Michael in Turkey

I like to think of myself as someone who appreciates history, at least in some ways. I used to be a regular at auctions and antique shops, I enjoy a good walk to look at the architecture of a place, and I take some pride in the personal history of my hometown of Albany, New York.

Now here I am in Ankara, where remains have been found dating back to 1200 BC (again, that's 1200 BC!). Today, as part of a two-day Fulbright orientation meeting, I visited the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, which had displays from the Palaeolithic age (100,000-10,000 BC!!). It makes me reevaluate my respect for Shaker furniture, etc. I've been to museums of this sort before, but always as an outside observer. The items I saw always came from someplace else, as well as some other time. Now I see objects that are from where I live, so that some of the antiques I used to marvel at, while still to be respected, just lost some of their "specialness."