M.J. Rose

Indiana Jones is fictional, but throughout history there have been several adventuresome archaeologists in his magnificent image — here’s a few of them and their stories…

 

7 Archaeologists Who Were Real-Life Indiana Joneses

(from io9)

 

Indiana Jones may not be beloved by real-life archaeologists, but there is one thing that Dr. Jones has in common with many historical archaeological and scientific explorers: he’s lived a very exciting life. Here are some real historical figures who had remarkable adventures and made plenty of discoveries along the way.

 

1. Percy Fawcett, the Adventurer Who Disappeared into the Amazon

 

 

Lt. Colonel Percival Harrison Fawcett was an explorer whose adventures inflamed the imagination of Arthur Conan Doyle, who was inspired to write The Lost World in part because of Fawcett’s field reports from South America. The Royal Geographical Society tapped Fawcett for an expedition to to map the border between Brazil and Bolivia in 1906, and he brought the region to life for readers back home. He wowed them with tales of the “green hell,” of the people who lived there, of the remarkable plans, and of the fearsome animals (although many scientists doubted his claim that he had run into a 62-foot-long anaconda).

 

Fawcett mapped swaths of the jungle for the RGS, but he also dreamed of making archaeological history with a massive discovery. Fawcett’s experiences led him to believe that an advanced civilization could exist in the jungle, and he wrote extensively on his rationale for believing in such a lost city, which he called “Z.”

 

Fawcett made his final expedition to the Amazon, ostensibly in search of the Lost City of Z, in 1925, with his son Jack and Raleigh Rimell. They disappeared, and numerous explorers have attempted to trace their journey and figure out what happened to the trio. Fawcett may be bound for the big screen soon; a movie based on David Grann’s book The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon is in the works. (You can also read Grann’s shorter piece about Fawcett in the New Yorker.)

 

Fawcett actually meets Indiana Jones, at least in fiction. In the novel Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils, Indy is the latest explorer to seek out Fawcett and his fabled city.

 

2. T.E. Lawrence, Better Known as “Lawrence of Arabia”

 

 

Long before Harrison Ford picked up Indiana Jones’ whip and fedora, Peter O’Toole starred in Lawrence of Arabia. Thomas Edward Lawrence was a real person, however, one who was an archaeologist, diplomat, soldier, and spy….

 

For the rest, click here to go to io9.

 

 

 

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