ìMILLENNIAL TIME CAPSULES AS MEANS FOR

COMMUNICATING HUMAN HERITAGE

Claudio Pescatore, PhDResearchAffiliate,DeptofCulturalSciences,

formerlywiththeOECD

botehtapis@gmail.com

To be clear

ì WhenwedealwithRecords,KnowledgeandMemory(RK&M)preservationforthelongtermthereisnosinglememorypreservationmethodthatcanbereliedupon100%todothepreservationjobalone.We needratheranapproachthatcombinesdifferentmethodsprovidingredundancyand/orsupportand/orpointingtooneanother.(seemytalkofDay1)

ì Timecapsulesarenoexception.However, theyseemwellsuitedtosupport,e.g.,nationalarchivesandotherpreservationmethods,inordertopreserveRK&Maslongaspossibleorinteresting.

ì Timecapsulesareareadytogo,workableconcept.Amazingly,theyhavebeen“seriously”absentfromtheRK&Mpreservationliterature.

Plan of presentation

ì Whatisatimecapsule

ì Examplesoftimecapsules

ì Descriptionofmodern,science-basedmillennialtimecapsules

ì EmphasisontheOsakadualtime-capsuleasanpertinentexampleworthlearningfromand,even,emulating

ì Conclusions

ì Recommendations

What is a time “time capsule”?

ì Atimecapsuleisapurpose-built,sealedenclosurecontaininga(historic)cacheofrecordstobeusedasameanstoinformfuturegenerations.Thetimeforopeningmaybespecifiedornot.

ì Pompeii,pyramids,etc.arenot timecapsule,thoughtheycanprovidehintsatconservationtechniques

ì Intheirsimplervariety,timecapsulesareoftenusedtotransmitfamilyinformationandheritage;attheirbesttheyaremeant,however,tohelpfuturearchaeologists,anthropologists,historiansorsocietyatlarge

ì Timecapsulescanbemulti-functional/multi-purposeì Timecapsulescanbeplacedvisiblytothepublicorlessvisiblyì Thereexistsexamplesofmodern,science-basedmillennialtimecapsulesì Complex,science-basedtimecapsulesrequireconcertedeffortswith

societyinordertobeconceivedandbemosteffective

International examples of time capsulesPlaced/posted

visibly(Y)or

notvisibly(N)

Designedforopeningat

aspecifictime(Y)orat

anindefinitetime(I)

Multi-functionalor

multi-purpose?(Y/N)

Millennial (Y/N) Detailed communication on

HumanCivilization

CryptofCivilizations,

USA

Y Y N Y Y

OsakaCastle (Dual)

TimeCapsule,Japan

Y Yes,but… N Y Y

MemoryofMankind,

Austria

N I N Y Y

WestinghouseTime

Capsules,USA

Y Y N Y Y

ClockoftheLongNow

Foundation,USA

N I N(?) Y N

Pioneer,Vikingand

VoyagerSpace

Probes,USA

N I Y Y N

HeliumCentennial

TimeColumns

Monument,USA

Y Yes, but… Y Y N

Voix ensevelies,

France

N Y N N N

It all started because of Tutankhâmen -1

ì On26Nov1922HowardCarterdiscoversthetombofTutankhâmen.Theopeningofthetombofficiallytakesplaceon29November.

ì Carterinvitesseveralpeopletoattendheopening,includingQueenElizabethofBelgiumandherson,thefutureLeopoldIII,accompaniedbytheEgyptologistJeanCapart.

ì Allareinshock.Theplacerevealsitselftothemisfullofanunimaginablenumberofobjects.Therearefuneralpreserves,bouquetsofflowers,agoldenthrone,largebedsintheshapeofanimals,dismantledchariots,alabastervases.Thisfirstroom,whosewallsarecoveredwithwhiteplaster,measuresabout8meterslongby3.60meterswide.

