Archaeology and archaeological findings are rarely, if ever, politically neutral. As stated by Quetzil E. Castañeda, “Once the archaeologist produces an interpretation of the past, that knowledge has a political life of its own” (as quoted in McGuire, 2008). Even if archaeologists pursue their research with no political intent, their work can be cited and used to support political agendas. Meaning, once archaeologists present the information to the public, whoever is able to access it is free to use it. Therefore, archaeology and politics are perpetually intertwined. This is not necessarily problematic, unless archaeological undertakings are commissioned with a desired outcome, as was the case with much of the Nazis’ archaeological ‘research’. …show more content…
This mindset undoubtedly creates a bias in the results: if an archaeologist sets out to find something, it is more likely he or she will find it, even if it requires tweaking some of the results. This is when the connection of archaeology and politics becomes dangerous. Consider the Nazis, who undertook archaeological projects that were intended to give substance to their malicious political agenda (which was to prove the superiority of the ‘Aryan race’). This use of archaeology as evidence for a political aims is entirely different from the situation mentioned before. In the previous case, archaeological results are referenced after the fact, meaning that the archaeologist lacked an overt political bias during the process of interpreting the information. Conversely, in the case of Nazi archaeology, the archaeologists entered the project with such a political bias, which ultimately impacts their interpretation of the results. So, the connection between archaeology and politics becomes dangerous when archaeology is carried out specifically to be used as evidence for (often malicious) political and national agendas, since this results in heavily biased, incorrect
Anthropology is the study of humans in the past and present. Four subfields encompass anthropology; Archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, and physical anthropology. Archaeology is the study of human cultures in the past through material remains. These material remains include artifacts as well as architecture. Archaeologist can focus in prehistoric, historic, or classical archaeology. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, is an example of archaeology in film. It is not the best example since Dr. Jones does not carry the correct equipment with him in the field (notebooks, trowel, shovel) nor does he take any notes when removing an artifact from a site. However, the film does portray how an archaeologist would dig in order to recover artifacts, like when Indy and the team find the
Historians are often divided into categories in regard to dealing with Nazi Germany foreign policy and its relation to Hitler: 'intentionalist', and 'structuralist'. The intentionalist interpretation focuses on Hitler's own steerage of Nazi foreign policy in accordance with a clear, concise 'programme' planned long in advance. The 'structuralist' approach puts forth the idea that Hitler seized opportunities as they came, radicalizing the foreign policies of the Nazi regime in response. Structuralists reject the idea of a specific Hitlerian ideological 'programme', and instead argue for an emphasis on expansion no clear aims or objectives, and radicalized with the dynamism of the Nazi movement. With Nazi ideology and circumstances in
Archaeologists can’t just possess any Native American material on their own for research purposes without the consultation of the Native American tribes. To the Native Americans, the past is connected to present. Rebecca Tsosie, a law professor from the Arizona State University mentioned that “The past is very real to contemporary Indian people ans is preserved in oral histories and ongoing ceremonial practices and beliefs.”(66). The native people feel that they’re obligated to take care of their past, they have to honor their ancestors no matter how long ago they have passed away. They believe that they should have the right to stop any behaviors that might desecrate their ancestors. It is very understandable that one might not appreciate someone digging up their grandparents and perform research without permission. Especially to people who practices a religion, this action may be interpreted as the archaeologists trying to disturb the spirits of their ancestors. Not only the remains and objects are important to the Natives, but also their land. Land was considered to be a gift given from the Creator. Just like the ancestral remains the descendants are responsible for their sacred land. It is believed that “The land is complete with sacred teachings, marked by tribal history, and places of interrelations to the powerful beings of the nature-spirit world.” (Champagne). The Native Americans do not have the need to know the truth, all they care is to ensure spiritual peace to their ancestors and to pass on the legacy of their own
Archeologists all over the world work towards not only discovering the tracks left behind by societies millions of years ago, but also make an effort to save those footprints for future generations. However, conservation and preservation of archaeological sites can prove to be as arduous as discovering them, or may be more. As a historical site is discovered, it becomes the responsibility of the government and everybody who has to play a role, to secure that site and to not let it deteriorate. Doing so is now also made part of law in many countries and it comes as no surprise when preservation of historical sites is the prime goal of numerous international organizations. Pompeii is one of the most popular historical sites that have been a point of concern for not only Italy’s government but also UN itself. In this paper we try develop an insight of barriers that restrict the development of restoration. Pompeii is an ancient Roman town near the modern Naples, which was first discovered in the 18th century, after it had been destroyed by a volcanic eruption, courtesy of the close standing Mount Vesuvius during the first century. This area and the closer one of Herculaneum was covered in about 20 feet of ash when it was discovered but much of the objects had been able to survive, specifically the ones below the city, as there had been no exposure to air or moisture. This destination is of great importance for the present world as it provides a quality insight into the ‘Pax
Scotland has an abundance of archaeology all throughout the country and all within different parts of prehistory. Scottish archaeology has a big impact on both the rest of the UK and on the rest of Europe. Although during the beginning of the 20th century, archaeology was seen as nothing more than labour, with the help of the two great men which held ‘the Abercromby chair’ – both with their own contributions to Scottish archaeology as a whole – it soon rocketed into the discipline what we see today.
