Pre-Impressions
I was not quite sure what to expect for the archaeological tour of Liege. I assumed that we would be seeing some ruins from centuries ago. However, I did not expect to see these ruins located underground or set up in the way that they were. I expected it to look more like a museum and less like a tour through continuous ruins. I expected the cathedral to look grand and be decorated with intricate and expensive artwork, such as statues, murals and items made of gold. I thought that the cathedral would look old and possibly in need of some restoration. I was not exactly sure what the cathedral treasures would be like, but I was excited to see what they were!
Post-Impressions
I really enjoyed both the archaeological tour of Liege and the cathedral treasures. Our tour guide gave us a lot of information about what Liege was like in the past. There was originally a Roman villa located at the present-day Saint Lambert Place. He also taught us things about the ruins, such as what the buildings might have looked like originally, or what certain tools were used for. We saw ruins of the walls and pillars, tools, and other interesting things such as disks that were located underneath certain rooms which allowed the rooms to be heated. My favorite part of the tour was seeing the cathedral and the cathedral treasures. The cathedral was so grand and had gorgeous murals and artwork. I was surprised by how many treasures there were in the rooms. I was only expecting there to be just one small room of treasures, but instead there were many more. There were also statues there of angels, and even the devil. There were countless treasures in the rooms upstairs. This included things such as paintings, golden chalices, sprinkling basins and even the remains of saints which were located in statues or a sarcophagus.
Both of these sites tie in with our COM class because the artifacts that we saw were able to communicate information to us about the history of Liege or people who lived in the area. Communication can be both verbal and nonverbal. The verbal communication took the form of the tour guide telling us about the artifacts and their historical significance and uses. This also took the form of nonverbal communication, because by looking at the artifacts, we were able to get a glimpse of what life was like in the past. Communication does not have to be explicit, since objects can communicate things to us because they help tell the story of their own past.
These sites also tie in with some concepts learned in IBS. For example, the archaeological site shows some of the changes in Liege's economy throughout the centuries. Coal mining occurred during the 1900's, which helped contribute greatly to Liege's economy and wealth. Then in the 1980's coal mining was stopped and the mines were closed. There were also changes that occurred in the city center throughout the years. Roads and waterways needed to be built, and these public projects helped to develop Liege into the city that it is today. Additionally, the archaeological site generates revenue today by charging guests for tours. This has contributed to Liege's economy and its growth. Mercantilism was the trade theory that applied during the middle ages. "Mercantilism is the oldest form of trade theory; it was practiced during the 1500-1750 period as Europe emerged from the feudal systems of the Middle Ages and moved toward nationalism" (Gaspar Chapter 2). During this time, France, England and Spain were some of the big economic engines, since they were all very powerful countries.
I was not quite sure what to expect for the archaeological tour of Liege. I assumed that we would be seeing some ruins from centuries ago. However, I did not expect to see these ruins located underground or set up in the way that they were. I expected it to look more like a museum and less like a tour through continuous ruins. I expected the cathedral to look grand and be decorated with intricate and expensive artwork, such as statues, murals and items made of gold. I thought that the cathedral would look old and possibly in need of some restoration. I was not exactly sure what the cathedral treasures would be like, but I was excited to see what they were!
Post-Impressions
I really enjoyed both the archaeological tour of Liege and the cathedral treasures. Our tour guide gave us a lot of information about what Liege was like in the past. There was originally a Roman villa located at the present-day Saint Lambert Place. He also taught us things about the ruins, such as what the buildings might have looked like originally, or what certain tools were used for. We saw ruins of the walls and pillars, tools, and other interesting things such as disks that were located underneath certain rooms which allowed the rooms to be heated. My favorite part of the tour was seeing the cathedral and the cathedral treasures. The cathedral was so grand and had gorgeous murals and artwork. I was surprised by how many treasures there were in the rooms. I was only expecting there to be just one small room of treasures, but instead there were many more. There were also statues there of angels, and even the devil. There were countless treasures in the rooms upstairs. This included things such as paintings, golden chalices, sprinkling basins and even the remains of saints which were located in statues or a sarcophagus.
Both of these sites tie in with our COM class because the artifacts that we saw were able to communicate information to us about the history of Liege or people who lived in the area. Communication can be both verbal and nonverbal. The verbal communication took the form of the tour guide telling us about the artifacts and their historical significance and uses. This also took the form of nonverbal communication, because by looking at the artifacts, we were able to get a glimpse of what life was like in the past. Communication does not have to be explicit, since objects can communicate things to us because they help tell the story of their own past.
These sites also tie in with some concepts learned in IBS. For example, the archaeological site shows some of the changes in Liege's economy throughout the centuries. Coal mining occurred during the 1900's, which helped contribute greatly to Liege's economy and wealth. Then in the 1980's coal mining was stopped and the mines were closed. There were also changes that occurred in the city center throughout the years. Roads and waterways needed to be built, and these public projects helped to develop Liege into the city that it is today. Additionally, the archaeological site generates revenue today by charging guests for tours. This has contributed to Liege's economy and its growth. Mercantilism was the trade theory that applied during the middle ages. "Mercantilism is the oldest form of trade theory; it was practiced during the 1500-1750 period as Europe emerged from the feudal systems of the Middle Ages and moved toward nationalism" (Gaspar Chapter 2). During this time, France, England and Spain were some of the big economic engines, since they were all very powerful countries.