Question for the floor

[andrewducker]

So, how long in the past would a previous civilisation of, say, Mesopotamian levels have had to be for their to be no remaining sign of it? i.e. for any bronze tools to corrode away to nothing, pottery to do likewise.

How long will it take until Stonehenge is worn down to nothing by the wind and rain?

Comments

[nickys.livejournal.com]

Well, stone stuff lasts a very long time, so if your hypothetical civilisation used stone then it'd be a lot easier to find than if it was based on wooden or clay brick buildings.

Skara Brae, for example is about 5000 years old and pretty much completely preserved, whereas most archaeology from that era is stains in the soil which are generally to be the remains of post holes, and rusty masses which can be scanned to prove they were once tools...

[andrewducker]

That's the thing. I was discussing whether a civilisation from the last interglacial (say 110,000 years) would leave any traces that were detectable nowadays.

I was thinking pottery (which seems to last a very long time), but I can't see how long that that lasts.

Stone, obviously, would leave loads of traces.

Iron would leave nothing at all.

How long does bronze last for?

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

Well, glaciation is a game-changer there. The Canadian Shield is as inarable as it is today because the glaciers moved much of the topsoil south; this would badly disrupt stratigraphy and probably crush a lot of artifacts beyond recognition. Anything that went down to the bedrock would show, but I don't know how many Babylonian-tech structures would have foundations that deep.

-- Steve would need more information (and a refresher course on archeology) before making any detailed suggestions, though.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

We have pottery that has survived from the earliest pottery making civilisations. Heck, before that we've got wooden plates and bowls made by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.

So yes, stuff survives.

Except, as I just said in a comment below, in areas that have been subject to glaciation.

If there was a civilisation that was located only in areas that were covered by ice, then I would not expect to see any traces of their survival.

Which grants lots of room to crazies to argue that this is what happened to Atlantis.