The Archaeological Film Database was created in August 2005 by Ruth Tringham in association with UC Berkeley Archaeology and the Media courses. Films of all genres are included and subjected to the same criteria of critical analysis of Media Literacy. The films are about the documentation and the interpretation of the products as well as the process of archaeological research.
What sets this database apart is that there are critical analyses written by archaeologists (including students and avocational enthusiasts) that follow Media Literacy criteria, including analysis of authorship, funding, distribution, sub-texts, and the impact on changing audiences in terms of the construction of the past. The database is aimed at educators and lifelong learners who believe in the mutual interdependence of critical analysis and hands-on practice to increase critical awareness and creative satisfaction from the media sources through which the academic enterprise and popular culture can be merged.
You can read more details including the theoretical basis of media literacy in:
Ruth Tringham (in press) “Making the Most of the Medium of Film to Create Alternative Narratives about the Past and its Investigation". Paper presented at the Kinéon Festival and Conference of Archaeological Film November 2009, Brussels, Belgium. Download pre-print version
