this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2026
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Archaeology

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Archaeology or archeology[a] is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes.

Archaeology has various goals, which range from understanding culture history to reconstructing past lifeways to documenting and explaining changes in human societies through time.

The discipline involves surveying, excavation, and eventually analysis of data collected, to learn more about the past. In broad scope, archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research. Read more...

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[–] Tabula_stercore@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

I don't get the hate in the comments. I would also remove Palestine from my house. I don't want to be bombed indiscriminately by Israel.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

That’s pretty heartless and evil when you consider the fact that a powerful Israeli activist group is forcing the change while the people of Palestine are being systematically slaughtered and erased.

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 6 days ago

Britain: fast regressing to the XIX century white colonialist mindset which, lets be honest, the never quite fully left

Not that Europe's Posh Fascist nation was ever as culturally, socially and politically evolved as at least Western Europe, much less Northern Europe and Scandinavia.

Certainly, having lived for around a decade each, first in The Netherlands and after in Britain, I always felt Britain was decades behind The Netherlands in terms of how they looked at and treated people.

The most classist nation in Europe only every paid lip service to the idea that inherently all people are equal and equally deserving.

[–] napoleonsdumbcousin@feddit.org 99 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

the group claimed: “Applying a single name – Palestine – retrospectively to the entire region, across thousands of years, erases historical changes and creates a false impression of continuity.

It is understood that the “Palestinian descent” has been changed to read “Canaanite descent” in the Hyksos panel.

What they did is technically correct, Canaanite is the correct term for the time period. The term Palestinian did not yet exist.

BUT it is certainly no coincidence that "UK Lawyers of Israel" did request that change now.

[–] fallaciousBasis@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

It's just Canaanites hating Canaanites hating Canaanites.

Thanks God! 😂

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 43 points 1 week ago (2 children)

'Levantine' would have been a more accurate term. The 'Canaanite' term is specifically what's used to differentiate from 'Hebrews' in zionism, both before and after Israel was created. Biblically Canaanites are Phoenecians, which are one of many Levantine tribes and city states of the Bronze and Biblical eras.

[–] napoleonsdumbcousin@feddit.org 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

AFAIK it is common practice to call them Canaanites:

Thus, while "Phoenician" and "Canaanite" refer to the same culture, archaeologists and historians commonly refer to the Bronce Age pre-1200 BC Levantine peoples as Canaanites, while their Iron Age descendants, particularly those living on the coast, are referred to as Phoenicians.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaan

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Not disputing that, but even in that section of explanatory text it uses 'Levantine peoples'.

[–] napoleonsdumbcousin@feddit.org 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Well Levantine is the broader term, so you need it to define the more specific term Canaanite.

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 week ago

It's a broader term that is no less accurate. But it is also one more removed from political connotations since this is not just about using the term 'Canaanite' as it is also changing it from 'Palestinian.'

Changing 'Palestinian' to 'Canaanite' in 2026 specifically means something more given the Israelite-Canaanite context.

It's either malicious or stupid, and evidence is tending to the former for the group that sought the change and the latter for the museum.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Didn't the Bible also say that they were literal giants?

[–] fallaciousBasis@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Some say what they were so large you could crawl into their anuses and use them as a type of motorcade. Giddy up.

[–] als@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Also that people can be resurrected, that matter can be duplicated and all sorts of other bullshit

[–] maniacalmanicmania@aussie.zone 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They had food replicators and teleporters back then? Things have really gone downhill.

[–] Avicenna@programming.dev 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Cultural descendants of Palestinians did exist in Canaan at the time around 1200BC. I doubt that anywhere in that museum you would be able to find information about this though. Because the whole point of this debacle is a childish claim of the form "Our descendants was there first!". If British Museum had any balls they would make this correction and add the history of Philistines next to it but we all know they wouldn't do it and why.

[–] napoleonsdumbcousin@feddit.org 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The text changed in the museum refers to the origins of a specific line of Egyptian kings around 1650 BC. I think neither the history of the Philistines nor the history of the kingdom of Israel is relevant to this.

As to the question if they have the history of Palestine/Israel/Canaan/Levant somewhere else in the museum? I don't know, but I would hope so. If not, they would have a serious knowledge gap there. That topic deserves its own space, not a footnote in the Egyptian section.

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

what time period exactly? because Palestine is mentioned during the bronze age collapse. it's pretty old.

although they refer to a specific group of people that settled a specific area.

[–] napoleonsdumbcousin@feddit.org 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Apparently the panel in the museum is about the Hyksos, so 1650 - 1550 BC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyksos

The oldest mention of the predecessor term "Peleset" is from 1150 BC. And the actual term "Palestine" appeared around the 5th century BC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_name_Palestine

that would make sense then, given that at the time the Palestinians (Peleset) weren't even in the area, as they likely came from Cyprus with the Sea people.

similarly, Jews weren't there either, as they come from Babilonia. so cnaan makes sense.

that being said, there's much Palestinian erasure it makes sense to be hyper vigilant

[–] Avicenna@programming.dev 60 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Well, ofcourse they would do that. A genocide is not complete if you also don't erase a culture from history and collective memory, just killing them and forced migration is not enough. And I assume British museum has a lot of Zionist sponsors which is why they were so quick to agree on this. This is also another proof as to why "billionaire charities" are just tax evading methods to use insane amounts of money for attaching strings and their philanthropy is just pure bullshit.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 6 days ago

ethnic cleansing.

[–] zabadoh@ani.social 52 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The changes have been made following audience research, and after concerns were raised by UK Lawyers for Israel, a voluntary association of lawyers.

It sounds like the exhibits' text was politicized by this group.

The name "Palestine" for the region has been in use for over 1000 years.

The historian Herodotus is believed to have made the first textual mention of Palestine in the fifth century BC.

[–] Natanael@infosec.pub 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

If a group of lawyers told me I can't talk about people from a region they don't like I'd laugh and ask if they want to lose their licenses to practice law

[–] gandhibobandhi@feddit.org 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

The name “Palestine” for the region has been in use for over 1000 years.

But from this article this is relating to:

Information boards in the museum’s ancient Middle East galleries, covering the period from 1500BC to 1700BC.

The change doesn't seem unreasonable to me. It wouldn't make sense to refer to Ancient Rome as "Italy" or Ancient Persia as "Iran" either.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Not when you consider the fact stated above that an powerful Israeli activist group is forcing the change while the people of Palestine are being systematically slaughtered and erased

[–] gandhibobandhi@feddit.org -1 points 6 days ago

The "powerful Israeli group" made a complaint according to the article, they didn't "force" anything. And apparently it was a valid complaint.

It doesn't seem ethical for a museum to reject valid complaints from certain people because you don't like the government of the country they're from.

[–] zabadoh@ani.social 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That does make the changes sound reasonable. Good point!

[–] OldChicoAle@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

What about saying "present day Palestine" or "present day Iran"? That helps people understand relative to what locations are called today.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 33 points 1 week ago

Was it because of some Israeli bullshit group?

It was because of some Israeli bullshit group.

[–] atro_city@fedia.io 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The British Museum needs a proper relootig, honestly.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

As if British archeology needed to be shittier.

Ahem Elgin Marbles.

[–] Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

Erasing an entire culture and people. Those who are responsible could give adolf hitler advice on genocide. I wonder who it could be? Surly someone whose people have never been subject to an attempt at the same.

[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Literally antisemitism if you're acknolwedging the major players of Semitic languages, culture, and history.

Kind of the purpose of a museum; no?