Learn from the Past

As I was looking through some news articles today I came across one that got my attention. It is in regards to research being done at Stonehenge led by Mike Parker Pearson whom I wrote about in a previous entry about his research into correlations between Stonehenge and Madagascar sites and reasons behind them. Although the article in itself was nothing people haven't brought up as a theory it was the comment by readers that got me questioning the way archaeologists and news reporters put together a story that is meant for the general public. 
Some of the comments were silly, such as those pertaining to UFOs and burger joints, but some made me question what is really being told to the public. After reading the comments I read the article once more and realized that there was too much ambiguity, no detail or reasons given regarding some of the facts that were written about. In particular the last sentence on the 'beaker people' which was only quickly glossed over with no real comment placed on why they were included in the article except to allude to the possibilities that it was because of their migrating to the area that the building of Stonehenge ceased. 

Other comments that raised flags for me me had more to do with the general education that people receive today. Perhaps it is just me but I would have thought that in elementary school Stonehenge and how it was built would have been a topic, because if the comments are to be believed people have no idea ho a "primitive" culture could have moved the large stones into place.

This is not the only instance were I have seen people confused or completely in the dark when it comes to past cultures. Perhaps I had teachers at a young age who preferred teaching their students about past cultures and their abilities to be just as technologically inclined as we are today. I can only hope that teachers will try to inspire and teach children that we can learn so much from the past and that we only got where we are today because people were innovated in the past.

News article:  http://ca.news.yahoo.com/researchers-stonehenge-originated-giant-graveyard-elite-families-around-133820992.html