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Misogyny Related to Archaeology Introduction

Archaeology has had a sign that reads “Boys only! No girls allowed” on its figurative front door for years. From popular culture to real life archaeologists, it is a field dominated by bromances, male leadership, and forgotten females. This surrounding environment makes it a perfect breeding ground for misogyny. Misogyny is defined as the “dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women” (Oxford Languages). While there are modern day female archaeologists such as Sarah Parcak who have made names for themselves within the field, there are other such females throughout history, like Gertrude Bell, who were never included in history books and their accomplishments were left unmentioned. The idea that women were not often found in archaeological pursuits in the past combined with how few female archaeologists are taught about and recognized in the media (both past and present) illustrates the ingrained contempt for women that archaeology and its history hold. This contempt has even filtered into popular culture and its interest in the adventures of archaeology. Characters like Marion Ravenwood of Indiana Jones or Lara Croft represent misogyny in archaeology through their sole uses as a bargaining piece and a character who wears overtly sexualized outfits designed for a male audience. However, despite certain downfalls within archaeology and its treatment of women involved in the field, it is a vitally important area of study and the future is not lost. In both real life and in pop culture archaeology, there are women (and supporting men) who are beacons of hope for the removal of misogyny through their active fight to dismantle it. Continue on to rediscover the females who were lost to history and the women who are making it today.

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THE TEMPLE OF HATHOR AT ABU SIMBEL

The Temple of Hathor at Abu Simbel was built to honor both the Egyptian goddess Hathor and the Egyptian queen Nefertari. While this is a location rather than a specific person or people, the temple itself raises questions about the existence of misogyny within archaeology and the wider expanse of the world itself. There are two temples at Abu Simbel and both were built by Ramesses II; the Egyptian pharaoh married to Nefertari. The temple next to the Temple of Hathor is larger and depicts Ramesses II as gigantic statues that line the outside. If the Ancient Egyptians saw female figures who possessed power as people to be honored and respected, why has the world seemed to take steps backward? In recent and current times, there are certain fields (such as that of archaeology) that seem to have remained prejudiced against women through the existence of a sort of “boys only” club mindset. The Temple of Hathor at Abu Simbel serves as an argument against misogyny through its sheer existence. If women in Ancient Egypt were honored and praised for their accomplishments, hard work, and acts despite their differing gender, what is stopping our current society from doing the same in every sphere of life? 

(photo from memphis.edu)

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JACKIE KENNEDY’S IMAGE AND ARCHAEOLOGY

In 1961, the Tutankhamun Exhibit opened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The archaeologists who found and curated the museum were attempting to increase interest in Ancient Egypt throughout the United States with the use of artifacts, information, and public history. However, there was an important player in addition to the archaeologists who played her own part in bringing Ancient Egyptian culture into the limelight. Jackie Kennedy was the first lady of the United States and fought against misogyny within the archaeological field by working as a partner to the men who discovered the artifacts for the Tutankhamun Exhibit. While Jackie Kennedy may not have been in the actual field while the artifacts within the new exhibit were being discovered, she played a massive part in enhancing the traveling museum’s appeal. In a way, Jackie acted as a sort of “celebrity guest star” to the new exhibit; if the first lady thought the museum was worth going to see then it must have been a marvel. Jackie Kennedy served on the domestic front of archaeology through the subtle implications of her media coverage. Everyone knew who the first lady was but not everyone knew who scholarly archaeologists like William Kelly Simpson or Sidney Dillon Ripley were. Without Jackie Kennedy’s crucial assistance through her appearance, there is a high possibility that the Tutankhamun Exhibit would not have possessed the fame it did. The idea of a female figure being a necessity to an archaeological pursuit is a strong combative against misogyny and prejudice against women within the field.

(photo from jfklibrary.org)

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SARAH PARCAK AS A RAY OF HOPE

Sarah Parcak represents a beacon of hope against misogyny and inequality within the field of archaeology. Within her speech titled “Archaeology in Space,” she does not once mention any obstacles that hold her back simply due to the fact that she’s a woman. Rather, her speech is filled with hope and enthusiasm about the future. Parcak does not see archaeology simply as a way to study civilizations of the past; rather, she sees the past as a mirror of the present and as a stepping stone to the future. Parcak’s speech is filled with uninhibited ambition for future exploration and study with all of her colleagues - male and female alike. When asking Parcak questions, a fan comments on Parcak’s belief that “looking at archaeology from space mean no borders.” This belief reflects any progress that has been made in regards to misogyny and applies it to the future. Nowadays, there are more freedoms for women than there were in the past but misogyny still exists as an obstacle/border in everyday and professional life. But if we can look at the past civilizations of archaeology from space and see no borders in the future, we can also look at current everyday life from space’s angle and have additional hope for the future of our own civilizations.

(photo from globalxplorer.org)

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CLAIRE SIMONE’S UNDERCOVER FIGHT

Claire Simone of The Monuments Men serves as a character who actively works within the misogyny forced upon her to fight for what she cares about. Within The Monuments Men, Claire is forced to assist the Nazis as they loot and steal from the museum she worked in before the war. Stahl, one of the Nazi men, does not see Claire as a genuine threat, presumably due to the fact that she is a woman and he deals only with male soldiers. However, Stahl could not be more wrong. Even while working for the Nazis, Claire spits in their glasses, secretly tracks where the museum’s art is exported to, and releases information to the rebels in the hopes that they will steal the art back. Even when Stahl finds out that Claire’s brother was a resistance soldier who was attempting to steal art from a Nazi truck, he does not kill her in the moment but simply threatens her and then leaves. Claire continually uses the doubt and contempt for women that is thrown upon her for good. Despite the danger, Claire hides behind the simple fact that she is a female in order to continually share secret information with others in order to retrieve her museum’s masterpieces. In a nearly ironic sense, Stahl never sees Claire for what she truly is: a clever, talented spy and threat to the Nazi regime. However, Claire sees through Stahl and understands that he is only a cowardly sheep who runs at the first sign of trouble. Perhaps her most prominent quote is when she shouts (in German) “I see you Stahl!” and essentially points a direct finger at the cowardice of both him as an individual and Nazism in general.

(photo from dawn.com)

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FEMALE LEADERSHIP IN THE MUMMY

Despite facing misogyny in her field, Evie Carnahan from The Mummy continuously proves that she is in fact one of the most important and useful characters within the entirety of the movie. Evie begins the adventure by facing misogyny from her employer at the library who claims that he only puts up with her due to her parents having been famous explorers. However, Evie argues that she is useful because she can read hieroglyphs and knows multitudes about Egyptian history. Once she finds herself at Hamunaptra leading a team of men on an archaeological dig, she is once again determined to be lesser by the opposing team’s male archaeologist when he states that as Evie’s team is “led by a woman” they almost definitely won’t get anything accomplished. Throughout the movie, Evie is doubted a multitude of times and yet she bounces back after each one by proving herself through her incredible intelligence and her effective leadership. Perhaps the most iconic line from Evie within the movie is when she states that she’s “proud” of what she is: “a librarian.” Evie does not care what others think or if they think she is capable. She knows she is brilliant and has an immense amount of skills to offer.

(photo from nerdist.com)

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FORGOTTEN FIGURE: GERTRUDE BELL

Gertrude Bell is an example of misogyny within archaeology through the fact that she is often not remembered as an important figure within history. Despite helping to establish Iraq after the first world war, her efforts within archaeology and desert exploration are often not taught in modern school systems. Gertrude Bell possessed a balance that is often not found in today’s average heroine: Bell enjoyed dresses, flowers, and femininity while still being able to best the men of her time and climb physical (and figurative) mountains. This balance between enjoying soft things while being badass is often traded for the modern day idea of a female who leans more toward socially defined male characteristics (see Lara Croft). A coworker of Bell’s described her as a “woman with the brain of a man” (page 18). This is a prime example of misogyny within archaeology. Bell was not a woman with the brain of a man but rather, was a woman with a brain that men determined was worth listening to. Bell was a woman that served as a pioneer for future women to be themselves even while surrounded by a nearly all male occupational field.

(photo from Shutterstock)

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FEMALE EGYPTOLOGISTS NEEDED

In Thomas Schneider’s public lecture title “Egyptology in Nazi Germany: Ideology, Scholarship, Careers,” he discusses the betrayal, pain, and change that the people within (and the field itself) Egyptology went through. However, there is something important to be noted about this particular lecture and the era of time that it revolves around: there are almost no female references at all. There is the occasional mention of a wife or some other female relation who was affected in addition to the primary male who was affiliated with Egyptology but there are almost no exhibitions of a single woman whose personal career within Egyptology was harmed. This hints towards the possibility of misogyny within German archaeology around the time of the Nazi regime. If there were more of a presence of females related to Egyptology during this era of history, surely they would be mentioned. The only female mentioned by Schneider whose career is affected by the Nazi viewpoints on Jewish heritage is that of Hedwig Fechheimer: “an expert in Egyptian art, [who] committed suicide when she had no longer an option to sustain herself and was threatened with deportation” (page 15). With this being the only reference to the female front of German Egyptology, one can assume that misogyny was present due to the lack of examples and stories from other women in the field.

(Picture received from Archive.org, the Internet Archive)

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 MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE

Within Raiders of the Lost Ark, the character of Marion Ravenwood is an example of misogyny related to archaeology through her relationship to the men and creatures within the movie. Marion spends essentially the entirety of the movie functioning as either an obstacle or a bargaining chip. While some of these accidents are her own fault (such as getting herself trapped in a basket, trapped in the driving seat of a plane, and almost tortured at the hands of a German lunatic), each situation seems almost designed to make her seem almost stupid to her male counterparts within the movie. Indiana Jones (the primary archaeologist within the film) seems to view her as a type of baggage that he is forced to carry around on his travels; when Marion jokingly says "Well, Jones, at least you haven't forgotten how to show a lady a good time” when her bar gets burnt down, Indi responds with contempt by angrily saying “Boy, you're something!” An additional example of Indiana Jones seeing Marion as incompetent is when she’s attempting to help keep the snakes at bay in the closed off tomb and accidentally mistakes his whip for a snake. Indiana yells out of fear of being burned and then gives Marion a look that implies she’s an idiot. Rene Belloq (the opposing archaeologist) uses Marion as a bargaining chip throughout the whole movie. He thinks she’s beautiful but seems to believe that that’s the only benefit she brings to the table in that he doesn’t care whether she wants to go with him or not whenever he asks for her as part of a deal within the movie.

(Photo found on Alchetron.com)