In this episode, Ruby is joined by Hélène Maloigne—archaeologist, historian, and cultural-heritage scholar—to explore how cinema has shaped our collective imagination of archaeology. From Indiana Jones and Lara Croft to National Treasure and Jumanji, screen archaeologists have become some of popular culture’s most enduring—and misleading—adventurers.

Hélène, whose work spans ancient West Asia, the history of archaeology, and its entanglements with colonialism and popular media, lifts the curtain on why the rugged, puzzle-cracking hero bears little resemblance to real, collaborative fieldwork. Together, Ruby and Hélène trace how on-screen myths—deciphered scripts, secret chambers, lone geniuses—feed conspiracy thinking, from crystal skulls to “ancient aliens,” and how these stories erase local knowledge while propping up the white-saviour trope.

They delve into questions of representation and responsibility: who “discovers” the past, who gets to keep it, and how museums and mandates turned objects into imperial trophies. The conversation ranges from interwar publicity machines (BBC radio talks, newspaper exclusives) to today’s debates on restitution and the ethics of displaying human remains—asking what we gain from spectacle versus respectful stewardship.

The episode also contrasts British small-screen gentleness—Detectorists, The Dig—with global counter-portrayals, including Jackie Chan’s professor-hero (The Myth, Kung Fu Yoga, The Legend), where cooperation and repatriation take centre stage. Along the way, Hélène spotlights overlooked women in the field and the invisible labour that makes archaeology possible.

Whether you’re a film buff, museum-goer, or historian, this conversation reveals how the cinematic archaeologist tells us as much about modern power, empire, and entertainment as it does about the ancient world.

Find out more about Hélène's work here:

Bluesky: @hmaloigne.bsky.social

Read the journal here:

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cerh20/current

Follow the journal here:

Bluesky: @EuroReviewHist

Threads:@EuroReviewHistory

Instagram: @euroreviewhistory

Blog: www.euroreviewhistory.com

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