ì Theclearanceofthetomb’sobjectslasted10years

It all started because of Tutankhâmen -2

ì Thediscoveryhadsensationalwavesallovertheworld.JournalistsdevelopedthelegendofthePharaoh'scurse

ì In1924CartergaveaseriesoflecturesinAmerica,sparking“Egyptomania”.ThisinspiredThornell Jacobstocreateasimilartroveofdocumentsandobjectsinordertodemonstratecurrenthumancultureandachievementstofuturegenerations.His“CryptofCivilization”wasrealizedintheyears1937-1940.Inparallel,thefirstWestinghouseTimecapsulewascreated.

ì In1990theGuinnessBookofWorldRecordsdescribedtheCryptofCivilizationas“thefirstsuccessfulattempttoburyarecordofthiscultureforfutureinhabitantsorvisitorstotheplanetEarth”

WestinghouseTimeCapsule-I(1938)CryptofCivilizations(1940)

MillennialTimeCapsulesasScientificEndeavours- 0

Millennial Time Capsules as Scientific Endeavours - 1

CryptofCivilizations

• Apurpose-builtair-tightvaultinagraniticenvironment.• LocatedinthebasementofHearstHallof

OglethorpeUniversityinAtalanta.Itssteeldoorcanbevieweddailyaspeoplegototheuniversitybookstore.

• WorkontheCryptcommencedinAugust,1937,andcontinueduntilJune,1940.

• AplaqueclearlysignifiesthepurposeoftheCrypttoopenedin8113AD.

• Perishableitemsarepreservedinglassenclosuresfromwhichoxygenwasremoved.

• NationalBureauofStandardsinvolvedinadvisingonpreservation

• Devicestore-learn theEnglishlanguageareprovided.

• NotonlyRecordsbutalsomeanstofavourKnowledgereconstruction

200booksoffiction;drawingsofallofourinventionsmadetoscalesuchasourmeansoftransportation,communication,etc.;arecordofthesports,amusements,pastimesandgamesinvogueduringthelastcentury;motionpicturesofhistoricaleventssince1898;stillphotographsgivingthehistoryoftheUnitedStatessince1840;soundmotionpicturesofthegreatmenandwomenoftheworld;soundrecordsofimportantradiospeeches,motionpicturesofindustrialprocesses;medicalandsurgicalsubjects;viewsofthegreatcitiesoftheworld;sportspastime,newsreels,anddramaticsubjects;educationalpicturesinallsubjects,anapparatusforteachingtheEnglishlanguageincaseitisnolongerspoken;actualsamplesofobjectsofourdailylife;scientific,navigation,andaviationinstruments;projectionapparatusformotionpictures;readingdevicesforthemicrofilm;artificialaidstosight;artificialarms,dentures,wigs,etc.;weightsandmeasurescurrentintheworldtoday;measuringinstruments;seedsofflowers,plants,vegetables,fruits,andtrees;drawingsandpaintings;paper-mache modelsoffruitsandvegetables;artificialflowers;clothing,modelsofjewelry; nogold,silver,orjewelsareincludedinordernottotemptvandals.

Millennial Time Capsules as Scientific Endeavours - 2Westinghousetimecapsulesof1938and1965

ì EmbeddedinthegroundsoftheNewYorkWorld'sFair1939and1965,theTimeCapsulesIandIIwereconceivedbytheWestinghouseengineers.TheyaremadeofCupaloy andofKromarc,respectively.

ì Deemedcapableofresistingtheeffectsoftimefor5,000years.Specimenpreservedinairtight,nooxygenatmosphere.

ì Preservinganaccountofuniversalachievementsandincludingstatementsbygreatmen:A.Einstein,T.Mann,R.Millikan.

ì ThecontentswerecommittedtoaBookofRecord whosepurposeistopreserveknowledgeoftheexistenceofthetimecapsulefor5,000years,andtoprovideassistancetothepeopleoftheyear6939 inlocatingandrecoveringit.

ì Morethan3,000copiesofthe BookofRecord weredistributedtomuseums,monasteries,andlibrariesworldwide.{google:westinghouse timecapsulebook}

Millennial Time Capsules as Scientific Endeavours - 3

HeliumCentennialTimeColumnsMonument,Amarillo (Texas).

