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Early archaeology was largely an attempt to uncover spectacular artifacts and features, or to explore vast and mysterious abandoned cities. Early archaeology was mostly done by upper class, scholarly men. This generalization laid the foundation for the modern popular view of archaeology and archaeologists. This generalization had been with our culture for a long time, before silent movies in popular fiction novels. Another popular thought that dates back to this era is that archaeology is monetarily lucrative. A large majority of the general public is under the impression that excavations are undertaken for money and not historical data. It is easy for the general public to hold this notion for that is what is presented to them through general media, and has been for many decades. The majority of the public view archaeology as being something only available to a narrow demographic. The job of archaeologist is depicted as a “romantic adventurist occupation”.[79] To generalize, the public views archaeology as a fantasized hobby more than a job in the scientific community. Perpetuating the stereotype in modern cinema does nothing to help the scientific community. The audience may not take away scientific methods from popular cinema but they do form a notion of “who archaeologists are, why they do what they do, and how relationships to the past are constituted.[79]” Major motion picture companies are more worried about the marketability of the film and the general dramatic interest of the public. Almost all popular portrayals of archaeologists fall into a few categories[dubious – discuss]. Mcgeough labels them as “British thinkers, American fighters, and repressed librarians.” These labels mostly pertain to male archaeologists. Female archaeologists fall into the categories of “privileged women” with a love of adventure who are overly sexualized and “junior scholars” who are like the repressed librarians but are sexualized when their glasses come off and their hair is let down.[79] The modern depiction is sensationalized so much that it has incorrectly formed the public’s perception of what archaeology is. The public is often under the impression that all archaeology takes place in a distant and foreign land, only to collect monetarily or spiritually priceless artifacts. Many times these artifacts are pursued for power and/or wealth. Alfred Hitchcock referred to such items in his films as the “MacGuffin: an object of pursuit, protected, and rescue by both hero and villain."[citation needed] Such pursuits continue to fascinate the public. Books, films, and video games, such as Indiana Jones, King Solomon's Mines, The City of Brass, Relic Hunter, The Mummy, Stargate, and Tomb Raider all testify to the public's interest in the discovery aspect of archaeology. Much thorough and productive research has indeed been conducted in dramatic locales such as Copán and the Valley of the Kings, but the bulk of activities and finds of modern archaeology are not so sensational. Archaeological adventure stories tend to ignore the painstaking work involved in carrying out modern surveys, excavations, and data processing. Some archaeologists refer to such off-the-mark portrayals as "pseudoarchaeology".[80] Archaeology has been portrayed in the mainstream media in sensational ways. This has its advantages and disadvantages. Many practitioners point to the childhood excitement of Indiana Jones films as their inspiration to enter the field.[81][82] Archaeologists are also very much reliant on public support, the question of exactly who they are doing their work for is often discussed.[83] |
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