people who don't know anything about academics: man y'all are stuffy and boring what's up with that? actual academics: *too busy fist-fighting each other over the beryllium problem or the existence of a dentistry profession in ancient egypt to reply*

people who dont know anything about academics: *for some reason have the illusion of everyone in Fancy Academic Clothes doing Boring Research and glossing over Historical Facts Because Historians Dont Like The Truth*

actual academics: someones lying on the floor in a band tshirt they havent changed out of in three days crying over the paper they’re supposed to be writing that was due over a month ago. the whiteboard says “6 hours since our last fight about Whether Silcrete Exists”. someone wants to give their thesis the title “theyre lesbians harold” but cant figure out how to cite a tumblr post as a title because they havent eaten in 48 hours

People who don't know anything about academics: they're keeping this grand conspiracy about these civilizations a secret!!! actual academics: can barely coordinate a time for a Zoom meeting, will infodump about their specialty for hours without prompting

People who don’t know anything about academics: How dare these stuffy scientists ignore this poor random dude who has a Theory That Changes Everything (and conveniently makes him a small fortune by selling books and DVDs about the Theory) Actual academics: Has already patiently explained to 40 different people why the Theory That Changes Everything doesn’t make any sense and is also kinda racist, but nobody is hyping their answer because it doesn’t make anybody money or make them feel extra special.

Also actual academics in this case: *vibrating with the only barely controlled need to throat punch Erich von Däniken the dude hawking the Theory of Racist Lies*

There's another side to this case as well, because people think it means that academics are stuck up elitists who are only interested in hearing from fellow members of the old boys' club.

Whereas I've never personally encountered an academic who was less than supportive, often being actively enthusiastic, about my amateur or hobbyist interest in their field.

Oh absolutely. In all the "wahhh academics are stuck in their ivory towers" talk people utterly fail to recognise the fact that we will literally vibrate with excitement once people express an interest in our field, not in the least because it means we get to chew the cud about something we're passionate about. How can we not love it when someone is equally invested in that topic, just because they don't have an official degree? What's next, I'm not gonna enjoy a cake because the person who made it didn't go to chef school? Don't be daft it's cake.

Worst thing ever in the whole world is when a thunderstorm is forecasted and then it doesn’t storm. literally so rude I was excited for this all day.

Welcome to archaeology. Lesson #1, dirt has a smell. Lesson #2, please ignore the fact that literally everything smells of dirt.

Lesson #3 dirt has a taste. You know this because there is dirt in all of your food no matter how hard you try to prevent it

favorite bits of the cast interviews in the LOTR special features:

realistic indiana jones movies

I think about my ancestors all the time. They were people, people who fell in love, people who had pets, people who had a favorite book, people who were passionate about a specific topic, people who went through their own tragedy and suffering. Every single one of them was a person with their own unique life experiences.

And sometimes I think of the really old ones- the ones who spoke languages that are no longer spoken, who lived alongside wildlife that no longer exist, who belonged to cultures that are only known through remnants of pottery. I think of the people who saw the world when it was wilder and more beautiful.

What is going on with the world??

Jesus…

In a move that has sparked outcry from archaeologists, historians and locals, the Peruvian government has approved a multi-billion international airport near the famed site of Machu Picchu, Peru’s single most important tourist destination. Bulldozers have begun to clear millions of tons of earth for the project, which will be located in Chinchero, a picturesque Inca town.

Building the airport in this location will destroy an ancient landscape, one shaped by the Incan people with terraces and routes.

Critics also suggest that planes flying low over the nearby village of Ollantaytambo and its archaeological park filled with ruins and a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces, would cause incalculable damage to fragile Inca ruins there and destroy the peace and beauty of the area.

The new airport will make access to the site much easier, and thus encourage greater numbers than ever before to visit.

But Machu Picchu is already overwhelmed by almost double the limit of tourists as recommended by UNESCO. [see also India’s Taj Mahal - an incredible site simply reeling under a relentless, ineffectively managed tourist, both domestic and international, onslaught]

It’s the constant battle between protecting the past and profiteering from it.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/may/15/archaeologists-outraged-over-plans-for-machu-picchu-airport-chinchero

What the actual fuck

how about NO

PLEASE REBLOG!

hey! peruvian here

to be completely honest, there is probably nothing anyone can do about this at this point because it has been in the works since the 90’s. as you can most likely tell, our government is a fucking joke. still, this needs international attention. a lot of it. this is my country’s history, culture and one of the most beautiful things we have to offer at risk.

our best bet is at the very least causing somewhat global outrage to spread awareness and perhaps make this into something bigger amongst the middle and upper class people in the central cities as sadly the lower class and indigenous citizens (the majority of the country’s population) go widely ignored by the government and the former (middle and upper class) tend to also ignore shit unless they perceive it as affecting them directly

One of the ballsiest things Tolkien ever did was write 473k words about some hobbits called frodo, sam, merry, and pippin and then write in the appendices that their names are actually maura, ban, kali, and razal. 

