Traveling in a Time Machine

Traveling the world in a Time Machine

                For the science fair this year I wanted to create something I know the judges would remember. I wanted something more than a laser beam that could destroy the world, or a mutated ant farm. That was so two years ago. I wanted to experience the would’s history, the start of man. My solution was a time machine.

 I set to work for months and finally after many failures, my time machine was ready. I collected my gear: my notebook, a small hand bag for collecting small keepsakes. I maneuvered my way into the time machine and dialed myself to November 30^th, 1979 in Hadar, Ethipopia.

My mom asked me after the trip why I chose 1979 for my first time travel. I said, “The 70’s was not only a time for peace and love, but a time where Don Johanson and Tom Gray would discover one of the most important findings in history. The discovery of Lucy was the earliest findings of an Australopithecus afarensis.” My Mom was very impressed.

After arriving the heated savanna of Eithopia I quickly found the team of archaeoelogists that where digging up a storm. I studied the team of historians and archaeologists that were working in the heated sun. I noticed that the archaeologist learn by studying the artifacts that the past has left behind. I also inferred that the further back in time we study, the more incomplete the evidence is.  After a few minutes I heard exuberant shouts! I concluded that they had found Lucy. I made my way down the hill to rejoice with them. I asked Don Johnanson many questions about the bones that they found. These are the notes that I took:

·         Walked on two feet (bipedal)

·         Small Brain, only about 3 ft, tall.

·         Female

·         She was about 25 years old when she died, and her brain was about 1/3 of the size of modern brains.

I also learned about early humans and our ancestors. I learned about the Stone Age and how the Ice Age impacted the development of early humans. Also how we gradually learned to make fire, clothes and tools. Mr. Johnanson specifically told me that when we found out about hearths this told archaeologists that in a prehistoric campsite the fire was intentionally contained in one spot. This also showed us that prehistoric humans could observe a natural phenomenon (fire) and try to put it to good use. I also learned about the development of language and how we turned from hunters to gathers to farmers.

My hour was running out so I asked the team on more question: Why do we walk up right? They said that there are many different theories of why we started walking up one of them being: because of the environmental changes that occurred in Africa that could have be the reason why we started to walk up right.

I thanked the team and started my uphill walk towards my time machine. When I was walking I vividly remember trying picture prehistoric human walking up the same hill, being heated in the same sun and sleeping under the same stars. I collected myself while getting into my time machine. Just before leaving I remembered my keepsake. I cautiously picked up a small rock, maybe my ancient ancestor picked up the same one. I pulled out my notebook tracing back to the small list that I had created before leaving. I checked off Lucy and boldly circled The Fertile Crescent.

I took off, feeling the rush of time through my hair it was as if  it was just a windy day. In humanities I remembered my teacher Mrs. Morris talking about a word called civilization? What is a civilization, and why did people organize themselves into larger communities? Before I knew it I was there, a forest green color was painted over the vast fields. I got right to work. What do I know right now? I wrote this all down in my notebook:

·         This is presently (in my time) the Middle East.

·         I also know that this is where the hunter-gathers first settled down.

·         Then slowly people learned how to control the growth and behavior of plants and animals. They started to learn how to domesticate plants and animals, to make life more eaiser for them.  

·         As the years continued farming was fully established. This lead to support more people in communities, and more than enough food. I think the vocab word that Mrs. Morris made us study was called Surplus

In the distance I could see something that looked different than the green vegetation. I bet it is a Neolithic Town. When walking towards the town I remember Mrs. Morris talking about a large Neolithic town in Turkey. I think the named sounded like Chattle, Cattle, something along the lines of that. I remember reading about the burial practices and thinking how happy I that we still didn’t continue those today. Farming was a big part in this community. The fertile land produced the food, but so much that it turned into surplus. Eventually people started to work in other jobs, crafts started to pop up. Art and trade started to take form in the community. Trade started happening in the outside world, with other communities. I had finally reached the town. Since I was from the future I could decide if I wanted to be visible or not visible. This was a cool addition that I added to my time machine just before leaving. This time I decided to be invisible.

Looking to my left and right I saw the Tigris and the Euphrates both major rivers in the Fertile Crescent, bent down touching the parched soil. Irrigation systems were a great discovery for the people of the Fertile Crescent. This allowed them to irrigate soil, it helped that surplus of food and the prevent famine. I looked down at my watch, 35 minutes left. Should I speed this up? I clicked the left dial on the watch, time freeze and then fast forward. I got the idea from a movie called Click.

