Nation: a large body of people who see themselves as similar in terms of language andcustom, and which share a territory that they control politically (or that they seek tocontrol politically)

Oct. 15th: Nationalism and Archaeology

Mid term exam grade distribution: A: 59B: 46C: 25D: 21E: 13

Two thirds of classgot As or Bs

Can youfind Yugoslavia?

Yugoslavia in 1990

Yugoslavia in 2006

(Already out ofdate! Montenegrois now independentof Serbia, and so isKosovo, mostly)

Nationalism:Patriotism on steroids

When pride in one’s nation leads to prejudice against outsiders

Usually, nationalism is coupled with racism

Nation: a large body of people who see themselves as similar in terms of language andcustom, and which share a territory that they control politically (or that they seek tocontrol politically)

How does archaeology intersect with nationalism?

Archaeology came into being because of nationalism

Christian Thomsen (1784-1856), DanishFounder of modern archaeology

Three-age systemIron Age

Bronze AgeStone Age

Denmark, like France, was a big loserin the Napoleonic wars.

The Danes were humiliated, and neededsomething to be proud of.

So they turn to archaeology: this is whyThomsen was hired in the first place

How does nationalism lead tothe origin of archaeology?

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

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

Rhodesia

Mexican flag: The central icon is taken from Aztec mythology

Mexican 100peso bill,showing anAztec rulerand his mummybundle

Mexican currency making use of the glorious Aztec past

100 peso billshowing the lastAztec ruler:Cuauhtemoc

10 peso billshowing afamous Aztecsculpture: theCoyolxauhquiStone.

Coyolxauhqui stone:found in Mexico cityIn 1978.

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

Mexico uses the past to add a sense of glorious prehistoric roots to contemporary Mexicannational identity.

How is this a (mild) case distortion?

A more extreme form of distortion:

What did Shinichi Fujimura do?

Shinichi Fujimura

Why did he do it?

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

4) Archaeologists are often tempted by nationalism. This is what is sometimescalled the Faustian bargain, or the deal with the devil: you compromise your standardsin return for money, fame, power, whatever

Common features and consequences of the relation between Nationalism and Archaeology

3) Nationalist distortions of the past are usually the worst when a nation is undergoingdifficulties or a crisisof identity

GOOD EXAMPLE THAT SHOWS ALL FOUR OF THESE: Germany 1919-1945

National Socialist party = Nazis

The dedicatory quote for Kossinna’s 1921 book German Prehistory, a Preeminently NationalDiscipline: “To the German people, as a building block in the reconstruction of the internalas well as external fatherland."

Gustav Kossinna (1858-1931) Kulturkreis: identify ethnic groups based on artifacts

To make Germans feel better about themselves, the Nazis turn to archaeology

Two very potent ideas from Kossinna 1) Ancient Germans were superior 2) Ancient Germans had settled all over Europe

Kossinna’s vision of racially superiorancient Germans (1500 BC)

1) Justification for elimination of non-Aryan races2) Justification for military conquest of Europe

Huge consequences of these two ideas

Symbol of SSsecret police(Schutzstaffel)

Symbolof Nazi party

Runes

Swastika: Bronze Age Indo-European

sun symbol

“Keep your eyes open, for every fellow German cancontribute to this important project! Do not assumethat a ceramic vessel is useless because it falls apartduring excavations. Carefully preserve even thesmallest fragment!”

Heinrich Himmler, commander of SS

In 1933, when Hitler and the National Socialists came to power,they made a huge investment in archaeology of Germany.

Aspects of this investment…

Hitler visiting a recreation of a Bronze Age Burial

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

--Sidetracked by comical searches for things like the Holy Grail

--Implausible claims about ancient, pagan German religion, such as sun worship

1) Externsteine

--Suppression of evidence that did not conform to Nazi dogma of German superiority

2) Thingstatte

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

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)

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

Ernst Wahle: German archaeologist whocriticized Nazi archaeology as fraudulent

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)

--The past can have a deep impact:it can lead to the loss of lives.

What is the lesson in the end?

--German archaeology lost face. Few people trusted them after the war.