Television and Heritage Education: archaeology and archaeological heritage in children's programs

This paper examines the portrayal of archaeology and archaeological heritage in television shows aimed at children and their connection to societal perceptions. Using a qualitative and inductive approach, it analyses several popular TV programs for children aged 3 to 6. Results provide, for the first time, important insights into how children's TV depicts archaeological heritage, revealing an inaccurate and incomplete image of archaeology and archaeological heritage, characterised by the use of stereotypes and a focus on remote, exotic, and mysterious places. However, despite these shortcomings, the analysed children's TV programs are suggested to serve as an initial introduction to archaeological heritage in early childhood education settings. They can foster values of conservation and respect for heritage while promoting the development of temporal understanding, critical thinking, and media literacy skills among young learners.