Inside the crypt: Preserving 20th-century life for 8113
Information can quickly disappear from memory. That's why people sometimes choose 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 designed to remain sealed for over six thousand years, until the year 8113.
Dr. Thornwell Jacobs, while researching ancient materials for one of his books, was struck by the lack of accurate information about ancient civilizations. This realization inspired him to create the Crypt of Civilization, so that people in the future could discover how we once lived.
The Crypt of Civilization
The plan for the construction of the Crypt was developed in 1936 when Dr. Jacobs, the founder of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, declared that it was humanity's duty to "provide for future historians a thorough and accurate record, scientifically selected and preserved, of life in the twentieth century." As a result, a room in Phoebe Hearst Hall at Oglethorpe University was transformed into this time capsule. The Crypt contains everyday items from the 1930s and knowledge accumulated over the past six thousand years.
The Crypt was designed in a style reminiscent of a "pseudo-pharaoh" tomb. According to IFL Science, among the items placed in the Crypt were films of events from 1898, recordings by clarinetist Artie Shaw, 100 books on microfilm, including the Bible, and a small model of Donald Duck. They avoided adding valuable items such as gold or jewelry.
"Treasures" for Future Generations
To help future generations read the contents of the Crypt more easily, efforts were made to minimize 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 May 28, 1940, and according to Jacobs' calculations, it is to be opened in the year 8113. The decision for this date resulted from the equal 6177 years that had passed from the establishment of 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 endeavors aimed at protecting knowledge about contemporary life and its resources. A similar effort is 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.
