Abstract

Visual anthropology is the study of how aspects of culture are represented and interpreted in film, video, photography, and computer based multi-media. While it has been a major developing area of interest in anthropology, the significance for archaeology has been widely overlooked. This paper will critically evaluate a selection of films about archaeology, made for educational purposes in North America. It will examine features commonly considered in anthropological analyses, such as voice, content, and selective editing. It is concluded that for the most part little attention has been paid in the past to the nature of the representations of archaeologists and their discipline. Film aesthetics, entertainment value, and marketability often supersede the need for more culturally sensitive and appropriate images. Gender bias is rampant. The voices and meaningful representations of indigenous and other peoples whose cultures are the focus of these films, are most frequently missing from these visual documents.