Real Archaeologists are like Indiana Jones
As much as I would love for the statement, “Real archaeologists are like Indiana Jones”, to be completely factual, the truth is that it isn’t. Indiana Jones, though he claims to be an “archaeologist”, is more of an “educated treasure hunter”. The character Indy supposedly has a PhD in Archaeology and teaches at Marshall College in the film series, but him teaching archaeology is not what we are shown most of in the films. Indy goes to exotic places in search of artifacts, gets chased by bad guys, gets to run through booby-traps, and wield a gun and whip. It’s all pretty cool, but is it reality?
No. Not really.
So, let’s set the record straight. It is true that archaeologists traverse the world in search of sites that will yield artifacts (and the artifacts can lead to information about past human cultures). But these sites are not always in exotic places, like India and South America, but even in “normal” places such as your hometown. For example, large earthwork mounds are throughout North America, specifically in the Great Lakes region. One of the well known groups of mounds, the Cahokia Mounds, are in Collinsville, IL, and were made by one of “the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization[s] north of Mexico” (1). A lot of manpower and time was spent researching and analyzing the earthworks and artifacts that were found in this area, and Collinsville, IL isn’t something that I would consider as “exotic”.
Secondly, the only “villains” that archaeologists may have any conflict with would be looters, or people who illegally dig on federal or private land in search of ancient artifacts that can be taken and sold for large amounts of money. These looters sell the artifacts on the black market, and private collectors will buy them. Looting can lead to damage of artifacts, even sometimes sawing them in half to fit in suitcases on airplanes (2). Once the items are looted, they are usually bought by private collectors, and then never seen in the public eye again. All of the knowledge that the archaeologists would be able to understand from these artifacts before they were looted is forever lost and will never be a part of public knowledge. This isn't just because they take the artifacts, but information that can only be understood before the artifact is excavated, such as its location in the stratification of the ground, will never be uncovered. In this sense, the looters are not just the “bad guys” of the archaeologists, but to everyone who could learn something new about the past. Also, you won’t see the archaeologists hunting and chasing down the looters; that’s the job of the police. In many places, if looters are caught, there is a stiff fine if not jail time, like in Burke County, Georgia (3).
Lastly, you won’t see archaeologists run through booby-traps or even carrying whips or guns. But, you will see them in giant holes, excavating sites, or in the lab analyzing artifacts that were found through excavation. According to Kenneth Feder, a trowel is an archaeologist’s best friend, and you will definitely see an archaeologist carrying or using one when out on the field (4). As for guns and whips, those don’t have a purpose in the world of archaeology. The stuff that archaeologists are searching for are old or even dead. Unless they excavated a zombie, the gun will most likely just collect dust.
To be fair, there are a few ways that real archaeologists are similar to Indy, and that would be that they are knowledgeable in their specific fields, and that they will go searching for archaeological sites in exotic places when it is called for. Egypt has always been thought of as an exotic place, and for sure there are archaeological digs taking place as you are reading this. But as it was mentioned before, these well-known, exotic places are not the only places with possible information to unearth. The filmmakers just thought that these exotic locations would make for a more interesting movie than Collinsville, IL.
Sources:
(1) Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. "Welcome to Cahokia Mounds". Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Official Website, 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <website>
(2) Bryner, Jeanna. "'Breathtaking' Mummy Coffin Covers Seized in Israel". Live Science, 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <website>
(3) Gresham, Tom. "Stiff fines for site looting handed down in Burke County". The Society for Georgia Archaeology, Jan. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <website>
(4) Feder, Kenneth L. Linking to the Past: A Brief Introduction to Archaeology. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
No. Not really.
So, let’s set the record straight. It is true that archaeologists traverse the world in search of sites that will yield artifacts (and the artifacts can lead to information about past human cultures). But these sites are not always in exotic places, like India and South America, but even in “normal” places such as your hometown. For example, large earthwork mounds are throughout North America, specifically in the Great Lakes region. One of the well known groups of mounds, the Cahokia Mounds, are in Collinsville, IL, and were made by one of “the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization[s] north of Mexico” (1). A lot of manpower and time was spent researching and analyzing the earthworks and artifacts that were found in this area, and Collinsville, IL isn’t something that I would consider as “exotic”.
Secondly, the only “villains” that archaeologists may have any conflict with would be looters, or people who illegally dig on federal or private land in search of ancient artifacts that can be taken and sold for large amounts of money. These looters sell the artifacts on the black market, and private collectors will buy them. Looting can lead to damage of artifacts, even sometimes sawing them in half to fit in suitcases on airplanes (2). Once the items are looted, they are usually bought by private collectors, and then never seen in the public eye again. All of the knowledge that the archaeologists would be able to understand from these artifacts before they were looted is forever lost and will never be a part of public knowledge. This isn't just because they take the artifacts, but information that can only be understood before the artifact is excavated, such as its location in the stratification of the ground, will never be uncovered. In this sense, the looters are not just the “bad guys” of the archaeologists, but to everyone who could learn something new about the past. Also, you won’t see the archaeologists hunting and chasing down the looters; that’s the job of the police. In many places, if looters are caught, there is a stiff fine if not jail time, like in Burke County, Georgia (3).
Lastly, you won’t see archaeologists run through booby-traps or even carrying whips or guns. But, you will see them in giant holes, excavating sites, or in the lab analyzing artifacts that were found through excavation. According to Kenneth Feder, a trowel is an archaeologist’s best friend, and you will definitely see an archaeologist carrying or using one when out on the field (4). As for guns and whips, those don’t have a purpose in the world of archaeology. The stuff that archaeologists are searching for are old or even dead. Unless they excavated a zombie, the gun will most likely just collect dust.
To be fair, there are a few ways that real archaeologists are similar to Indy, and that would be that they are knowledgeable in their specific fields, and that they will go searching for archaeological sites in exotic places when it is called for. Egypt has always been thought of as an exotic place, and for sure there are archaeological digs taking place as you are reading this. But as it was mentioned before, these well-known, exotic places are not the only places with possible information to unearth. The filmmakers just thought that these exotic locations would make for a more interesting movie than Collinsville, IL.
Sources:
(1) Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. "Welcome to Cahokia Mounds". Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Official Website, 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <website>
(2) Bryner, Jeanna. "'Breathtaking' Mummy Coffin Covers Seized in Israel". Live Science, 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <website>
(3) Gresham, Tom. "Stiff fines for site looting handed down in Burke County". The Society for Georgia Archaeology, Jan. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <website>
(4) Feder, Kenneth L. Linking to the Past: A Brief Introduction to Archaeology. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.