Archaeology Under Dictatorship

Description

This book demonstrates that the study of archaeology as it evolved under modern dictatorships is today, more than ever, of critical importance. For example, in many European countries those who practiced archaeology under dictatorship are retiring or dying. In some places, their intellectual legacy is being pursued uncritically by a younger generation of archaeologists. Now is the time, therefore, to understand how archaeologists have supported, and sometimes subverted, dictatorial political ideologies. In studying archaeology as practiced under totalitarian dictatorship, that most harsh of political systems, light is shed on the issue of politics and archaeology generally. This volume provides a theoretical basis for understanding the specific effects of totalitarian dictatorship upon the practice of archaeology, both during and after the dictator's reign. The nine essays explore experiences from every corner of the Mediterranean. With its wide-range of case-studies and strong theoretical orientation, this volume is a major advance in the study of the history and politics of archaeology. The Mediterranean focus makes it thought-provoking reading for classical archaeolog Content: Front Matter....Pages i-x The Practice of Archaeology Under Dictatorship....Pages 1-17 Fascism in the Desert A Microcosmic View of Archaeological Politics....Pages 19-31 The Trojans in Epirus: Archaeology, Myth and Identity in Inter-War Albania....Pages 33-54 Italian Colonial Archaeology in Libya 1912–1942....Pages 55-71 Italian Archaeology in Libya From Colonial Romanit� to Decolonization of the Past....Pages 73-107 Archaeological Resource Management Under Franco's Spain The Comisaría General de Excavaciones Arqueológicas....Pages 109-130 Whose Hittites, and Why? Language, Archaeology and the Quest for the Original Turks....Pages 131-153 On the Stage and Behind the Scenes Greek Archaeology in Times of Dictatorship....Pages 155-190 Dealing with the Devil The Faustian Bargain of Archaeology Under Dictatorship....Pages 191-212 Back Matter....Pages 213-218