3000 Years
Word count: 275
Some people are getting on Mitt’s (that’s our governor, for those of you playing the home game) case for saying in various contexts that gay marriage goes against “3,000 years of recorded history.” Or as the World Socialist Web Site put it,
“I agree with 3,000 years of recorded history,” Romney ignorantly declared.
The context does not make it clear what Governor Romney is ignorant of; some have cast doubt on the idea that recorded history began 3,000 years ago. The Greek alphabet was invented around the 9th century BC. The Phoenician alphabet is slightly older, but not much remains of their history. Cuneiform and hieroglyphs are much older, dating to around 3,500 BCE, but most of that is not history as we think of it; it’s an illustrated archaeological record - we’re not really sure what went on. The historical mindset in the West goes back only as far as the Greeks and the Exodus, which is to say, about 3,000 years. Chinese recorded history goes back about 3,500 years. In other words, Mitt’s statement was close enough for government work.
I just thought I’d count that all up for you.