Archeology Constructing the Past

Abstract

Archeological findings provide a way in which pieces of the past can be discovered. This information is useful for providing insight as to how we've evolved technologically and socially. However, it has become increasingly difficult in determining how this information should be circulated. The way in which this information is released to the public can dramatically affect how the display of the past is interpreted. These interpretations are a part of issues that affect the public today. They include debates on ownership, identity, ethnicity, gender, heritage, and nationalism. In particular, this paper will analyze how the interpretation of Archeology has reproduced the past in addition to enforcing social values and ideologies.

As media is becoming an increasingly large part of public life, it has also transitioned into an educational tool. In the hopes of releasing Archeological findings to the public the discoveries are now displayed through media. Whether it is to educate or entertain, media has constructed a new way in which the public can digest the past. The three modes of media will be explored in this paper it will include the use of museums, programming such as National Geographic, and a movie created by Disney. These three provide a unique perspective of how the past is portrayed to the general public. Although it is great that Archeology has found its way into our magazines and TV screens media has also created problematic situations in which the past is more constructed than factual. The room for interpretation is endless in that cultural narratives and stories of the ‘other' may be misinterpreted or wrongly portrayed.