ì TheCapsulewaserectedin1968asamonumenttomarkthe100th anniversaryofHeliumdiscovery withfundingfromindividualsandHeliumindustry.

ì Itweighs8,5tons.Itis6storeyshighanditactsasasundial

ì Itcontains4stainlesssteelcapsules,tobeopened25,50,100,et1000yearsfromtheirsealingin1968.Nextopeningin2018.

ì Eachtimecapsuleaddressesathememeanttorepresentthesituationintheworldatthetime

ì OriginallylocatedonanAutoRoute,itwasrelocatedinfrontofthecurrentmuseumin1983thankstoaUSArmyChinookhelicopter.

Millennial Time Capsules as Scientific Endeavours - 4

OsakaCastle(Dual)TimeCapsule1970-6970ì Therearetwotimecapsuleswithidenticalcontent,oneburied10

metersdeepunderground,theother15meters.CreatedoutofacollaborationbetweenPanasonicandTheMainichiNewspapers,thetimecapsulesareburiedinOsakaCastlePark.

ì Thetimecapsulesareintendedformankind5,000yearsintothefuture.Theycontain2,098itemsthathavebeenespeciallyselectedasculturalartefactsasof1970.

ì Thetimecapsuleburied10metersundergroundactsasaPilotCapsuletobeinspectedregularly.Itwasinspectedandthenre-buriedinNov.2000.Itwillre-inspectedonceacenturyfromthenon.Theothertimecapsuleisslatedtobeopenedintheyear6870.ì Nov.2000,173outofthe2,098itemswerechecked.Thoughsomeofthebacteria

sampleshadperished,thericecookerandtelevisionsetworkednormally.Inaddition,theexperimentalplantseedshadsproutedandmostoftheotheritemshadbeenkeptinthesameoriginalstateandworkingcondition

ì TheOsakaTimecapsuleisunderthejurisdictionofthenationalgovernment,becauseitisinanationalparkaswellasbecauseitcontainsaplutonium-basedatomicclock.

Design diagrams大まかな寸法・深さ等

14.4m

9.5m

Monument: Stainless steel and granite

4.5m

Unit2

Unit1

Same package

Ø Plaque shows the place of the burial and protects from rain

Ø Sand backfill of appropriate particle sizes

Ø The depth of burial was chosen in order to keep temperature constant

Steel pipe with concrete 5

7Design SpecificationsInner diameter: 1 mInside volume: 0.5 m3

Weight : 1.74 tThickness : 35 mm to 70 mm

Ø Special Alloy used based on following factors ・Impact・Corrosion

・Temperature change・Weldability

Ø The time capsules are filled withargon gas

Ø There are 29 small boxes in the time capsules →Conservation techniques vary

from item to item

Contents of each time capsule

•2,098items

- Naturalsciences:742itemsMETALS,NEWLY-DEVELOPEDMATERIALS,ELECTRONICEQUIPMENT,MICROORGANISMS,PLANTSEEDS,SCIENTIFICDOCUMENTARYFILM,etc.

-Socialsciences:686itemsJAPANESEFLAG,CLOTHING,PICTURESCROLLS,NEWSPAPERS,DOCUMENTARYFILM:WORLDWARII,THE1970ROSETTASTONE,etc.

- Art:592items

-Miscellaneous :78items

3

Development effort - 1

ì TheOsakaCastleTimeCapsuleisthelatestofthelarge,buried,millennialtimecapsules.Itsconceptionanddevelopmentprocessarefullydocumented, easilyaccessibleandareworthofstudy.http://panasonic.net/history/timecapsule/

ì ThedevelopmentoftheOsakaCastleTimeCapsulewasbetween1967and1970basedonthesponsorshipoftwoimportantcorporations,theworkofseveraldedicatedcommittees(hundredsofmembers),theparticipationoftheJapanesepublic(over100,000),theimplicationofanumberofforeignindividualsandinstitutions(inthehundreds),thecreationofatemporary,technicalTimeCapsuleResearchCentreaswellasfacingmanydecisionsanddifficultiesalongtheway.

