tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5120401471738916620.post3762663623615285016..comments2023-05-29T05:58:32.869-07:00Comments on Archaeospeak: ‘All archaeologists are evil’. DiscussMiles Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07581296676233050831noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5120401471738916620.post-82268994870056093262011-04-20T11:31:36.543-07:002011-04-20T11:31:36.543-07:00I must admit that I’ve never tried a tank chase in...I must admit that I’ve never tried a tank chase in the desert (though looking at the current news it doesn’t look a whole heap of fun). To be honest, I agree, the majority of archaeologists are at their happiest when moving soil from A to B and retrieving other people’s waste (ancient waste anyway – not too keen on sifting through the remains of last week’s take away). It’s just that, despite the best efforts of Time Team etc, I find that’s precisely NOT what those in the media feel that archaeologists really ought to be doing. Tombs of long dead Egyptian pharaohs?: well yes, of course; refuse deposits of 12th century Winchester?: er…no. <br /><br />Shame. <br /><br />The desire to sift the damp dirt of damper trenches probably is related to a neurological disorder of some kind. Has anyone ever compared the brains of archaeologists with REAL people just to check?Miles Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07581296676233050831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5120401471738916620.post-81122740031301016872011-04-20T08:25:47.488-07:002011-04-20T08:25:47.488-07:00I find it interesting the layers of Smith's pe...I find it interesting the layers of Smith's personality are peeled away throughout the film, always revealing more and more of his capability and heroics. Eventually he is quite a steely, cunning fellow - but no less charming than when we originally met him as the slightly eccentric, harmless academic. I do tend to gush about this film as I love it so much - I always tell people it's my favourite film about archaeologists, though very few people seem to have heard of it, which is a great shame.<br /><br />I don't know if it's a sign of madness that I'd prefer the medieval cesspit to a tank chase in the desert. They say that Formula 1 drivers have that part of their brain missing that makes them afraid when driving at such high speeds - well, I think archaeologists have that bit of our brain missing that makes us sad about being in a damp trench digging out several decades of other people's waste!Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17887945293502811597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5120401471738916620.post-9816040631030367772011-04-19T23:23:10.669-07:002011-04-19T23:23:10.669-07:00Ah Pimpernel Smith – you’ve found one of my favour...Ah Pimpernel Smith – you’ve found one of my favourite films – a genuinely brilliant piece of anti-Nazi movie making from the early 1940s produced by, directed by, largely funded by and starring Leslie Howard. Howard of course, used the film as a powerful tool in the rally call against the horrors of fascism, horrors which the West (and particularly the USA) had yet to fully acknowledge at the time the film was made (and the final scenes, when he predicts that the Nazis will destroy themselves at great cost to the German people, are profoundly unsettling). Intriguing, though, that Smith never gets a ‘back-story’ in the film; we never know what his motivation is or whether he is acting alone (at several points the film implies that he may have the backing of a larger organisation - British Military Intelligence?). <br /><br />Throughout the film, Smith uses his archaeologist persona (ineffectual, intellectual, forgetful, woman-fearing, artefact-hunting, pacifist) as cover to gain access to the Nazi homeland in order to rescue those at most risk from the fascist regime. Only when he puts aside this persona, is Smith revealed as the true hero, standing up to the Nazis and selflessly putting his own life on the line for others. One could argue, therefore, that this is not a case of the archaeologist as good guy, but of the good guy using the role of archaeologist (turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed by the State in order to advance his research) in order to gain access to the needy. <br /><br />I digress<br /><br />There are, of course, a number of heroic archaeologists in pop culture, and let’s face it, in most cases I think most people would prefer the stubble-jawed excitement of Indiana Jones to the harsh reality of a medieval cesspit in a rain-sodden British winter. What unsettles me (and perhaps I really ought to get out more) is that in all cases, from Smith to Jones, is that the archaeologist is not a very sympathetic character, one that ALWAYS puts the search for artefacts before all other concerns (especially the safety of others). As the Nazi collaborating archaeologist Dr Belloq says to Dr Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark “You and I are very much alike. Archaeology is our religion”. <br /><br />Now THAT’S scary….!Miles Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07581296676233050831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5120401471738916620.post-2002905809841281012011-04-19T08:08:48.257-07:002011-04-19T08:08:48.257-07:00Well, there are some rather heroic archaeologists ...Well, there are some rather heroic archaeologists in the charming "Pimpernel Smith" - though I admit it's going back rather a few too many years to be considered modern popular culture!<br /><br />I try not to let the stereotype bother me - after all, if potential burglars see my "beware of the archaeologists" sign and are put off by the idea that I might be a gun wielding maniac, it's all for the good...Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17887945293502811597noreply@blogger.com