#Who are Forensic Archaeologists

[forensicfield]

Forensic Archaeology: An Overview

Archaeology is simply the study of past remains and it’s recovery, analysis for the information. In other words is the study of the ancient and recent human past through material remains that may aged up to millions of years. The application of ....

Continue reading Forensic Archaeology: An Overview

[morbidology]

The haunting question "Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?" has perplexed and fascinated the public since 1943, when the skeletal remains of an unidentified woman were discovered inside a hollow tree in Hagley Wood, Worcestershire, England.

On April 18, 1943, four young boys—Bob Farmer, Fred Payne, Thomas Willetts, and Bob Hart—were exploring Hagley Wood, part of the Hagley Hall estate owned by Lord Cobham. In the course of their exploration, the boys came across a large wych elm tree. Curiosity led one of them to peer inside the hollow trunk, where he discovered what appeared to be a human skull, complete with some strands of hair and teeth.

Frightened by their grisly find, the boys initially kept the discovery to themselves, fearing they would get into trouble for trespassing. However, the secret proved too heavy to bear, and one of the boys eventually confided in his parents, who contacted the police.

When authorities arrived at the scene, they retrieved the nearly complete skeleton of a woman, along with fragments of clothing, a shoe, and a gold wedding ring. The woman’s right hand was missing, later found buried nearby. The skeletal remains were sent to Professor James Webster, a forensic pathologist, who estimated that the woman had been dead for about 18 months, placing her death around October 1941.

Professor Webster's examination revealed that the woman was around 35 years old, 5 feet tall, with irregular teeth, including a distinctive dental feature—a missing front tooth. He suggested that she had been dead for approximately 18 months before her discovery and that she had likely been placed in the tree shortly after her death, as the small hollow would have made it difficult to fit her body after rigor mortis had set in.

The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation, possibly due to being suffocated or strangled, although the exact circumstances remained unclear. Despite extensive investigations, the police were unable to identify the woman. Missing person reports were checked, dental records were examined, but no match was found.

The case took an strange turn in late 1943, when graffiti began appearing in the West Midlands area. The first message, written in chalk on a wall in Upper Dean Street, Birmingham, read: "Who put Luebella down the wych-elm?" Subsequent messages shortened and refined the name to "Bella," and variations of the phrase "Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?" began appearing on walls and buildings across the region.

The identity of the graffiti artist remains unknown, but the messages suggested that someone knew more about the woman’s identity or her fate than they had revealed.

Over the years, numerous theories have emerged regarding the identity of "Bella" and the circumstances of her death. Some of the most prominent theories include:

Witchcraft: One theory suggests that Bella may have been killed as part of a black magic ritual. The removal of her hand, a practice known as the "Hand of Glory" in folklore, lent some credence to this idea. The Hand of Glory was believed to possess magical powers, often associated with witchcraft and sorcery. However, there is little concrete evidence to support this theory.

Espionage: Another theory posits that Bella was a spy during World War II. This idea gained traction in the 1950s, when Margaret Murray, an anthropologist and archaeologist, suggested that Bella could have been involved in espionage, possibly as a Nazi spy. Some speculated that she might have been a German cabaret singer and spy named Clara Bauerle, who had parachuted into the area during the war and was killed after her cover was blown. However, no concrete evidence has been found to confirm this theory, and Clara Bauerle's records suggest she died in Berlin in 1942.

Romani Connections: Some researchers have suggested that Bella might have been part of a Romani group or a traveler community. This theory is based on the fact that many Romani people lived in the area during the 1940s, and some witnesses reported seeing gypsies in Hagley Wood around the time of Bella's presumed death. However, like the other theories, this remains speculative.

Local Knowledge: There are suggestions that the graffiti artist had local knowledge and possibly knew more about the case than the police were able to uncover. The use of the name "Bella" might indicate that someone in the community recognized her, but chose to remain anonymous.

Despite extensive investigations, the true identity of Bella and the circumstances surrounding her death remain unknown. The case was reopened several times, and modern forensic techniques have been suggested to re-examine the remains and the evidence, but so far, these efforts have not provided definitive answers.

[anticapitalistclown]

Lookism Characters as Archaeologists pt.1

Jake, Eli, Johan, Samuel, Daniel, Yujin/Eugene

Jake

Specialization: Classical Archaeology

He romanticizes being an archaeologist, which makes working with him a dream job.

He knows all his workmates names and remembers all the students who spend a week on internship with his team.

He's straightforward and does what he thinks is more suitable on his research even if it means not keeping some strata in order to reach the most ancient one.

He does not teach, prefers to spend the day on the fields.

Has written some cool articles about remarkable warriors.

Didn't want to be an excavations' director but somehow ended up being a good one.

There's a rumor that he infiltrated in a black market in order to retrieve some stolen archaeological artifacts from smugglers.

Eli

Specialization: Forensic Archaeology

(Duties of archaeologists in this field of archaeology include collecting evidences like human burials, artifacts, footprints, tool-marks, etc., and trying to figure out the situation in which a particular crime might have happened; and to ascertain the influences on the remains of external factors that may have disturbed the crime scene).

His cold mindset made him the best on this field.

He teaches at the laboratories and side eyes the students who find gross touching real bones.

Keeps a file of plenty of different types of burials, sacrifices and traces of violence of the bones.

Shares laboratory with Johan.

He gets hyperfocused when a crime scene seems to be impossible to decipher.

He works more on the laboratory than the field.

When he was a student he destroyed a lot of evidence by mistake, improved trough practice.

Johan

Specialization: Zooarchaeology

(Also known as faunal analysis, is a branch of archaeology that studies remains of animals from archaeological sites).

There's a rumor that he cried when he found out a 4000-year-old dog died by a human weapon.

He's the best at his field but awful at tutoring, he doesn't have the patience to deal with students so Eli and other lab workers have to replace him on the teaching.

Has to be reminded once in a while that archaeology is a collaborative and multidisciplinary discipline.

Has made some internships cry.

He is the one who causes less damage to the bones making some restorers jealous.

Zack, Jake and Daniel forced him to participate on their excavations.

Samuel

Specialization: Prehistoric Archaeology

Joined this field because it was the hardest but the most well paid, doesn't mind the toxic ambience, he fuels it.

He is the strictest, never accepts he's wrong and avoids teaching newbies.

There's a rumor that he started a fistfight with Eli because of a debate about a burial ceremony.

He has good eye on the cutting techniques.

You have an only opportunity to make a good impression on him, if not you can say goodbye to work with him.

Talk about the survival methods and you have his attention.

Daniel

Specialization: Ethnoarchaeology

(Ethnoarchaeology is the science that deals with the ethnographic investigation of living communities in order to acquire knowledge of the past).

Joined motivated to understand the human conduct and because he was a fan of Indiana Jones since a kid.

His workplace is really tidy and organized, has a shelf with ceramics and fossils displayed on his office, so students can admire when tutoring.

None knows why, but he always ends up on the other archaeologists messes (infiltrated with Jake in a black market, got caught in the Samuel vs Eli fistfight, went to ask Gun for an artifact and ended up working with him).

A lot of students joined archaeology because had a crush on him.

He's a rookie yet has made a name for himself inside the community.

Eugene

Specialization: Quantitative Analysis Archaeology

None knows why there's this branch and why he does it, yet since he's the only one who knows how to use it, everyone depends on him.

Has never stepped in a field nor grabbed a shovel.

Loves to fail his students, says things like "you can try next year, if you succeed".

There's a rumor that his predecessor confused him for a student on his first day of teaching, and he cut his (the predecessor) car's brakes.

Only corrects his students essays so he can diss them.

[blueiscoool]

Ancient Roman Elite Necropolis Discovered in Italy

A two-year dig to install a solar power plant near Rome has unearthed an ancient Roman necropolis containing 67 skeletons buried in 57 ornate tombs.

Archaeologists were baffled by the find — thought to date between the second and fourth centuries — not least because the skeletons were discovered wearing golden jewelry and expensive leather footwear, inside tombs designed to resemble their homes.

The discovery, on a 52-acre patch of land close to the ancient city of Tarquinia, north of Rome, was a surprise to authorities, despite the area being renowned for such findings.

Silver rings with amber and engraved initials, precious stones, terracotta pottery, coins, shiny glasses, amulets and even items of clothing were found alongside the golden necklaces and earrings.

“We found several skeletons still wearing their expensive stockings and shoes,” Emanuele Giannini, lead excavation archaeologist at the site said. “All these riches, and the fact that the bones show no sign of stress or physical labor, (leads us to believe) these weren’t local farmers, but upper-crust members of Roman families coming from cities.”

Giannini said techniques of “pre-emptive archaeology” such as field surveys and trial trenches were used to identify potentially ancient constructions below ground.

“We did have a faint idea that some treasure could lie there, as historical sources mentioned the location of a postal station for travelers near the site,” explained Giannini. “Many Romans would stop (here) for the night to eat and rest, but the magnitude of the discovery is unmatched.”

The diversity of funerary objects laid near the remains, and the luxurious designs and linings inside the tombs, have led archaeologists to believe that the occupants wanted to recreate heavenly spaces similar to their earthly homes. The interior of many tombs originally featured elaborate cloth linings, or were surrounded and covered by tiles or terracotta pieces like little houses.

Giannini said another astounding aspect is that most of the discovered tombs were communal — built for at least two occupants who likely shared a family link. A few skeletons were found wrapped around each other.

“Building tombs for entire family nuclei is a typical ancient Roman trait,” he said, “but these are outstanding in their inner decor, which shows wealth and status.”

The shallow tombs were found just 20 inches below the surface — almost popping out of the grass — yet nobody had ever noticed anything peculiar.

The site’s unique state of preservation has been attributed to the fact that “huge limestone blocks that stick out of the ground (made) ploughing, seeding and modern farming impossible in the area,” said Giannini. “It has remained untouched (for) centuries.”

Findings from the dig, which started in 2022, are being preserved as they’re found and many are going on show at the castle of Santa Severa in the coastal town of Santa Marinella. The skeletons however, are being analyzed to determine their origins and will not be put on display until forensic tests have been carried out.

Whatever their genesis, authorities are certain more hidden wonders will come to light as digs for the solar park move to another nearby site.

“We are excavating a huge rural area to redevelop the land and are balancing the need to avoid ruining such unique wonders with the goal of boosting clean energy production,” Margherita Eichberg, art heritage superintendent of the provinces of Viterbo and southern Etruria for Italy’s Culture Ministry said. The area where the necropolis has been discovered will not form part of the solar park and will be cordoned off for safety reasons, without public access.

“This is the fascination and beauty of Italy: Each time there’s a dig, incredible wonders from the past come out of the ground which need to be preserved.”

By Silvia Marchetti.

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Hey mystery! Time to flex the big brain of yours with a science question. I’m sure that you’re familiar with the recent change in ages for Sonic and co. All of their ages were removed. So my question to you is how old would Sonic and his friends be since he’s now meant to be seen as TEENAGER?

Hello, my dear!❤️✨

This is a very interesting question. And I say that because it's a very... controversial (?) topic in the fandom at the moment. For those of you who are not familiar with the matter, the ages for many characters on their Sonic Channel bios were removed back in October (Bevan, 2022). Even characters like Vector and Rouge, who have notoriously been viewed as adults in canon, do not have a defined age anymore. This was a decision made by SEGA of Japan (SoJ) to keep the characters ambiguous with ages. For some characters, we can still infer that they’re strictly teenagers, like Sonic (Game Informer, 2022. 05:00 to 05:08). Maybe a little bit older, but not by much. It could range between 13-years-old to 19-years-old. It’s really up for interpretation with some fans, especially since the actors for the Sonic series are focusing on deeper voices.

Disclaimer:

I am more than happy to answer this question, but I’m afraid that I’m very limited on how I can answer this. Ages displayed throughout the series has always been a fickle thing. And that’s okay! I’m assuming that this ask is geared towards Game!Sonic rather than Sonic Wachowski, since his canonical age is 13-going-on-14 (Fowler, 2020). If this ask is geared towards me debunking the "age argument," then you might get a different answer. That, and I'm not gonna buy into the B.S. that comes from it.

The problem here is that I'm being asked to apply scientific logic to a fictional character. That's all well and good, but I'm limited in resources. That, and I'm making assumptions on how physiological traits work with an anthropomorphic animal. I'm basing my conclusions on human physiology. While this may seem logical for the ask, I don’t necessarily know how “fair." This would be considered more of a headcanon rather than a scientific explanation to your question. If there was more of an understanding of the Sonic characters’ anatomy, then I would be comfortable with giving a strong answer. They best that I can supply is a hypothetical scenario that might supply a content answer. “Content” meaning that’s it’s fine, but gives me enough wriggle room to debunk/empathize in the future.

