From Stonehenge to Las Vegas: Archaeology as Popular CultureIndiana Jones. Lara Croft. Archaeologist as folk hero, detective, treasure hunter. The meaning of things below the surface. The life history of Stonehenge. Las Vegas' Luxor Hotel. Copies of artifacts as contemporary kitch. The connections between archaeology and contemporary culture are endless. Cornelius Holtorf merges archaeological and cultural theory to take readers on an erudite tour of these intersections, using wide-ranging examples and compelling images to support his often controversial theses. Deliberately blurring the borders between past people and present meanings, this ambitious project seeks no less than the redefinition of the term "archaeology." Equal parts amusing, infuriating, and provocative, this work will interest students and teachers in archaeology, anthropology, cultural studies and human geography, as well as professionals in heritage management and museums. |
Contents
Archaeology and Popular Culture | 1 |
Below the Surface | 16 |
The Archaeologist in the Field | 39 |
Interpreting Traces | 60 |
Past Meanings | 78 |
Contemporaneous Meanings | 92 |
Authenticity | 112 |
The Past as a Renewable Resource | 130 |
Archaeoappeal | 150 |
| 161 | |
| 177 | |
About the Author | |
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academic accessed October actually adventure ancient monuments ancient sites animals appears archae archaeo-appeal archaeol archaeological fieldwork archaeological practice archaeological sites archaeology arguably argued attractions aura authenticity become Blieskastel Bronze Age burial Caesars Palace century chapter Chesil Beach contemporary context Cornelius Holtorf destruction digging discoveries Disney earth example exotic experience explore field figure Flag Fen Freud German Gollenstein Heinrich Schliemann heritage human images important Indiana Jones interpretations Karlsminde landscape Lara Croft Las Vegas lives London long barrow Lowenthal 1985 magic material meanings megaliths memory menhir ments metaphorical Michael Shanks modern Monte Polizzo mounds museum Neolithic original particular past Patrick Poirier Photograph by Cornelius popular culture prehistoric monuments present preservation reconstructed remains replica scientific sense significant similar sites and artifacts sites and objects social Spurensicherung stone axes Stonehenge surface things tions tomb TOMB RAIDER tourist treasure underground various Vegas visitors Weilheim zoos