10 Real-Life Archaeologists More Badass Than Indiana Jones

8. Lecturing, Adventuring, Archaeologist Robert John Braidwood

Whilst Robert John Braidwood has often by cited as a possible inspiration for Indiana Jones €“ both taught at the University Of Chicago, and would have been contemporaries with their adventures and discoveries €“ he might actually have a far more important last legacy. He is considered one of the founders of scientific archaeology, meaning he paved the way for how most archaeologists work today. Okay, so being one of the pioneers of now-routine practises like carbon dating isn't quite as exciting as the two-fisted archaeology performed by Dr Jones, but he did get to visit some exciting locales during his career. He, too, was part of the American war effort between lecturing €“ working for the Army Air Corps before getting his PhD. In 1971 the Archaeological Institute of America awarded him the Gold Medal Award for distinguished archaeological achievement, partly down to his pioneering work; also because a lot of that pioneering work happened in even more politically fraught countries than Indiana Jones frequented, carrying out ground-breaking (literally and figuratively) digs in Iraq, Iran and Turkey, moving on each time when war broke out, smuggling his discoveries and tools along with him.