I must also stress that an average does not mean the "perfect model." No singular person is the same. There is no such thing as normal. When I say that something is of average comparison, I'm translating it to a general starting point. I need a base to go on in order to build on top of my reasoning and data.

References:

For this ask, I will be looking at cranial structures and comparing them to both human, anthropomorphic animals (Sonic). Data that is generated to answer this ask comes from existing games, interviews with game developers, and anthropological research.

The methodology and techniques that I’ll be referencing comes from “Bare Bones: A Survey of Forensic Anthropology” by, Michael Warren et al. (2012). This is an excellent book that provides techniques and disciplines to criminologists, anthropologists, and physicians. The Smithsonian: National Museum of Natural History provides a sample of "Forensic Anthropology 101" in their free educational service HERE. I’ll also be referencing different case studies found in cultural anthropology journals. Hyperlinks will be attached in the in-text citations for view.

Methods:

I can answer this question using basic forensic techniques. There are a few different ways to determine an individual’s age when examining skeletal anatomy:

Cranial anatomy

The pelvic girdle (pelvis)

Femur

Mandible

Most archaeologists and forensic anthropologists will answer that the pelvic girdle is the best indicator for identifying an individual's age. The pelvis girdle consists of three main bones: hip bone (ilium, ischium, pubis), sacrum and the coccyx. With this, we look at the level of maturity of bone growth to make an educated guess. This can be identified by the bone's state of fusion. Depending on the identification of the individual, the pubis may fuse or grow robust. If the femur is present with the pelvis girdle, then the collected data becomes stronger. The femur is measured in height from the neck to the head, then the shaft alone to provide an idea of one's stature. All of these together create a plausible stature for one's growth and maturity.

The mandible is touch-and-go. I’ve shared in the past that teeth can provide an idea of an individual’s weight, social/economic status, stature, left/right dominance, and types of bite when chewing food. The state in which teeth grow in can give us an indication of age. This is just as good as observing one's age with a pelvis girdle. If not, maybe a bit better! However, this only works if there's a certain amount of teeth present and a record of growth is present. We look at an individual’s molars and premolars in order to determine a rough estimate in age. On average, wisdom teeth come in between the ages of 17 to 25 (Renton et al., 2016). Some are late bloomers, others are early birds. X-Rays can help us identify where the teeth are currently and provide a projection of when they'll appear. As long as there is recorded data on how teeth grow and when they come in, it's easy to determine how old someone is.

Finally, we have the calvaria. For the sake of sanity, I will be referring to this as the “cranial cap." This is the top crown of the head with four major bones that shapes the skull. These bones feature the frontal bone, two parietal bones, and one occipital bone. Along the top of the cranial cap we see these squiggles that separate the bones. These are called “sutures.” Sutures can be defined or barely visible due to the state of mend. Through maturity, these bones mend together to create one bone rather than four. These are not signs of damage done to the head, these are signs that show the state in which a child is growing (Warren et Al., 2012). Sutures are a result of an infant's cranial cap fusing together after being birthed. To put simply; the less defined they are, the older that one supposedly is.

OBSERVATION:

As explained in the “Methods,” section, the cranial cap and mandible appear to be a more logical choice when determining Sonic’s age. I am fortunate for the small crumbs given to me from Sonic CD (1994) and Sonic Unleashed (2008). Both of these provide a good picture of Sonic’s biological estimation on age range. I will not be referring to Evan Stanley’s interpretation of his skull. I do not feel that this is necessary, nor canon. This is Ms. Stanley’s interpretation of Sonic anatomy and fan art.

Mandible

Right before it's initial release, Sonic Unleashed's opening cinematic was meant to have a darker tone. Initially, the beta version of the scene depicted Sonic being electrocuted in his super form as he's infused with Dark Gaia energy. This scene was also meant to show his skeleton during the painful transformation. Screenshots of the scene are available online. One particular shot shows enough of Sonic's mandible to identify canine, incisor, premolars, and molars. The image above shows that at least ONE wisdom tooth (third molar) is present. Other signs of third molars is not visible due to angle of shot.

In the animated short titled "Night of the Werehog," we're given a good shot of Sonic opening his mouth and showing his fangs. Way in back are three molars (Image has been brightened and highlighted for view). Since one confirmed wisdom tooth is present in the shot, we could infer that Sonic is at least 17-years-old. Not fifteen. Seventeen is the average age for when we see wisdom teeth begin to grow in.

Cranial anatomy/Cranial Cap

In Sonic CD (1993), there is a particular scene where Sonic is electrocuted once again. [Fun Fact: one would not be able to see Sonic's skeleton if electrocuted, you'd see his nervous system instead.] Once again, players are able to see Sonic's entire skeletal system. The problem with this example is that it's pixelated art. Pixel art can range from being detailed works of art, or simplified icons that have symbolic meaning. The skeletal anatomy that we see of Sonic in the CD title is not enough for me to draw a conclusion on how old he is. It's merely a representation of a shock taking place.

For a better representation of a cranial cap, we should refer to the beta version of Sonic Unleashed once more. Sutures on Sonic's skull are a tad harder to make out in the image due to how saturated the scene is. A wonderful example of seeing Sonic's cranial suture can be seen at a side profile. The one closes to the sphenoid bone (eye socket) is a cranial suture. Again, this one is up for debate since the quality of the photo is poor. For the sake of sanity, we'll claim that this is a suture.

Examining the suture, we see that it's less defined. This does not mean that the sutures disappear completely. As we grow older, the bone fuses. If Sonic were younger, then the sutures would be more defined. Here, they've fused quite finely. This leads me to believe that he is out of the child phase (1yr to 12yrs) and into Adolescence (13yrs to 17yrs).

Femur & Pelvic Girdle/Pelvis

Generally, there's a model that can be used to display what a mature individual looks like compared to an adolescent when observing a pelvis girdle. Here, it's a bit harder for me to make an assumption because there's a lacking model of what adults and adolescents look like for anthropomorphic animals. This is a query that I've faced when trying to examine Sonic's skeletal anatomy. Of course, measuring a femur and weighing the density of bone could provide some insight on Sonic's estimated age (Shipman, 2018).

In a real world, that would require lots of money and an actual subject that is the equivalent to Sonic's height and weight (canonically, Sonic is 100cm tall and weighs 35kg). You'd then have to figure how much the bone density changes when someone stands up, sits down, lies down, and so forth. Plus, I don't know Sonic's level of body fat to even begin doing a simple calculation. It's a bit of a headache the more that this is tackled upon. That is a lot of data to collect for a talking blue hedgehog.

Measurements of the femur to the pelvis are fine and dandy, but the data is inconclusive. A simple measurement could be off by a single year or three. Once more, it's kind of hard to capture a crisp picture of the pelvis girdle and femur. I feel that gathering data from this perspective is inconclusive.

Discussion:

I must stress that this isn’t meant to be as in-depth or taken seriously. I must also stress that many social groups around the world have different approaches and cultural definitions to what it means to be a teenager. This is a common topic that I try to educate people about when it comes to cultural norms and social practices. Most western cultures consider that teenagers starting at 13yrs of age and ending at 17yrs of age before becoming a legal adult at 18yrs. Some western cultures even extend the age gap to 13yrs to 19yrs. Cultural and social teachings of how we define what is and isn’t a teenager could easily be defined as “adolescence.” We refer to this as adolescence, it allows us to have an extended age gap of 13yrs to 19yrs (Ember et Al., 2017). It all narrows down to how these practices and beliefs are taught within one’s community.

Some fans headcanon Sonic and his friends are growing older, others younger… or even stick with the Western interpretation of him being 15-years-old. Sonic's age has always been ambiguous, meaning that it's not narrowed down to a specific number. The query that I've faced is that there is a lack of official material that displays this easily. The information that I have shared in this post works on a plausible theory that he's older than 15. However, gaming manuals have almost always made it a point hat hes 15/16 (Sonic Heroes Game Manual, 2003). The point now is that he's a teenager. He will always be viewed as a teenager in this canon. To me, Game!Sonic is definitely older. He clearly shows characteristics of being an older version of himself (the strongest supporting evidence here being his teeth), but still within the range of being classified as a "teenager."

My goal here is to not enforce one way of thinking. The most that I can do is supply the data and leave you, the reader, to make your own conclusions. I hope that this answers your question, my dear.

[astriiformes]

Actually if you'd be willing to answer, how do people sex bones when that's the only remains of a person? Why do people do that? How important are the person's sex characteristics to identifying them compared to everything they may have been wearing or buried with, especially when they are just bones now and the vast majority of indicators would be based on soft tissue and are no longer available to examine? Is it different for a body that's a hundred years old vs. a thousand? Modern forensics is very advanced but your field is different right? Sorry if this is morbid or overly clinical, I just am very interested in this type of thing, and I love learning! Thank you for your time and have a lovely day. :D

So this is not really my field at all, but I can speak a little on what I do know and then toss it into the wilds of tumblr where some of my mutuals/followers more knowledgeable on the subject can chime in if they want to.

There are some general characteristics people keep in mind when analyzing skeletons to get information like size, width of hips, and etc that have historically been used to guess at the sex of individuals, but 1) obviously those are not foolproof, the spectrum of human variation is such that, contrary to what biological essentialists would have you believe, even that tends to be a form of educated guesswork, not guaranteed fact and 2) as a result archaeologists are considering it less and less important these days as the field evolves. Nowadays things like grave goods and clothing are generally considered likely to tell you more -- and on top of that, more archaeologists and historians are willing to consider the possibility that a "mismatch" between someone's remains and burial might be telling them something interesting about the individual and their society as opposed to a weird fluke or mistake.

Again, I'm not an archaeologist so that's a very basic rundown and I imagine there are other people who've done these things in practice who have much more interesting insights on the topic, but it's an evolving area in the field for sure, and also a lot more mutable than many people realize.

[mast3rofnonee]

0:Height- 5'10/11

1:Virgin?- yes

2:Shoe size-11

3:Do you smoke?-no

4:Do you drink?-no

5:Do you take drugs?-no

6:Age you get mistaken for- 18

7:Have tattoos? -yes but no

8:Want any tattoos? -yesssss

9:Got any piercings? -yes (septum)

10:Want any piercings?-eyebrow, nose stud vertical labaret, belly, and my all of my ears

11:Best friend?- yes but not really (i literally fell out with my bestie of four years. Lmk for a storytime)

12:Relationship status- takennn

13:Biggest turn ons- intellectual/intelligence, funny, kinda really mean, big nose(s), and height (ntm tho)

14:Biggest turn offs - disrespectful to women (or anyone but mainly women) in ANY way, too sexual, dumb, immature!!

15:Favorite movie- CMBYN

16:I’ll love you if- you let me do weird stuff with you. like weird esoteric off-putting shit.

17:Someone you miss- My bestie, my man.

18:Most traumatic experience- idek know atp tbh but maybe when i got outted and when my parents thought i was doing drugs.

19:A fact about your personality- i am very goofy and a weirdo <3 (no corny stuff lmao)

20:What I hate most about myself- mouth lol

21:What I love most about myself- face, personality mainly tho

22:What I want to be when I get older- psychiatrist/forensic scientist

23:My relationship with my sibling(s)- good!!

24:My relationship with my parent(s) - fine. (dad), my mother im pretty close to id say.

25:My idea of a perfect date- picnic by a waterfall in a secluded forest in a cute bikini and fresh fruit with a charcuterie board with a speaker playing my music.

26:My biggest pet peeves- chewing with your mouth open, "ALPHA MALE" men, self centered people, being that try and force stuff on you (cough cough), being greedy, MEAN PEOPLE!

27:A description of the girl/boy I like- short king(lmao), curly hair, chubby, nerdy. (my bf)

28:A description of the person I dislike the most- normal height, afro hair, lightskin, crooked teeth, huge boobs.

29:A reason I’ve lied to a friend - she would get mad at the truth ( dont do that anymore idgaf)

30:What I hate the most about work/school - teachers.

31:What your last text message says- idk

32:What words upset me the most- "youre not my _ anymore " idek i have sm

33:What words make me feel the best about myself- youre so beautiful, i can trust you, i love you.

34:What I find attractive in women- basically everything if i find them attractive. but even if not, i still like everything, ( i think women are the most gorgeous creatures on earth)

35:What I find attractive in men - big noses, body hair (hear me out), freckles, messy (long) hair / curly hair, pretty eyes, long eyelashes, thighs, ass, arms/ hands.

36:Where I would like to live- Countrysides in the medteranian (idk if italy counts), UK/ireland/scotland/iceland (idk if italy counts), any big city in western europe, NYC, brasil, or somwhere in washington state!!

37:One of my insecurities- my height sometimes, stretch marks sometimes.

38:My childhood career choice- archaeologist.

39:My favorite ice cream flavor- coffee

40:Who wish I could be- if i had to Zendaya.

41:Where I want to be right now- anywhere i would like to travel to, just anywhere, in a cute outfit with my favorite DILF.

