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Wikipedia: Memory of Mankind

Memory of Mankind (MOM) is a self-storage style repository in Hallstatt salt mine in Austria which stores information on inscribed tablets of stoneware. It is the largest time capsule on Earth. It is supported by crowdfunding. The project was conceived by Martin Kunze.

Concept

Memory of Mankind is a physical, analog and durable archive of today’s stories and knowledge. The founder, Martin Kunze, describes it as “the greatest time capsule ever.”

Data Loss

Data loss threatens both digital and written content. Due to fires in ancient libraries, modern society only has about 0.1% of all antique literature. 1,500 years ago almost all existing literature disappeared. Now, digital data faces two major threats: data inflation and unpaid bills. The storage devices responsible for preserving our heritage have lifespans of only a few decades. “Even if the ones and zeros survive, the metadata and compression algorithms can go lost.”

Given the fragility of both digital and written records as a means of preserving memories from our present civilization, it is likely that archaeologists in the future will have a lot of physical evidence of our era—plastics, nuclear waste, et al.—but no textual records to supplement it. Therefore, the collection of relics they amass will create a distorted view of our society.

The Information

MOM seeks to preserve data that is both historically or culturally significant, such as textbooks, dictionaries, thesauruses, grammar books, and Wikipedia entries; and trivial or anecdotal data, such as wedding records and personal journals. Anyone can design a tile, but Kunze has organized a scientific advisory board to help ensure that the information recorded on the tiles reflects the breadth of human knowledge and accomplishments. Furthermore, having a large library of texts helps equip future historians with enough evidence to decipher our languages.

He’s now connecting with major publications—The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, El Mundo and others—to provide a geologic-timescale archive of select articles or editions.

Design

The Tiles

MOM stores and protects this data for future generations using specially designed stoneware tiles. Because they are resistant to heat, pressure, electromagnetic radiation, water, and chemicals, these clay tiles are the most durable and resistant data carriers on Earth other than precious metals.

They come in two varieties: tablets and microfilm. Images get inscribed on the tablets while text goes on the microfilms. Each tile is 20 x 20 cm. However, the microfilm tiles can fit 5 million characters—which is about the length of a 400-page book. They can be read using just a loupe or small magnifying glass.

The Cavern

MOM stores the tiles inside a cavern in the oldest salt mine in Hallstatt, a town that is deep in the Austrian Alps. The plasticine structure of the salt rock seals the archive within a few decades so it is protected against natural or human forces. The cavern, which is accessible via an 80 centimeter-wide tunnel, will naturally close up over time. It is estimated to last upwards of 100,000 years. There, what Kunze calls “the greatest time capsule ever” will wait for someone, someday, to find it.

The Tokens

MOM sends a ceramic token with a map showing Hallstatt to each contributor to the archive. The broader the geographical distribution, the better the chance is of someone finding it in the distant future.