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You would enjoy "Motel of the Mysteries" by David Macaulay. Basically, a future archeologist discovers a buried motel room and begins speculating about it's tru

You would enjoy "Motel of the Mysteries" by David Macaulay. Basically, a future archeologist discovers a buried motel room and begins speculating about it's true purpose. "judging from the DO NOT DISTURB sign hanging from an archaic doorknob, was clearly the entrance to a still-sealed burial chamber. Carson's incredible discoveries, including the remains of two bodies, one of then on a ceremonial bed facing an altar that appeared to be a means of communicating with the Gods and the other lying in a porcelain sarcophagus in the Inner Chamber, permitted him to piece together the whole fabric of that extraordinary civilization."

Rebelgecko 6y ago
In a similar vein is "Body Ritual among the Nacirema" (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Body_Ritual_among_the_Nacirema https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Body_Ritual_among_the_Nacirem...)
- nemosaltat 6y ago
  I was introduced to this in SOC101 by one of the best professors I ever had. It was given as a paper handout and we were instructed to read and discuss. A couple students caught on, but I wasn’t one of them and it made it so much better. Over a decade later when I find myself attempting to fit a new concept into my own, limited, world view, the Holy Mouth Men still come to warn me.
robotastronaut 6y ago
Holy cow this is the first time I've thought of this since I was a kid! My favorite was the toilet seat being headwear and "sanitized for your protection" as a chant. Probably why I became an archaeologist.
- russfink 6y ago
  I remember an excerpt of tbat in Reader's Digest. They posited that tbe bath/plumbing fixtures were for making sacred music, IIRC.
- BitwiseFool 6y ago
  So funny you mention that, excerpts of this book were featured in my Anthropology 101 class and that's how I know of it.
junon 6y ago
We read this in a class when I was young and I am pretty certain it affected my way of thinking to this day. Definitely recommend. It's cute, if for nothing else.

Rebelgecko 6y ago

In a similar vein is "Body Ritual among the Nacirema" (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Body_Ritual_among_the_Nacirema https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Body_Ritual_among_the_Nacirem...)

nemosaltat 6y ago
I was introduced to this in SOC101 by one of the best professors I ever had. It was given as a paper handout and we were instructed to read and discuss. A couple students caught on, but I wasn’t one of them and it made it so much better. Over a decade later when I find myself attempting to fit a new concept into my own, limited, world view, the Holy Mouth Men still come to warn me.

robotastronaut 6y ago

Holy cow this is the first time I've thought of this since I was a kid! My favorite was the toilet seat being headwear and "sanitized for your protection" as a chant. Probably why I became an archaeologist.

russfink 6y ago
I remember an excerpt of tbat in Reader's Digest. They posited that tbe bath/plumbing fixtures were for making sacred music, IIRC.
BitwiseFool 6y ago
So funny you mention that, excerpts of this book were featured in my Anthropology 101 class and that's how I know of it.

junon 6y ago

We read this in a class when I was young and I am pretty certain it affected my way of thinking to this day. Definitely recommend. It's cute, if for nothing else.