Blinded by Obsidian


	Blinded by Obsidian

Rustee

8-16-2009 5:46 PM

632 views

tags:

history, mexico, aztec, technology, anthropology

3 Comments |

Add a Comment

8-16-2009 5:48 PM

The Infowarrior

Great Clip.

8-17-2009 10:22 AM

tanyamm

I agree with Infowarrior, it's a great clip. Thanks.

8-17-2009 1:07 PM

gzuckier

good point.

which brings up the question; however did primitive man discover the idea of smelting metal? were their campfires that hot? yikes.

8-17-2009 2:40 PM

tazmanium

I keep an obsidian cutting tool on my outside workbench. It doesnt rust and although its in harsh weather, I shouldnt have to worry about the blade eroding for a few hundred years.

Login to Comment. Not a member yet? Sign up

Today's Top Clips

visit the Top Clips page

View the Top Clips from August 16, 2009

Embed This Clip In Your Site...

<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/ba5bc02f-0b0e-4067-9bb5-cda7a44181c6/723940F2-F9FC-4E05-9AB8-D62E1987B0DD/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1086.htm" href="http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1086.htm" style="font-size: 11px;">www.uh.edu</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1086.htm"><FONT size="+2">O</FONT>ne question that torments
                historians of technology is the "Why didn't?"
                question. </blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1086.htm"><P>
                So: why didn't the Aztecs ever emerge from the
                stone age? Why did such a remarkably advanced
                people make such limited use of metal?
                Anthropologist Terry Stocker offers a troubling
                answer. When you already have a fine technology,
                you don't see beyond it. And the Aztecs had
                obsidian for their axes and knives.
              </P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1086.htm">Obsidian is a naturally-occurring glass, usually
                black and opaque. It's harder than steel, and it
                fractures smoothly. By splitting it, you can create
                murderously sharp blades. </blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1086.htm">Southern
                Mexico was richly endowed with obsidian.
                Anthropologists now think the huge and mysterious
                pre-Aztec city of Teotihuacan, near Mexico City,
                was the center of an obsidian industry.
              </blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1086.htm"><P>
                So obsidian became woven into Aztec worship as well
                as Aztec function. What need could there be for a
                replacement material? The Aztecs didn't develop
                their use of metal because they couldn't see beyond
                obsidian.
              </P></blockquote><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/images/clip-icon.gif" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.precolumbianjade.com/images/aztec_26.jpg" href="http://www.precolumbianjade.com/images/aztec_26.jpg" style="font-size: 11px;">www.precolumbianjade.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.precolumbianjade.com/images/aztec_26.jpg"><div align="center"><img src="http://content7.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/www.precolumbianjade.com/img/7AA86AAE-132F-4625-A9E9-637D1E421963" alt="http://www.precolumbianjade.com/images/aztec_26.jpg" /></div></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/723940F2-F9FC-4E05-9AB8-D62E1987B0DD/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

New from the makers of Clipmarks: Amplify.com - Don't just share the news...Amplify it!

Clipmarks: Home; New Clips; Top Clips; Dashboard

Popular Topics: News; Life; Science; Technology; Entertainment

Get Started: Sign Up; Install Clipping Tool; How Clipping Works; Clip-to-Blog™; ClipSearch

Tools and Resources: FAQ; ClipWeek; Top Clippers; Top Tags; Site Map

About Clipmarks: About Us; Contact; Copyright; Privacy; EULA

Search Options

Today's Top Clips