Romancing the Stones

Archaeology in Popular Cinema

Bibliographic Data

ID7175382
AuthorsMark A Hall (0000-0001-6118-5609, corresponding author)
Year2004
Volume7
Issue2
Pages159-176
Publication date2004-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-9571 • E-ISSN: 1741-2722
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1461957104053713
OpenAlexW2126951540
LanguageEN
Citations received18
References cited12

This article looks at the depiction of archaeology and archaeologists in popular cinema. A number of key films are discussed to address the article's main themes of cultural appropriation and contested ground (encompassing treasure, the public, politics and gender). Archaeology in film cannot be divorced from the wider cultural contexts in which it operates and, though portrayals of archaeology and archaeologists are frequently unsatisfactory, a positive conclusion is attempted which seeks to understand the narrative drive of popular fiction and a long history of public exclusion from archaeology. Most of the films considered do not warrant labelling as great works of art, but they are part of a cultural form with perceptions to offer, able to stimulate debate within a vital framework of cultural practices by which identity – individual and social – is constructed and evolved

Aesthetics · Appropriation · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Depiction · Historical archaeology · Identity (music · Literature · Movie theater · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Situated · Sociology · Treasure · Warrant · Wilderness · Aesthetic Perception and Analysis · Anthropology · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · History · Museums and Cultural Heritage