The importance of material heritage to the study of history and culture

Many people visit museums to view antiquities. They enjoy seeing these relics of the ancient world as a way of understanding past cultures and sometimes connecting with their own heritage. This evidence was found in the passage, “Returning Antiquities to Their Countries of Origin” by Joyce Mortimer paragraph 1. Cultural artifacts should not be returned to their region of origin because some people don’t have enough money to travel to China or Brazil to go look at ancient artifacts from the past. So they should bring these ancient trinkets to places like America and Canada so people around the world can study different cultures to learn more about the life around use.

In the poem Heritage by Linda Hogan, Hogan uses the tone of the speaker to demonstrate the shame and hatred she has toward her family, but also the desire for her family’s original heritage. The speaker describes each family member and how they represent their heritage. When describing each member, the speaker’s tone changes based on how she feels about them. The reader can identify the tone by Hogan’s word choices and the positive and negative outlooks on each member of the family.

To start off, a Natural History Museum is usually a place where the public can visit to obtain knowledge on the history of the earth and its inhabitants. Much about people’s culture and customs is found in a Natural History museum, especially people that have made a difference or played a role in history that we learn today. Therefore, the Indigenous peoples are represented in these precise museums. The indigenous people have various amount of customs that are even used today, however, the fact that many of their descriptions are led by the word “histor” or “ancient” almost makes the guests at museums believe that these indigenous people are no longer alive, and that is incorrect. The key objective for a Natural History museum is to simply help connect the understanding of human beings, connections based on culture, communities, to the earth and to each other. Precisely, The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles does not fully represent in depth the qualities that made the indigenous people so innovative, intelligent, and powerful; Therefore, the importance of the indigenous people is almost overshadowed by everything else that is presented at the museum. Overall, the indigenous people are represented here because of their

Many works of art can be considered artifacts that hold volumes of information regarding the culture of the people that created them and the historical context in which they lived.

So many people see history as something dry and lifeless but in reality it is a study that is full of life. There is no better way to see this than through the lens of archaeological artifacts. The people of the past are intrinsically a part of these objects. They were shaped by human hands; some were used in everyday life while others only meant to be appreciated as art. In any case, they show the vitality of history which can sometimes be obscured by the centuries. I want to work with a collection that deals with archaeological artifacts, and ideally I would like to work with objects of Greek or Roman origins. One day I would like the opportunity to create an exhibit where the viewer can see how the objects relate to a whole as well as their own individual characteristics. I want others to have the same sort of experience I had while walking through the Byzantine and Christian Museum; I want them to have a moment of connection to the past and see how alive history can be. I am especially interested in the courses that the Museology program offers which teach the proper methods to curate archaeological collections. The experience of working with the objects in the Burke Museum will benefit my goal of curating a

The Heritage Assessment Tool (HAT) , is a check list used to help gain knowledge of

Culture, being a ubiquitous concept, is not innately tied to a specific location and consequently, cultural artefacts cannot belong uniquely to any one nation. Greece cannot therefore hold the sole right to artefacts such as the Parthenon Marbles. In the interest of the preservation of an artefact of great global significance, the Marbles should remain in the British Museum; a place which documents world history in an open

This declaration focuses on cultural landscapes in terms of the ' interaction of people and nature over time' .3 The majority of World Heritage listed cultural landscapes are ' evolved continuing landscapes, where people and nature dwell together' . Most cultural landscapes fit into this category: they are living landscapes, changing as the culture, climate and natural surroundings change within and around them. The character of the landscape thus reflects the values of the people who have shaped it, and who continue to live in it. The culture itself is the shaping force. Landscape is a cultural expression that does not happen by chance but is created informally or by

Is cultural property even necessary and does it factor into basic development? Along with these problems, human flourishing may in fact favor preservation if we look to the duties we owe those people in the past to finish and maintain the projects that they

The simple answer is that all structures need maintenance. They fall apart otherwise. Forces such as earthquakes, floods, and windstorms, threaten heritage properties, so does war and poverty. People can’t always afford to protect the historic buildings near them which is why UNESCO helps. Imagine if the great places of the world such as famous cathedrals, temples, palaces, castles, caves with prehistoric paintings, and statues, were destroyed. They are important to everyone in the world, not just to the people whom live near

In this compelling book talk, Andrew S. Dolkart, the Director of the Historic Preservation Program and Professor

Ancient artifacts tell us much to all of what we know about our worlds past, these crucial remnants of past cultures allow us to physically see what was essential and valued by these ancient peoples. Artifacts tell us about suspicions, beliefs, everyday life and everything in between — without these crucial remnants of culture, we could not even begin to understand what was before us. Although these artifacts are useful for learning and understanding ancient civilizations, there is much debate about the morality of other countries buying and “owning” these historical pieces. Every civilization, past and present leaves behind a cultural trail everywhere it goes thus making exploration of different countries so very easy.

From my personal understanding, the artifacts, archaeology, museums, pictures and such that I will be exposed to, shares a story. A story of various moments of time that convey how life was back then, and how it relates, presently. Not only does this course theme pique my curiosity, but it will enable me to alter my perception, with a new set of lenses. This course will be immensely didactic by having me develop a better understanding of artifacts, archeology, museums, and all through inspection, questioning of rightful possession, value, and lastly its purpose. This will correlate with how I will think and write to improve my writing skills. In other words, this course will be the pillars to the temple of my writing and thoughts. Never had I perceived everyday objects as an artifact before, until I got a taste of this course. This indicates that taking this course will expand my mind further, along with a plentiful amount to write

How useful are the concepts of “tradition” and “dissent” in understanding attitudes to the built heritage of Ireland?

What is heritage and who has the power to determine the entities that own these cultural artifacts and the way that heritage is remembered in society? Lowenthal states that heritage illustrates society’s ancestries, artifacts, and cultural identity (Lowenthal, 22). Barber addresses how government can alter the interpretation of a culture. The articles in The Antiquities Act expressed the importance that legislative actions have in the field of cultural resource management through the protection of antiquities that represented the nation’s heritage. The theme of the readings depicts the influence that a country’s government has in preserving and interpreting its nation’s culture. When analyzing the theme, it is important to understand how claiming