Archaeology and the Public essays

Archaeology and the Public essays American society throughout the past century has been highly influenced by the continuous and almost predictable routine that the National Graphic Magazine has developed over its hundredth year of publication in 1988. As the credible all-American geographical information database, the National Geographic attempts to create themes idolizing the thrill of seeking historical treasures and remains and at the same time portray the cultural differences that span the globe. Though the times have drastically changed over the past hundred years, the subject matter the National Geographic Magazine uses usually combine a number of the following themes: cultural expansion and transformation, discovery of the unknown, personal ambitions, informational resourcefulness, patronage of American values and democracy, international cooperation, and obviously preservation of historical evidence and treasures of ancient civilizations. In this way, the National Geographic Magazine could be responsible for the manipulation of stories to provide the most interesting and visually stimulating presentation possible. While the primary principle of the magazine is absolute accuracy, the secondary principles pertain to stories featuring only pleasant non-partisan views, and avoid cultural criticism, specifically with information relating to values and religion. The National Geographic Magazine mirrors the path America has taken to reach the point that we are at today. This can be explained for multiple reasons, including the service of political and military figures as directors of the National Geographical society, informational contributions regarding national and international policy, and through sharing the databases of maps and photographs with government sectors. In Joan Geros and Dolores Roots, Public presentations and private concerns: archaeology in the pages of National Geographic the coverage of...