Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality And 21st Century Archaeology

The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) remains the largest and most influential archaeological organization in the United States, with a membership in excess of 6000 that embraces academic, applied, and avocational archaeologists. The SAA was founded in 1934 to foster the understanding of the past by highlighting contemporary archaeological methods and theories. Since the 1970’s, as commercial archaeology’s profile grew, the organization has placed a strong emphasis on professional education, outreach and the involvement of indigenous groups. Over the past 20 years, the SAA has made its voice known in the political sphere by lobbying for stronger enforcement of preservation laws, establishing platforms on ethics and enforcement of anti-looting legislation. Today’s program is devoted to the past, present and future directions of the SAA with an interview of the organization’s newly appointed President, Dr. Jeff Altschul, and its long-standing Executive Director, Ms. Tobi Brimsek.

Hello Indy listeners! Joining us today are members from MARS, not the planet, but their work is certainly out of this world. The Military Archaeological Resources Stewardship Interest Group is a group organized to bring together professional archaeologists who have interests in military lands archaeology and organize discussions concerning the protection cultural and historic resources during military operations. The collective work of military personnel and archaeologists working for the government cannot be understated. The Department of Defense alone is responsible for the management of 21 million acres of domestic lands, which holds over 111,000 known archaeological sites in public trust. We get to sit down today and hear about the initiatives and goals of the group and how CRM works at the federal level.

Have you ever wondered how the criminologists popularized in such TV shows as “CSI” developed their investigative techniques and deductive strategies? Many of their methods and approaches are derived from archaeological science. The emergence of forensic anthropology and archaeology is largely traceable to the efforts of the American military in recovering the remains and establishing the identities of missing soldiers (MIA’s) during the Vietnam war in the 1970’s. This week’s episode introduces the nuts and bolts of forensic archaeology through the mission of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). JPAC is a military command dedicated to repatriating the remains of soldiers lost in our nation’s past conflicts. Join the discussion with the Deputy Director of the JPAC, Dr. William Belcher, who recounts the history of this unique military operation. Learn how forensic recovery operations are conducted in some of the most remote corners of the world.

This week’s episode is dedicated to one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century, which fascinates millions around the world to this day – 100th anniversary of Titanic’s sinking. Its maiden journey to the New World was designed as state-of-the-art technological seafaring vessel believed to be unsinkable. However, harsh reality and human arrogance not only took lives of thousands of passengers, but it casted doubt on the infallibility of technological progress, which gave us airplanes, motor cars, and mass communication. Our special guest, bestselling author and historian Hampton Sides, who contributed an article to National Geographic Magazine’s April issue, dedicated to the tragedy, will embark us on a journey of the emerging story of Titanic from the time of its discovery by Robert Ballard in 1985 through recent discoveries made by underwater archaeology and innovative remote sensing techniques, and examine how these discoveries revise the existing interpretations of the wreck.

Located between southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina there is a swamp, The Great Dismal Swamp. This swath of land has a provocative social and economic history and Dr. Dan Sayers has spearheaded the ongoing research that takes place there. Dr. Sayers has conducted landscape studies exploring the history of communities that existed in the swamp interior. These people, also known as maroons, formed resistant and generally self-reliant communities in the swamp interior (primarily Indigenous Americans and African-Americans who permanently removed themselves from conditions of enslavement). A surfeit of information is buried in the Swamp’s interior. Today we invite this Swamp veteran to discuss what the landscape surveys have revealed about these maroon societies and the impacts of historical processes of colonialism, race-based enslavement , and profitable development of natural resources of the swamp.

Who doesn’t love Vikings? Perhaps most of the communities and countries they violently invaded…Between the 8th to late 11th centuries Viking raiding and trading spearheaded an expansion of culture that had profound developmental implications for many parts of the world. This epic time is captured in the History Channel’s series Vikings. We follow the story of Ragnar Lothbrok and glimpse at how his exploits could have shaped the world. With the Indy Team today is Mr. Tom Conroy creator of the series. We get to hear first hand how this chunk of history is revived and in watching the show get to witness how the archaeology that is left behind may have been created.

