AH: Interest in Mayan vs Egyptian ruins?

[rodlox]

This is written for Point Of Divergence, but I welcome comments and thoughts from everyone. (go and visit POD - join if it sounds interesting, ask questions about it)

this post's Summary: In the 1800s, the ruins of two extensive civilizations were brought to the attention of Western Civilization, yet only one really grabbed people. Why was it

Comments

[sapphs]

Personally I think it has more to do with the fact that Egypt has always been occupied and that the Mayan's were a little "forgotten" (so to speak).

Although I don't quite get what POD is about so I'm not quite sure how to respond to your post lol.

[rodlox]

POD (Point Of Divergence) is an in-print and online APA whose members discuss both what happened historically & what might have happened - even discussing what-if movies and books, as well as our own writings on the subject.

its fun.

[sar_kaz_m]

Um, it's not like the Victorians had an array of silver forks arranged around a mummy, just waiting for the linen to be removed! Yes, they were unwrapping mummies, because it was fashionable to be all 'neo-gothic' and into creepy things. It was more like a sort of Yankee Christmas gathering: hoping you'd find 'treasures' (amulets) in the wrapping to share amongst the guests, and make sure there's a doctor or two on your guestlist to make fascinating 'scientific' observations about the body to titillate your other guests....

Separately, there was a long-standing belief in Egypt at the time that powdered remains of a mummy could be ingested to treat a number of diseases and disorders. The 'powdered mummy' medicine did make it to Europe in the victorian era, and was just as much a quack job as you'd expect. Several English and French doctors railed against ingesting powdered mummy, pointing out it usually made you as sick (because of stomach upset) as you were to begin with.

[jelsemium]

My guess is that Europeans were already familiar with Egypt. There were all sorts of stories from and about Egypt floating about long before Napolean headed that way. (Probably why Napolean set out to conquer Egypt in the first place.)