Dr Indy tells it like it is
I’ve heard this type of complaint a million times before from a million archaeologists when I studied archaeology back in the days.
I think that it is a prime example of professional archaeologists not realizing the great importance of popular culture on the very survival of the field and that archaeology just wouldn’t receive the same funds without fiction portraying history as "an adventure". They bitch and they moan about how inaccurate archaeology is portrayed in the movies about Indiana Jones. "Archaeology reduced to a treasure hunt".
It isn’t how it is in reality you say? No shit Sherlock. Show me ONE academical profession not portrayed “wrong” in movies and television. One.
Come on, what SINGLE phenomena do they think is the very reason that MILLIONS of young people across the world got the firsts seeds of interest in archaeology?
Oh yes, Indy. Just like “ER” makes new students of medicine. Just like “twister” probably made new students of meteorology. And so on. All of them popular, without being correct representations of how the professions actually work in reality.
So shut the F up and start worship the very reason you probably have a career in archaeology today. If not the personal reason for you smart ass – at least most likely a reason for someone out there writing some part of your paycheck.
Is fiction bad for reality? Not in this case. The very opposite.
May 25, 2008 + Posted in Archaeology, Pseudoscience +
At least those archaeologists have a hero that has starred in four of the highest grossing movies of all time. Geologists show up in the movies once in a while, but wouldn’t it be fun to have a geologist wielding a rock hammer against nefarious foes? (At least it happened once in “Smilla’s Sense of Snow”)
Comment by Garry Hayes (Geotripper) — May 25, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
Garry: Indeed!
Comment by Antimonite — May 26, 2008 @ 10:42 am
Don’t forget Dr Alan Grant and the paleontology boom Jurassic Park caused when it came out.
Comment by Heidi — May 28, 2008 @ 11:01 am
Heidi: hehe, yes.
Comment by Antimonite — May 28, 2008 @ 7:16 pm
I don’t understand…who are these strange archaeologists you talk about?!!
Me and all my colleagues revere Indy as our demi-god. Our destructive, unreliable, uncontrollable demi-god, but that is the essence of god-hood.
About a third has the theme as the ring signal on their cell phone. We were in extasy for months before the premiere, had showings of the previous films at the department, and on the premiere night three quarters of the PhD students were solidly ensconced at the center of the cinema. And we loved it!
(If you don’t believe me, see the blog entry I wrote the same evening).
There are about 5 in-jokes in each film that are completely uncomprehensible unless you actually are an archaeologist.
Must be the weirdos in Skåne with no sense of humour….
It’s a love/hate relationship, but we’d rather have Indy than anyone else as our spokes person.
Comment by ArchAsa — May 29, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
Also, Brian Fagan - archaeologist of world renown - writes on his blog about how much he loves the movies. And also how difficult it is as a teacher to measure up to the man in the fedora…
Comment by ArchAsa — May 29, 2008 @ 12:33 pm
ArchAsa: I talk about those types, like the once I linked to in the post. But Ive met them in person as well.
Classmates, teachers. All with Ertebölle-arrows up their…
Comment by Antimonite — May 29, 2008 @ 12:34 pm
The only Geologist to have been a main character that springs mind is Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption (or was it just a hobby of his?). Of course he’s anyway nowhere near Indy personalitywise, rather being of the more quiet intellectual type.
Comment by ramz — June 1, 2008 @ 2:42 pm