- "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 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
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. While Jones taught that most archaeology was done in the library, he did encourage his students to go into the field to become a good archaeologist.
Dr. Jones' numerous expeditions often lead to him crossing paths with rival archaeologists and treasure hunters who also seek the artifacts he looks to uncover. Many of his competitors were not of the honest type, typically who sought to make tons of cash on the matter, other cases involve members of the elite looking to bolster their private collections.
Some archaeologists, such as René Emile Belloq, or Elsa Schneider, were private contractors or agents working on the behalf of Hitler. These scholars, in service of the Nazis, pursued goals and followed orders that actively opposed Indy's search for artifacts during the 30's.
Harold Oxley was also an archeologist, who found the Crystal Skull of Akator in 1957.
Appearances
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal" → My First Adventure
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Young Indiana Jones and the Treasure of the Peacock's Eye" → Treasure of the Peacock's Eye
- Young Indiana Jones and the Tomb of Terror
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
