Archaeologists being baffled is such a trope in British headlines that it is really annoying many of us. Just Google the phrase to see how many headlines that are that start with that construction.
In fact, it’s such a common topic of humour among archaeologists that archaeologist-cum-stand-up-comedian Matthew Knight has a show about it at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
Bewildered. Stumped. Baffled. Just some of the words typically used to describe archaeologists when their discoveries make headlines. But contrary to popular belief, archaeologists don’t (often) spend their days wandering around confused by the ancient burials, monuments and hoards they encounter. Sure, people in the past did weird things like burying heaps of metal in the ground, but so do people in the present.
Dr Matthew Knight (National Museums Scotland) explores some of these weird and wonderful prehistoric activities and asks: are archaeologists truly as baffled as they seem?
