I have always found archaeology to be a fascinating branch of science. Archaeology is the study of past human activity through the recovery and study of artifacts from the past.

We have been able to learn quite a bit from the study of archaeological digs both about past civilizations as well as extinct plants and animals and the related conditions of our planet through its history.From time to time exciting discoveries are unearthed and shared in the news, but many times the work of archaeologists are just mentioned in passing.For example, this past week archaeologists working in conjunction with the Southern Illinois Airport located the foundations of five homes and related artifacts including an ax dating back 1,000 years and attributed to Native Americans. Today most excavations of any significant size are required by the government to have an archaeological survey to ensure the contracting work does not destroy significant historical data. I remember when I lived in Philadelphia in the early 1990s and they were excavating one of the freeways, some old artifacts preceding the city were discovered.I think the goal of preserving and protecting national and global history accurately and objectively is a noble cause. To that end, government and private organizations are critical to protecting history provided it is as objective as possible. Subjective history does not help us obtain a true picture of the past. Creating an objective history is a lofty goal for which most strive. It is difficult to provide a truly objective history since most scholars tend to be somewhat subjective.For example, in our history books the Battle of the Alamo is detailed as part of the Texas War of Independence in the 1840s. During the siege many of us were taught that Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett were fearless heroes who fought bitterly to the very end. This historical portrait has been reinforced and sensationalized through the many films created about the Alamo that perpetuated these portrayals. In truth, Bowie was quite ill when Gen. Santa Ana finally attacked the Texas mission. Crockett, long described as the hero of the Alamo, is perceived quite differently in Mexican history.While our version has him dying a hero, a Mexican version describes a Davy Crockett who was found hiding in the Alamo and was dragged out at the end of the battle and made to kneel in front of Santa Ana, where he was summarily executed. Which version is the real truth?In this case, there are several accounts that Crockett died during the siege. Suspiciously though, only one Mexican memoir written by Jose Enrique de la Pena and published at the height of the popular Disney series about Davy Crockett calls into dispute whether Crockett went down fighting or not. It is his diary that alleges that Crockett surrendered in violation of Santa Ana's directive to not take any prisoners and that he was executed before the Mexican army. Because this one account is in direct contradiction with all other accounts, time has appeared to discredit this version of events. The point though is that history is always written by the prevailing side. We have to wonder how different the history of America would be if it was recorded by the Native Americans or the English instead.In Ecclesiastes 1:9, the author who is attributed by some to be King Solomon made the observation "There is nothing new under the sun."Philosopher George Santayana paraphrased this when he observed, "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it."In short, life is a history of cycles. One place this is obvious is in the history of great civilizations. Throughout history are countless examples of how ambition and drive by fearless leaders have taken civilization to great heights and remarkable progress. In every one of those cases, these empires have collapsed under their own weight. Greece, Rome, Egypt, France, Germany, England, and the Soviet Union were all great empires that dominated the planet at different points in history. They grew, expanded, brought forth many innovations and thrived for a period of time until their citizens forgot the sacrifices needed to grow.One of two things happened at that point: either the societies became complacent or the government became top-heavy. In either situation, the decline of these empires was facilitated by an increasingly demanding society, a lack of resources and social and moral decay. Our country is not immune to the same decline. In fact, many believe it is already under way.We must not allow ourselves to be deceived into complacency or it will be one illusion none of us will be happy with when it ends.NOTE ON LAST WEEK'S COLUMN: I want to thank the person for their comment on my Where We Live column last week. I wanted to point out that I am aware and agree that the board did not need to advertise for the leasing company, but in the same respect the board had ample opportunities before the lease to make the pool financially sound and promote it, and they failed as well, so I do stand by my observation.SPECIAL NOTE: There are some great milestones this weekend in Summit Hill. Today from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., come to Summit Hill's Ludlow Memorial Park for the 100th anniversary and rededication. Sunday is the Hootenanny, which has free music and celebration in the park with food, fun, crafts and games. On Friday, come to the Heritage Center in Summit Hill and celebrate our country's birthday at 11:30 a.m. with a selection of patriotic readings concluding with the Declaration of Independence being read at noon. Take some time out of your July 4th holiday to remember why we celebrate it.