If you ask the average person, "Do real archaeologists go running around getting shot at like Indiana Jones?" you will inevitably hear, "Of course not. That's just Hollywood."
Well, that's not entirely true.
It is true that most of archaeology happens in the library and the lab. There is a lot of research done before any fieldwork is undertaken, and in between seasons (archaeologists often work on a site for ten or more years, but only during the warmer months) there is a lot of labwork to be done. Many archaeologists spend a great deal of time teaching, as well.
It is also true that many archaeologists have more adventures wading through governmental red tape than battling bad guys.
But every once in a while, Indiana Jones is not that far off the mark.
A professor of mine, visiting from the University of Damascus, told me of how he went searching for Genghis/Chinggis Khan's tomb in Mongolia. He did not found the tomb before the Mongolian government took over, but he was chased on horseback across the steppes by raiders with guns, a lethal bunch called "yogurt raiders."
While most archaeologists don't have adventures like Indiana Jones or my professor, archaeologists still love the movies. Many archaeologists began with an interest in Indiana Jones and later discovered that they were quite fascinated by archaeology in its own right.
I think that archaeology is no worse for wear thanks to the Indiana Jones movies for one thing in particular: They capture the romance of the discovery of ancient artifacts. This is the real reason that archaeologists love their work. (It's certainly not for the money!)
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