42:The last thing I ate- whole grain crackers.

43:Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately- Pedro Pascal and then after that one of my DILF teachers (teehee)

44: A random fact about anything- In WWII during the blitz in the UK, they shipped all of the children to the countryside of Britain to protect them.

[coochiequeens]

Say hello to an ancestoress

More than 4,000 years ago, a young woman who died in what is now Scotland was buried in a crouched position within a stone-lined grave. She remained buried for millennia, until excavators at a stone quarry unexpectedly unearthed her bones in 1997.

Little is known about the woman — dubbed Upper Largie Woman after the Upper Largie Quarry — but now, a new bust-like reconstruction reveals how she may have looked during the Early Bronze Age.

The reconstruction, which went on display Sept. 3 at the Kilmartin Museum in Scotland, shows a young woman with dark braided hair who is wearing a deer-skin outfit. And she appears to be looking at someone nearby.

"Making a reconstruction I usually think that we are looking into their world, [meaning] they don't see us," Oscar Nilsson, a forensic artist based in Sweden who crafted the woman's likeness, told Live Science in an email. "I thought it could be an interesting idea to twist this a bit, and actually thinking that she can see us. And as you can see, she looks a bit critical to us (I don't blame her for that...)!"

Upper Largie woman, who died in her 20s, lived during the early Bronze Age of Scotland. (Image credit: Oscar Nilsson)

After the discovery of Upper Largie Woman, a skeletal and dental analysis revealed that she likely died in her 20s and experienced periods of illness or malnutrition. Radiocarbon dating found that she lived between 1500 B.C. and 2200 B.C., during the Early Bronze Age, according to the museum. Meanwhile, a look at different isotopes, or versions of strontium and oxygen from her remains suggested that she grew up locally in Scotland, but the team wasn't able to extract her DNA, so her ethnic heritage, including her skin, eye and hair color, is unknown.

However, archaeologists found sherds of Beaker pottery in her grave, hinting that she was part of the Beaker culture, named for its peoples' bell-shaped beakers. Research suggests that the Beaker culture started in Central Europe with people whose ancestors came from the Eurasian Steppe. Eventually, the Beaker culture reached Britain in about 2400 B.C. DNA evidence indicates that the Beaker culture replaced most of Britain's inhabitants, including the Neolithic communities that had built monuments such as Stonehenge.

"The carbon dating suggests she might be a descendant of the first Beaker newcomers," Sharon Webb, director and curator of Kilmartin Museum, told Live Science in an email.

For the reconstruction of Upper Largie Woman, her skull was CT (computed tomography) scanned and then 3D printed in Scotland. However, "she lacked her mandible [lower jaw], and her left side of the cranium was in a quite fragmented condition," Nilsson said. "So, the first thing I had to do was to rebuild the left side of her cranium. And then to create a mandible, a rather speculative issue of course."

Then, Nilsson took her age, sex, weight and ethnicity into account, as these factors help determine tissue thickness. "So, in this case: a woman, about 20-30 years of age, signs of undernourishment in a period of her life, and a probable origin from the region," he said.

Nilsson pulled from a chart of modern individuals who fit these characteristics, then used their tissue measurements to begin sculpting the reconstruction. Pegs placed on the replica skull helped him measure the tissue depth, which he then covered with plasticine clay as he molded the facial muscles. Based on her skull's contours, he noted that Upper Largie Woman's eyes were wide set and that her nose was broad and "probably a bit turned upwards." She also had a rounded forehead and a broad mouth.

"I found it interesting that once she was reconstructed, I did not see that much of her malnutrition," Nilsson said. "She had a very rounded facial skeleton, which helped her looking a bit more healthy than she may have been."

However, he was clear that "the colors were all qualified guesses, based on other burials from the time and the region, where the DNA was in better shape than this one."

Webb called the reconstruction "absolutely amazing, we wanted her expression to be asking questions of the visitor, wondering who they are, and what their lives were like so that visitors might also ponder her life."

Upper Largie Woman's remains are now "sensitively 'reburied'" in the same position and orientation she was likely buried in 4,000 years ago, Webb said. Visitors can see her reconstruction at the museum's permanent exhibit.

[usafphantom2]

World War Two: When 600 US planes crashed in Himalayas

2 days ago

View of a US Army Air Transport Command cargo plane as it flies over the snow-capped, towering mountains of the Himalayas, along the borders of India, China, and Burma, January 1945, February 20, 1945.Getty Images

Pilots called the flight route "The Hump" - a nod to the treacherous heights of the eastern Himalayas

A newly opened museum in India houses the remains of American planes that crashed in the Himalayas during World War Two. The BBC's Soutik Biswas recounts an audaciously risky aerial operation that took place when the global war arrived in India.

Since 2009, Indian and American teams have scoured the mountains in India's north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, looking for the wreckage and remains of lost crews of hundreds of planes that crashed here over 80 years ago.

Some 600 American transport planes are estimated to have crashed in the remote region, killing at least 1,500 airmen and passengers during a remarkable and often-forgotten 42-month-long World War Two military operation in India. Among the casualties were American and Chinese pilots, radio operators and soldiers.

Has India's contribution to WW2 been ignored?

The operation sustained a vital air transport route from the Indian states of Assam and Bengal to support Chinese forces in Kunming and Chungking (now called Chongqing).

The war between Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Allies (France, Great Britain, the US, the Soviet Union, China) had reached the north-eastern part of British-ruled India. The air corridor became a lifeline following the Japanese advance to India's borders, which effectively closed the land route to China through northern Myanmar (then known as Burma).

The US military operation, initiated in April 1942, successfully transported 650,000 tonnes of war supplies across the route - an achievement that significantly bolstered the Allied victory.

This operation sustained a vital air transport route from India to support Chinese forces in Kunming and Chunking

Pilots dubbed the perilous flight route "The Hump", a nod to the treacherous heights of the eastern Himalayas, primarily in today's Arunachal Pradesh, that they had to navigate.

Over the past 14 years Indo-American teams comprising mountaineers, students, medics, forensic archaeologists and rescue experts have ploughed through dense tropical jungles and scaled altitudes reaching 15,000ft (4,572m) in Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Myanmar and China. They have included members of the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the US agency that deals with soldiers missing in action.

The forgotten Indian soldiers of Dunkirk

With help from local tribespeople their month-long expeditions have reached crash sites, locating at least 20 planes and the remains of several missing-in-action airmen.

It is a challenging job - a six-day trek, preceded by a two-day road journey, led to the discovery of a single crash site. One mission was stranded in the mountains for three weeks after it was hit by a freak snowstorm.

"From flat alluvial plains to the mountains, it's a challenging terrain. Weather can be an issue and we have usually only the late fall and early winter to work in," says William Belcher, a forensic anthropologist involved in the expeditions.

A machine gun, pieces of debris, a camera: some of the recovered artefacts at the newly opened museum

Discoveries abound: oxygen tanks, machine guns, fuselage sections. Skulls, bones, shoes and watches have been found in the debris and DNA samples taken to identify the dead. A missing airman's initialled bracelet, a poignant relic, exchanged hands from a villager who recovered it in the wreckage. Some crash sites have been scavenged by local villagers over the years and the aluminium remains sold as scrap.

These and other artefacts and narratives related to these doomed planes now have a home in the newly opened The Hump Museum in Pasighat, a scenic town in Arunachal Pradesh nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas.

US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, inaugurated the collection on 29 November, saying, "This is not just a gift to Arunachal Pradesh or the impacted families, but a gift to India and the world." Oken Tayeng, director of the museum, added: "This is also a recognition of all locals of Arunachal Pradesh who were and are still an integral part of this mission of respecting the memory of others".

The museum starkly highlights the dangers of flying this route. In his vivid memoirs of the operation, Maj Gen William H Tunner, a US Air Force pilot, remembers navigating his C-46 cargo plane over villages on steep slopes, broad valleys, deep gorges, narrow streams and dark brown rivers.

Wreckage of many planes has been found in the mountains in recent years

The flights, often navigated by young and freshly trained pilots, were turbulent. The weather on The Hump, according to Tunner, changed "from minute to minute, from mile to mile": one end was set in the low, steamy jungles of India; the other in the mile-high plateau of western China.

Heavily loaded transport planes, caught in a downdraft, might quickly descend 5,000ft, then swiftly rise at a similar speed. Tunner writes about a plane flipping onto its back after encountering a downdraft at 25,000ft.

Spring thunderstorms, with howling winds, sleet, and hail, posed the greatest challenge for controlling planes with rudimentary navigation tools. Theodore White, a journalist with Life magazine who flew the route five times for a story, wrote that the pilot of one plane carrying Chinese soldiers with no parachutes decided to crash-land after his plane got iced up.

The co-pilot and the radio operator managed to bail out and land on a "great tropical tree and wandered for 15 days before friendly natives found them". Local communities in remote villages often rescued and nursed wounded survivors of the crashes back to health. (It was later learnt that the plane had landed safely and no lives had been lost.)

Does Nolan's Dunkirk ignore the role of the Indian army?

Not surprisingly, the radio was filled with mayday calls. Planes were blown so far off course they crashed into mountains pilots did not even know were within 50 miles, Tunner remembered. One storm alone crashed nine planes, killing 27 crew and passengers. "In these clouds, over the entire route, turbulence would build up of a severity greater than I have seen anywhere in the world, before or since," he wrote.

Parents of missing airmen held out the hope that their children were still alive. "Where is my son? I'd love the world to know/Has his mission filled and left the earth below?/Is he up there in that fair land, drinking at the fountains, or is he still a wanderer in India's jungles and mountains?" wondered Pearl Dunaway, the mother of a missing airman, Joseph Dunaway, in a poem in 1945.

The China-bound US transport planes took off from airbases in India's Assam

The missing airmen are now the stuff of legend. "These Hump men fight the Japanese, the jungle, the mountains and the monsoons all day and all night, every day and every night the year round. The only world they know is planes. They never stop hearing them, flying them, patching them, cursing them. Yet they never get tired of watching the planes go out to China," recounted White.

The operation was indeed a daredevil feat of aerial logistics following the global war that reached India's doorstep. "The hills and people of Arunachal Pradesh were drawn into the drama, heroism and tragedies of the World War Two by the Hump operation," says Mr Tayeng. It's a story few know.

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Temple Run - Indiana Jones X GN Reader

Title: Temple Run

Indiana Jones X GN Reader

Additional Characters: Indiana Jones's father (Mentioned), Reader's father, Reader's mother (Mentioned), Monty Shaw (OC), Aaron Tucker (OC), Theo Black (OC), Michael March (OC) (Mentioned), Sallah, Fayah, Sallah's kids (Mentioned), and random people/men (Mentioned)

Requested by Anon (thank you so much for requesting! You know who you are ;) Sorry if it's a bit long. I got a bit carried away with this XD)

WC: 10,688 (I am so sorry)

Jawhara = Jewel | Habibi = Darling (Arabic)

Warnings: Human remains (mentioned), teasing, taunting, fighting (physically and verbally), enemies to friends to lovers, awkwardness, nervousness, embarrassment, movie references, yelling, insults, name-calling (nothing bad), death, Indiana Jones booby traps, sandstorms, knife/dagger mentioned, guns, killing, attempted murder, snakes, property damage, fear of heights, explosives mentioned, injuries, bruises mentioned, animal abuse (snakes don't like fire), blood, grenade mentioned, angst, cute, and fluff

Stacking the papers around you in a neat pile, you grabbed the last small stack, placing it away in its folder. You were hard at work, filing away reports and sending them to their respective departments. You worked at a federal government agency in Connecticut, and you were the head of your team; the captain of sorts. You worked as both a forensic scientist and a forensic archaeologist; both fields required extensive knowledge about osteology, human remains, and ancient civilizations. Back in school, you were considered a genius; your academic prowess far exceeded many of your classmates’ grades. As a graduate of Yale University with honors, you earned multiple offers of internships, but you declined every one of them; you enjoyed working alone and being on your own, but your father was adamant that you make some social connections. In fact, after some persuading, he got you a job where you were working now.

As you were filing yet another folder, a knock sounded at your office door, slowly the door opened; peeking their head in. "Uh, Doctor L/N, someone by the name of Mr. Shaw wants to speak with you." Your secretary, Ella, announced, making you look from your papers.

"Do they have an appointment?" You asked, voice monotone as Ella bit her lip.

"No, Doctor."

You sighed, dropping the papers as you rubbed your temple with your fingers. "Miss Hart, you know how I feel about walk-ins. They have to make an appointment to speak with me." You explained and Ella nodded, shutting the door, the click-clacking of her heels against the floor fading, only for it to come back more rushed as your office doors were slammed open. 

Shocked and wide-eyed, you watched as a man in the three-piece gray suit sauntered in like he owned the place; his cane hitting the ground with each step. The handle, gold and shiny, in the shape of an eagle's head. Beyond annoyed, you stood up from your desk, your hands placed firmly on it as you stared up at the man. "What's the meaning of you barging into my office?" You asked, anger evident in your tone as the man leaned back onto his heels with a smirk on his face.

"I just wanted to see if I could meet you." His voice was smooth and deep, "I've heard about your work, Doctor L/N. And might I say, I'm impressed." His British accent seemed to roll off of him like honey.

"And who might you be?" You asked, standing up straight as you clenched your fists.

The man in front of you adjusted the lapels of his jacket, before straightening his silk tie, "My name is Monty Charleston Shaw, and I have a proposition for you. Believe me, you'll want to hear it."

Staring at the man, you narrowed your eyes. Your mind was screaming at you to send him away, but your heart was curious. You've made up your mind. Gesturing to the chair in front of your desk, Monty sat down with a grin. "What's the proposition, Mr. Shaw?" You asked, sitting down in your own chair, your fingers fidgeting with the cold leather.

Monty cleared his throat, producing a creme envelope from the inside jacket pocket; sliding it towards you on your desk. "I have a special team heading to Egypt in two weeks to excavate the hidden remains of a forgotten prince. Prince Huaphris." He began, as you furrowed your eyebrows, opening the wax-sealed envelope to find a plane ticket inside. "It is said that Prince Huaphris was buried in a hidden tomb somewhere. My first team had unearthed a secret temple near the Nile, and we suspect he was hidden there. I need your expertise in finding Prince Huaphis and his treasure." He finished, leaving you intrigued, yet hesitant.

"Is this legit?" You asked, gesturing to the envelope, only for Monty to nod.

"Of course, Doctor. I'm certified by the board of the Smithsonian. Whatever we recover goes straight to the museum, and after, you'll be rewarded for your help."

You felt like a fish out of the water as you tried to speak, flabbergasted, "I don't really have the funds for a trip like this, Mr. Shaw. Especially one happening in two weeks."

Monty raised a hand, before placing it back on his cane. "Do not fret, Doctor. All expenses are covered. Flight to and from, hotel, and food. You'll be well taken care of."

You pursed your lips, "All expenses?" 

Monty nodded again, a grin on his face as you thought it quickly over. What did you have to lose?

"When does the plane leave?"

~~~

Walking out on the runway, you spot the private plane in the distance. Beside you, one of Monty's drivers was carrying your luggage. "This way, Doctor. Mr. Shaw is waiting for you." He spoke, as you notice Mr. Shaw and four other men with him.

Monty turned to you as you approached, hands clasping his cane as he grinned widely. "Ah, Doctor! Thought you'd changed your mind. I want you to meet part of the team." He spoke, gesturing to the four men.

"These two, Mr. Aaron Tucker and Theo Black. Mr. Tucker is an expert in ancient civilizations while Mr. Black is an expert in hieroglyphics." He spoke, signaling to a tallish man, you presumed was Mr. Tucker, with shaggy blonde hair. And, Mr. Black, a noticeable scar on his face, passing down his eyebrow and onto his cheek. "And this is Mr. Michael March, he's the photographer and journalist. He'll be taking note of everything that happens." Mr. Shaw spoke about the man with a camera around his neck, his circle glass slightly askew on his face, blue eyes piercing. "Lastly, we have Doctor Indiana Jones. Archaeologist. You may have heard of his work for the National Museum."

You turned to the famed doctor, giving him a once over with a slight frown, "Yes, I have." You said shortly, before turning back to Monty. 

Still grinning, Monty let out a laugh, "Well, let the journey begin. We have a long flight in front of us!" He spoke, before the five of you headed onto the plane.

Finding a spot near a window, you buckled and shuffled in your seat to get comfortable. You rubbed your thighs nervously, covered by your tan pants. You tried to dress as well as you could, knowing Egypt was going to be unbearably hot. You brought some sweaters for the cold nights, but for the sweating days, you brought tons of breathable shirts, pants, and your favorite pair of boots. You were about to read the book you brought with you, after all the trip was going to take forever, but you were surprised to see Indiana Jones sitting right across from you. You watched as he also got comfortable before he looked at you. You ignored his staring to go back to your book, feeling yourself getting dragged into the story before you heard him clear his throat. You looked up, eyes meeting his as he gave you a grin.

"So, you've heard of me, but I've never heard of you..." He trailed off, waiting for your name.

"L/N. Doctor L/N." You said, looking back down at your book.

Indiana's grin turned into a smirk, "Hmm, Doctor. I heard Shaw say that. What are you a doctor of, if I may ask?" He asked, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his seat.

"I am a doctor of Forensic Science and Forensic Archaeology. Specializing in examining and analyzing evidence from crime scenes. And, I specialize in my archaeological skills to assist with the location and recovery of human remains... I got my PhDs at the age of twenty-two, so it wouldn't surprise me if you had heard of me. Doctor." You replied curtly, keeping your gaze glued to the book.

Indiana shrugged, "I guess so." He muttered under his breath as a smile played upon his lips. Indiana was intrigued. He wanted to know more about you. You were quick-witted, and obviously incredibly smart. A fact Indiana liked. But, you were stubborn and didn't seem willing to share anything that wasn't relevant to what you were doing. If it weren't for his curiosity, Indiana would have stopped talking to you already. But, he couldn't resist the pull of a good conversation.

After a few more minutes of silence, Indiana spoke up again, "So, L/N, do you have a first name?" He asked, making you glance up at him briefly before turning a page in your book.

"What could you possibly gain from knowing my first name, Doctor Jones?" You asked, raising a brow as he smirked.

"Call me Indiana, please." He requested, holding out his hand as he flashed a winning smile.

Hesitating for a moment, you slowly put your book down in your lap, "I'll stick to Doctor Jones. Now, tell me why you're asking so many questions?" Ignoring his request for a handshake.

Indiana dropped his hand to his lap, clearing his throat. Your dismissal of his handshake threw him off a bit. "We are going to be working with each other for two months. Might as well get to know a fellow Doctor." He smiled, leaning forward a little.

You nodded, thinking about what he said for a second before looking up at him again, "Okay, I suppose I can give you my name, but only if you answer me something, Doctor Jones."

His smile widened as he leaned back into his chair, "Alright, Doctor, shoot."

"Are you going to be exasperating me the entire trip?"

Indiana let out a laugh, "Exasperating? After I find out your name, I'm taking a well-deserved nap."

You raised your book back up, covering your mouth as you hid your light smile, "Names Y/N."

Indiana sat back with a grin, satisfied. "Y/N." He tested your name out, only for you to look up at him with your tired, half-lidded eyes.

"Doctor L/N to you, Doctor Jones." You corrected, watching as Indiana just hummed, leaning his head back and placing his hat over his eyes.

"Doctor L/N it is then."

~~~

Clutching your seat's armrests as the plane jolted around slightly as it landed, you let out a sigh as you closed your book, slipping it into your brown leather satchel. Looking across from you, Indiana was still sleeping, his hat covering his eyes; chest softly rising up and down. Rolling your eyes, you stood up, leaning over to flick the rim of his hat up, waking him suddenly. Indiana gave you a glare as you just ignored him, grabbing your suitcase and leaving the plane. Stepping down the steps, you breathed in the air, smiling at the world around you. You haven't been to Egypt in a long time.

Rushing over to you, Monty gave you a smile, "Doctor, the vans will take you to the hotel. We only have three, so you'll have to double up. If you don't mind." He added, glancing over at the vans that awaited you.

"Of course not." You responded, grabbing your suitcase and walking towards the car. Once you arrived, you climbed into the backseat and sat down, putting your suitcase at your feet. "How long will it be until we reach Cairo?" You asked the driver, as he adjusted the rear-view mirror.

"Less than an hour."

You nodded and sat back, only to see the door beside you open, watching in dismay as Indiana took a seat next to you. 

"Great. The other vans weren’t good enough for you, Doctor?" You mumbled irritatedly, as Indiana sat his own suitcase at his feet.

Indiana gave you a grin, "Well, Doctor, Mr. Shaw, and the photographer already claimed a van while those other two took the other."

"How wonderful." You replied sarcastically as the van began to move. You turned to face your window, watching the sandy dunes slowly turn into sandstone buildings and houses. Soon, the van stopped in front of a large building, what you guessed was the hotel. The driver opened your door for you, grabbing your bag for you as you stretched. Your bones were tired from all the sitting and your body was begging for adventure. Either that, or a nice nap. You knew you'd probably get started with the dig tomorrow, as the sun was beginning to set.

Walking into the lobby, you gazed at the tapestries and portraits that lined the walls. You could hear chatter coming from the lobby, people rushing to get their room keys. Monty turned, noticing you before he walked over to you, handing you your room key. "You have room seven." He spoke, dropping your key in the palm of your hand, before turning to look slightly behind you. "And Doctor Jones, you have room six." He passed the key to him before looking at the two of you. “Dinner is at six sharp, don’t be late.” He called, before walking away, disappearing around the corner.

Turning to face Indiana who stood beside you, you raised a brow, "Dinner on the Nile? Sounds fancy..." You trailed off, causing him to nod. 

"It's beautiful; The Nile. Staring down into a seemingly never-ending abyss." Indiana muttered before gesturing to the stairs, "Might want to get unpacked, neighbor. Don't want to be late." He spoke, before grabbing his suitcase and heading up the stairs. Letting out an irritated sigh, you grabbed your bag and followed behind.

You stopped at your door, taking your key and unlocking it. You pushed open the door, setting your case down. Shutting it behind you, you looked around the room. There was a queen bed in the center of the room, with creme and red sheets and sheer curtains hanging from it. You spotted a small wooden dresser beside the bed and a small desk on the other side. You dragged your suitcase to the bed, unclasping the locks and pushing the lid open. You paused, grabbing the framed picture from its place on top of your neatly folded clothes. You felt yourself become emotional, quickly setting the frame down on the bedside table. You were quick to put away your clothes, checking your watch for the time. You still had enough time to get dressed, pushing the drawer closed, you grabbed your chosen attire and headed to the bathroom. 

~~~

On the boat, you sat at a long table, eating dinner. Thankfully, you were sitting beside Mr. Tucker and Mr. Black, though Indiana was sitting across from you; periodically looking at you as the dinner continued. The entree, rice-stuffed vegetables, and grape leaves were beyond delicious and brought up a lot of memories from your last trip to Cairo. The waiters then came around, placing a plate of sweet honey cakes in front of you; you felt your mouth salivate from just looking at the tasty dessert. You picked up your fork, stabbed a piece of the cake, taking a bite. It tasted amazing and made you realize how hungry you had become. With an appreciative hum, you reached for another piece, biting into the sweet cake, closing your eyes as you savored the sweetness. Unbeknownst to you, Indiana was watching you with a small grin. He'd never really seen you smile before and he'd found it quite entertaining, endearing even. After finishing up your cake, and as most of the others had left the table, you wiped your hands clean; dabbing your mouth with your napkin. You glanced over at Indiana, your eyes locking with his for the briefest of moments before your gaze fell down to your empty plate.

You quickly pushed your chair back, standing before you made your way onto the deck. You leaned your arms against the railing, watching the fairy lights dance across the water's reflection. People were chatting not too far away, sipping their white wine and having a great time. You, meanwhile, stared down at the river, silently listening to the soft sounds of laughter and music. The sound of someone gently clearing their throat broke that peace. You looked over to see Indiana, raising your eyebrows when you noticed his glass was almost drained.

"What do you want?" You asked, giving him a stern look.

Indiana blinked at your slightly harsh tone, "Just thought you might need some company." He offered, and you hummed tiredly, turning back to the river. Indiana stood beside you, looking down at the river with you. Taking a glance at you, he noticed your small frown, eyes cast downwards at the black abyss of the Nile, the soft lights casting shadows on your face. He watched as you ran your finger across the edge of your empty glass, staring into nothingness as you did. "What's the matter?" He asked, turning to face you slightly.

"Nothing," You answered with a shrug of your shoulders, taking another sip of your own drink, "Just thinking. By the way, it's none of your business."

He watched you curiously, seeing the look in your eyes; his own eye widening slightly, "You've been to Cairo before?" He asked in realization.

You let out a deep sigh, "If you must know since you keep pestering me... Yes. I have." You answered, looking up at him through your lashes, "Why are you so interested? And how did you know?"

Indiana looked at you, tilting his head slightly. "I'm curious about you."

Giving him a glare, studying him. Indiana was wearing what he usually wore, minus the whip and his hat. A loose white shirt tucked underneath tan pants. His hair was messy but kept somewhat under control. You bit your lip slightly, glancing away from his piercing stare. If he wasn't so irritating, you would find him charming. As it was, you couldn't help but feel slightly flustered by him. You shook your head slightly, turning to face the river once more. "Is that all you ever are, Doctor Jones? Curious?" You questioned.

Indiana smirked, "Call me Indiana."

You sputtered out a laugh, "I'll stick with Doctor Jones."

It was silent for a while, Indiana letting out a hum as he looked back at the river. "I know that look."

"What look?" You asked, turning to look at him, catching his side profile.

"You've missed this place." Was all Indiana answered back with, making you turn back to the river, pursing your lips. You stared down at the water, a cold breeze blowing past you as you thought about whether or not to let the man in. You had built your walls up so high…

"My father used to take me with him to Cairo for his excavations." You began softly, Indiana turned to you once more, his arms leaning against the boat's railing; he was silent, waiting for you to continue. "His first expedition was one of the most successful, he was able to find some valuable artifacts along the way." You sighed, smiling lightly as you remembered your father and his work. "But, after years of working hard and trying to make a name for himself, my father met someone who had told him about a rare artifact. One that would put my father down in the books as the finder."

"What happened?" Indiana asked softly, moving closer to you to hear the rest.

"A certain archaeologist took all the credit." You muttered grumpily, looking up at Indiana. "A certain archaeologist that was your father." You confessed, making Indiana's eyes widen.

"My dad?" Indiana narrowed his eyebrows, "So is this why you've been so cold towards me? Because of something my father did to yours?" His voice was laced with annoyance.

You shook your head, "No, actually it's the opposite. I just find you really stubborn, arrogant, annoying, scruffy-looking-"

"Scruffy-looking?" Indiana scoffed.

"-and rude. And you're always asking stupid questions-" You started to ramble until you heard Indiana laughing, "-What is it?" You asked, cocking your head.

"Well, do you know what I think?" He stated slowly, glaring at you.

"No," You replied, crossing your arms. "What do you think?" 

Indiana smirked as he leaned down slightly, "I think that you think you're so much better than me." He answered tauntingly, making you huff.

"Really? Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe..." You snapped, "Maybe I just don't like you!"

"Well, I don't like you either, sweetheart!" Indiana exclaimed, making you scoff.

"Fine! And don’t call me that!" You quickly pushed past him, Indiana turning to watch you.

"Fine!" He yelled back, staring as you paused at the railing, your tense shoulders falling as you ducked your head. Your breath slowed as you clenched your fists tightly.

"You were right about one thing, Doctor Jones." You mumbled loud enough for him to hear.

Indiana crossed his arms, "And what is that?"

You gave him a side glance, "It is beautiful." You answered, before heading back inside the boat.

Indiana stared at you as you left, eyes widening ever-so-slightly as he pursed his lips. He turned back to the dark Nile water, running his fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends slightly; letting out a heavy sigh.

~~~

You held your hat on your head, the wind blowing past you as you sat in the back of the wagon. You were heading to the excavation site, a couple of minutes out of Cairo, further down the river. 

"We're coming up to the site my first team had uncovered," Monty spoke up, gaining your and Indiana's attention over the loud engine.

"Will the first team be meeting us there?" You asked, but Monty shook his head, hands firmly clasped around his cane.

"No, I'm afraid I had to fire them." He spoke, making you furrow your eyebrows.

"What did they do?" Indiana inquired, causing Monty to shrug.

"They, shall we say, broke the contract." Monty replied, voice strange as he leaned against the wagon's wall, a small smirk on his face; eyes holding some unknown emotion. It irked you.

Suddenly the wagon stopped abruptly, sending you forward. Indiana was quick to grab your arm, saving you from slamming your face on the ground. You pulled your arm away, fixing your posture. Monty jumped off the wagon, making his way around to the front, opening the trap door. You climbed out, adjusting the hat on your head. Indiana followed suit, stepping into the heat of the day. Looking around at the landscape, your eyes widened as you saw the hidden temple, half-emerged from the sand. Even though most of it was hidden under the sand, you could tell it was a large structure. It was rectangular in shape, with large pillars holding up the large stone entrance. The entrance was dark, with two lit torches on another side of it, you could see the engraving on the side of the temple; beautifully crafted. 

"It's similar to the Temple of Edfu." You exclaimed, eyes wide in excitement and awe. “Oh, I can’t wait to see the inside.”

"Doctor, why don't you take a look?" Monty asked, making you look over at him.

Taking your time, you carefully made your way to him, turning your attention to the dark entranceway. It had stairs that lead straight down. Now that you were closer, you could see the touches that lit the stairwell. "I believe what we seek is down there," Monty spoke, as Mr. Turner and Mr. Black headed down into the temple; Indiana stopped beside you.

"Are you coming with us?" He asked, and Monty shook his head, tapping his left knee gently with his hand.

"Bad knee, you can understand." 

You nodded, and started down the temple stairs, holding onto the walls for stability as you did so. Indiana was close behind, grabbing a touch on the way in. Soon the stairs stopped, opening up into a long hallway; the walls lined with hieroglyphics; the air was still and stagnant, the only sounds being the footsteps of yours, Indiana's, Mr. Black's, and Mr. Turner's. 

Walking slowly down the hall, your footsteps echoing against the cold stone walls. You stopped behind Mr. Black and Mr. Turner as they paused before a room. It was large, with strange symbols on the ground along with the walls. You leaned around the two men, spying perfectly square holes in the walls. "You go first." Mr. Black muttered, nudging Mr. Tucker, who nudged him back.

"You scared, Black?" Tucker teased, "It's just a room, right?"

"I don't know, I don't recognize any of these symbols." Mr. Black muttered and Tucker sighed, taking a step into the room. 

Suddenly, an arrow shot out of the wall, hitting Mr. Tucker right in the head, instantly killing him. You gasped, covering your mouth as Mr. Black yelled out.

"Booby traps!"

Mr. Black turned around and pushed you and Indiana out of the way, terror in his eyes as he scampered down the hall and up the stairs. 

"Coward!" You yelled out to him, before gritting your teeth and turning back to the room.

"What do you think?" Indiana spoke up, his voice echoing off the walls.

"What do I think?" You asked, giving him a side glance, "I think we keep going." You said before narrowing your eyes on the floor. "It seems that if you step on the wrong tile, the trap goes off." You theorized before you went to take a step forward; but Indiana grabbed your arm, pulling you back.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking at you as if you were crazy.

You looked up at him as you pulled your arm away from him again. "If you had read some of the hieroglyphics back there you would know that it basically told you how to get across this room."

Indiana narrowed his eyes at you, "When were you going to tell me you can read hieroglyphics?"

You turned away, stepping into the room, "You never asked, now, only step where I step." You replied, turning back to Indiana.

He watched as you took another step, his heart lurching with each step you took; thankfully, no arrows shot out of the walls. "Step where I step," Indiana muttered, making you stop, glaring over at him.

"No mocking me, I can easily lead you astray." You lightly scolded, before pointing to a stone with a bird-like symbol.

Indiana moved to that step, before taking the next one. "Would you?" The tension between the two of you could be cut with a knife.

"No." You answered before you hopped onto the last stone, like a messed up version of hopscotch; struggling to keep your balance. "But I could."

Indiana stepped on the last one before he entered the next hallway with you. "You know, it would've been helpful to know you could read it," Indiana muttered to you, taking the lead as he walked down the hall with you.

"Jones! Wait!" You exclaimed quickly, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him back, noticing the ceiling with a large slit in it. 

"What?" He asked, and you grabbed your hat, tossing it in front of Indiana, watching as a large sharp object shot down, cutting your hat in half.

"For someone so observant, you really are blind sometimes. Booby trap." You answered, making Indiana sigh. 

"Thanks, sweetheart." Indiana thanked you sarcastically, his voice deep and taunting as he stepped over the booby trap, continuing down the hall.

You followed close behind, glaring at Indiana's back, "Don't call me sweetheart." You practically growled before you heard yelling from where you had come from. "I think we should go back." You spoke up and Indiana nodded.

"I think you're right." He answered, the two of you making your way back past the fallen booby trap and across the tiles and up the stairs; careful not to get shot. Stopping at the top of the stairs, you moved your hand above your eyes as the wind and sand blew against you harshly.

"Come on, we have to go!" One of Monty's men yelled out to you, taking your hand.

"What's going on!?" Indiana yelled out over the loud wind.

"There's a storm coming. We have to get back before it hits us!" He yelled, guiding you both back to a smaller van, before speeding away back to Cairo.

Back at the hotel, you shook out your hair, bits of sand falling to the ground and onto the carpet below. Indiana did the same, grumbling about sand in his shoes as you headed up the stairs together. 

"How long will the storm be?" You asked, and Indiana shrugged, his shoulders falling as he let out a sigh.

"I don't know, hours?" He answered before heading down the hall and stopping at his door. "Good night, Doctor." He spoke before entering his room and shutting the door.

You pursed your lips before entering your room. Shutting your own door, you shuffled to the dresser, grabbing some night clothes as the wind howled. Changing quickly, you sat on your bed, exhausted. 

~~~

A knock at your door awoken you, your eyes blinking rapidly as you sat up in the bed, the blanket dropping to your waist. As whoever was at your door knocked again, you slid out of bed, slipping on your slippers and robe before heading to the door. Opening it slightly, you looked up to find Indiana staring down at you. He was dressed for the day, similar to his attire the day before. You rubbed your cheek as you spoke, "May I help you, Doctor?" 

"I'm taking you to see a friend of mine," Indiana replied, giving you a grin.

"Right now? Aren't we going back to the temple today?" You asked and Indiana shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"That sandstorm covered most of the temple, so they are going to re-excavate it." He answered, and you raised an eyebrow.

"So that means you want to drag me around Cairo?" You asked and Indiana nodded.

"Thought it would be better than sitting in your room all day." He spoke, and you raised an eyebrow at him. Why was he now being so nice?

You let out a sigh, casting your gaze down, "Fine. I'll be ready in ten." You answered, shutting the door.

You quickly grabbed some clothes and got dressed, stumbling to the door as you pulled on and laced your boots. Opening the door, you spotted Indiana leaning across from your room on the wall. He pushed off the wall as you neared, fixing your hair. "Who are we going to go see?" You asked and Indiana began walking, you followed close behind, being able to catch up and walk beside him.

"A friend of mine." He answered back, a smirk on his face.

You furrowed your eyebrows, looking over at him, "A friend of yours? Wow, very specific." You mumbled, earning a laugh from him. "I like them already." You said sarcastically. 

Indiana ignored your obvious enthusiasm, "He helps me with excavations sometimes. He lives in the city." 

You hummed, stepping out into the streets of Cairo. Indiana led you around the city, passing by vendors, businesses, and homes. You both weaved past people carrying woven baskets on their shoulders, others carrying bags filled with goods. You saw a man standing outside of a clothing shop, a few children following along beside him as they played with a ball. Their laughter reached your ears and a smile formed on your face. It didn’t take long to reach Indiana’s destination, stopping at a house, you narrowed your eyes at it.

"This place seems familiar."

Indiana turned to look down at you, his eyebrows furrowed, "Familiar?"

Before you could say anything you heard laughter, watching as nine children ran out of the house, all crowding around Indiana in a giant hug. Indiana beamed, ruffling some of the kid's hair, as they chanted his name. The whole scene in front of you surprised you. It was almost… Endearing.

"Where are my- do my eyes deceive me?" You turned to the new voice and your eyes widened, a smile on your face. "Jawhara!" He cried, rushing up to you as you threw your arms around him.

Indiana watched in shock as you laughed, hugging the man he knew to be his friend, Sallah. So that was what you meant when you said you recognized the home.

Pulling back, Sallah looked at you with a beaming smile, "Oh, how you've grown. Just like your mother. Yet as adventurous as your father." He praised you, making you smile sheepishly.

"Thank you, Sallah. I am so glad to see you again. It's been ages." You replied, glancing over at Indiana who had been frozen, staring at you. "I didn't know you had kids." You turned back to Sallah, who nodded happily.

"Yes, you remember my wife, Fayah? Yes, nine perfect children." He replied, before he turned to Indiana, his kids having gone back inside a while ago. "Let's go inside, we have lots to catch up on."

Inside, you sat down at a table with Indiana and Sallah, sipping some tea that Fayah had made for you. Indiana looked to his friend and to you, before looking back to Sallah. "How do you two know each other?" He asked and Sallah sighed.

"I was friends with their father and mother, when they traveled here Fayah and I would take care of them.” He explained, smiling fondly at you before turning to Indiana. "Such a little troublemaker this one was." Sallah added and you blushed, slightly embarrassed as Indiana chuckled.

"Still is."

You turned to him, giving him a small glare, only for him to sort of glare back. Sallah cleared his throat, gaining your attention back. "So, how do you two know each other? Friends? Lovers?"

"Sal!"

"Sallah!"

You and Indiana both exclaimed, making the older man laugh, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. You rubbed your face, closing your eyes as you leaned your elbows on the table. Indiana ran a hand through his hair, before speaking.

"We were both asked to join this excavation." He answered simply, letting out a tired sigh.

Sallah smiled brightly, turning to you, "You were asked to join them?"

You nodded with your own smile. "We're looking for Prince Huaphris's tomb."

The older man's smile grew as he took another drink of his tea. "Ah, the forgotten Prince. I heard that they recently excavated a temple." 

"Sallah!" Fayah called from somewhere in the home, making the man in question straighten in his seat.

"Yes, habibi?" He called back, earning no answer. Turning, Sallah gave you both an apologetic smile, standing from his seat. "You must excuse me. You two can stay as long as you need " He spoke, headed to another room before he turned to you, "It was nice seeing you again, jawhara." He spoke softly before leaving the room.

You smiled, taking another sip of your tea as Indiana turned to you. "What does he call you?" He asked and you paused before you placed your cup down.

"He calls me ‘jewel’." You answered, before speaking again, "You didn't tell me you knew Sallah." Looking up into his eyes, he looked into yours.

"You didn't either."

A silence fell upon you, as the two of you just looked at each other. The tension, similar to the one in the temple, could also be cut with a knife. The room felt cold. The atmosphere was suffocating, almost unbearable. You didn't know how long the two of you sat there, staring at each other, before you snapped back to reality, clearing your throat as you avert your eyes. You hadn't even realized it, but you began to fiddle with your shirt sleeve, your fingers playing with a gold thread.

Indiana looked at you, watching as your eyes looked away from his, almost bashfully as you looked down at your lap. Indiana bit his lip, looking to the floor as well before looking back at you.

"Um... Y/n... I-" He trailed off, not sure of what to say. You turned your eyes back to his, looking at him questioningly. His cheeks began to feel warm. "Y/n, I..." He paused, swallowing thickly. "I'm sorry."

Your eyebrows rose in surprise. You glanced back down, looking at your lap as you bit the inside of your cheek. Your lips pursed together. "I'm sorry too. You know, for calling you scruffy-looking." You apologized, looking up at the man. "More than that, I have been a bit... Rude." You turned back to look at him, giving him a soft frown. The two of you continued to stare at each other silently. After a moment, you found yourself unable to stand the silence between the two of you. "Can we please start over? Properly this time?" You asked, and Indiana nodded, giving you a grin.

You both stood up, Indiana offering his hand to you, "I'm Indiana Jones." You smiled at him for the first time, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. Indiana's heart began to race at just the sight of your smile, "But you can call me Indiana."

"I'm Y/N L/N." You began, smiling at him. "It's nice to meet you, Indiana."

The two of you stayed quiet, looking at each other, Indiana's chest warming at the sound of your voice saying his name. Had his eyes always been that chocolatey brown? You felt heat rise in your cheeks and you coughed, clearing your throat, pulling your hand back to your side, "Well, we should get going." You said, nodding towards the door. "We wouldn't want to make our friend suffer. Hands probably full of kids.”

~~~

“We're going to have to cut this trip short. Another sandstorm is coming. Bigger than the last one.” Monty spoke, the handle of his cane glinting in the hot, smoldering sun.

Your head perked up at his words, pursing your lips, “How long do we have?” You asked, awaiting his answer.

“Less than three days.” He answered shortly.

“No offense, Mr. Shaw, but I don’t think we can get to the tomb in that amount of time.” Indiana spoke up beside you, and Monty turned to him, his fingers clenching his cane.

“Well, Doctor L/N finished that map, correct?” Monty asked and you were quick to nod your head. For the past couple of weeks, you have been charting the temple's layout. Marking down the halls and rooms, you had narrowed it down to one area where you were sure the tomb was located. "Splendid, I have faith in Doctor L/N's faultless expertise. We’ll find that tomb."

While you were working on your map, Indiana was researching the supposed treasure. Finding out that it would all be worth one million dollars. Especially if the rare artifact, the dagger of the fourth King, Ahkmenrah, was in there. It was all so thrilling. And during that time, you and Indiana grew closer. You found him indeed charming as Indiana found you wondrous.

Taking a torch, you led the way, your fingers dragging along the inscriptions on the wall. As you walked farther and farther along, a sense of unease began to grow within you, causing your steps to slow. You glanced behind you to Indiana, "Do you trust Mr. Shaw?" You asked, and Indiana said nothing; taking your hand and taking the lead. 

"No." He finally said as he reached the first room, following your steps as you made sure not to step on the wrong tile. "Not at all, why?"

You hopped to the ledge, making it into the next hall, the sounds of your footsteps echoing loudly against the hard stone walls. "Because something doesn't add up about him."

He stopped at the next doorway, tilting his head as he regarded you. "Such as?" 

You shrugged, "The first team. Where did they go? And what about Mr. Tucker?" You said, gesturing back to the sadly dead boy of Mr. Tucker, "He didn't even seem to care when we told him."

Indiana sighed, taking your hand again as he led you down the hall with the one booby, helping you over it, “He has been a bit off-" He stopped abruptly at the end of the hallway, freezing.

You looked at him, tightening your hold on his hand, "What? What is it?" You asked, leaning to the side to see that the hall just opened up, dropping into a dark hole; it was at least eight feet or more across. You gulped, feeling a shiver run down your spine as you felt your hands clam up. "Indiana... Please don't tell me we have to cross that." You practically begged, eyes wide as you stared at the deep hole.

"It seems we don't really have a choice, sweetheart." He mumbled, before going straight into action, letting go of your hand and grabbing his whip. 

Your mind completely passed over him calling you 'sweetheart', rather thinking about falling down to your death. You bit your lip, "I don't think I can do it, Indiana. I'm not really good with heights... And you know, the whole impending doom of falling down that thing."

Indiana took the torch from your hand, reaching out and dropping it into the deep depths, watching it as it fell down and down… Indiana then swung his whip as best as he could, before aiming it at a small beam on the ceiling. Tugging it, Indiana turned to you, offering his hand to you. "You can do this. Just hold onto me tight." He softly commanded. You let out a shaky breath, before grabbing Indiana's hand with a death grip. Pulling you closer, Indiana wrapped his arm around your waist, "Don't look down." He whispered, his breath hot against your ear as he gripped your waist tighter.

Digging your head into his shoulder, you shut your eyes tight. Taking a step forward, Indiana pushed off from the ground; swinging across. You squeezed tighter as you felt the wind move across your hair and face, your stomach flipping as your feet left the ground. Soon though, your feet touched the ground, but you kept your arms around Indiana, clinging to him. You peeked open an eye, taking in the view of your surroundings.

"Are you alright?" He questioned, turning to face you as you slowly released your hold on him.

You felt your heart thumping in your chest as you looked up at him. He was so close. If you only leaned in a little bit more-

You gave a nod, "Yeah, but I am never doing that again." You let out, making Indiana laugh lightly as he tugged his whip down, letting go of your waist but taking your hand again as you walked down the next hall, but not before grabbing another torch.

This hall was larger, far more spacious, allowing Indiana to walk beside you; his hand dropping from yours. You frowned slightly, missing his hand in yours as you clenched your hands briefly before looking at the walls. You could make out most of the inscriptions, catching a passage but you were quick to get distracted. You turned yet again down another hall, making you sigh. It felt like you had been walking on the slight slope for hours and your knees were beginning to ache. When really, it had been only a couple of minutes and your knees were aching. Right when you were about to say something, you paused to see two beautifully designed statues holding up the entranceway, and two perfectly carved snakes on each wall.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Indiana muttered, looking at the architecture in awe.

"Impeccably so," You responded in kind, looking at the statues. One of them was holding some sort of animal, but you couldn't figure it out. A couple of meters ahead of you stood a pedestal, sitting upon it was a golden coffin, your face brightened as you pointed to it.

"We found it!" You exclaimed, taking his hand and dragging him further into the tomb. Before you, the tomb sat on a large pillar, carved to look like snake scales, dropping off with a large gap between you and it. Behind the tomb was the treasure, the treasure of the forgotten Prince. Golden vases and goblets. Thousands of jewels were overflowing a giant golden chest, and golden coins laying on the ground. With a joyful smile, you turned to Indiana, his own lips turned up in a smile as he looked at the tomb. You had done it; you had actually uncovered an ancient Egyptian tomb. A Prince, not to mention. You were over the moon.

Suddenly, you heard a loud explosion of some kind, watching as the wall nearest to the treasure blasted apart, smoke flying in the air as you stepped closer to Indiana, flinching at the loud noise. Pausing, you heard slow clapping, seeing Monty, and a couple of his men as the smoke dissipated into the air. They held guns as they stepped over the rubble. As did Monty,  holding it by his pinkie as he clapped; a smirk on his face. "Well done, Doctors. Well done."

"Are you crazy!?" Indiana exclaimed angrily, "You just ruined thousand-year-old history!"

Monty scoffed, gesturing with his hand, his men rushed over, grabbing armfuls of the treasure. "I want to thank you two. If it weren't for your knowledge of the treasure and your knowledge of Forensic Archaeology, I wouldn't have found the treasure. I do have to give you two credit. After all, you did lead me straight to it." He laughed evilly, before pointing his gun at the two of you. "Now, if you'd like to take a glance down, you'll see your future, and well, your end." You glared up at the man, seeing red. He used you. Both of you.

You leaned over slightly to see that you were standing above a pit of snakes. Hundreds, thousands of snakes, slithering; crawling over each other. Your heart started to pound rapidly inside of your chest, and your breaths became shallow. This wasn't how you expected this adventure to end. 

"Snakes... Why is it always snakes?" Indiana mumbled to himself, seemingly frightened as his terror-filled brown eyes stared down at the evil beneath him.

"I did actually read something about how the Prince really liked snakes back in the hall." You spoke up, Indiana turning to you with narrowed eyes. “He even had a pet snake named Hathor.”

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, frustratedly as you shrugged.

"The pet snake? I didn't think it was a big deal.” You shrugged, making Indiana shake his head, looking down at you.

“No, about the pit of snakes.” He answered back, annoyed, and your eyes widened slightly as you ‘oohed.’

“Oooh, I thought if they had put anything down here it would've been dead already. But I can see how if they put enough down there, they could procreate... But what would they eat?" You ranted slightly and Indiana rubbed his face.

"Each other, sweetheart."

Monty became more and more irritated as you both bantered back and forth, physically shaking, "Shut up! Both of you!" He yelled, shooting his gun at the ceiling, but you both ignored him.

You scrunched up your nose. "But do you know if they have those types of snakes down there? I mean, when I looked, I saw a King Cobra, but I don't think snakes eat each other, even in times of hardship." 

“I have no idea, Y/N, I’m not a snake professor.” Indiana sighed, rubbing a hand down his face.

"Shut up!" Monty yelled out again, in red rage before he aimed his gun and shot out. 

You watched in a sort of slow-motion as Indiana clutched his shoulder, blood seeping through his dirtied shirt as he toppled over, falling down into the snake pit.

"Indy!" You cried out, eyes wide in shock and fear. Not really thinking, you jumped down, landing in the sand that didn't have any snakes, but on your side, making you wince. That was definitely going to leave a bruise.

"That was a very foolish thing to do, Doctor. Do you know how many poisonous creatures are in this pit? I should shoot you, but I guess I will allow you to live." Monty spoke, voice low and threatening. You looked up at him, as he just laughed, gesturing for his men to hurry up. "No hard feelings!" He called down to you as he left the temple with his men, carrying bags of artifacts.

You quickly stood up, looking around, spotting Indy's torch near you. Grabbing it, you found Indy standing in his own clear section, surrounded by snakes. Thinking quickly, you measured the distance between yourself and Indy; forming a plan. "Snakes don't like fire, right?" You called to him, watching as you moved the torch around, the snakes backing away from you as they hissed.

"They hate it!" Indiana yelled back, the snakes getting incredibly closer to him.

Concentrating, you tossed your torch in the middle of the snakes blocking you from Indiana. The snakes hit with the flames hissed and quickly slithered away, leaving a good amount of empty ground for you. Indiana watched you as you took a couple of steps back before sprinting forward, jumping into a front flip and landing in the small circle you made with your torch. Picking it up, you tossed it to Indiana, who quickly grabbed it as you landed another flip into his circle.

"Where did you learn that?" He asked as you looked around at the snakes.

"My mother, now do you have a plan?" You asked as he waved the torch at the snakes, making them back off.

"No, do you?" He asked and you looked around the room, noticing four large pillars in the corners. Looking at the ceiling, you found that it was cracking, from the bullet Monty had shot at it. You watched as it began to crumble, giving you an idea. 

"Yeah, and you're not going to like it." You spoke, noticing most of the pillars had snakes creeping along them. The drop from where you had been was only maybe a fifteen-foot drop, too high to reach but the pillars had deep grooves that you could use. "Indiana, follow me." You instructed before you took a running jump and grabbed onto the pillar. Similar to rock climbing, you used your upper body strength to push yourself up and grab another deep groove, pulling yourself up. Looking down, you weren't more than nine feet off the ground. 

