I wondered how long it would be before this topic came up this time.  As
David says, I'm sure many people took their first archaeology class
after watching one of those movies.  Maybe it was their only one, but I
bet there are those on this list who did exactly that.  Besides, isn't
it partly the sense of adventure and the thrill of discovery that keeps
most of us in this field?  I've been doing this for a while and I still
get excited when I record a site or get to work on an interesting
collection of artifacts.

Come on folks, climb down out of the tower, grab a Coke and a bucket of
popcorn, relax and enjoy the show!

Paul G. Avery, RPA
MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc.

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
David Parkhill
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 9:32 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Indiana Jones is no bad thing for science??

There is one aspect of the "Indiana Jones" story that a lot of folks 
fail to or do not wish to admit. After the first "Indiana Jones" 
movie Archaeology took a jump in interest with the public. The 
University classes filled with energetic young people looking for 
something exciting.  Most people were then disillusioned when CRM 
slapped them in the face with reality. All in all Archaeology did
prosper.


At 10:52 PM 5/19/2008, you wrote:
>Indiana Jones is no bad thing for science??
>
>
>
>"There is a little "Indy" in many archaeologists, even if in public
contexts
>that persona is hidden behind the face of a serious scientist. We may
hate
>to admit it, but Hollywood's depiction of archaeology may capture
something
>of the spirit of the discipline after all", says Cornelius Holtorf
>
>
>
>Check out:
>
>
>
>http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg19826566.000-comment-indi
ana-j
>ones-is-no-bad-thing-for-science.html
>
>
>
>Cornelius Holtorf is a specialist on archaeology and popular culture.
He
>teaches archaeology and heritage studies at the University of Kalmar in
>Sweden. His latest book is Archaeology is a Brand! The Meaning of
>Archaeology in Contemporary Popular Culture
>(http://lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=78)
>
>