25 lines
6.2 KiB
Markdown
25 lines
6.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Archaeology"
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chunk: 9/11
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source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology"
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category: "reference"
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tags: "science, encyclopedia"
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date_saved: "2026-05-05T15:06:27.665454+00:00"
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instance: "kb-cron"
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---
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=== Public archaeology ===
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Motivated by a desire to halt looting, curb pseudoarchaeology, and to help preserve archaeological sites through education and fostering public appreciation for the importance of archaeological heritage, archaeologists are mounting public-outreach campaigns. They seek to stop looting by combatting people who illegally take artifacts from protected sites, and by alerting people who live near archaeological sites of the threat of looting. Common methods of public outreach include press releases, encouraging school field trips to sites under excavation led by professional archaeologists, and making reports and publications accessible outside academia. Public appreciation of the significance of archaeology and archaeological sites often leads to improved protection from encroaching development or other threats.
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One audience for archaeologists' work is the public. Archaeologists increasingly realize that their work can benefit audiences outside the field and academia, and that they have a responsibility to educate and inform the public about archaeology. Local heritage awareness is aimed at increasing civic and individual pride through projects such as community excavation programs and better public presentations of archaeological sites and knowledge. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS) operates a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation program called the Passport in Time (PIT). Volunteers work with professional USFS archaeologists and historians on national forests throughout the U.S. Volunteers are involved in all aspects of professional archaeology under expert supervision.
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Television programs, web videos, and social media can also bring an understanding of underwater archaeology to a broad audience. The Mardi Gras Shipwreck Project integrated a one-hour HD documentary, short videos for public viewing and video updates during the expedition as part of the educational outreach. Webcasting is also another tool for educational outreach. For one week in 2000 and 2001, live underwater video of the Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project was webcast to the Internet as a part of the QAR DiveLive educational program that reached thousands of children around the world. Southerly, C.; Gillman-Bryan, J. (19 February 2009). Diving on the Queen Anne's Revenge. The American Academy of Underwater Sciences. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Created and co-produced by Nautilus Productions and Marine Grafics, this project enabled students to talk to scientists and learn about methods and technologies used by the underwater archaeology team.
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In the UK, popular archaeology programs such as Time Team and Meet the Ancestors have resulted in a huge upsurge in public interest. Where possible, archaeologists now make more provisions for public involvement and outreach in larger projects than they once did, and many local archaeological organizations operate within the Community archaeology framework to expand public involvement in smaller-scale, more local projects. Archaeological excavation, however, is best undertaken by well-trained staff who can work quickly and accurately. Often, this requires observing the necessary health and safety and indemnity insurance requirements when working on a modern building site with tight deadlines. Certain charities and local government bodies sometimes offer places on research projects either as part of academic work or as a defined community project. There is also a flourishing industry selling places on commercial training excavations and archaeological holiday tours.
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Archaeologists prize local knowledge and often liaise with local historical and archaeological societies, which is one reason community archaeology projects are becoming more common. Often, archaeologists are assisted by the public in the locating of archaeological sites, which professional archaeologists have neither the funding nor the time to do.
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Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI), is a registered 501[c] [3] non-profit, media and education corporation registered in Oregon in 1999. ALI founded a website, The Archaeology Channel, to support the organization's mission of "nurturing and bringing attention to the human cultural heritage, by using media in the most efficient and effective ways possible."
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There is a considerable international body of research focused on archaeology; public value and tangible benefits of archaeology include helping to counteract racism, documenting accomplishments of ignored communities, providing time-depth as a response to short-termism of the modern age, and contributing to human ecology, independent evidence base, historic context development and tourism. The delivery of public benefits through archaeology can be summarised as follows: through contributing to a shared history, artistic and cultural treasures, local values, place-making and social cohesion, educational benefits, contribution to science and innovation, health and wellbeing, and added economic value to developers.
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=== Pseudoarchaeology ===
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Pseudoarchaeology is an umbrella term for all activities that falsely claim to be archaeological but in fact violate commonly accepted and scientific archaeological practices. It includes much fictional archaeological work (discussed above), as well as some actual activity. Many non-fiction authors have ignored the scientific methods of processual archaeology, or the specific critiques of it contained in post-processualism.
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An example of this type is the writing of Erich von Däniken. His 1968 book, Chariots of the Gods?, together with many subsequent lesser-known works, expounds a theory of ancient contacts between human civilization on Earth and more technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilizations. This theory, known as palaeocontact theory, or Ancient astronaut theory, is not exclusively Däniken's, nor did the idea originate with him. Works of this nature are usually marked by the renunciation of well-established theories based on limited evidence and the interpretation of evidence with a preconceived theory in mind.
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=== Looting === |