Since the release of the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark (later titled Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) in 1981, archaeology has acquired a popular image as a pseudoscience more focused on adventures than on science. Dear readers, this is not actually the case. So, what is archaeology? Before defining it, we need to talk about its subject of study, which is history. History is the science that studies man through time (Bloch, 2013). But history focuses on studying texts; in other words, written samples of our passage through earth; and writing emerged around the third millennium BC in the Near East, so everything that happened before cannot be covered by history. In fact, even what it does cover is uncertain, as texts are always written by people with power and wealth, and thus may be exaggerated or altered. Without archaeology, prehistoric societies would not have been known, and there would be societies like the Egyptian, Sumerian, or Aztec that would remain unknown or almost unknown without archaeology.
Here comes the difference between both disciplines. Archaeology is the study of the past through material remains. According to some authors, this science answers the question "Who are we?", so we can say that it is the science that helps us discover our identity (Johnson, 2000). In any case, what we can be sure of is that it is an interdisciplinary science and those who study it are scientists who, beyond exploring lost temples with great treasures (as Indiana Jones shows us), really do pure science.
Well, what's the point of all this?
The question always arises as to why archaeology is useful. It’s a perpetual question among those who don't know archaeology and even among archaeologists themselves. Explaining its importance could fill entire rivers with ink and books, so here's a small analogy for you to understand it better. Imagine that you get your dream job but in a city you've never been to before. On the first day, as you walk around the city, you encounter a problem. You need to go to work but find yourself at a crossroads. There are two streets: one on the left which according to Google is a longer route and will take more time, and another on the right that's shorter and direct but much narrower.
You obviously choose the street on the right. You walk down it and halfway through, a thief comes out of a building and robs you. The next day, you need to go back to work and find yourself at the same crossroads again.
Now, knowing that taking the one on the right will lead you to the thief who robbed you halfway through, would you still choose it? Most people would say no because they learned from their past experience; in other words, from history. That's the usefulness of history, but simplified to a much smaller scale. Nonetheless, archaeology is often associated with digging up ancient artifacts and buildings from the ground, two things that are always said to be "of little use to society." This is false.
Firstly, because they're not useless objects: in Egypt, mummies were found with signs of having undergone cancer surgery (Tondini et al., 2024, p.6), a discovery that can greatly help modern medicine. And secondly, because we don't just dig up seemingly useless things; we also do great social work.
Social Work in Archaeology: Víznar
Here I'm going to talk about a project that I've collaborated on over the past year: the excavation of mass graves in the Barranco de Víznar, here in Granada. During the three years of the civil war (1936-1939), many executions took place on both sides of the battle line, but for this work we focus on those carried out by the rebel side.
Here in Granada, we must mention the actions of Commander José Valdés, who held the civil government during the war and was famous for his indiscriminate cruelty.
Between 1936 and 1951, a total of 7176 crimes related to the war were prosecuted, some of which included: 1151 cases of "adherence to rebellion", 12 cases of being a "red fugitive" (and yes, it's written exactly like that in official documents), 8 cases of "treason", 3466 cases of "aiding the rebellion," etc. Many of these crimes were punished with death, although most were sentenced to prison terms (Cámara, 2014).
With all these registered crimes, a group of archaeologists from the University of Granada led by Francisco Carrión Méndez, professor in the Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, surveyed the area around Víznar Barranco, north of Granada city. There they located several mass graves that are still being excavated today with the aim of giving family members of victims the possibility to bury their relatives killed during the war and subsequent repression. In the 2024 excavations, a total of 39 individuals were identified (Méndez & García, 2024). These individuals are taken to an old mill in the village where the team set up its field laboratory, and they are studied by professional forensic anthropologists.
In the process, a DNA sample is taken which is sent to the Genetics Laboratory at the University of Granada for further sampling and comparison with the DNA we have from living relatives. After conducting tests, the remains are put at the disposal of the city council, who will return them to families once they know the results of the DNA tests. We are therefore engaged in a great social work effort. Undoubtedly, this work that we do in Víznar helps heal old wounds and is an excellent way to give voice to those who have been silenced throughout history.
Final Conclusions
What I wanted to reflect on with everything I've written in this article is that archaeology is useful and also covers a social role. In the case of Spain, we are the archaeologists, along with other professionals, who strive to give dignity to people killed during the war which took place between 1936 and 1939. It's our mission to bring peace to families that almost 100 years after the war still haven't been able to bury their loved ones.
But moving away from the Spanish Civil War, we cannot underestimate the work we do in other areas. Nothing would be known about Mesopotamian or prehistoric history without archaeology. We also serve to change social paradigms. Without archaeology, it would still be thought that women in prehistory had only the function of reproducing. Archaeologists don't just create history; they also save history that seems to have been forgotten.
Bibliography
Bloch, M. (2013). Introduction to History. Madrid: Breviarios.
Cámara, J. H. (2014). Repression and Death in the Province of Granada: 1936-1950 (Volume I). Mojácar: Arráez Editores, S.L.
Johnson, M. (2000). Theoretical Archaeology: An Introduction. Barcelona, Spain: Ariel Historia.
Méndez, F. C., & García, D. Q. (2024). Archaeological and Anthropological Report of the Prospection, Localization, Excavation, and Exhumation Work in Víznar Barranco. Granada: Junta de Andalucía.
Tondini, T., Isidro, A., & Camarós, E. (2024). Case Report: Boundaries of Oncological and Traumatological Medical Care in Ancient Egypt: New Paleopathological Insights from Two Human Skulls. Frontiers in Medicine, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1371645
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