Over two hundred years in the making? Not quite, but the three-night scripted mini-series “Sons of Liberty” does depict the period that built up to the independence of what would become the United States of America. The series is riveting and for those that are historically minded you will find the recreation of the late 1700s astounding. Joining the Indy Team this week are Zach Hermann and Jordan Rosenblum two authors of the series. We delve into a different side of archaeology by talking about the research that goes into recreating events from the past and its portrayal in popular media.

Geophysics is an important component of the archaeological survey toolkit. Be it a survey of a pipeline or historical cemetery, covering a small area like a crime scene or a large swath of land near the North Pole, geophysics can give us a picture of what is going on with the site of interest. As archaeology becomes more important to development, so does survey work, which informs how exploratory or excavation projects may proceed. Joining the Indy Team today is Dr. Rob Stewart! We are going to dig deep and discuss archaeology and geophysics coming together.

Megiddo is a sight and a site of incredible importance to biblical archaeology. It is located by one of the most important trading and traveling route of the ancient Near East— from ca. 7,000 B.C.E. through to biblical times. Beyond its importance to trade, Megiddo also has the reputation for being the site of the worlds end, Armageddon. This status is related to its being a proverbial hot bed of violence and fighting for centuries. From the Byzantines, Crusaders, and Mongols to Napoleon, the British in World War I and Israelis and Arabs, this site has been the background for a lot of warring. Why would this place be of interest to the Indy Team? Because the director of the expedition, Dr. Israel Finkelstein joins us today. He will enlighten us with the multi-layered archaeology of Megiddo and the points of overlap and conflict between biblical text and archaeological investigations and the future of this site of Armageddon.

To be called a Philistine is to evoke an image of one that is hostile or indifferent to culture and arts. The real story of these ancient people may suggest the contrary. The last thirty years has produced an abundance of new archaeological information about the Philistines during the biblical period. The Indy Team focuses on one area today, Goliath’s hometown Gath. Most scholars believe that biblical Gath was located at the site known as Tell es-Safi, one of the largest biblical sites in Israel. We start our interview today with the findings at Gath, a veritable mine of archaeological evidence ranging from the Chalcolithic period (5th mill. BCE) until modern times, and delve into the recent developments in biblical archaeology. Dr. Aren Maeir, director of the Gath/Tell es-Safi Project, shares with us the discoveries of this biblical site and how they may clarify or change our understanding of the history mythologized in scripture.

Mounds State Park Anderson, IN has nine to twelve unique earthworks, (ceremonial mounds) built by the prehistoric Adena culture and also used centuries later by the Hopewell culture. Some of the mounds are believed to be more than 2,000 years old. A truly impressive site of (literally) monumental North American prehistory. Recently, the Anderson/Madison County Corporation for Economic Development has proposed the construction of a $450 million reservoir that will dam the White River. The dam may pose a serious erosion threat, but it may also create a new habitat for a local endangered species. Today we have a interview panel with Senior Principal Investigator Beth McCord and Indiana Archaeology Council Representative Dr. Christopher Moore. They will discuss the shared and conflicting interests that are at play with the proposed Mounds Reservoir Project.

Archaeology is romantic for some, monotonous for others. It is always the case that the preservation of information from excavations is of the utmost importance. With the advent of better technologies, how the accumulated of data are collected and stored is changing in an extraordinary way. The Federated Archaeological Information Management System (FAIMS) Project has developed a system that makes data more easily saved and accessible later. FAIMS is an eResearch Tools project funded by the Australian Government. The goal of the project is to create a comprehensive and applicable information system for archaeology. From apps on mobile devices to new tools for data processing and analysis the entire project is geared toward facilitating archaeological research to be saved and exchanged in a meaningful way. Today we get to talk about how archaeology may be revolutionized through digitization.

If last weeks Valentine's Day show was not satiating enough, this week we have bookended Valentine's Day with another show dedicated to exposing more sex in archaeology! Sex and sexuality are not new issues. There are multiple instances throughout the archaeological record where materials, art, and other remnants show how people demonstrated their identities. Joining us is Dr. Rosemary Joyce to discuss the instances where sexuality and gendered identity show up in the archaeological record and how it is deciphered...or unsheathed.

