"Probably most of them would be attributed to religious relics and papers (or the 7020AD equivalent thereof) would be published, and great scientific arguments about the real purpose of a burned-out 100 Watt light bulb would ensue."
Ever read the humor book Motel of the Mysteries?
It's a book written from exactly that kind of point of view. It's extremely humorous what people thing things from the ancient civilization of Usa were used for.
Not sure if it's still in print, but it's well worth finding it: https://books.google.com/books/about/Motel_of_the_Mysteries.html?id=dO3vf15Gxd0C
I never read that book, but I remember laughing at a report of some expedition or another struggling to interpret the purposes of some of the artifacts.
They just looked like kids' toys to me and my mind kited off on that. This thread rekindled that thinking.
So I wikied it.
The concept of it being a hotel room is interesting. I wonder how the author developed such a well-preserved hotel room concept.
I know I diddled with that idea when I was in college, late 1950s, early 1960s, and the "motel book" publication date was October 11, 1979.
Thanks for the info. Parallel thinking.
Terry
Related, look up "Venus of Willendorf" for its archeological dating: 30,000 years old.