Was and Still Is

37. Was It Then, and Is It Still?

In historical writing, we spend a lot of time talking about the past. But the places that served as host to these historical events still exist, generally speaking, in the present day. When we talk about these places in the past tense, we need to be clear whether or not some condition or description of the place itself is still true, and more importantly whether we are describing a condition that mattered to the historical actors under review.

• Example: “The precipitation in Ancient Mesopotamia is devastating to the inhabitants there because it can lead to severe flooding in the rainy season and severe drought in the dry season.”

Clearly this is an error of verb tense (section 14) because we specifically stated that we are talking about Ancient Mesopotamia. But is the precipitation in the area not still of tremendous import to the local residents? Is the condition in this sentence equally true today as it was then?

• Example: “Mesopotamian rainfall tended to be unpredictable.”

Isn't it still unpredictable? The remainder of this paragraph might go on to describe ancient weather patterns and their effect on inhabitants. A better phrase might read:

“Rainfall in ancient Mesopotamia tended to be unpredictable.”

Now I have a better idea of the time frame to which the condition applies and that you are going on to discuss ancient weather patterns in Mesopotamia.

It might also, though, describe the weather patterns in the area more generally. If you are describing conditions that were true and still are true, you might phrase it this way:

"Rainfall in Mesopotamia tends to be unpredictable."

This gives me a general condition that you are going to later situate your argument within. However, don't introduce or describe a condition in this way if you are only going to explain how it applied in the past. Introduce the condition as it was in the period under review. It becomes simply a question of to whom the condition matters or mattered. The context of the paragraph should make this clear.

If all else fails, an easy test to apply is the phrase “was and still is.”

• Example: “Precipitation in Mesopotamia was and still is crucial to life in the area.”

Now you can go either way—describe the weather conditions in the past and their importance to local inhabitants in the past, or describe the region in general terms with the qualification that these conditions have always been true.

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In historical writing, we spend a lot of time talking about the past. But the places that served as host to these historical events still exist, generally speaking, in the present day. When we talk about these places in the past tense, we need to be clear whether or not some condition or description of the place itself is still true, and more importantly whether we are describing a condition that mattered to the historical actors under review.
	• Example: “The precipitation in Ancient Mesopotamia is devastating to the inhabitants there because it can lead to severe flooding in the rainy season and severe drought in the dry season.”
	Clearly this is an error of verb tense (section 14) because we specifically stated that we are talking about Ancient Mesopotamia. But is the precipitation in the area not still of tremendous import to the local residents? Is the condition in this sentence equally true today as it was then?

	• Example: “Mesopotamian rainfall tended to be unpredictable.”
	Isn't it still unpredictable? The remainder of this paragraph might go on to describe ancient weather patterns and their effect on inhabitants. A better phrase might read:
	“Rainfall in ancient Mesopotamia tended to be unpredictable.”
	Now I have a better idea of the time frame to which the condition applies and that you are going on to discuss ancient weather patterns in Mesopotamia.
	It might also, though, describe the weather patterns in the area more generally. If you are describing conditions that were true and still are true, you might phrase it this way:
	"Rainfall in Mesopotamia tends to be unpredictable."
	This gives me a general condition that you are going to later situate your argument within. However, don't introduce or describe a condition in this way if you are only going to explain how it applied in the past. Introduce the condition as it was in the period under review. It becomes simply a question of to whom the condition matters or mattered. The context of the paragraph should make this clear.
	If all else fails, an easy test to apply is the phrase “was and still is.”
	• Example: “Precipitation in Mesopotamia was and still is crucial to life in the area.”
	Now you can go either way—describe the weather conditions in the past and their importance to local inhabitants in the past, or describe the region in general terms with the qualification that these conditions have always been true.