Perhaps the most famous fictional archaeologist is Stephen Spielberg's Indiana Jones. Dr. Jones is the main character in a variety of action films involving lost artifacts and civilizations, cults, and Nazis. Dr. Jones carries his signature whip and hat, and regularly tussles with a wide variety of armed antagonists. However, the filmmakers took a number of liberties with Dr. Jones' occupation as an archaeologist to make things a bit more interesting for viewers. So, what exactly is archaeology? What do real archaeologists do?

Archaeology is the scientific study of past cultures through analysis of physical remains. Essentially, physical remains are bones of early people as well as their manufactured tools, goods (artifacts), and the foundations of settlements. Archaeologists search for and analyze these remains in order to understand something about the culture of the people that left them. Archaeologists often work closely with historians and anthropologists.