What Is Archeology Essay

Archeology: in my own words, it is the study of the past through the “things” that were left behind by those who came before us. I imagine everyone can agree there’s something fascinating about picking up an old knife or a pot of clay and wondering what life was like when that object was created. It seems as though it should be no surprise that countless people could easily believe legends of a lost city or of great giants ruling the earth long ago. Personally, I feel the true value comes from the knowledge gained when one sets out to learn the truth behind the myths. And over the course of the semester, I’ve learned a number of concepts I plan to apply to my future (as part of a professional community). As a medical student, I feel that being

Often times, myths regarding the past were believed since the average lay person did not have the right education to lead them to the real answers. This leads into the one thing that surprised me the most: how easily some people will exploit (clueless) others for financial gain. For example, the Cardiff Giant. A couple of men had found an easy way to hustle money off of people who were willing to believe anything that supported the word of the Bible. From the creation of the fraudulent Giant, to turning it into a lucrative tourist attraction (and swindling people out of their money), to making experts analyze (and debunk) the Giant, to finally Hull’s confession, Newell and Hull were able to collect an obscene amount of money off of a lie. Even after the Giant was labeled a fake, people still pay money to glimpse the “greatest hoax” (Feder). I find that fact even more amazing than Newell and Hull’s ability to dupe the American public. Honestly, the moral of this story: education is key- if the public were better educated in the field of archeology (and history, for that matter), perhaps they would not have fallen for this “get rich” trick. I suppose it might be harder for me to say if that were indeed true, however, considering I’m viewing the event through hindsight. Still, I believe educating people on the difference between fact and myth could be more beneficial in the long