Archaeology and Contemporary Warfare

Bibliographic Data

ID2986014
AuthorsPollock (0000-0001-5879-7110, Freie Universität Berlin, corresponding author), Susan Pollock (Institut für Vorderasiatische Archäologie, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany)
Year2016
Volume45
Issue1
Pages215-231
Publication date2016-10-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAnnual Review of Anthropology (BOOK_SERIES)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0084-6570 • E-ISSN: 1545-4290
PublisherAnnual Reviews (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1146/annurev-anthro-102215-095913
OpenAlexW2537280051
LanguageEN
Citations received23
References cited96

In the contemporary world, archaeology has become drawn, sometimes in dramatic fashion, into the violence of war. Archaeologists have taken part in monitoring and attempting to protect sites, museums, and monuments. However, they have engaged to a lesser extent with the underlying connections between damage to and destruction of archaeological remains and the reasons why archaeology has become increasingly both a target and a weapon of war. To highlight the complex intertwining of archaeology and war, this review examines the relationships among archaeologists' conceptions of their profession, the spiraling commodification of remains of the past, understandings and practices of cultural heritage, and the willful destruction of archaeological sites and objects, with a focus on Western Asia

Archaeology · Commodification · Conflict archaeology · Historical archaeology · Post-medieval archaeology · Prehistoric archaeology · Prehistory · Sociology · Anthropology · Archaeological Research and Protection · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · History