Television is a home entertainment hallmark in the United States and countless countries across the world. It is one of the most far-reaching and available sources of media to today’s public. Because of this, the options of what it can display are limitless. Although archaeology is not a field of study or work that most people directly experience in their day-to-day lives, it has a prominent presence on television. Not only is it the center-point of a number of popular TV shows like “Ancient Aliens” on the History Channel and various documentaries spread across many networks, but it also makes one-episode appearances in TV shows such as “The Magic School Bus” and “Hey Arnold!” Television shows depicting archaeology and the ancient world are targeted at adults and children, scholars and the average viewer, and everyone in between. Accuracy of archaeological portrayals vary from program to program, but all programs are created with the underlying goal that their episodes be created with the goal of capturing a viewer’s attention from start to finish. It is an underlying tenet of television to generate viewership and profit, but how does this affect the truthfulness of a show’s content?
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| Everyone watches TV, but do we realize what we are watching? |
Questions that will be considered while reviewing archaeology in television include:
· Who is the target audience? Is the target audience aware that they are being exposed to archaeology?
· How accurate does the archaeological content of the show seem to be?
· Is there any bias in presenting archaeology or the ancient world?
· Does the program seem authoritative and believable in its presentation of facts, even if they may be incorrect?
· What techniques are used to convey information to the viewer?
· How does a television portrayal of archaeology affect the greater discipline of archaeology and what people think of archaeologists?
This blog will explore the relationship between television and archaeology, as well as the broader implications of that relationship. At the end of each post, we will quickly summarize what's good about the show, what's bad, and a grade that we give the show, episode or genre overall.
· Who is the target audience? Is the target audience aware that they are being exposed to archaeology?
· How accurate does the archaeological content of the show seem to be?
· Is there any bias in presenting archaeology or the ancient world?
· Does the program seem authoritative and believable in its presentation of facts, even if they may be incorrect?
· What techniques are used to convey information to the viewer?
· How does a television portrayal of archaeology affect the greater discipline of archaeology and what people think of archaeologists?
This blog will explore the relationship between television and archaeology, as well as the broader implications of that relationship. At the end of each post, we will quickly summarize what's good about the show, what's bad, and a grade that we give the show, episode or genre overall.
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