This week our show is for adults only! Just kidding. Joining the Indy Team is none other than Dr. Peter Sinelli. Together we will undress the topic of archaeology of sex. Sex is an important topic of archaeological study and not just because it is intellectually titillating. How people lived and related to each other is a central question to archaeological and anthropological research and sex has always been integral to human relations. On our show today we will interrogate how well material culture may or may not represent past attitudes and practices as they pertain to sex.

On January 20th, 2015 the New York Times published an exciting development in the research of the Herculaneum library’s carbonized papyrus scrolls. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius that decimated Pompeii in A.D. 79 also impacted Herculaneum. The super hot gases and ash from the eruption preserved the papyrus documents. Since their excavation in 1752, researchers have been trying to find a way to read the scrolls. This goal is finally becoming reality thanks to the work of Dr. Vito Mocella and his team at the Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems. With the use of a laser-like beam of X-rays they are able to pick up the very slight contrast between the carbonized papyrus fibers and the ancient ink. Today the Indy Team is pleased to have Dr. Vito Mocella and Dr. Richard Janko join us to talk about the the scrolls and their proverbial unraveling and translation.

Today Indiana Jones Myth Reality and 21st Century Archaeology unlocks the proverbial shackles to talk about an increasingly common feature of conflicts in the 20th and 21st century: Interment and incarceration. Though many internment, detention, or prison camps are temporary structures they leave their mark both in the space they were constructed and on the people who were incarcerated there. We talk about the importance of archaeologies of internment as a relatively new field in archaeology and as a politically sensitive endeavor archaeologists are taking on. With us is Dr. Bonnie Clark who has done work at Amache, the site of Colorado's WWII era Japanese American internment camp, and Ms. Judy Thomas who has conducted Archaeological Investigations of Second World War Prisoner of War Camps at Fort Hood, Texas. Together the Indy Team and our guests will discuss how people coped with confinement, how the materials are interpreted, and how descendent communities are involved.

Previous programs have explored the changing realities of graduate student training in the age of applied archaeology. Our surveys and interviews concentrated on professors and principals in the applied and academic worlds. This week we take the pulse of active graduate students. What are their thoughts on training programs, the training they receive in graduate school and the pathways they see themselves following as they pursue career tracks? Do contemporary graduate programs satisfy their projected career goals? How do they project their career choices and what are their visions of a future in archaeology? Our guests are Erin Baxter, PhD student from the University of Colorado, Esteban Fernandez, a recent M.A. graduate at the University of Colorado and Kyle Bocinsky, PhD student at Washington State University and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.

Indiana Jones Myth, Reality, and 21st Century Archaeology addresses the question of where archaeology “fits” in the modern world. This week we approach the meaning and value of archaeology from another angle: from the point of view of archaeology graduate students. Today we ask how do students find themselves “fitting” into the world of archaeology. What kind of opportunities are made available to graduate students? Which opportunities are not? Our two guests share their impressions and realizations of the academic system they are a part of. Let’s get down and dirty and see where our fledgling archaeologist colleagues lead us.

This week the host explores a true Indiana Jones theme, which fascinated not only scholars, but also the general public for centuries - the quest for discovery of the Tomb of Jesus. Since 1980s discoveries of a series of ossuaries buried beneath a condominium complex in Jerusalem have provoked controversy about the relationship between suspected remains of Jesus and their presumed placement by his early Christian followers. Ongoing explorations by filmmakers and scholars have revised interpretations and offer new perspectives on the Jesus story based on a variety of sources. Our guest this week is Dr. James Tabor, professor and chair of religious studies at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, who have been recently working on these tombs with the filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici using very specialized, custom-built high-tech cameras, which allowed to examine the tombs, ossuaries and everything associated with them without going into the tomb.

There are multiple movies such as Indiana Jones, The Mummy, Tomb Raider, and The Exorcist that depict archaeologists and archaeology. In these films, archaeologists serve as the connection that allows the past to interact with the present, usually in fantastical ways. These archaeologically themed fictions bring popularity to the field, but how is the real story and the importance of the research really conveyed to non-archaeologists? Mr. Samir Patel is the deputy editor of Archaeology magazine and part of his job is communicating the real and fantastical findings happening in the field. He connects the research with the mainstream and he is here today to talk about what it is like to interview archaeologists and communicate important information while delivering a story people will read. We get to the non-romanticized version of the archaeologist with Mr. Patel and find out whether archaeologists bite. Stay tuned!