FROM INDIANA JONES TO LORA CROFT or the Changing Role of Archaeology in the Modern World

Rasa ČEPAITIENĖ

The article reviews the development of archaeological science after the crisis that occurred in the 1960s, which lead to many conceptual changes. While accenting the social significance of archaeology, it considers the situation and significance of archaeology in modern society. It especially focuses on the problems of interpreting the archaeological heritage. It reveals how archaeological objects and knowledge were used in previous eras and how a transition from their nationalistic use to a socially responsible one occurred prior to the contemporary manifestations of the commercialisation of the archaeological heritage.

The text focuses quite a bit of attention on a review of Lithuanian archaeology in order to spotlight parallels and differences with the development of this science in Western countries.