When thinking about archaeology most people think of the Indiana Jones films, the Tomb Raider or Uncharted video games, and novels like James Rollins’ Sigma Force series. These stories generally fall into the action and adventure genres, sometimes crossing over into the world of sci-fi. Archaeology in pop culture is usually presented with there being something mystical behind every artifact and archaeological site. Archaeology as a plot device is not exclusively used for a good adventure story, in fact, archaeology is one of the most common tropes used in the horror genre. From ancient "evil" gods, to cursed relics, to awakening the dead, horror and archaeology seem to go hand-in-hand. Before we proceed further into this world of Archaeo-Horror, be warned: there are potential spoilers for horror films, video games, and literature. I will do my best to avoid major spoilers, but some may be unavoidable in order to address the role archaeology plays in the story. Waking Up Ancient EvilThis is probably the most common use of archaeology in the horror genre. So much so that parody news blog The Onion wrote a whole article about it (see Archaeologists Tired of Unearthing Unspeakable Ancient Evils). Some things that come to mind when you think about this trope are probably mummies, possibly demons, an ancient god, or some form of cursed monster. In a lot of ways this trope falls into the common theme of the "other." Most of these stories take place in other countries, unfamiliar to ourselves, where the characters likely are not originally from either. They are being immersed in a culture that is not theirs, and sometimes the scariest thing is to be in a place far away from home where you have never been before. Scene from the 1999 film The Mummy with Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and John Hannah. From Universal Studios. (Source) The Mummy, in its various iterations, is likely the first movie you think about when you hear, "archaeologists wake up an ancient evil," even though the characters technically are not archaeologists. While the films, especially the superior version with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, are packed with action and adventure, they are scary. A cursed undead creature, who once was a human, is awakened to wreak havoc on the souls that disturbed him. This is an antagonist frequently utilized in Archaeo-Horror. The recently released video game Forewarned, described by many as Phasmophobia for archaeologists, is a good example of this. You and three friends can play a team of archaeologists investigating ancient Egyptian temples and tombs. The game will be the focus of one of the ArchaeoGaming Collective’s live streams for Archtober, and if you tune in, you will hear all of us vehemently state that this is not real archaeology, and it’s more like Tomb Raider. The reason for this is because one of the main features of the game is to basically loot the ruins. Your presence within the ruins, however, awakens an ancient spirit called the Meji. Like in Phasmophobia, you need to collect evidence to figure out which Meji it is. Once you know that, you can enter the inner tomb where you collect an artifact that you will need to take back to your jeep in order to "win" the game. However, the Meji will do everything it can to stop you from leaving the ruins. While viewed as the antagonist, really the Meji is just trying to protect the archaeological site from being looted. Arguably one of the most terrifying stories is The Exorcist, originally a novel written by William Peter Blatty that was adapted into the iconic film in 1973. This story usually doesn’t come to mind when you think of archaeology in horror, because the story predominantly revolves around the demonic possession of 12-year-old Regan MacNeil. The first image that comes to mind is most likely the iconic scene from the film where Regan’s head spins 360 degrees and she projectile vomits over the entire cast of characters attempting to exorcise the demon residing inside of her. However, the story starts with Catholic priest, Lankester Merrin, on an archaeological dig in Iraq excavating the Upper Mesopotamian city of Hatra. Hatra is a real city in Iraq and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site was among several important Assyrian sites vandalized by the Islamic State, with some of the ruins being completely demolished, in 2015. Father Lankester Merrin (portrayed by Max von Sydow) in front of the statue of Pazuzu in The Exorcist (1973). From Warner Bros Pictures. (Source) The opening to The Exorcist story is very important because Merrin and his archaeologist colleagues unearth a sculpture of Pazuzu, an Assyrian god who has links to the underworld but also is considered the king of the wind demons. Pazuzu shows up in a lot of horror stories, and it’s not hard to understand why - he is a scary looking creature. The reveal of the sculpture and statue of Pazuzu is a foreshadowing and to affirm this omen of things to come; as Merrin stands before the god, a gust of wind blows through the site. As the story progresses, we learn that it is Pazuzu who has possessed young Regan and that Father Merrin has a long history with the demon god. Pazuzu remains the main antagonist throughout the entire Exorcist series, and the history between Pazuzu and Merrin is the focus of the two prequel films, Exorcist: The Beginning (released in 2004) and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (released in 2005). Scene from the trailer for The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes video game, showing an underground cavern with a giant statue of Pazuzu. From Supermassive Games. (Source) Pazuzu will also be making an appearance in the third installment of The Dark Pictures Anthology series, House of Ashes, developed by Supermassive Games. In the trailer for the video game released last month, we get glimpses of underground ruins and a giant statue of Pazuzu. The game releases on October 22nd, so not too much is known about the plot. However, it is clear that the story revolves around the U.S. conflict in Iraq and that soldiers find the underground ruins. In Supermassive Games tradition, it is clear that not everything is what it seems and perhaps there is a real Pazuzu living in the ruins. The example of Pazuzu as the "ancient evil" being awakened