1. Oct. 15th: Nationalism and Archaeology
Mid term exam grade distribution: A: 59
B: 46 Two thirds of class
C: 25 got As or Bs
D: 21
E: 13
Nation: a large body of people who see themselves as similar in terms of language and
custom, and which share a territory that they control politically (or that they seek to
control politically)

2. Can you
find Yugoslavia?

3. Yugoslavia in 1990
Yugoslavia in 2006
(Already out of
date! Montenegro
is now independent
of Serbia, and so is
Kosovo, mostly)

4. Nation: a large body of people who see themselves as similar in terms of language and
custom, and which share a territory that they control politically (or that they seek to
control politically)
Nationalism:
Patriotism on steroids
When pride in one’s nation leads to prejudice against outsiders
Usually, nationalism is coupled with racism
How does archaeology intersect with nationalism?
Archaeology came into being because of nationalism

5. Christian Thomsen (1784-1856), Danish
Founder of modern archaeology
How does nationalism lead to
the origin of archaeology?
Denmark, like France, was a big loser
in the Napoleonic wars.
The Danes were humiliated, and needed
something to be proud of.
So they turn to archaeology: this is why
Thomsen was hired in the first place
Three-age system
Iron Age
Bronze Age
Stone Age

6. Why nationalists need archaeology:
Archaeology can build national identity by supplying information about a nation’s origins.
Archaeology gives nations a deep history, extending roots into the past.
Why is nationalist archaeology controversial?
Distortion of past
--emphasis on some parts of past
--suppression of other parts of the past
--invention of faulty details about the past

7. Rhodesia
Ruins of Great Zimbabwe (in the country of Zimbabwe,
which was called Rhodesia until 1979)

9. Mexican flag: The central icon is taken from Aztec mythology

10. Mexican currency making use of the glorious Aztec past
Mexican 100
peso bill,
100 peso bill
showing an
Aztec ruler last
showing the
Aztec ruler:
and his mummy
Cuauhtemoc
bundle
10 peso bill
showing a
famous Aztec
sculpture: the
Coyolxauhqui
Stone.

11. Coyolxauhqui stone:
found in Mexico city
In 1978.

12. Mexican 10 peso coin (worth about $1 US)
Aztec Sun stone

13. Mexico uses the past to add a sense of glorious prehistoric roots to contemporary Mexican
national identity.
How is this a (mild) case distortion?
A more extreme form of distortion:
Shinichi Fujimura
What did Shinichi Fujimura do?
Why did he do it?

14. Common features and consequences of the relation between Nationalism and Archaeology
1) Nation states turn to archaeology for help in creating national origin myths
2) Nationalism often leads to distortion of the past. The PAST becomes PROPAGANDA
3) Nationalist distortions of the past are usually the worst when a nation is undergoing
difficulties or a crisisof identity
4) Archaeologists are often tempted by nationalism. This is what is sometimes
called the Faustian bargain, or the deal with the devil: you compromise your standards
in return for money, fame, power, whatever
GOOD EXAMPLE THAT SHOWS ALL FOUR OF THESE: Germany 1919-1945
National Socialist party = Nazis

15. To make Germans feel better about themselves, the Nazis turn to archaeology
Gustav Kossinna (1858-1931) Kulturkreis: identify ethnic groups based on artifacts
The dedicatory quote for Kossinna’s 1921 book German Prehistory, a Preeminently National
Discipline: “To the German people, as a building block in the reconstruction of the internal
as well as external fatherland."

16. Kossinna’s vision of racially superior Two very potent ideas from Kossinna
ancient Germans (1500 BC)
1) Ancient Germans were superior
2) Ancient Germans had settled all
over Europe
Huge consequences of these two ideas
1) Justification for elimination of non-Aryan races
2) Justification for military conquest of Europe

17. Swastika: Bronze
Symbol Age Indo-European
of Nazi party sun symbol
Runes
Symbol of SS
secret police
(Schutzstaffel)

18. In 1933, when Hitler and the National Socialists came to power,
they made a huge investment in archaeology of Germany.
Aspects of this investment…
Heinrich Himmler, commander of SS
“Keep your eyes open, for every fellow German can
contribute to this important project! Do not assume
that a ceramic vessel is useless because it falls apart
during excavations. Carefully preserve even the
smallest fragment!”

19. Hitler visiting a recreation of a Bronze Age Burial

20. Nationalist distortions of the past in Germany, 1933-1945
Nazi party abused archaeology more than it used archeaology
Examples
--Exaggerating or fabricating evidence of German greatness
--Exaggerating or fabricating evidence of German presence elsewhere
--Suppression of evidence that did not conform to Nazi dogma of German superiority
--Sidetracked by comical searches for things like the Holy Grail
--Implausible claims about ancient, pagan German religion, such as sun worship
1) Externsteine
2) Thingstatte

21. Externsteine: natural rock formation, Germany.
Nazis thought it was a Germanic sun shrine
and solstice observatory.

22. Thingstatte at Heidelberg, Germany
Modern construction to commemorate a supposed ancient German shrine (but no evidence of ancient
shrine, and building the thingstatte resulted in the destruction of actual Bronze age and Roman ruins)

23. Quote from Hitler:
“Why do we call the world’s attention to the fact that we have no past? It’s bad enough
that the Romans were erecting great buildings when our forefathers were still living in
mud huts. Himmler is starting to dig up these village of mud huts and enthusing over
every potsherd and stone axe he finds. All we prove by that is that we were still crouching
over open fires when Greece and Rome had already reached the highest stage of
culture. We really should do our best to keep quiet about this past. Instead Himmler
makes a great fuss about it. The present day Romans must be having a laugh at these
revelations.

24. How did German archaeology community respond to Nazi propoaganda about the past?
1) Big supporters (why support this?)
2) The silent majority
3) The vocal opposition (a minority) Ernst Wahle: German archaeologist who
criticized Nazi archaeology as fraudulent
What is the lesson in the end?
--The past can have a deep impact:
it can lead to the loss of lives.
--German archaeology lost face. Few
people trusted them after the war.