The relationships between Native Americans and Archeologist has been difficult to say the least. In the past archeologists have never been seen in a positive light by Native Americans. The relationship between us has improved with the passing of NAGPRA. However, there are a lot if things that need to be done to make a permeant change. The way to change the relationship between us and them is a simple idea but a difficult undertaking. First we need to make all the laws that involve native American antiquity have more effect. This laws, if broken, should have a real punishment to the people that broke them. If we can show Native American that we are trying to make a change at the governmental level that could translate to a change in community relationships. Additionally, there needs to be more community involvement, whether that is inviting native people work on sites, or having more indigenous archeologist. Overall if we want to continue to learn about the past, archeologists must make a change for the future.
After rewatching Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark for the second time I view Indiana Jones as less of an archaeologist than I did the first time I watched it. In my first paper I stated that Indiana Jones was a combination of a grave digger and an archaeologist. Now after completing this course I see that he is even less of an archaeologist than I first depicted. The only ethical archaeology being conducted in this movie is done by the Nazi’s; not Indiana Jones. Beyond, getting historical accuracy of the time period correct this movie fails fails to paint a picture of what archaeology truly is. In turn, since my knowledge is far more comprehensive I have come to realize that the movie fails to showcase archaeology even more than I originally
Death by Theory, written by Adrian Praetzellis, is an engaging and informational book written in a novelistic way that engages the reader to think critically about archaeology. Compared to other forms of informational text about archaeology, Death by Theory teaches archaeological theory by telling a story that incorporates the different theories of archaeology in a realistic setting. While standard textbooks about the theory of archaeology can come off a bit dry, Death by Theory skips the standard definitions and applies this in a way that aids the reader in understanding how these theories and terms can be applied in an actual archaeological setting. This text illustrates the adventure of plucky archaeologist Dr. Hannah Green and her nephew Sean Doyle as they seek to explain an unusual archaeological site while dealing with real life archaeological struggles. The protagonists deal with an egotistical colleague of Dr. Green who sought her out as a consult on a particularly strange archaeological case. All the while dealing with cults, the media, and incompatible data.
Yes, they did. The destruction of monuments, artwork,etc. by the Nazis took two different forms. Either they were doing it to humiliate/culturally destroy an occupied people, or they were destroying German monuments/artwork/etc. to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Its also worth noting that the Nazis destroyed art works and cultural monuments that felt they were dangerous/subversive/or degenerate; so works from Jews, works depicting nudity, not properly playing up to Aryan ideals could all be destroyed by the Nazis; but that was mostly related to artwork and music.
Archaeologists are now able to come together with natives and learn about the past as a team, getting more insight into ceremonials, traditions, sacred ritueals, everyday workings, and lifestyles of native peoples. Respecting the grounds and artifacts of these indigenous people is respecting their heritage- our universal heritage. The unfolding of information allows archaeologists to gain perspective on the people and land before the white
-Archaeologists reconstructed the environment and studied artifacts from a specific time period to learn about people from that time.
If you want to learn about a period of history, there are many things you could go about doing to get the information you want. You could read a nonfiction book, or you could read a historical fiction book. If you specifically wanted to learn about the Holocaust and the treatment of the Jewish people around WWII, you could read The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb- a nonfiction- or Something Remains by Inge Barth-Grözinger - a historical fiction. In this case, one of the options is the better one, and that better choice is The Nazi Hunters. The nonfiction is better than the historical fiction because it goes into more detail and is not hindered by plot. The Jewish people suffered greatly during the period of World War Two, as they were subjected
The first "big picture" question which haunts historians is the problem of bias. We constantly attempt to remove ourselves from our own writings, making a narrative voice which is above the action and hopefully avoids inferring any specific agenda. Even where written records are left, they are open to interpretation. Many of the records have been lost over thousands of years due to weathering and conquest. While historians know that ancient man used tools, historians often cannot piece together these tools or know exactly how they were used. Many times the bodies of ancient people are used for a study, but there is no other evidence. It depends on what kind of historian you are.
Art and culture during the Third Reich is a complex phenomenon to understand due to the ambiguity of the scholarship. When the Nazi’s came to power in 1933, they understood that art and culture are going to be a fundamental institution in furthering the efforts of the regime to transform and build a utopian society. It became important to eliminate influences that were being generated by a part of the population considered to be degenerate. However, it is also important to have enemy’s to look down upon and trample over in order to feel superior amongst all races.