Regarding the posts about the lack of historical accuracy of films and other forms of media I think Alasdair Brooks' questions “ Should we be bothered by any of this? To what extent should we care?” are good ones.

These questions point to the key issue that I get from these posts--that archaeologists, in their efforts to inform lay persons about the past, have some stiff competition from movie makers, novelists, and the world of gossip and oral history (in other words, mythology).

So folks, why do you care if a movie is historically accurate or not?

Having an answer to this will be a large first step toward answering the most fundamental challenge for archaeology today “what relevance does archaeology have for our current society?” � Verbalize an answer to this and you’ll be able to compete.

Larry Moore
Cultural Resource Specialist
Wyandotte Net Tel @
Southwestern Power Administration
One West Third Street
Tulsa, OK 74103