Anachronisms & Word Choice, In Archaeology: Bronze Age Palace Staircase & Gold from An Underwater City with Mythic Connections

From My Fantasy Writing Desk:

If you enjoy thinking about language and word choice, then my project during the last couple of weeks will intrigue you. Among the many other suggestions my copyeditor pointed out some words she felt might be too modern sounding.

To be clear, we both recognize that everyone in my books would be using languages no longer in use today, and every English word I put in their mouths or into the narrative passages is not “of their time.” But some words rub wrong. I don’t, for example, use “minute.” They didn’t measure time in that way. “Moment” feels okay to me, however.

My copyeditor found two words that I did not expect. It’s up to me to decide if they feel or sound too modern. She gave me the dates they came into use in English—she’s a pro, after all. But, as I said, every English word came into use after 1275 BCE! So there’s a judgement call to be made.

Would you keep or change these words? Let me know in the comments. I’m in need of your reactions.

First example scrawny

Kety, Hattu’s Egaryan slave-groom who had grown attached to Tesha and Daniti, crouched next to the tent. He stuck close, their self-appointed protector despite his scrawny size.  (date: 1824. She suggested diminuitive.)

Second example roly-poly

Sounds of children’s laughter greeted her at her doorway. She froze. Two older children, a girl and a boy, chased after a roly-poly toddler of about two. (date: 1830’s. No suggested alternative–feel free to offer yours if you think this one should change.)

Archaeology I enjoyed:

A Staircase to Heaven?

I love this. They’ve excavated a Biblical era staircase at the archaeological site of Tel Hatzor in Israel. Staircases might not seem like a big deal to you, but they don’t survive all that often and this one is part of a 3,500 year old palace believed to have been destroyed in the fire that ravaged Canaanite Hatzor, which is depicted in the Bible as part of the conquest of Israel (Joshua 11:10-13).

This is a famous dig, first started in 1955 by Yigal Yadin. It is considered among the most important in Israel and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here’s how Dr. Shlomit Bechar, one of the lead researchers, put the significance of these partially revealed, precisely cut stairs, “the staircase tells us of the power of the palace itself, which is yet to be unveiled. The staircase tells us of the splendor that is due to be revealed.”

In the Bronze Age of this region, only the most luxurious of buildings used elaborate construction like stairs. It’s my impression that ladders accessed upper levels from the outside in most buildings, but not this one! I put stairs in my fictional (but hopefully historically accurate) palaces and ladders elsewhere. Click here to read The Jerusalem Post “Staircase of 3,500 years old Biblical Palace Revealed in Tel Hatzor”

Sunken Treasure and the Trojan War

An underwater excavation of two sunken cities off the coast of Egypt has brought up some amazing finds: temples, pottery and lots of gold jewelry and coins. We know about Thonis-Heracleion from ancient documents. However, the city itself had disappeared even though it was the obligatory port of entry from Greece to Egypt until Alexandria’s foundation in 331 BCE.

A series of natural disasters plunged the cities to the bottom of the Mediterranean seabed. Modern underwater exploration is bringing it back to view.

Tradition says Paris and Helen visited this city on their way to Troy from Sparta—having set in motion the mythic causation of the Trojan War. (Its actual foundation doesn’t most likely go back that far, but its inclusion in the legend shows its significance.) Another cool mythic tradition about this place: the temple they are now excavating was where Heracles stepped foot in Egypt for the first time—and hence why the temple was constructed. How this for living mythology?  Click here for IFL Science “Divers Discover Extraordinary Treasures In ‘Egypt’s Atlantis'”