It is with deep sorrow that I must begin the final post for Accidents in Archaeology. Throughout this semester, I have done my best to bring you interesting stories from the archaeological world in as amusing a way possible. And as much as I loved writing about all of the real-life plot twists, what really made it worth it was seeing everyone’s reactions to the post in the comments (s/o to my regular commenters).
If anything, I’d love to have inspired you to be more interested in archaeology and also to have taught you to never take things at face value. When you hear about a new archaeology discovery, always look at the sources. Who provided the data cited in the discovery? What tests were used to analyze the artifacts? How many times were the tests performed? Does the person who made the discovery stand to gain anything if a certain interpretation is made? Are there biases present in the conclusion?
For this final post, I’d like to sum up all of the lessons we’ve learned from the cases we’ve studied.
Lesson #1: Always check that the information you’re using is coming from credible sources and qualified experts with experience in their field. Don’t go off of hearsay or allow inexperienced wannabes excavate and draw conclusions about a site.
Lesson #2: Don’t base your conclusions on the modern cultural, racial, or gender stereotypes of your society or of the area you’re investigating. Don’t even base conclusions on the stereotypes of the time period you are investigating. There will always be deviations from the perceived norm and there will always be certain aspects of past societies that we are not aware of.
Lesson #3: Be ready for new discoveries to be found in unusual places, and found by unusual people (and badgers). **Disclaimer: always make sure to analyze discoveries by non-professionals. Honey badger don’t care if he’s wrong, but we do, so always run tests and dig more.
Lesson #4: Make sure that you have thoroughly tested your artifacts and sites for fraud before going public with your find, and always test your data multiple times. Many groups stand to gain a lot from fraudulent finds, and a lot of people get their kicks making fraudulent artifacts.
Lesson #5: Don’t assume that old data is true. Old data was found based on old methods and old technology, and the old methods often have errors that have been corrected in newer technologies. Always retest past conclusions when new technology becomes available to ensure that the information accepted. Also, be ready for your conclusions to be negated by future technology. Even as advanced as today’s technology is, there are still errors we are not aware of and cannot account for.
Lesson #6: Even with all of the technology and knowledge we have today, it’s still possible to lose things to history. Sometimes you just have to accept that there are some things we’ll never know—at least not in our lifetime.
With this, I send you on your way. Hopefully I’ve made some hobby archaeologists, or at least archaeology enthusiasts, out of some of you. Good luck in you future investigations! Stay skeptical!
These 5 lessons are 5 lessons everyone should take into heart. They are so true. Never completely trust anything and make sure you thoroughly check everything! I wonder how many mistakes people could have not made and avoided pure embarrassment…
Thank you, Emma, for these entertaining stories. Before, I have never thought of archaeology as interesting at all. I had just assumed that it was a bunch of old, dusty things. But when stories like the honey badger come around, it is most certainly interesting. And yes, I will stay skeptical!
Your blog was something I always looked forward to reading! I’ve definitely developed an interest for archaeology throughout the semester that I don’t think I could have had without this exposure. I love your profound comments and wit you are awesome Emma!
I always enjoy reading your blog because it is always so interesting and fun to read. As I see stories in the news I’ll be sure to be skeptical and look at the facts. By the way love the comment about honey badger- I read it with the guys voice in my head lol. )
This blog always brings a smile to my face. You’ve really done a great job of highlighting some interesting lessons through archeological finds and fraudulent discoveries, and the way you present them has always kept me coming back.