2,300 year old bark shield

I figured this 2,300 year old bark shield could be a worthy addition to our sarcastic discoveries collection. Beauty bark producers gotta be real happy this specific tree bark did not survive to see the light of today's day, otherwise they would be out of business real quick.
2,300-year-old-bark-shield.jpg

Pearl of the day: The bark shield was discovered four years ago in what was once a livestock watering hole, according to a release issued by the University of York. Normally, items made from organic materials, such as bark, don’t preserve well, but in this case, the moist, soggy conditions prevented the shield from degrading.

The entire article sounds like an April Fools prank, but it is not, and they are serious. It's funny and sad at the same time:
  • “The first time I saw the shield I was absolutely awed by it: the complex structure, the careful decorations, and the beautiful boss,” Rachel Crellin, a professor at the University of Leicester who assessed the shield, in the University of York statement.
  • “This truly astonishing and unparalleled artefact has given us an insight into prehistoric technology that we could never have guessed at,” University of York archaeologist Michael Bamforth, who headed the analysis of shield, said in the university’s press release. “Although we know that bark has many uses, including making boxes and containers it doesn’t survive well in the archaeological record.”
  • The shield was “severely damaged” (KD: REALLY?) before it ended up in the watering hole, as noted in the University of York release. This damage was likely caused by spear tips, but the researchers aren’t entirely sure.
  • “The shape of the finished items is fascinating, with differential shrinkage of the wood components causing the shields to curve as they dried. When viewed from the front the rectangular shields appear ‘waisted’ or hour-glass shaped,” according to the University of Leicester. “This may be of some significance, as some metal shields from the period, such as the Battersea Shield in the British Museum, are similar and may be copying the design.”
They actually made one
(with electric wire?)
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Meet your heroes

The longest lasting landfill items

1. Glass bottles - Time to break down: one million years
2. Disposable nappies / Plastic bottles: 450 years
3. Plastic bags: 200-500 years
4. Aluminium cans: 80-200 years
5. Rubber-soled shoes: 50-80 years
6. Tin cans: 50 years
7. Clothing: up to 40 years
8. Plastic film: 20-30 years
  • clingfilm, magazine wrappers, crisp packets, etc
9. Paper coffee cups: 20 years

Source: Top 10: What are the longest lasting landfill items?


KD: Well, what do you think? Can tree bark make it through 2,300 years to be visible and identifiable?
 
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