ì Inadditiontotheopportunityforre-openingatgivenintervals,additionalfollow-upprovisionsareinplace,namelygovernmentalcontrolsandexistenceofreplicasinmuseums.

Development effort - 2

ì Preliminaryexecutivecommitteethatgavethegeneralindicationsoftheproject

ì Twomaincommittees:atechnical committeemadeupofscientistsandacademics,andaselection committeemadeupexperts,e.g.,fromthenaturalsciences,socialstudiesandtheArts

ì Selectionpolicy(namely,whattolookforandwhy)andproceduresforselection.Cooperationoftechnicalandselectioncommitteeonthepracticalityandpreservationpotentialofeveryitemunderconsideration.

ì Abudgetforacquiringspecimen(4copies)andforlaboratoryresearch.

Development effort - 3

ì Definitionofthetechnical criteriaforproducingthetimecapsuleitselfandresearchintoit

ì Finalizingdecisionsonwheretobury,whichincludedbothphysicalandheritageconsiderations,e.g.,Senri HillsvsOsakaCastlePark

ì Creatingreplicas

The Osaka Dual Time Capsule is great inspiration

TheOsakaCastleDualTimeCapsulehasmanyqualitiesthatmayallowittosurmountsuccessfullythechallengeoftime:

ì Itisaculturalobjectplacedinaculturallyprotectedground

ì Ithasbeendesignedtowithstandnaturalphenomena

ì Itisunobtrusive,theonlysignisaceremonialplaque.

ì Itsveryweightprovidesprotectionfromeasyremoval

ì Itisundernationaljurisdiction.LiterallyitisintheportfolioofMEXTandofthecityofOsaka

ì Ithasreplicasthathelppropagatememory

ì IthasaPilotdesignedtobe“controlled”everysooften.ì Theopeningofthecontrolcapsuleatregularprovidesthebasisforarecurring

ceremony(ritual)aswellastheopportunitytoapplymostrecentpreservationtechniquesforimprovingonpossibledegradations.

Conclusions

ì Timecapsulesareadistinctivecategoryofhistoricalrecordpreservationthatstronglysupportsandcomplements,e.g.,therolearchives,butalsoothercomponentsofasystemicapproachtoRK&Mpreservation.Theycanpreserveboth“rawdata”(realdocumentsandobjects)andvirtualdatasupports.

ì Developinga(largesize)millennialtimecapsuleisachallengethatothershavetakenupinearnestalready. TheOsakaCastleTimeCapsuleprovidesamodelonhowonsuchaprojectcouldbeimplemented.

ì Asolidapproachwouldrequireafairlysignificanteffort,yetenteringintosuchaprojectcanbeseenasaconstructivewaytohelppreserveRK&Mwiththehelpofsocietyatlarge.Alargeamountofcollectivethinkinganddiscoverywouldtakeplace.Theknow-howofimportantinstitutionswouldbebroughttobear.

ì Greatpotentialforlinkingtolocalloreandculture

Link to culture and lore - examples

ì Theskyisthelimit:ì Amunicipalitydecidestoplacepicturesofitspeopleandplacesonthe

year…plusaletterofthepresentmayorexplainstoday’schoices.Thereplicatimecapsuleisopenedevery33years

ì Twomuncipalitieswillholdsimilartimecapsulesandwillrevistreplicasatdifferenttimescreatingastrongerlinkamongstmunicipalities.Theycouldalsodecidetohavetwodifferenttimecapsules.

ì Replicascanbeplacedinseveralplaces,e.g.,besidesitsregularcollection,theNationalArchivemayalsohouseatimecapsuleinoneofitsgardens.

ì Etc.

Recommendations

ì Goondefiningfurtherandpropagatingtheconceptsofmillennialtimecapsules

ì Considerlinkinganynew,human-heritagelong-termcommunicationprojecttooneormoreofthetimecapsules(orotherprojects)thatalreadyexist.