Empty Warehouse

For thousands of years humans have been constructing magnificent buildings and structures. An example is the Egyptian pyramids; however this style of building meant that the structure’s height was limited by the size of the base to hold it up. Egyptian pyramids have a large, solid base so that they can attain their mammoth heights. According to the Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation (2005), it was necessary for the walls of early warehouses and other constructions to support the floors and roof due to the masonry style of building, which uses brick and stone. It was not until the development of cast iron that architects could begin to use beams to support the walls and roofs, thus allowing the construction of larger buildings and warehouses. This was around the late 1880’s and with the birth of the skyscraper – a new method of building was developed, using steel beams and columns that were strong enough to withstand the strain put upon a large building, but could support themselves without needing a large, steady base (Barss, 2007). Construction of such large buildings was previously limited by building materials. Henry Bessemer developed the first process for mass-producing steel inexpensively. “The process included rendering cast iron, malleable by the introduction of air into the fluid metalto remove carbon” (Chew, 1996, para. 3). With the use of steel, in conjunction with the use of concrete, buildings could now reach previously unattainable heights.

Due to a new style of architecture and the creation of new building materials, cities are now covered in large industrial buildings (such as the generic warehouse in the image) that are affordable to construct and can meet the needs of today’s tough society. They may not be as magnificent as the pyramids, but they are much more practical!

Dice

Dice are a common object in nearly every household, used for all types of games and entertainment. According to Mark Orwell (2009), “dice have been used in gaming and other activities throughout the course of history starting as early as 5000 years ago” (para. 1). Traditional dice are six sided cubes and each side of the cube contains a hole or a circle that represents the numbers one to six. Over the centuries, dice have evolved, not only in the materials from which they are made, or the shapes and number of sides, but also in the ways they are used in society. In today’s cultural context, dice are significant in the use of board games, and chance and probability, but more so in casinos, as gambling is so prevalent in today’s society.

Spellman (2003) discusses that before the tradition six sided cubed dice was created to achieve random results in games of chance, the ancient people would use other materials that were more attainable for them. These included fruit stones, sets of flat sticks, sea shells, nut shells and pebbles. Doctors and Shaman would often roll or throw these to gain an insight into the future. In many cultures, dice are still used to predict the future today.

Archaeologists have also discovered the heel bones of sheep, called astragali, which have six sides, but are not necessarily symmetrical. The Astragli that have been upturned have been found to be numbered or engraved and it is believed that these were some of the earliest forms of dice used for gambling or religious ceremonies (Abrams, 2003).

Today, the typical purpose of dice is for the use of gaming and gambling, and this purpose has been a common purpose throughout the centuries, however, over the course of history dice were used for much more than just gambling. Dice were also used by Roman civilizations to “foretell the wills of the gods” (Orwell, 2009, para. 5) in religious ceremonies, and to aid the decisions made by citizens based on the simple roll or throw of a die.

So the next time you roll a dice while playing monopoly with the family or placing a bet at the casino, you are using an object that has years of historical significance behind it.