Has Archaeology Failed Us?

Opinion

In our modern post-truth era, it just seems that topics deep within the realm of sensationalism and pseudo-archaeology have overshadowed archaeology. And this isn’t a recent phenomenon either. Ignore the fact that we find the workmen villages at Giza alongside side their graffiti above the King’s Chamber in the Great Pyramid. It must be aliens or ancient Atlanteans! Why? Well, maybe because the science we refer to as archaeology has failed us.

For decades, alternative history and pseudo-archaeology have filled the shelves of bookstores and forums of the Internet. And with the advent of social media, its theories continue to spread like wildfire. Theories ranging from conspiracies to even the extraterrestrial. Part of the appeal is that it triggers our imagination. Almost as if Hollywood is playing out in real life. And as much as I enjoy films such as the Indiana Jones franchise and National Treasure, sadly, the life of an archaeologist tends to be the furthest thing from cinema. Don’t misunderstand. Archaeologists often stumble onto some of the most amazing discoveries but not all of these discoveries (and their interpretations) are exciting enough to capture the headlines.

So, why are we here? Why are we watching Ancient Aliens marathons on the History Channel or Ancient Apocalypse on Netflix? Well, that is because archaeology, like many other sciences, tends to move at an extremely slow pace and cannot keep up with our thirst for historical knowledge.

The fact is: many humans in our world are quite inquisitive and of those humans, there is a substantial percentage who have an interest in our ancient past.

The problem is: we live in a digital age of constant and instant information. We want our answers now and with little effort possible. That means, if we find an answer that appeals to our interests and personal beliefs, chances are that we won’t fact check or dig deeper in our research.

But why can’t we get those instant answers from archaeology? Just like any other science, archaeology spends a lengthy amount of time working with data. Think about it for a moment. If scientists are working on a cure for cancer. Would you want that cure to be out and in use before every part of that cure was fully and carefully studied and ensured to be safe for use? Well, before officially publishing their findings, archaeologists will comb through the evidence thoroughly in order to build the most logical narrative around those discoveries. The problem with that is, that can take many years and in the meantime, the media to even independent researchers have already taken these discoveries and pushed their own narratives. Sometimes, overshadowing the final official results.

And it being a science, archaeology does not always provide a definitive answer. Again, it relies on data and using new data, we often find ourselves rewriting history. That is, rewriting what has been common knowledge for decades, if not longer. But at that point, that common knowledge has long been cemented into our culture that it becomes too difficult to change. Maybe impossible. For instance, take the Greek Dark Age to even the Dorian Invasion of mainland Greece. Archaeology has proven that the Greek Dark Age was not so dark after all and that the Dorian Invasion is an event which likely never existed. And yet, the Internet continues to peddle these older ideas because it has become too difficult to erase. Remember, the Internet is forever!

The best part though (yes, I am being facetious) is that there is quite a bit of in-fighting within academic circles around the interpretations of these discoveries. It can get very ugly too. Similar to political or faith-based debates, historians and archaeologists will oppose one another in the scholarly papers they write or the lectures they give, etc. I have seen these and witnessed some in person. Sure, they can be entertaining but this takes us even further away from obtaining a more definitive analysis of discoveries.

But this brings me to my next and final point: the release of data for general human consumption. It mostly doesn’t exist. When new archaeological findings are published, more often than not, they cater to a scientific audience and does not speak the language for a general audience. When new books are published, written by accredited scholars, the same thing, they are intended to be read by fellow academics. It doesn’t help that copies of these same books exceed $100 prices and are often difficult to obtain.

Note that some scholars do realize this and have made concerted efforts to change this by releasing publications explicitly written for larger mainstream audiences.

As I pointed out at the beginning of this article, there is a large number of the general public fascinated by history and without accessible (or affordable) easily consumable research, pseudo-archaeology starts to look more attractive. It gives an answer (often simple ones) and with little effort on the part of the reader/viewer. Pseudo-archaeology fills a void. A void created by the science of archaeology.

How do we change this? Honestly, I am not entirely sure. These disciplines are not always the most well funded, so, it isn’t like they can churn out more data faster. They tend to rely on donations to continue their research. Although, my first thought would be to target larger audiences with newer publications instead of limiting new information to just small academic circles.

There continues to be a ton of information [and discoveries] not released to the general public. No conspiracy theories here. Just a lack of resources. Maybe open the museum vaults to these discoveries by starting to publish more online. I think of the open source model. I have seen a few projects like this but not very many. This could be an excellent volunteering opportunity for many who wish to be part of something historical. Maybe the armchair traveler helps decipher or interpret a new inscription which has been sitting in the basement of a museum and collecting dust for over a century. Get the public involved!

Let us not forget that some of the greatest historical discoveries were made by passionate people not formally trained in the respective fields they contributed to. Examples include Michael Ventris (co-translator of Linear B), George Smith (discovered the Assyro-Babylonian Flood story), and many more.