My father was a civil engineer in the UK. In the 70s, during a bridge construction project, they uncovered a skeleton. He kept the skull on his desk for about 10 years, until someone mentioned to him that that probably wasn't OK, so he put it in the trash.
He blamed shifting sensibilities over time, and had he known the phrase at the time, he'd have probably described it as political correctness gone mad.
In the trove were nearly 400 rare wooden writing tablets, some of which still displayed legible letters, legal agreements, and financial documents. (Another site yielded shopping lists, party invitations, and a contract for the sale of a slave girl.)
What strikes me is the way the essential purpose of London, and especially central London, hasn't changed. Since the Romans, it has been a financial or commercial centre. And therefore a centre of wealth and partying.
Slave girls might no longer be sold there (at least not with paperwork), but London is the capital of contracts.
> What strikes me is the way the essential purpose of London, and especially central London, hasn't changed. Since the Romans, it has been a financial or commercial centre. And therefore a centre of wealth and partying.
Nitpick: The City of London is not particularly central, and City is what contains the remnants of old Roman Londinium. The article misleads there by leading with a picture from Piccadilly Circus which is pretty much in the middle of the heart of London, while most of the digs the article talks of are happening in City, which is east of the centre.
City borders on the centre, and has a few tourist attractions, but you can live in London for years and never have a reason to go there unless you work for a bank etc.
It is specifically City of London that was the undisputed financial centre (now that role is shared with Docklands, even further East). It's like world to itself compared to the rest of London (especially as City even has a unique governing model where corporations are assigned votes).
[+] [-] peteretep|9 years ago|reply
He blamed shifting sensibilities over time, and had he known the phrase at the time, he'd have probably described it as political correctness gone mad.
[+] [-] jzwinck|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] adrianratnapala|9 years ago|reply
What strikes me is the way the essential purpose of London, and especially central London, hasn't changed. Since the Romans, it has been a financial or commercial centre. And therefore a centre of wealth and partying.
Slave girls might no longer be sold there (at least not with paperwork), but London is the capital of contracts.
[+] [-] Hagelin|9 years ago|reply
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrObZ_HZZUc Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ROpIKZe-c
[+] [-] vidarh|9 years ago|reply
Nitpick: The City of London is not particularly central, and City is what contains the remnants of old Roman Londinium. The article misleads there by leading with a picture from Piccadilly Circus which is pretty much in the middle of the heart of London, while most of the digs the article talks of are happening in City, which is east of the centre.
City borders on the centre, and has a few tourist attractions, but you can live in London for years and never have a reason to go there unless you work for a bank etc.
It is specifically City of London that was the undisputed financial centre (now that role is shared with Docklands, even further East). It's like world to itself compared to the rest of London (especially as City even has a unique governing model where corporations are assigned votes).
[+] [-] mafribe|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Nomentatus|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|9 years ago|reply
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