Why they stopped building wooden stupas: on survivorship bias in history
2 days ago
- #survivorship bias
- #historical preservation
- #architectural history
- A massive wooden stupa built by Kushan emperor Kanishka, the Kanishka Stupa, was repeatedly struck by lightning due to its height and metal finials, leading to its eventual destruction and abandonment.
- Wooden stupas evolved into East Asian pagodas, but the original wooden structures have not survived due to their perishable materials.
- Historical survivorship bias means durable materials like stone dominate our view of the past, while perishable structures like wooden stupas are underrepresented.
- Important artifacts, texts, and structures are often destroyed because of their significance, as seen with sacred images or personal letters marked 'destroy this letter.'
- Historical emotions are often lost over time, leaving only intellectual remnants, similar to how wooden stupas burned down, leaving only stone bases.
- Digitization and internet availability can create biases in historical study, as undigitized archives from certain regions are under-researched.