After a few minutes (really a few years) pass right by me I pressed play. Now I was watching farmers with new and improved methods of irrigating the land. I pressed fast forward again, this time when I pressed play I saw a dramatic change occur within the city. This is what I wrote in my note book:

Features of a City-

1.   Specialization of Labor

2.   Social Classes

3.   Trade Near and Far

4.   Leadership and Planning

Features of a Civilization-

1.   Highly developed culture

2.   Writing system

3.   Stable Food Supply

4.   Specialization of Labor

5.   Social Classes

6.   Trade Near and Far

7.   Leadership and Planning

I have figured it out! Civilization is a society that has a high level of culture and social organization! Ah ha! I didn’t even have to ask anyone! When back at the time machine I quickly filled up a bottle with sand from the Fertial Crestent. I dialed to my next destination- Egypt.

Upon arriving I felt the waves of heat beaming down at me. Grapped my note pad and was ready to go. So what do I know about Egypt?

1.   The Nile River is their main source of water, everything revolves around The Nile.

2.   Ther were many pharahohs in Egypt

3.   The Nile Floods every year bringing rich silt on the banks, making conditions great for farming

4.   Nile was used to transport good down the Nile, both up and down. #

When walking around present day Cairo, I saw and observed many things:

1.   The Nile affected all of the Egyptians activities, it was part of their religious beliefs, way of governing.

2.   They were excellent shop builders

3.   They invented the calendar because of the annual flood.

4.   There are many temples, that represented that they were polytheistic

5.   After life is very big, seeing a dried up dead person isn’t the nicest thing.

6.   The economic status was very clear, the royality had nothing to do with anything below them- including the nobles, artisans, peasants, and especially the slaves.

7.   One of the most important things that Egyptians accomplished is the control over the environment.

My hour is up, wow time went fast. I should’ve packed that 50 SPF sunscreen I can feel the sunburn dangerously warm my neck. The memento that I have kept is a stone, but not any ordinary stone, a stone from the Pyramids of Giza. At the moment they are halfway built.

My last destination for today, India, I should have packed more fuel. Next time I can go to China. I don’t know a lot about India, so I will be keeping very detailed notes on this trip. Before landing I circled a few times over head, getting my first glance at the subcontinent. From what I can see there is a huge mountain range in the north, this I think is called the Himalayas. Looking at my map the other 3 mountain ranges are: The East and West Ghats, and the Hindu Kush mountains.

I can clearly see the Ganges and the Indus River, also the Godavari. The mid summer’s heat has sweat dripping down my face. I try to find a major city, but I am having no such luck because there is a big storm cloud is covering some parts of India.

Monsoon season! Oh no! I thought that was later in the year. I guess not. I hover up in the sky for a few minutes before my descent I recorded all of what I have learned this year. When landing I am in a city called Mohenjo Daro, a very important and advanced city in ancient India.

·         Drainage system

·         Pipes ran under ground

·         Language: Unknown

·         Religion: Unkown

·         Government: Uknown

·         From what I read it had a mysterious decline.

·         New Culture Arises: Aryans, develops and spreads.

·         Strict social class order.

·         Culture, language and religion are all passed down to create Hinduism.

Wow, just by observing for only a few minutes I have come up with this list!

I want to focus more on religion:

Hinduism:

·         Passed down from Arayans

·         Have to try and achieve Moksa

·         Written in Sandscript

·         Wheel of Re-birth

·         Very detailed burial session

·         Very strict caste system

·         Yoga

Buddhism:

·         Founded by Sadartha Gumtama

·         Try and achieve Nirvana

·         Way of Life/religion

·         Afterlife

·         3 types of Buddhism

·         Written in assessable language

·         Mediation

Mrs. Morris also talked about a leader of India who changed his ruling because he converted to Buddism. I think his name was Asoko, he was a man who changed his who way of thinking because he wanted to make India right. This is an example of how much religion has on their world for the good or the bad.

My time is almost up, so I say good bye to the lush landscape and the rich soil. I slowly clamber into my time machine and I dialed to 2011.  I pressed the red start button, feeling the rush of time wip past my hair. I sit up suddenly; I forgot my keepsake from India! I panic, rummaging through my bag, no keepsake from India… I land directly on the launch pad, just like I started. Mom, still doing laundry. I trudge inside, slowly, this was a once and a life opportunity and I forgot my keepsake! Now know one will believe that I have been to ancient India. I sit down waiting for the next moment to happen, but nothing happens. I place my right hand into my pocket; pointy object is nestled in between the cloth. I pull it out, a little figurine, a Buddha. I smile and say, “I can’t wait to show this to the class.”