These finds that teach us about everyday life are interesting to me because they remind us that people are people. I remember looking at an exhibit of Babylonia

These finds that teach us about everyday life are interesting to me because they remind us that people are people. I remember looking at an exhibit of Babylonian seal cylinders, which were a kind of tool that a Babylonian would use to sign a document written on a wet clay tablet. It suddenly occurred to me that what I was looking at was not a work of art intended to be displayed and enjoyed just for its aesthetic value: it was the everyday tool of an ordinary clerk who lived and died thousands of years ago. I pictured this ancient Babylonian at the office, rolling the cylinder over wet tablets, looking forward to quitting time when he could go home, maybe stop for a beer on the way, play with the kids, kiss his wife. All of which would also be normal behavior for a white-collar worker alive today.