Indiana looked up at you before he dropped the torch, running up and grabbing the first groove before pulling himself up to the next one beside you. "What now?" He asked, wincing from the pain in his shoulder as your chest heaved and you looked up.

"I don't know, i'm making up this stuff as I go. Maybe we could keep climbing until we get to the top. Idiot Monty shot the column, it's unstable. We can slide around to the back and push it off the wall."

"Do you really think we can push a thousand-pound rock?" Indiana asked as you shrugged, climbing higher.

"We got to try, and I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be snake food." 

Carefully, you both climbed up, moving against the wall. Pushing your backs against it, you put your feet against the pillar, pushing with everything you had. Hearing a loud rumbling, you opened your eyes to see the ceiling crumbling away, the pillar began to shake as it broke away from the stone. You watched as it began to fall, jumping down and running along the falling column, Indiana running close behind as the large sculpted stone hit the Prince's tomb, crashing into it harshly.

"Sorry, your highness!" You cried out as Indiana took your hand. Before running up the ramp you made out of the pillar and jumped over the large chasm, over the snakes; landing brutally on your sides.

You sat up with a wince, holding onto your side as you watched the sculpted pillar that the tomb was on slowly crumb, before falling down into the pit of snakes, the tomb going with it. 

"At least he's with his snakes." You grimaced, as Indiana let out a deep breath, his chest heaved, sweat covering his brow and his forehead. You stood up with a grunt and helped him up, smiling weakly.

"That was quite a leap you made there." He groaned, your arms wrapping his arm over your shoulder, leading him through the hole Monty and his men made with their explosives. 

"And you, you survived a pit of snakes." You praised, carefully making it over the broken pieces of wall.

"Wouldn't be the first." He hissed in pain through his teeth, a smile on his face nonetheless.

~~~

Making it to the surface, you let out a sigh of relief, before turning to look up at Indiana. "Are you alright, Indy?"

"You called me Indy?" He asked, looking down at you, a small smiling forming on your lips.

"I also did when you got shot, but that doesn't matter right now. If you're fine, we need to get to Monty, and get that gold back." 

"You're the boss, honey." He replied back as you began to walk to Cairo. Indiana turned down to look at you, noticing your little freckles and the way your lashes caressed the tops of your cheeks. "You didn't tell me off for that one." He noticed and you hummed, staring up ahead.

"I guess I don't mind that one." You confessed quietly, making Indiana smile proudly before it slowly faltered as he heard a car in the distance. Ahead, you watched as a car drove towards you, stopping a couple of feet away. 

"Jawhara!" A voice called, making you smile seeing Sallah in the driver's seat. You quickly rushed over, helping Indiana in as you took the passenger seat.

"Sal! How did you find us?" You asked, pleasantly surprised as Sallah began to speed back to Cairo.

"I was out in town and watched those excavators leave but without you. Knew you and Indiana were in trouble." He spoke as he carefully weaved his way past people.

"Thank you, Sallah," Indiana spoke up from the back and Sallah nodded his head, catching a glimpse of Indy in the mirror.

“So, what happened?” Sallah asked as he speed down the sandy dunes, the trip bumpy as you held onto the seat, your other hand pressed firmly into the van’s ceiling.

“Shaw tried to kill us with a snake pit.” You answered, making Sallah laugh heartily.

“Ah! Typical. Must have been terrible for Indy. Hating snakes and all. But, I am glad you both made it out alive!”

You looked behind you to Indiana, a small smirk on your face. “You hate snakes? Why didn’t you tell me?” You asked him as he grimaced just thinking about the slithering reptile. 

“Why would I? Just thinking about them…” Indiana shivered.

You turned back to Sallah, “Thank you again, Sal.”

"Anything for Indiana Jones and my Jawhara!"

Sallah sped down the desert, somehow being able to catch up to the plane before it went into the air. Sallah stopped a little ways away as Indiana pulled his gun from his belt, checking the bullets before he hopped out of the car. You opened the glove compartment and grabbed Sallah's gun, before doing the same. Getting low, you rushed up to Indiana behind a giant boulder, holding your gun close as you both peeked out from behind the rock.

"How many?" You asked softly, as Indiana counted the men, watching as they slowly packed away the gold in the plane.

"Eight?" He asked, more as a question. "Don't get killed." He then said, turning down to look at you.

You just looked up at him with a smile, "Not planning to." You promised, giving him a wink.

Quickly, you and Indiana began your assault, taking down as many men as you could from behind your spot, the men firing back. You were able to hit three of them, sending them down before they could reload.

"This isn't working." One of the men shouted and you looked up just in time to watch him take out a grenade, pulling out the clip with his teeth.

Quickly, you ducked behind the boulder, sand flying in the air before the sound of gunfire. You looked down at your gun, it had jammed. And beside you, Indiana was gone, making your eyes widen and your heart pound in your chest. Looking over the boulder, you watched him storm the plane, taking out the rest of the man. You let out a sigh as Indiana swerved around a man's punch, before knocking the man out. How he got on top of the plan, you'd probably never know. 

But you knew this wasn't the time to wonder about it, so while the last two men were busy with Indiana, you before rushing inside the plane. Inside, you paused, finding the stolen treasure. You knew you couldn't grab all of it, so once all the yelling, fighting, and gunfire stopped, you peeked your head out of the plane. 

Indiana walked over slowly, stumbling slightly as he made it to the plane's stairs, leaning up against it as he looked up at you. "Is it all there?" He asked, his hand gripping his shoulder, covered in dry blood.

You nodded with a bright smile, "Yeah, it's all here." You breathed out, "It's here."

~~~

In the spare bedroom of Sallah's home, you dipped a cool cloth into a bowl of water, rinsing, and squeezing it out. Reaching over, you gently dabbed Indiana's wound. Well, it wasn't really a wound, the bullet barely grazed him; though he was bleeding a lot. You were trying not to get distracted by Indiana's chest, his bare chest and stomach that was exposed; to easily access the wound. Glancing up, you watched as his face scrunched up in pain, wincing again. "I'm sorry..." You apologized softly, pressing lightly on the area again. You glanced back to Indiana's face and felt your cheeks heat up slightly before your eyes wandered to a small bruise forming on his cheek. 

Reaching out, you gently touched his skin, feeling how warm it was underneath your fingers. You swallowed nervously, trying to avoid eye contact as your finger trailed across the bruise before finally looking up at him. His eyes were closed, as he softly nudged his cheek into your hand; his own reaching up and gently holding your wrist.

"I'm fine. Always am. You have nothing to be sorry for." Indiana whispered, his eyes slowly opening, looking into yours intently.

"If I hadn't-"

"Don't start that again." He interjected, making your eyebrows furrow. "Stop beating yourself up over it, please."

"But if I had stopped talking about the snake..." You muttered only for him to interrupt you again, dipping the rag in the dirtying water again.

“What do you think would have happened? We still would've fallen into that pit; if anything I'm the one who should be apologizing." Indiana argued as you squeezed out the water.

"But you didn't do anything." You stated quietly, "Can we just drop this? We have already established that we are both stubborn. We won’t get anywhere fighting…" You commented, pressing the rag to his wound, making some progress as you finally cleared up all the blood, dirt, and sweat. Your words hung in the air between you, as you glanced up to meet his brown eyes. Your hand slowly fell from his shoulder, as you gazed into his eyes. His eyes flickered down at your lips, his thumb slowly rubbing your wrist until your skin warmed under his touch.

Indiana looked at you, the sun's rays shining down on you, illuminating your features. The sunlight glistened on your smooth face, making it seem like you were glowing under the light. You were breathtaking; stunning. Even with sand in your hair and a smudge of dirt on your face; you were heart-stopping. Indy's eyes widened a fraction of an inch and before he realized what he was doing, his thumb slipped from your wrist, brushing your skin softly as he reached over. Your breath hitched in your throat as he brushed a stray strand of hair out of your face, pushing some of it behind your ear. Your heart pounded loudly in your ears as you stared into the brown orbs of his. His gaze softens, his fingers running down your cheek and resting on your neck. You leaned closer to him, your lips almost touching as he stared into your eyes.

The world seemed to go silent as he lowered his head down to yours. It seemed like time slowed down, as he softly brushed his lips against yours, a small spark igniting inside of you. Your hands found their place in his hair, your fingertips lightly stroking through his silky locks as you deepened the kiss, knocking his precious hat off his head. After a moment, you parted, breathing heavily as you gazed into each other's eyes. You were both quiet, neither one daring to move, scared that any sudden movement would ruin the moment. So you kept gazing into each others' eyes, admiring the way the sunset brought out his eyes, the way his eyelashes brushed his cheeks, and the way his mouth curved into a slight smile, his forehead pressed against yours.

The sounds of people outside in the streets, going to and from businesses and shops, Indiana finally breaking the silence, "You're beautiful," He murmured, his hand moving to cup your face as he stared into your eyes with such intensity you felt you might drown in his stare.

You felt your cheeks flush and you closed your eyes as you leaned forward and kissed his palm. "You're a charmer, Jonesy." You whispered, your eyes fluttering open and gazing into his brown eyes, his smile widening slightly as he cupped your cheek. "Indy?" You then spoke up softly, making Indiana hum in response. "Do you know how to fly that plane?"

Indiana froze for a moment, "No?" He answered, making you laugh a little, nuzzling your nose with his as you pulled away, grabbing the bandages for his wound. 

"I had a feeling you wouldn't." You teased, biting your lip, giggling as Indiana narrowed his eyes at you, feigning offense. "I borrowed a phone while I was grabbing the bandages. We'll be out of Cairo and back in Connecticut tomorrow night. And I have a van that will be sending all the Prince's treasure to both the National Museum and the Smithsonian." You explained, wrapping the bandage around his upper arm.

