What I found most interesting was how the Czech hunger stones really exemplify what humanity has always been afraid of: climate crises. So far, this whole class has taught me that people of antiquity and the middle ages were just as worried about the future and their environment as we are now. These stones were reminders of how horrible the drought could get and were basically lines in the sand of when things were at their worst. One quote from the article that really stood out to me was this: "One flood in the year 1003 was so great that the river 'wiped out firm bridges and fences, submerging cows with their calves, sheep and lambs and kids, to the degree that it was thought to be The Flood.'". This quote seemed particularly timely because it made me think of all the huge tsunamis and super storms that we have gone through in the last 30 years. I think it is easy for us as people living now to say that our problems are the worst they have ever been, but even without climate change these problems were truly terrifying and real.
The importance of this article is that it reminds us in current times to look back. Our history, even into ancient times, can help us to understand what is happening now and how to deal with the problems. Because, even though we think of ourselves as much more technologically advanced, we still have the worries and fears that people in history had when major meteorological phenomena happen: the fear and anxiety and urge to write it off as "once in a lifetime". The history of the hunger stones and chronicle scrolls that detailed major events shows us that human beings have always been interested in remembering the most dangerous environmental events around us so we can learn and be prepared for the next one. I think that this really shows how little humans have changed because we still tell the stories of major weather events that have happened in our lifetimes so that others after us can be prepared.