Science Notes - at an archeological dig 137 miles North East of Cairo, Egypt in a desert outpost, archeologists recently unearthed a tablet dubbed the '137-C-stone' that is special in several respects. It not only contains among the oldest hieroglyphs found to date, it also appears to mark the site of the world's first rock concert. "It has been dated to about 3,500 BC" says Egyptologist and epigrapher Harold Stogker. "It's a time called the 'simple glyph period'. We believe that all modern alphabets evolved from this time. This is what makes it so surprising, that 137-C should prove to be a sort of 'Rosetta Stone' of that era."
Stogker believes that 137-C proves not only that a musician sub-culture had already been established but that the minstrels also had groupies and agents. The stone likely marks the location of the world's first rock concert and shows that musicians were coming up with novel ideas to advertise their gigs and to leave 'calling cards' in hopes of garnering return engagements.
"We believe," says Stogker, "that 137-C was an announcement of sorts for an upcoming event. Translated, the mating bird glyphs are a reference to the minstrel's hope they could 'get it on' after their performance. As well, the snake symbols placed beside the money symbol is likely a poke at their agents who pillaged a large share of the minstrel's proceeds from their show."
How was this important find discovered? "Funny thing, I stumbled on the stone while looking for a big flat rock to put my beer on," says Stogker.
When asked about the practicality of stone heiroglyphs for traveling minstrels, Stogker admits that the sheer weight of these stones and the long time required in carving them, must have made it awkward. "I think it's safe to assume the roving minstrels only ever made one poster per gig and they probably didn't carry it with them. This is why we believe 137-C marks the very site of the concert."
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