Excessive reverence for or worship of ancient things, especially ancient cultures and artifacts.
From Greek 'archaeo-' (ancient) + '-latry' (worship of). The term emerged in the 19th century to describe an obsessive scholarly focus on antiquity that borders on religious devotion.
This word perfectly captures how archaeologists can sometimes become so enchanted by the past that they treat it almost like a religion—Victorian scholars especially were guilty of 'archaeolatry,' seeing ancient civilizations as perfect and superior to their own modern world.
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