The way ancient people preserve information or books was much different from how we do it today. It was very effective for them as they were able to use different things creatively to secure their information. It could be time consuming based on the method being used. The temple scroll, Rosetta stone, palm leave book, are among things that were preserved with delicate information. These were precious to the ancient people, but information could be lost especially if there were natural disaster. The scroll for example could hold lots of information but preserving it is not so effective depending on the type of material used to record information.
The types of textual information that will stand the text of time is digital information. With technology information reach a wider audience and it can be preserved for ages. There is so many new technologies that keeps getting smarter and is reaching much more people than the methods used in ancient times. More information can be reach and at a faster pace. Take for instance emails and social media; a large amount of information can be reached in seconds. With the advent of digital technology everything is at your fingertips. It is quicker and easier even for persons doing business, they can get information faster and it can be preserved easier. Readers can put value to ancient format of text because it depends on the material being used, the design and information that is preserved which helps to make it valuable.
The role of digital technology has made it simpler to study this ancient text as those methods are preserved digitally so we can be aware of and also study the work of art or uniqueness that our ancient people used in recording, preserving and sharing valuable information. They need to be recognized as much as possible as they helped to give us ideas in transitioning into this world of technological advancement that help us to preserve information more securely and effective for decades.
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Sharwane,
You raised a lot of interesting points in your post. I especially liked that you pointed out that ancient people sought to preserve information that they perceived to be precious, so that it can be retained for future use and study.
I definitely agree with your opinion that the methods that ancient people used made their texts susceptible to damage, and I agree that digital methods are vastly superior because they can, in theory, last forever.
Do you think that the type of information that is though of as being worthy of preservation has changed over the ages?
Sharwane, you’re right to say that we can continue to make, preserve, and study early material forms of the book as art (and not just sources of information). While I agree that our modes of communication may become increasingly digital, whether they will stand the test of time may be another question altogether! See my comments on Dan’s and Allison’s blogs for more.