Ancient Mysteries

Discredited one day, gospel the next arty:



Hotwater

 

I am a fan of ancient mysteries. The most famous mystery in the UK being of course, Stone Henge.

 

Stonehenge is fascinating.

 

I come face to face with the awe-inspiring... Lunatic Fringe.

 

As an archaeologist, this thread is mildly amusing. But as an anthropologist, I sincerely enjoyed reading the responses. I think there should be more public interest founded on accurate and more diverse publications especially regarding archaeology.

Too often even magazines and newspapers get the facts wrong because of marketability and public archaeology issues.

If you're very interested, I would encourage all of you to study or read more on Critical Theory in archaeology right now from academic journals (particularly American Antiquity, or Antiquity). Mark Leone has some good stuff published on critical theory. Michelle Hegmon (2003) wrote an article overviewing archaeological theory and devotes a small but powerful section on critical theory. Her overview will give you a bit of background on HOW archaeology as theory is applied to practical archaeology (excavation or ethnoarchaeology), and how those working directly with the data and the people handle their research. It will challenge you and your own present day biases, when we do things like superimposing our contemporary issues onto interpretations of the past.

Go! Read now.

 

I was very close to majoring in archaeology/anthropology....I have since switched to srt history, but I would like to utilize that degree to something within the archaeology area....conservation maybe?

 

Where? North America or Europe? Or Asia?

Different continents have different ideas of what "conservation" or Cultural Resource Management is. A great focus of N. America's is centered mostly on the anthropological aspect of archaeology. This has to do with indigenous peoples alive and well today. In Europe, archaeology slants more towards history. Do you have an idea of a particular region you're interested in?

There are many articles and tons of published material in CRM out there. Just make sure you know what you're wading through. To be more specific, CRM is a branch off archaeology in its own right regarding how massive it is. Know also that there are different interests within conservation or CRM. (ie. ethics, institution-based, public archaeology, museums, for the pure sake of knowledge etc etc, the list goes on). Please also be aware of tensions between these interests.

Archaeology is not an indiana jones field trip or a giddy-up through the pyramids as many people think. Personally, I am convinced that the discipline is still infantile and has MUCH maturing to do, critically. Hot spots in the last decade have been gender and indigenous archaeologies.

 

While Stonehenge may be fascinating, it's the culture and the people behind the building of stonehenge which is even more fascinating.


Hotwater

 

if you want to see something better than stonehenge go to "avebury" its bigger and more accessible to the public. they've screwed with stonehenge, they could have allowed people to still walk around it without causing damage but they thought it better to revoke public access.

 

Yeah Avebury is wicked too.

 

I'm not familiar with Avebury. I'll have to look into that one.

 

Avebury Sarsen Stones




Hotwater

 

Most people who aren't from the UK aren't familiar with Avebury as Stonehenge is what everyone wants to see.

 

Try Rene Noorbergen's book Secrets of The Lost Races.