Jonathan M. Hall | Archaeology and Myth: Some Reflections

Cases such as the “House of David” stele from Tel Dan, “Amazon” burials in western Russia and Ukraine, the fortifications and first palace of Romulus at the foot of the Palatine hill in Rome, or the tomb of St Peter in the Vatican, to name just a few, have inspired triumphalist claims that the “science” of archaeology has succeeded in proving the historicity of traditions that many had consigned to the field of myth. Such claims, however, betray a fundamental misunderstanding as to the nature and function of myth. Since myth typically exists in a plurality of variants and since the concept of “truthfulness” is generally immaterial to myth’s efficacy, the notion that it can be either proven or disproven by archaeology is deeply problematic. This lecture will offer some reflections on the relationship between archaeology and myth, with particular reference to the controversy surrounding the historicity of the Trojan War. The OI welcomes Jonathan M. Hall, Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor