<span title="Perceptions/Misconceptions">Perceptions/Misconception...</span> About Archaeology?

Question

What are some common perceptions and misconceptions about archaeology and/or archaeologists?

Thus far, I've come up with the following:

Perceptions:

* Archaeologists work outdoors

* Archaeologists travel

* Archaeologists research and find artifacts of the past

* Some archaeologists become professors

Misconceptions

* Because of Indiana Jones, some believe that all archaeologists lead dangerous, adventerous careers

* Some believe that archaeologists dig up dinosaurs

* Some believe that archaeologists are only interested in Indian artifacts

Anything else?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Misconception

*Archaeologists make good $.

To reply to ocean&#039;s comment, we are not there to &quot;ruin&quot; profit, we are there because the law requires us to record historic and prehistoric activity before it is destroyed.  For example, would you like your family graveyard plowed through?

Answer 2

Some people think that government archaeologists only come in to ruin profits when artifacts, bones, etc., are found at construction sites.

Answer 3

Archaeologists don&#039;t search for famous artifacts. Most archaeology involves either salvage work or more in-depth research at one site, and the reconstruction of the cultural history of that site.

Archaeologists don&#039;t like to draw conclusions from unique artifacts, but mostly draw conclusions from patterns among hundreds or thousands of artifacts, their contexts, their distribution, etc. Statistical tests help with this.

Context is everything. In archaeology that can mean where something was found, in which layers of soil (through which layers for postholes, pits, etc.), with which other artifacts, in which structures, etc. ...

A lot of archaeology takes place in the lab, as well as in the field, e.g. cataloguing the finds from the field work of the previous season(s).

Answer 4

I guess one would be they are always discovering new ruins... old ruins, i should say...

I also always thought it would be a job where new stuff is always happening, but a lot of it is filing bits of stuff.

I never really thought about how you are stuck at the same site for literally years on end.

For all that, I think it would be a way interesting job, although someone doing research to write a book about historical cultures would, in my estimation, have a more exciting job.