Crypt of civilization: Unlocking a message through time
Information can quickly disappear from memory. That's why people occasionally decide to create "time capsules," which are intended to be collections of valuable messages for future generations. One such project is the Crypt of Civilization, which is to remain sealed for over six thousand years, until the year 8113.
Dr. Thornwell Jacobs, whilst analysing materials about antiquity for one of his books, was struck by the lack of accurate information about ancient civilisations. This was the impetus that encouraged him to create the Crypt of Civilization, so that in the future, people could discover how we once lived.
The Crypt of Civilization
The plan for building the Crypt was developed in 1936 when Dr. Jacobs, the founder of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, stated that humanity's duty was to "provide future historians with an accurate, scientifically selected, and preserved record of 20th-century life." As a result, a room in Phoebe Hearst Hall at Oglethorpe University was transformed into the so-called time capsule. The crypt contains everyday items from the 1930s and knowledge accumulated over the last six thousand years.
The Crypt was designed in a style reminiscent of a "pseudo-pharaoh" tomb. As reported by IFL Science, among the items placed in the crypt were films of events from 1898, recordings by clarinettist Artie Shaw, 100 books on microfilm, including the Bible, and a small model of Donald Duck. However, they avoided adding valuable items such as gold or jewellery.
"Treasures" for future generations
To help future generations read the contents of the crypt more easily, efforts were made to minimise problems related to language differences. For this purpose, a so-called language integrator was used. This hand-powered device displays pictures of objects and their English names, which are also pronounced using a phonograph.
The Crypt of Civilization was sealed on 28 May 1940, and according to Jacobs' calculations, it is to be opened in the year 8113. The decision for this date resulted from the equal 6,177 years that had passed from establishing the Egyptian calendar in 4241 BC to 1936, when the decision to create the crypt was made.
The Crypt of Civilization is one of many entities aimed at protecting knowledge about contemporary life and its resources. A similar entity can be considered the "Doomsday Vault" on the island of Spitsbergen. The Norwegian Svalbard Global Seed Vault houses over a million seed samples from 5,400 different plant species and serves as a global insurance policy in case of disasters that could destroy agricultural biodiversity.
