The Enduring Myths of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’
Forty years later, archaeologists look back at what the first Indiana Jones movie got wrong about their profession
I do have a slight quibble with #4. I'll hold my fire for a bit to see if anyone wants to guess what it might be.
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed.
"Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test." ~ Robert G. Ingersoll
"Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, and, without sneering, teach the rest to sneer." ~ Alexander Pope
More the entire concept that modern "communities" have some natural attachment to antiquity.
Like when Zahi Hawass claims that ancient Egyptian statues of long dead kings are an inherent part of modern Egypt. The ancients were polytheistic progenitors who are separated from the modern, islamic, Egyptian culture by long periods of foreign rule and Greek and Roman culture. The fact that that they happen to live in the same geographic area does not make them part of that ancient culture.
I suspect Hawass' primary interest was to try to get anything "Egyptian" back to Egypt so the museums could charge higher entrance fees!
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed.
In reference to recovering antiquities, regardless of the country of origin...
Yeah, well... Much of the best 'stuff' now resides in foreign museums & private collections. It was a part of the culture back in the 18th through early 20th centuries to 'collect' on a grand scale. Erstwhile antiquarians bought exclusive archaeological concessions rights from the ruling governments at the time. They had agreements on how to divvy up the haul. It was all legal & customary at the time. Let us not forget that it was westerners that established museums & universities too. The powers that be at the time weren't very concerned about education, patrimony or legacy. That came later. We can sit around & critique the practices of the past all we want but it doesn't address the fact that we are judging the past by modern standards. Apples & oranges at this late date. It's the PAST & the past can't be changed. We've made great progress in the interim. Let's move on now. I always wonder how long white guilt must linger. At what point do we consider that we've made enough amends? When do we get to say that our sins of colonialism have been remitted? Or must white guilt continue ad infinitum? I know that I didn't do anything that merits that type of censure.
Now that there are international reciprocal agreements concerning the illegal removal of antiquities after a certain date, any & all looted/stolen antiquities will be repatriated to the country of origin. What nations like Egypt need to address is looting by their own countrymen. I see frequent articles about archaeological sites being looted by local criminals. Not just Egypt but many other countries... The persons interviewed in those articles always bemoan the fact that the looters are home grown criminals or, at best, the desperate poor trying to feed their families... Which begs the question... What is more important at this juncture? A populace that can't feed itself or tourist dollars? At some point, a government needs to address the root cause otherwise the looting will continue unabated. I think that education & the creation of jobs could help. But that's just me, sitting in my armchair, 'solving' many of the world's most pervasive problems...
"Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test." ~ Robert G. Ingersoll
"Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, and, without sneering, teach the rest to sneer." ~ Alexander Pope
