I've imagined a line stretching from the present back into history, to 6000 BC. Each individual on line was born when the preceding person reached the age of 60.
It seems astonishing, but there are only 100 individuals on the line, going back to the time of the first city states. I've graphically represented it with 100 portraits, most in graphite, some in watercolor, accompanied by notations of two or three key events of each person's life. I've not attempted historical or anthropological accuracy, and for the most part have avoided costume, in order to bring these people to life as if they were our neighbors, family, or friends, and as such connect the past to the present.
Thus we discover that the 13th person in line going back from today was alive when Marco Polo traveled to China, and Shakespeare wrote Macbeth when the 8th person in line lived. My intention is to dramatize how brief the time span is from the first so-called "civilizations" to the present.
Ironically, while there have been centuries of artistic accomplishment, there have also been 6 millennia of virtually non-stop war. The imaginary 101st soul, yet to be born, represents to me a future when mankind has learned to live in peace, respecting the rights of all others to live and worship as they please, and sharing with everyone else a standard of life that takes advantage of the best our planet has to offer.
Here's a link, for more information:
https://www.createspace.com/5348991. It's also available on Amazon.
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