Mitchell-Hedges and his ilk may have served as a template from which Indiana Jones was eventually birthed, but 1. They're all dead now, and 2. A lot of them were douchey imperial colonialists with a propensity for exaggeration. Slovenian archaeologist Ivan Šprajc, though, is the real deal and even today, he's uncovering amazing discoveries hitherto unknown to humankind. He does all the requisite Indy things hacking through undergrowth with machetes, avoiding poisonous snakes, wearing a hat and along the way has made a career of finding lost Mayan cities. Recently he found civilisations that date back to the 8th century, his archaeological journey beginning when war stranded him in Mexico. Šprajc's stay in the country was lengthened considerably by the outbreak of war in Yugoslavia in 1991, although now he's attached to the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. During his expeditions he has dealt with snakes, jaguars, and dangerous locals...and over the course of several decades he's avoided death at the hands of them all, finding the hands-on approach works better than using satellites or whatever. Ive said to myself quite a few times that this is the last season, because it is so difficult. But it is such a reward when you find a new site, he says. Its tough work, but its dead romantic. Never has a more Indiana Jones thing been said.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/