Archaeologist

"Archaeology is the search for fact ... not truth. If it's truth you're interested in, Dr. Tyree's philosophy class is right down the hall. So forget any ideas you've got about lost cities, exotic travel, and digging up the world. We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and "X" never, ever, marks the spot. Seventy percent of all archaeology is done in the library."

―Indiana Jones^[src]

Archaeologists at work in . — Archaeologists at work in Egypt.

An archaeologist is a scientist who studies the past human cultures through the examination of remains, artifacts and environmental data. It has connections to the fields of history and anthropology.

In the early 20th century, archaeologists often had to compete for the discovery and reclamation of artifacts with treasure hunters, who also sought ancient relics, not for their scientific or historical merits, but for their monetary value.

History[]

"Archaeologists don't steal from the past; they open it up for everyone."

―T.E. Lawrence^[src]

Indiana Jones's interest and expertise in the field was first piqued by his meeting with archaeologist T.E. Lawrence in Egypt, 1908 during his father's two-year world lecture tour.^[1] Eventually, Doctor Arthur Hecht was the first to show him that archeology was more than old pots and bones.^[2] While Jones taught that most archaeology was done in the library,^[3] he did encourage his students to go into the field to become a good archaeologist.^[4]

Dr. Jones' numerous expeditions often lead to him crossing paths with rival archaeologists and treasure hunters who also sought the artifacts he was pursuing. Some of his competitors were unscrupulous in their activities, often seeking financial gain in contrast to Jones' belief that archaeology should be shared with the world.

Archaeologists such as René Emile Belloq were private contractors or agents working on the behalf of Adolf Hitler who desired pieces that would ensure Nazi superiority. These scholars, in service of the Reich, chased goals and followed orders that actively opposed Indy's search for artifacts during the '30s.

Harold Oxley, an archeologist who had studied alongside Indiana Jones under Abner Ravenwood, found the Crystal Skull of Akator in 1957.^[4]