Russell, On Fri, 08 Sep 2006 14:50:12 +1200, Russell McMahon wrote: > Their "Dnger of digging" lightning bolt earthworks TOTALLY filed the > darwin test with my wife. She thought it looked like they were trying > to show that the site contained something interesting. That's always the problem - they ought to ask archaeologists what they would do if they encountered the things they're proposing. I bet the answer would be: "We'd think it was a site of great ritual importance, with access allowed only to the highest-status priests and/or rulers, and we'd excavate to see what was at the centre". Just think how we've treated the Pyramids, Stonehenge, South American Ziggurats, and so on. Did we keep away in case the things were marking something dangerous? > I think a large skull and mushroom cloud may fill the bill :-) That fails the species test for a start (as do the faces on the signs they show), but again could be construed as a warning to the populace of the time that they weren't to pass further. It's really hard to get the "This means you" message across to people who are used to seeing remains that are aimed at the populace of the time (cave paintings), or general historical records of success in battle (Tragen's column), or images of and representations to the gods (Egyptian hieroglyphs - which also include the first two). Cheers, Howard Winter St.Albans, England -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist