Excavations at Alexandria, showing pedestal, steps, and position of crabs 1879

This photograph shows an archeological dig in Alexandria, the great Egyptian port city, and focuses on a pedestal, steps, and some rather interesting crabs. The image speaks to a particular moment in the history of archeology, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century. Driven by European imperial ambitions, digs in Egypt and the Middle East were as much about looting for Western museums, as they were about scientific investigation. It is interesting to note the position of crabs here, as it may suggest a pre-scientific or pre-positivist reading of the location. This photograph invites the question: What are the social conditions that shape artistic production? To understand its full meaning we need to research both the history of archeology and the political context of the dig. This would help us understand this image as something contingent on social and institutional context.