Indiana's eyes lit up, a huge grin appearing on his face, "Oh, honey," He breathed out softly, "Could you be any more perfect?” He asked as you just rolled your eyes.

~~~

Standing beside you, suitcases packed and at your sides, you waited for the plane to arrive. You both had said goodbye to Sallah, his wife, and the kids. Promising to write and visit as much as possible. Indiana tugged you closer into his side, his arm wrapped securely around your waist as the wind began to pick up slightly as you watched an airplane slowly land. Indiana held his hat down as the plane slid to a stop a couple of meters away. The plane's propeller slowly spun to a stop as the door opened, and an older man with a thick gray beard stepped out. In spotting you, he smiled rushing over. You did the same, pulling your father into your arms. 

Indiana watched in a form of awe as you smiled at the man before turning around and smiling over at him.

"Come on, Indy. Let's go home."

Without wasting another second, Indiana grabbed the suitcases, following you to the plane. And as he sat beside you, being introduced to your father, Indiana couldn't help but wonder... What new adventures were in store for him?

[solar-halos]

question time tag!

thank you for tagging me @thelettersfromnoone <3

what is a bad habit you have?

i’m a huge procrastinator

what’s your dream job?

oh boy. during winter break i thought i fs wanted to be an archaeologist but then school started back up and now i wanna be a forensic technician. except that law enforcement seems so genuinely corrupt to me that it’s kinda overwhelming so im tryna see what all this commotion is about library science. but also if i could crochet and scrapbook all day everyday i would. this drives my mom infuckingsane btw

how many times have you been pulled over by a cop?

zero

dream travel destinations?

greece (zakynthos island looks soo pretty) and italy

what are the top two words your friends would use to describe you?

sometimes they accuse me of being sassy. also (believe it or not) a bit quiet

have you ever had sex in a public place?

i legally can’t answer this question. (just kidding i just don’t want to)

favorite beverage?

strawberries and cream dr pepper <3

are you more independent, or need lots of people around you?

a mix of both. i fucking hate being by myself but i also get overwhelmed easily, so i tend to cling onto one or two ppl. i remember seeing something like “that moment when your built in errand buddy (your sister) is busy :(“ and that’s exactly right. i always have to bribe my sister with a lil treat if i need to run an errand

and then i’m trying not to be less shy so (if you want to!!) here are the tags: @the-sun-and-the-sea @bodyelectric77 @mollywog @caesarflickermans. and then also anyone else who wants to do this i’m very nosey

[tryingtimi]

LONEL INTRODUCTION.

GENRE: Neo-Noir, Urban Fantasy, Thriller. CONTENT: Best Friends to Lovers, Ancient Conflict, Vampires vs Werewolves, Lone Wolf, Anti-Hero Protag. SETTING: State of Auris in the world of Aetherius. Decades before IQRUS happens. STATUS: Worldbuilding | Outlining. MASTERPOSTS: SNIPPET | CHARACTERS | WORLDBUILDING

SYNOPSIS

Lonel has two secrets. One, he is the last of his kind since his mother was killed. Two, he is certain a vampire is to blame. These, however, are secrets he can’t tell anyone about. Vampires do not exist, and he can't be sure if his mind could be trusted anyway. Until one day, during his daily forensic cleaner job, he witnesses a scene that changes everything.

LOCATIONS - IMPORTANT ASPECTS

AURIS CITY ― The capital of Auris, where everything happens. HALL OF ECHOES ― The national museum of Auris. It's a place where every historical knowledge is stored, including mythical legends, and possible artefacts. THE CRIMSON SHADOW ― A famous club and bar for VIP members only. Only those can enter who were invited, and to get an invitation, you need to meet certain requirements. The regulars, however, can't say anything about it. They sometimes seem to not be able to. There are also rumours about occasional orgies, and that it's a strip club than anything else in actuality.

CHARACTERS

LONEL. A lone forensic cleaner who’s secretly helping the police while cleaning the crime scenes. He's a dangerous man with an obsession over his mother's death. Yet, for the things and people he cares, he cares deeply. pinterest | playlist SELYS DUMWERMER. Lonel's almost only friend, and superior as chief detective at the station. An eccentric gentleman with a mysterious, melancholic aura around him. pinterest | playlist ODENA SLYHER. A talented archaeologist, and member of the Hall of Echos. As much as she's interested in human history, she is still an expert on the subject of supernatural, and mythical beings. Lonel's childhood acquaintance as he would call her. She, however, rather prefers to be called a friend. pinterest | playlist LORD VOLERON DE NOMEUR. One of the richest men of Auris. He’s funding a lot of institutes and owns The Crimson Shadow as well. He’s not the governor, but some say he’s much more. pinterest | playlist

AUTHOR'S NOTE | TAGS

Will edit this post as I go and share more stuff. Made this when I had the biggest urge to write some Lonel stuff eh. Everything is subject to change.

Thank you for checking it out, loves! ♡

TAG LIST: @bloodlessheirbyjacques, @the-void-writes, @circa-specturgia, @dyrewrites

[savefrog]

Dude the human body is crazy

That post about T giving you too much blood, and how thats a genetic condition passed down mainly through cis men (hemachromatosis). And how its a risk for going on T because someone can have inherited the gene but not know until going on T triggers the issues. I need to do more research, because I cant find a lot of information on how it reacts to T (besides it often resulting in lower T), but it almost looks like the body gets T and is like "Oh cool we're going dude mode now, heres that condition you were missing!"

Makes me think of how people who have had a hysterectomy can still experience the menstruation cycle even without a Uterus. Like PMS and the soreness and bloating associated with cramps. And its hard to find research on because its a newly recorded phenomenon with a lot of bias against it, but trans women on E may also experience a monthly cycle (PMS and the soreness and bloating associated with cramps) even without a Uterus as well. The body gets estrogen and is like "oh sick i know what to do with this! Pain!!!!!"

Like it really drives in how the human body is made of analogous structures. The reproductive system is all the same parts, just given different instructions. The clitoris can get erections! Hormones can change BONES even though its limited! (Horomonal changes also affect the bones during menopause for example, something archaeologists or forensic scientists can notice)

And speaking of, that whole thing about "when archaeologists see your skeleton THEN they will know" is bullshit! (ON SO MANY LEVELS)! Sex determination with bones is typically based on the measurement of literally ONE bone. And the field of archaeology has, for quite some time, acknowledged how innaccurate this can be. (And honestly, this assumption shows a lack of science knowledge in general, where in my experience researchers like to lean more towards "probably" rather than "definitely" when making ANY kind of assertion about something because there are ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS!)

Thanks to X-rays, we have classifications for different types of pelvis shapes. Do you know what may cause someone to have a C-section???? Having an Android (or "male-shaped") pelvis. Yes. A cis woman LITERALLY GIVING BIRTH, may have a pelvic shape that is labeled as having a masculine shape. AND IT IS NOT THAT RARE!!!! (A brief search says 20% of cis women)

But consider that people usually only get X-rays or other scans when absolutely needed. There could be so much more overlap that we arent even aware of. Things that are "rare instances" may not be that rare. We arent analyzing the dna of every person in existence, we only see what we are looking for and research has only just opened up past our cultural biases towards gender!

We know from studies of the brain that a lot of gendered assumptions (women are good at sorting colors because they were gatherers, etc) are not well-defined AT ALL. A lot of it may be learned during development. There are some stereotyped trends, but they're just small percentage trends such that its impossible to look at a brain and 100% say "yup thats male!", only at the most "well, statistically, its Slightly More Likely male" and still be very wrong. Exceptions are the NORM.

(And that whole evolutionary psychology thing of "women are better at colors because gatherers?"...based on what ancestors?!?!?!?!? Different groups of ancient people had different gender norms!!! There wasn't just one big caveman family for the entire paleolithic!!!! There are SO MANY recorded remains of what are most likely female hunters!!!!! Why would they not take advantage of having MORE HUNTERS during a hunting season?!?!!)

"Its simple biology" is quite possibly the most ignorant statement one can make, its a paradox. Biology is INHERENTLY complex, varied, and difficult to categorize. If you say it's simple even just for the sake of categorization, you are literally admitting to not knowing SHIT. Ask anyone into taxonomy. Categorizing animals seems easy if youve never actually done it, and meanwhile there are appparently heated debates on river dolphin teeth and whether or not river dolphins with no visible differences except slightly different teeth are different species or not. Birds are reptiles!!! Everything is a fucking fish!!!! Rigid thought based on societal bias is antithetical to science (though it has SURE affected science!)

Its that bias where the less you know about something, the easier you think it is. Someone may think they already know everything about a topic if they never actually researched it because they dont know whats out there. Whereas someone actually knowledgeable in that field KNOWS that its complicated and feels LESS like they know everything about it. Cis people who have never thought deeply about gender THINK it is simple because they lack any experience. They THINK its the same as they believed in preschool because they never challenged it - when everything else you learn in grade school is obviously simplified!!!

Its so blatantly apparent how little transphobes want to actually consider facts. Its all "just ask a biologist" until real biologists tell them its complex, then its "science is woke". They'll talk about gender all day and yet mock anyone actually studying it. It's all about rigid definitions, until someone tells them the literal definition of gender makes it seperate from sex. They pretend to care so much about the literal definitions of words and what you can and can't call something due to biology...but still call a seastar a "starFISH".

The WORLD is amorphous! Words are merely tools! Biology hates rigid categorization! EXCEPTIONS ARE THE NORM! live your damn life!

[zoramones]

friendly reminder before christmas ends that is what jesus would have ACTUALLY looked like based upon forensic science and anthropology founded by a team of experts led by Dr Richard Neave, formerly of the University of Manchester. jesus christ, the christian lord and saviour, was a brown man from bethlehem who would have spent his first days in rubble in he were born today under israeli apartheid occupation.

[blueiscoool]

Roman-era Tomb Scattered with Magical 'Dead Nails' Found in Turkey

A 2,000-year-old tomb discovered in Turkey was sprinkled with "dead nails" and sealed off with bricks and plaster, likely to "shield the living from the dead."

In ancient Roman times, people may have feared the "restless dead," according to the discovery of a cremation tomb sprinkled with intentionally bent nails and sealed not only with two dozen bricks but also a layer of plaster, a new study finds.

The unusual grave, found at the site of Sagalassos  in southwestern Turkey and dating to A.D. 100-150, had 41 bent and twisted nails scattered along the edges of its cremation pyre, 24 bricks that had been meticulously placed on the still-smoldering pyre, and a layer of lime plaster on top of that. The individual — an adult male — was cremated and buried in the same place, an unusual practice in Roman times, according to the study, published Feb. 21 in the journal Antiquity.

"The burial was closed off with not one, not two, but three different ways that can be understood as attempts to shield the living from the dead — or the other way around," study first author Johan Claeys), an archaeologist at Catholic University Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium, said in an email. Although each of these practices is known from Roman-era cemeteries — cremation in place, coverings of tiles or plaster, and the occasional bent nail — the combination of the three has not been seen before and implies a fear of the "restless dead," he said.

The archaeological site of Sagalassos was occupied from the fifth century B.C. to the 13th century A.D. and boasts numerous examples of Roman-era architecture, including a theater and a bath complex. Following its abandonment, vegetation quickly overgrew the city, preserving it.

As part of the Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project, burials in the outskirts of the town were excavated and studied, including the "non-normative cremation." Typically, Roman-era cremations involved a funeral pyre followed by the collection of the cremains, which were put in an urn and then buried in a grave or placed in a mausoleum. The Sagalassos cremation, however, was performed in place, which the researchers could tell from the anatomical positioning of the remaining bones.

Even more unusual was the contrast between the grave goods and the closure of the tomb. The archaeologists discovered typical funeral items — fragments of a woven basket, remains of food, a coin, and ceramic and glass vessels. "It seems clear that the deceased was buried with all appropriate aplomb," Claeys said. "It seems likely that was the suitable way of parting with a loved one at the time."

Marco Milella, a research fellow in the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland who was not involved in this study, said in an email that "I tend to agree with their conclusion" about the bent nails, which Milella said are frequently found in Western European cemeteries dating to the first to second centuries A.D. "The sealing of the remains is also interesting and tantalizing given its possible association with the deposition of nails," Milella noted. "Fear of the dead is a possibility, as well as amulets to protect the dead — or both, perhaps."

Claeys thinks that the man in this strange cremation grave was likely buried by his next of kin in a ceremony that would have taken days to prepare and carry out. The set of beliefs that encouraged people at Sagalassos to bury this man in an unconventional way are best understood as a form of magic, or an act intended to have specific effects because of a supernatural connection. It is possible that his odd burial was made to counteract an unusual or unnatural death; however, the researchers found no evidence of trauma or disease on the bones. Unfortunately, even though the "magic cremation" overlaps in time with other graves, Claeys said that "it cannot be established with certainty whether or not any family members were buried nearby," as DNA is usually destroyed by high temperatures in ancient cremations.

"Regardless of whether the cause of [the man's] death was traumatic, mysterious or potentially the result of a contagious illness or punishment," the researchers concluded in the study, it appears to have left "the living fearful of the deceased's return."

By Kristina Killgrove.

[welcome-to-green-hills]

What’s the difference between an anthropologist and an archaeologist? 😃 And what do archaeologists do when they’re not digging at excavation sites?

Oooh! Okay!❤️🤩❤️

An anthropologist is a scientist who studies human beings. The ask questions like, “what makes us human?” And “How can we define ourselves as human?”

We ask these questions through four (or five if you want to get technical) categories:

Linguistics

Cultural and Social Development

Biology

Archaeology (ME!)

and Applied Anthropology

Linguistics pretty much answers how languages not only changed through time, but how they’ve influenced culture and changes in society. It’s pretty common to have Linguistic Anthropologists work in a language lab where they play with words all day. They also make it a point to connect language with reading. If you ever talk to a linguistic anthropologist, ask them about cranial cap ripples.

Biological anthropologists help with the biological and organic portion of humans and nonhumans. You get primatologists (primates), forensic experts, retired doctors, paleontologists (human evolution), molecular scientists, and those that practice alternative methods of medicine. If you ever meet a biological anthropologist, as them how many ways to Sunday you can study teeth.

Cultural Anthropologists is very open in interpretation. I say that because it’s always advancing in its field with new discoveries every day. Cultural anthropologists study social groups. They immerse themselves in artwork, written/spoken literature, music, humanities, material goods, women’s rights, gender and sexuality. and social engagement. Kinda like how it’s a Tumblr norm to say, “I like your shoelaces. Thanks, I got them from the president.” They learn behaviors and manners, physical and non-physical telling of what makes that society function. If you ever meet a cultural anthropologist, ask them what their favorite cultural greeting.

Archaeology is a field in anthropology that’s commonly classified as a “historical science.” We use the scientific method to answer questions about the past and continuously ask “why?” We’re not Indiana Jones, many of us frown upon the comparison. We’re environmentally conscious of what we do when looking through historical records and digging at different sites. You need an understanding of history, linguistics, biology, and cultural practices for what site you work at. When archaeologists aren’t digging, they’re considered “shovel bums.” They travel around from one agency to the next (if they’re freelance) and dig year-round. We practically live out of a suitcase. I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m not a shovel bum. I’ve made my archaeological work through museums and conservation labs.

Applied Anthropology is a newer branch in anthropology. They ask the question, “now what!?” They look for practical solutions. They question a bit more and ask, “now what do we do? How can we make this more efficient for humans?” If you ever meet someone in this field, ask them their stance on Cyber-Anthropology (I.E., video games, AI, robots). You’ll get a mixed bag, but you might come out wiser.

SAPIENS.ORG is an anthropological magazine that’s designed for anthropologists, as well as those who are learning/interested in the field. Free subscription. Scope them out if you’re interested! And know that I’m always up for chatting about it here. I know that I’ve gotten some DMs from y’all wanting to know more about it. Know that my inbox is open.