enigma-boi:

I’ve noticed certain people get very very defensive when you point out that 18th and 19th century archaeologists were incredibly destructive, acting as if we’re calling all archaeologists since the beginning of the field nasty, destructive looters. But here’s the thing. Georgian and Victorian archaeologists were nasty, destructive looters. Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre, who “rediscovered” Pompeii/Herculaneum, infamously used dynamite to blast through priceless Roman frescoes to make tunnels so accessing Roman artefacts easier. Heinrich Schliemann, one of the pioneers of archaeology and one of the first to advocate for historiography of certain areas also used dynamite with impunity. Not caring what he blowed up in the process as long as he found his beloved Troy. Because in the early stages of archaeology. The MO of Archaeology wasn’t in painstakingly and methodically reconstructing the past like it is now, it was for blasting in tho areas of aesthetic interest and collecting fancy, priceless objects for wealthy patrons to refurbish their houses with expansive collections of antiquities. The above mentioned Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre was doing all this destructive shit in these ancient cities to gather objects for the estate of Charles III, king of Spain. Hell, probably the most famous archaeologist people would know by name - Howard Carter - was patronised by Lord Canarvon. Really, Archaeologists weren’t the dedicated scientists they are now. They were for-hire professional looters and graverobbers who had quotas for their wealthy patrons back home And you better bet that if those patrons had certain ideas on how the past looked, the archaeologists would alter the real thing to appeal to their patrons ideals. If a Roman/Greek marble statue had paint remnants on it, it would be scrubbed off. Because the statues of antiquity couldn’t have been painted in garish, gaudy colours! Plain white was more dignified. If patrons had, ahem, certain ideas, on how certain peoples looked in the past - you bet there would be made alterations to those objects to keep their patrons happy and themselves with a job. Archaeology has a really, really ugly and destructive history and much has changed since then. These days if you you get caught trying to alter an object so drastically, you’d become a hated social pariah throughout the archaeological field (and trust me, as someone who’s cried over ancient artefacts getting destroyed, they deserve it) but you have to remember archaeology today is not the same field it was back in the 18th and 19th century when it’s primary aim wasn’t to keep history in tact, but to provide wealthy patrons with “culture”.

This explains why there’s a prevalent theory that I wholeheartedly believe is true that white European archeologists (the early ones of the looters and destroyers) hacked off the nose of the Egyptian Sphinx and other statues of Ancient Egypt if it made it clear that the reigning great civilization of old (the very one they’re slathering over) was ruled by AFRICANS. As in… African noses. Yes. That.

And now every GODDAMN TIME they make the STUPID “nose fell off statue!” joke in any GODDAMN MOVIE with ancient statues (usually Ancient Egypt to really drive the painful bit home) I think it’s white people patting themselves on the back for doing the original horrible deed all those years ago.

If you use this joke without realizing the actual origins of it, and you’re a white person as well, I fucking hate your guts. Like, insta-hate you from that alone.

So yeah, stop with the fucking “bashing off the noses of statues” joke and fucking get with the program that white European early archeologists did that to “hide the truth that Africans really DID do great awesome things in the past during a time when white Britons were rolling around in the dirt!!” because their fragile White Egos can’t handle the truth.

Not to mention all the SO MANY OTHER GODDAMN THINGS that have been done in the past by the early archeologists (White Europeans and actual looters and destroyers, remember this) all around the GODDAMN WORLD.

DON’T expect me to valorize those early bloody sods.

The only archeologists I respect are the modern day ones, or those very close to modern day, who are actual respectful scientists (or try hard to be even if their biases really get in the way).



(via destan-of-the-shadows)