What an Archaeologist is and isn’t: A guide for Venture mains
With everyone’s favourite non-binary archaeologist making their way into Overwatch this week with the launch of Season 10, I thought I’d take this opportunity to help clear up exactly what an archaeologist like Venture is, and more importantly isn't.
As for why I’m talking about this. I have a degree in Archaeology and Ancient History, and while I (like most people with a humanities degree) don’t work in anything remotely related to that field, I did still learn about that subject.
So in this post I’ll go through some of the other professions/disciplines that are often conflated with archaeology, and explain the differences between them.
And just because I’m a nerd for etymology. I’m also going to include an explanation of the origin and meaning of the professions that archaeology isn’t too.
An archaeologist isn’t a geologist
Geo = Earth
Logos = speech, thought, study
So geology is the science of the earth.
Pretty much as soon as we saw the character design for Venture, the joke that they eat rocks has been a huge part of the community reaction to the new hero.
And while I wouldn’t want to spoil anyone’s fun (in this specific situation) I feel compelled to point out rocks aren’t the main focus of archaeology. Geologists study rocks, whereas archaeologists are mostly only interested in rocks that tell us something about humans in the past.
For example, these Ice-Age hand axes unearthed in Kent:
Making and using tools is one of the things that distinguished early human ancestors from similar apes. Which is the point at which archaeologists get interested. Anything before that we leave for the paleontologists.
Speaking of which…
An archaeologist isn’t a palaeontologist
Thanks to John over at the Journal of Scientific Shitposting Facebook group for this
Palaios = old/ancient
Ontos = being, creature
Logos = speech, thought, study
So palaeontology is the study of very old creatures.
The difference between the two is that archaeologists are looking for stuff related to humans and human civilisation, while palaeontology looks at life more broadly, covering ancient plants and animals.
An archaeologist isn’t a treasure hunter
Ask someone to name a famous archaeologist, and they’ll probably say either Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. And as fun as their adventures may be, they aren’t very good archaeologists. They’re definitely more treasure hunters than they are archaelogists.
Although Indy gets some credit for getting his doctorate and occasionally doing some teaching when he isn’t punching Nazis and dodging boulders
In fact during my degree we had a lecture specifically devoted to explaining all the ways that real archaeology is very much unlike those action movies. As well as comparing it to the delightfully bonkers BBC series Bonekickers, which I love deeply and felt compelled to mention.
From the lore information we’ve got regarding Venture, they definitely seem to be the Indiana Jones type of swashbuckling adventurous archaeologist.
We can only hope that in between raiding tombs and punching Omnics Venture finds the time to write up and publish their observations from their unusual fieldwork… Well in my headcanon they do anyway.