Archaeologist or Treasure Hunter?

     At the time of the birth of archaeology, archaeologists weren't actually archaeologists yet. Try saying that three times fast! They were actually antiquarians, people who were just really interested in old stuff from the past. They usually would find it in ruined cities, villages, or tribal sites clean it up and display it somewhere in their home. They wouldn't know much about what it was, what it's use was, who owned it or how it came to be where they found it. It just looked really pretty.

Ooooo, pretty! Yes, but is it art?

http://mobysnewt.com/Item_Morgan_Bronze.html

 

     The first moments of archaeology happened synchonistically around the 10th century in both the Middle East and Egypt and also in China. In Egypt, Muslim historians were beginning to take interest in Egyptian hieroglyphics and art, as in China "modern" Chinese gentry began to show an interest in ancient Chinese artworks. The interest, like mentioned above, was purely in the aesthetic value of the works taken and displayed. This phenomena was seen again during Renaissance Europe when Roman scholars Flavio Blondo and Ciriaco de Pizzicolli attempted to map the topography of Italy.The first ever real excavation took place in the ruined city of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the 18th century.

 

Indiana Jones the Treasure Hunter

     Indiana Jones is a perfect way of visualizing the crosses and distinct differences between archaeology and treasure hunting. By day he is a British professor of archaeology, he teaches his students all they need to know about archaeology, the occult and Egyptology. He studies ancient tomes that are in museums and discusses cultural impact on cultures both long dead and presently existing. He could be considered the first Ethnoarchaeologist. However his methods for obtaining new items for the university and the museum are where he sheds the guise of archaeologist and becomes a treasure hunter.





Professor Jones the Archaeologist

     By going into these countries, without permission from the ruling state and walking into the "site" without given consent from the descendants of the people who built it he is breaking several important laws that fall under the protection of archaeological sites. However, one might say that in the time period of the films those laws weren't in place, especially in the areas he travels to and you would be right. However, since the mid 1800s many archaeologists have talked of the moral code that they are responsible for upholding preventing them from removing objects of heritage from their physical present day owners.



     Today most countries have some form of legal document preventing archaeologists from working for the highest bidder. They have a right to unearth, clean, study, document and respond on items found in an archaeological site. They then have a greater responsibility to give these items, or at times human remains back to the present day owner of them. In America, we have UNESCO and NAGPRA laws which account for the ownership of most of the Native American and Prehistoric American resources found.
     So those of you who are interested in becoming archaeologists because you think you might snatch the crystal skull and sell it for a few billion dollars... stop watching movies! Just kidding, Indiana Jones was definitely in my mind when I first started studying anthropology. Although I have yet to crack a whip or have a poison dart shot at me, it has definitely been a world wide adventure in cultural thought.

Have a thought or a question? Ask me!



 

Suggested Further Reading:

A history of archaeological thought by Bruce Trigger

Call number: CC100.T75 2006 

Can You Dig it? An article presented in The Economist. http://www.economist.com/node/1056932

 

*Indiana Jones pictures taken from Hollywood.com accessed 3/25/2013

 

An additional note on the further reading. Bruce Trigger is one of my heroes in the archaeological world. He was at times an anthropologist but is mostly credited for archaeology. Although he did do a great deal of digging in his life his passion was definitely teaching and theory. His book listed above is one of the most comprehensive histories of archaeology from it's period in antiquarianism to it's multi-faceted present.

 

Enjoy!



Shipwreck Ahoy!

Yo-ho-ho mateys! This blog post be about shipwrecks, below ye can read to your heart's merriment about the three most interesting shipwrecks as defined by Archaeology magazine. The magazine lists the top ten and discusses them so, to learn more I suggest ye cough up some doubloons and by the issue.

     The first one we look at is off the coast of Turkey,  at Cape Gelidonya. It is from the Bronze Age  meaning it is quite old, in fact it is one of the oldest shipwrecks discovered to this day. The shipwreck at Cape Gelidona, excavated by the father of underwater archaeology George Bass was the first ancient shipwreck to be excavated in its entirety by archaeologists. It was either Cypriot or Syrian in origin and was a treasure trove of Bronze age weapons, tools and trinkets.

 

     The first Phoenician ship ever excavated is off the shores of Spain and dates over 2000 years ago. It is close to the coast of Cartagena and was brought up under the supervision of Mark Polzer and  Juan Piñedo Reyes. The contents of ths ship were more than just bronze artifacts but also pine nuts and ivory tusks. This ship, like the one off Cape Gelidonya helped to cement the notion that trade was primarily done by the sea and these ships helped to connect far off cultures.



     And now to tell a tale of ancient pirates, there is a Greek merchant vessel found close to the island of Cyprus. It sailed around 330BC and was attacked by pirates! Archaeologists can tell that piracy was the cause of the ships sinking due to eight iron spear points that were found embedded in the ship's hull. The excavation of this Kyrenian ship is also amazing because it's excavated hull was used in Experimental Archaeology (that being the application of past skills being recreated in present day). The Kyrenia II has visited New York, Japan and West Germany in the late 80s.

    Now quite unfortunately these amazing wrecks are in museums quite far away but, if you are like me and live in Florida there are some amazing Spanish shipwrecks just down the road in Key West. There is even a great museum down there, the Key West Shipwreck Museum where treasure plundered over the years has been collected and displayed. If you've not been yet I definitely suggest you go down there and check it out. Or for the divers out there check out this amazing map, there are so many wrecks out there just waiting to be explored!!!! See the "Florida Keys Wreck Guide" in the references.

 

     So far I have explored the Spiegel Grove and the USCGC Bibb, what wrecks have you seen? What wrecks would you like to visit? Should we pull these wrecks out and put them into museums or leave them in the ocean where they could stand to last longer in preservation?

 

 

 

References:

 

2013. Delgado, James. Archaeology Magazine. "History's 10 Greatest Wrecks". http://archaeology.org/component/content/article/86-online/632-shipwrecks-titanic-mary-rose-vasa-spanish-armada-monitor-hunley?utm_source=MailerMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_content=History\\'s+10+Greatest+Wrecks...&utm_campaign=Archaeology+e-Update. Accessed March, 2013.

 

2002. Lucey, Nick. Scuba Diving. "Florida Keys Wreck Guide". http://www.scubadiving.com/travel/florida-florida-keys/florida-keys-wreck-guide. Accessed, March 2013.

 

2012. North Cyprus. "Kryenia Shipwreck Museum". http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/city/kyrenia/castle/shipwreck/ . Accessed March, 2013. 

 

Places to Visit:

 

Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology - Bodrum/Muğla Province, Turkey

http://www.bodrum-museum.com/

Key West Shipwreck Museum

http://www.keywestshipwreck.com/

Kyrenia Shipwreck Museum - Cyprus. http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/city/kyrenia/castle/shipwreck/index.html
Museo Nacional de Arqeologia Subacuatica [National Museum of Underwater Archaeology] - Cartagena, Spain
http://www.spain.info/en_US/conoce/museo/murcia/Museo_nacional_de_arqueologia_subacuatica