I think is an important one. He is a god of an ancient culture. Like his counterparts around the world, most gods and goddesses linked to the underworld are often depicted as frightening beings. Gods, goddesses, and other supernatural beings that either are not part of Western culture or are non-Christian, are frequently utilized in order to create fear of other cultures and religions. The role of Pazuzu as the demon that possesses a white American girl and the role of a Catholic priest as the hero is indicative of a long history of demonizing non-Christian gods and spirits in an attempt to make the people who worshipped or believed in these gods/spirits an "other." This process of "othering" led to wars, genocide, and forced conversion. In fact, the destruction of Assyrian sites in Iraq and Syria are the direct result of the "othering" process. The Islamic State justified their vandalism and destruction of archaeological sites because these were "false idols." Cursed Objects and ArtifactsWhile not always necessarily directly connected to archaeology or archaeologists, objects are one of the things we look for when documenting an archaeological site. We refer to these objects as artifacts, but they were often ordinary tools or possessions of the people who left them behind. Every object has a story and can tell us something about the people to whom it belonged. Due to the connection objects have to people, there are strong beliefs about what that could mean for people who take things that are not theirs. The 1982 film Poltergeist comes to mind when you think about how the disregard for past people, their belongings, and their remains causes a person to be cursed. In this case it is enacted by supernatural entities linked to the people buried beneath the new home the Freeling family have moved into. Unbeknownst to the Freelings, the developers who built the Cuesta Verde housing development built the neighborhood at the location of a former historic cemetery. The developers claim they relocated all of the remains and reburied them in another location. This is proven to be a lie when during the climactic end of the movie, human remains and coffins are being forced out of the ground around the Freelings home. The entities are only satisfied once the Freelings have fled and their new home is sucked into an interdimensional portal. Classic ghost stories like M.R. James’ short story A View from a Hill also uses this concept of cursed objects. The story revolves around a pair of very special binoculars, and when one of the protagonists, Fanshawe, looks through them it provides a view into the past but also reveals specters. Fanshawe begins to have nightmares and is disturbed by things he cannot see after his use of the binoculars. It is later revealed to Fanshawe by Squire Henry Richards that the binoculars were made by amateur archaeologist Baxter who used the bones of men killed by hanging in its construction. Looking through the binoculars is literally looking through the eyes of the dead men whose bones they were made from. There are consequences to Baxter’s actions and the ghosts of the hanged men take their revenge on him. It is made clear that Fanshawe is now suffering from attacks by these same ghosts. In order to bring peace to the spirits, Richards buries the binoculars, putting the bones of the dead to rest and ending their cycle of revenge. Sometimes cursed artifacts have greater consequences than just affecting the individual(s) who have taken them. In the first Red Dead Redemption video game, there is a stand-alone expansion called Undead Nightmare. This extra content for the game revolves around John Marston having to fight zombies. The entire world of Red Dead Redemption is plagued by a zombie apocalypse. As Marston, you need to figure out how this happened and how to fix it in order to save your family. As you progress through the storyline, you learn that the apocalypse was potentially caused by con artist Nigel West Dickens and treasure hunter Seth Briars. Both men deny their involvement, but Briars tells Marston he suspects it has something to do with the Aztecs. Marston travels to Nuevo Paraíso, Mexico to find out if there could be some truth to Briars’ suspicions. He discovers that it’s not just the territories in the U.S. affected by the zombie apocalypse, but it has also affected Mexico. Marston learns from Mother Superior Calderón that a woman told her that Abraham Reyes, a character John Marston helps in the main storyline, is responsible for the apocalypse. Marston seeks out this woman and saves her from a zombified Reyes. The woman tells Marston that Reyes caused the zombie plague when he stole an Aztec mask from a tomb and was turned himself when he put on the mask. With the help of the woman, who reveals herself to be the Aztec goddess Ayauhteotl, Marston is able to return the mask to where it belongs, ending the zombie apocalypse. John Marston fleeing a zombie horde in Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare (2010). From Rockstar Games. (Source) While these are just a few examples of how archaeology can be utilized in horror, there are a ton of other stories out there that are worth watching, playing, or reading. Ultimately archaeology as a horror trope can have a lot of negative connotations, such as the demonizing of other cultures and their spirituality, and perpetuating pseudoarchaeology. There are lessons to be learned though through Archaeo-Horror which can be used to educate the public on the importance of protecting archaeological sites. The idea that disturbing archaeological sites could have dire consequences was a way that many cultures tried to protect their heritage and prevent looting. In at least some of the examples given in this article, the "evil" entities are trying to protect their remains or cultural items from being stolen or disturbed. Although these stories did not always protect sites and artifacts from being looted, there was a fear that you could end up with a cursed artifact. There are examples of looters returning stolen artifacts for this very reason. Maybe it’s just a guilty conscience causing torment within the looter’s life, or maybe, just maybe, the spirits of those who the objects belonged to would not rest until their artifacts were returned.
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