This just in: Eowyn and Eomer’s names actually start with the letter “L.” [source for other nerds] 

#wait so they have hobbitish names and common names?

No, they have Westron names and English names.

What you’ve got to understand is that everything Tolkien wrote was him pretending to merely translate ancient documents. He was writing as if the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were actually been written by Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam (or Bilba, Maura, and Ban) and he was just some random contemporary academic translating it all into English for us. 

There are many languages in his books, but generally speaking, everything written in English in the books is a translation of the language “Westron.” Therefore any names that come from Westron, he translated. Names coming from other languages, like Sindarin, he left as they were. Why? IDK. Maybe because the stories are from a hobbit perspective and hobbits speak Westron, so he wanted the Westron parts to sound familiar and the other languages/names to remain foreign? 

“But Mirkwoodest!” you cry, “The word ‘hobbit’ isn’t an English word! And the names Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took, and Meriadoc Brandybuck” all sounds super weird and not like English at all!”

Psych! They are in English! (Or Old English, German, or Norse.) Once again you underestimate what a nerd Tolkien was. Let me break it down: 

In Westron, hobbits are actually called “kuduk,” which means “hole-dweller,” so for an English translation, Tolkien called them “hobbits” which is a modernization of the Old English word “holbytla” which comes from “Hol” (hole) and “Bytla”(builder). 

“Maura” is a Westron name which means “Wise.” Weirdly enough, “Frodo” is an actual Proto-Germanic name that actual people used to have and it means the same thing. 

“Banazîr” is Westron for “half-wise, or simple.” In Proto Germanic, the prefix “Sam” means half, and wise is obviously a word we still use. 

“Razanur” means “Traveler” or “Stranger” which is also the meaning of the word “Peregrin(e)” This one is a twofer because  “Razar” means “a small red apple” and in English so does “Pippin.”

“Kalimac” apparently is a meaningless name in Westron, but the shortened form “Kali” means “happy,” so Jirt decided his nickname would be “Merry” and chose the really obscure ancient Celtic name “Meriodoc” to match. 

Jirt chose to leave “Bilba” almost exactly the same in English, but he changed the ending to an “O” because in Westron names ending in “a” are masculine. 

I’m not going to go on and talk about the last names but those all have special meanings too (except Tûk, which is too iconic to change more than the spelling of, apparently). 

The Rohirrim were also Westron speakers first and foremost, so their names are also “translations” into Old English and Proto-Germanic words, i.e. “Eowyn”  is a combination of “Eoh” (horse) and “Wynn” (joy/bliss). 

“Rohirrim/Rohan” are Sindarin words, but in the books, they call themselves the “Éothéod” which is an Old English/Norse combo that means “horse people.” Tolkien tells us in the “Peoples of Middle Earth” that the actual Westron for “Éothéod” is Lohtûr, which means that Eowyn and Eomer’s names, which come from the same root word, must also start with the letter L. 

The names of all the elves, dwarves, Dunedain, and men from Gondor are not English translations, since they come from root words other than Westron. 

The takeaway from this is that when a guy whose first real job was researching the history and etymology of words of Germanic origin beginning with the letter “W” writes a book, you can expect this kind of tomfoolery.

Notes: Sorry I said “Razal” instead of “Razar” in my original post I’m a fraud. 

Further Reading: 

Rohirric , Westron 

I’m having a stroke

Tolkien was the most extra son of a bitch my goodness

This is why C.S. Lewis wanted to punch Tolkien in the face sometimes. 

In the great hierarchy of nerds, Tolkien remains at the very top.

No one can top Tolkien.

pretend? pretend to translate????

… who is Jirt?

Omg I’ve seen the top part of this post countless times on Pinterest without ever realising it was yours!

Lmao, my claim to fame!

Tolkien Fandom?

Out of curiosity, how many of us are there? Feel free to reblog if you read the books/watch the films :)

Seems a small fandom on tumblr, relatively?

naaaah 

we show up when we’re needed the most

We are neither late, nor are we early. We arrive precisely when we mean to.

Are there enough of us to break the notes?

If by my life or death I can increase the notes, I will. You have my reblog.

And my reblog

We’re still strong!

Aurë entuluva!

We have not yet gone into the West ;)

One does not simply NOT reblog this post

You have my reblog

There may come a day where I don’t reblog this

Seems like a challenge 😉

https://twitter.com/archeometrie/status/1170031822614474752?s=12

Classic rock

hwhat is that man doing when there are bangers like this to be played on lithophone

The sounds of the forest in the dark used to put you on edge, when you were a new traveler. Every snap of a twig and call of an animal set your heart pounding. 

