ABSTRACT
I am not sure whether a concern for popular culture among archaeologists is a sign of self-confidence in the discipline, or of self-doubt. Are we so sure of our ground that we can take alternative views and interpretations of the past in our stride, or are we too aware that our own archaeological and ‘scientific’ approaches are subject to popular attitudes and fashions, and that there is no such thing as ultimate truth? Are we just one of a number of interest groups fighting for dominance in interpreting the past (and not necessarily winning)? I fear it may be the latter.
