One of his grad students was an acquaintance of mine, doing a thesis along the lines of "The Two-Bladed Bronze Axe in the Aegean: Tool or Weapon?", and I'd be astonished if the project didn't include constructing one. BunsenH (talk) 14:47, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

    Possibly referencing new copper tools in Minecraft? 104.28.205.246 15:35, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

    I doubt it. But hey, you play Minecraft too? RadiantRainwing (talk) 19:48, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

    My understanding of the joke is that archaeology enthusiasts are obsessed with using traditional tools. Consequently, Cueball revealing there are other methods of manufacturing tools, would disrupt the entire archaeology enthusiasts community and the surrounding industry. In retrospect, I am probably wrong. Aqua-chestnut (talk) 16:07, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

    Alternatively, the joke might be that the event is taking place in the Paleolithic age, and Cueball's discovery of copper would advance it to the Neolithic, consequently disrupting the Paleolithic economy. In retrospect, this is also wrong because copper first appeared in 5000 BC according to Wikipedia Aqua-chestnut (talk) 16:18, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

    My own take on this is that, as a Practical Archaeologist, he's actually gone to live the life of a stone-age toolmaker (a thing that some people do) to rediscover the and test theories about the culture of that era. But, obviously some of the real stone-agers may have been transitioning into early metal-working and the were at the cusp of the bronze-age. His back-to-basics attempt at recreating their lives has accidentally strayed into independently re-inventing the stage after the era that he had intended (or been asked) to study, thus instead reinventing human history. - Of course, this would also be rather interesting to know about (perhaps help understand the rather fuzzy changeover that happened in our own real history), but missed the point of the original target of study which was more the nature of the mature stone-implement industry than its decline and replacement by waves of 'new-tech' metal-working. 82.132.238.109 16:37, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

    The reference at the end to industry suggests to me that this is commentary on ways that some industries suppress better technology in order to maintain profits. There’s a well documented case of Colgate suppressing technology that would significantly reduce cavities because it would eat into their own premium toothpaste market. Arguably, the same thing is going on right now with the fossil fuel industry (for example, the resistance to widespread adoption of heat pumps for heating in the United States). It’s silly to think that archaeologists might do so to protect industry interests. Why isn’t it silly that we allow corporations to do the same thing? 2a04:4e41:5c01:6100::40d3:2100 (talk) 17:01, 15 August 2025 (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

    In North America there is a tradition of copper working that did not require smelting. KingPenguin (talk) 22:57, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

    "He even calls the process he uses "my method", perhaps implying/claiming that it is a personal innovation with no historical standing." Brings to mind Tai's Model.163.116.254.50 14:07, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

    If Cueball steps his research up, he might reach bronze and that would be a Colossal understanding! 2A01:540:2658:4C00:EC51:2098:CF78:55A7 21:40, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

    God damn this explanation is too freaking long! 2603:800C:1200:596A:536F:4ACD:2A93:BEC8 20:50, 19 August 2025 (UTC)

    If TL, then DR. 2600:4040:5761:5a00:7dc6:c522:ef06:6fbe (talk) 17:35, 22 August 2025 (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
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