But time has passed, and your fear has long since dissolved. You know you have little to fear from these sounds, and they have even come to comfort you. After all, it is easier to sleep when you know you are not alone in the dark

PETITION HERE

what the FUCK

HOW MANY FUCKING HERITAGE SITES DO THEY WANT TO DESTROY THIS YEAR?

Please, please, PLEASE help sign this petition! You can sign even if you’re outside the UK!

Commenting to confirm that this is from 2020.

THEY WANT TO WHAT!?!?!

They need at least another 3,000 to make their goal... In four days

Please, please, please sign and share! Even if you aren't religious. Stonehenge is such a historical place that needs to be treasured!!!

@chaotic-archaeologist @midden-maiden @museums-etc @museumably @archaeologicalnews @archae-heart @archaeologistproblems @archaeology-cowboy

I held off on reblogging this, because as an archaeological consultant I know sometimes development projects can get misinterpreted.

But, if Mike Parker Pearson says we’ve got a problem, then we’ve probably got a problem.

look i call myself queer for a couple of reasons, not all immediately obvious to the "queer is a slur" crowd.

like there's the immediate implication of this does not require me to explain my labels to you, but also the secondary implication of my existence as a radical statement. when queer people started calling themselves queer, it was an act of public defiance and rebellion.

queer says I don't need to justify myself to you or anyone, queer says I exist and I won't shut up about it, queer says we are a community and you cannot draw arbitrary dividing lines between us. queer is a good word for queer people.

when I find people who call themselves queer, I know they are the ones who won't try to say anyone doesn't belong in our community, that they will defend gay rights with trans rights, that they will stand up against the oppression that we all face, even if it doesn't affect them directly.

so yeah, i love being queer, calling myself queer, talking about the queer community, queer studies and queer theory and queer history. and I'm not going to stop because some of you think it's a slur.

I love how Viggo Mortensen who plays Aragorn is decribed by the other actors as being this very gentlemany, polite, well-mannered sort of person who just goes absolutely feral at times

like here’s a list of things Viggo Mortensen did :

now the only thing I can imagine is Aragorn being his nice mysterious self and just randomly thinking to himself “you know, I bet I could actually throw Frodo to the other side of that cliff” and Legolas just standing by like “hm, it would probably maybe be wise to not do this” and Gandalf rushing in like  “Aragorn no. put him down. Put . the. hobbit down.” while Aragorn is seemingly trying to fling the crucial ring-bearer from the edge of a mountain for no good reason

and Aragorn just being like “oh okay, maybe next time ” and then going back to his usual composed self

Frodo: do it. throw me off the cliff, you coward.

For Those Brave Souls Attempting to Write Medieval Fantasy

Clothing Regulations imposed by the Sumptuary laws of 1363:

Status: Lords with lands worth £1000 annually, and their families.

What they may wear: No restrictions

Status: Knights with lands worth 400 marks (£266 13s 4d) annually, and their families.

What they may wear: May dress at their will, except they may wear no weasel fur, Ernie, or clothing of precious stones other than the jewels in women’s hair.

Status: Knights with lands worth 200 marks (£133 6s 8d) annually, and their families.

What they may wear: Fabric worth no more than 6 marks (£4) for the whole cloth; no cloth of gold, nor a cloak, mantle, or gown lined with pure miniver; sleeves of ermine or any material embroidered with precious stones; women may not wear ermine or weasel fur, or jewels except those worn in their hair.

Status: Esquires with land worth £200 per year and merchants with goods to the value of £1000 and their families.

What they may wear: Fabric worth no more than 5 marks (£3 6s 8d) for the whole cloth; they may wear cloth of silk and silver, or anything decorated with silver; women may wear miniver but not ermine or weasel fur, or jewels except those worn in their hair.

Status: Esquires, gentlemen with £100 per year and merchants with good to the value of £500 and their families.

What they may wear: Fabric worth no more than 41/2 marks (£3) for the whole cloth; no cloth of gold, silk, or silver, no embroidery, no precious stones or fur.

Status: Yeomen and their families

What they may wear: Fabric worth no more than 40s (£2) for the whole cloth; no jewels, gold, silver, embroidery, enamelware, or silk; no fur except lamb, rabbit, cat, or fox; women not to wear a silk veil.

Status: Servants and their families

What they may wear: Fabric worth no more than 2 marks for the whole cloth; no gold, silver, embroidery, enamelware, or silk; women not to wear a veil worth more than 12d

Status: Carters, plowmen, drivers of plows, ox herds, cowherds, swineherds, dairymaids, and everyone else working on the land who does not have 40s of goods.

What they may wear: No cloth except blanket and russet at 12d per ell, belts of linen (rope)

Source: The Time Traveler’s Guide To Medieval England by Ian Mortimer