An archaeologist writes
I would like to take this opportunity to express my displeasure with the portrayal of the archaeological profession in motion pictures such as "Indiana Jones", "The Mummy" and "Tomb Raider". Entertainment is entertainment, but the misrepresentation of my field has reached the stage where it is becoming damaging. Archaeology is not everybody's first choice for a topic of study or career, and it does not help in the slightest when we are depicted as being constantly under attack from undead warriors, thousand-year-old curses and plagues.
The kind of thing depicted in these films is just a fantasy. When excavating an ancient tomb that has lain undisturbed for millennia, one is scarcely likely to be accosted by an army of the walking dead. For one thing, there is rarely enough room for more than about twenty people in any one chamber. Besides, the concept of the undead possessing phenomenal strength is a fallacy. Even if mummified, their muscles are very much deteriorated. The most I have ever needed to use on a single zombie is one round from a standard handgun. Neither I nor any of my colleagues have ever had any need to walk around an archaeological site with such an arsenal of weapons as the character of Lara Croft is seen to carry. Consider for example Karl Richard Lepsius, who found himself under a surprise attack from Horemheb during his excavation in the nineteenth century. The late king made an attempt to strangle Lepsius, but contrary to popular myth he did not act with mystical, superhuman strength. His atrophied body could barely even stand by itself, and Lepsius had no trouble in plunging a trowel deep into Horemheb's chest, silencing his unearthly moans forever.
The power of ancient curses is also greatly over-rated by the mass media. Most if not all of them have absolutely no relevance in modern times. Nine and a half times out of ten the gods invoked now have no believers, and hence no power. In any case, we live in an age of antibiotics and insurance, and have nothing to worry about whatsoever. Most of the dread runic inscriptions one encounters in the course of one's career are really quite pathetic. Threats regarding the bones filling with hot lead and the body being consumed by locusts might have deterred people at the time of writing, but in this day and age they appear frankly ridiculous to anyone with a rudimentary grasp of the twin concepts of physics and insect repellent. If you take the simple precaution of not reading any of the incantations aloud, then that should be more than enough to guarantee your safety. In all my years as an archaeologist I have only ever encountered one demon, (Ah'kra-muhr'na Khan-di'-kohr or Akramnakandikor, last previously sighted in 1903,) and it was dispelled so easily it was almost pathetic. I don't believe it had ever even seen a firearm before.
Through archaeology we have made many important discoveries about our past, discoveries which are also important and relevant to our present. There is still much more to be discovered, which is why we do not need Hollywood exaggerating the dangers extant on an archaeological dig and driving young people away from the profession.
Dr Hilary Barker
The kind of thing depicted in these films is just a fantasy. When excavating an ancient tomb that has lain undisturbed for millennia, one is scarcely likely to be accosted by an army of the walking dead. For one thing, there is rarely enough room for more than about twenty people in any one chamber. Besides, the concept of the undead possessing phenomenal strength is a fallacy. Even if mummified, their muscles are very much deteriorated. The most I have ever needed to use on a single zombie is one round from a standard handgun. Neither I nor any of my colleagues have ever had any need to walk around an archaeological site with such an arsenal of weapons as the character of Lara Croft is seen to carry. Consider for example Karl Richard Lepsius, who found himself under a surprise attack from Horemheb during his excavation in the nineteenth century. The late king made an attempt to strangle Lepsius, but contrary to popular myth he did not act with mystical, superhuman strength. His atrophied body could barely even stand by itself, and Lepsius had no trouble in plunging a trowel deep into Horemheb's chest, silencing his unearthly moans forever.
The power of ancient curses is also greatly over-rated by the mass media. Most if not all of them have absolutely no relevance in modern times. Nine and a half times out of ten the gods invoked now have no believers, and hence no power. In any case, we live in an age of antibiotics and insurance, and have nothing to worry about whatsoever. Most of the dread runic inscriptions one encounters in the course of one's career are really quite pathetic. Threats regarding the bones filling with hot lead and the body being consumed by locusts might have deterred people at the time of writing, but in this day and age they appear frankly ridiculous to anyone with a rudimentary grasp of the twin concepts of physics and insect repellent. If you take the simple precaution of not reading any of the incantations aloud, then that should be more than enough to guarantee your safety. In all my years as an archaeologist I have only ever encountered one demon, (Ah'kra-muhr'na Khan-di'-kohr or Akramnakandikor, last previously sighted in 1903,) and it was dispelled so easily it was almost pathetic. I don't believe it had ever even seen a firearm before.
Through archaeology we have made many important discoveries about our past, discoveries which are also important and relevant to our present. There is still much more to be discovered, which is why we do not need Hollywood exaggerating the dangers extant on an archaeological dig and driving young people away from the profession.
Dr Hilary Barker
posted by Solid Jim at 6:43 PM
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