Queen of the Mountain
Encyclopedia
Queen of the Mountain is a 2005 documentary
about Theresa Goell, a middle-aged Jewish mother from Brooklyn
who, in 1947, left her husband and son to dig beneath the Sanctuary of Nemrud Dagh. Theresa was fascinated by this shrine to King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene
, which had been neglected by previous archaeologists.
Queen of the Mountain tells her story through archival footage, family photographs, oral histories, commentary from Theresa's friends and her own letters. The New York Times said it offered a "strong, rich narrative with visuals to match."
, which meant she would slowly go stone deaf. According to the documentary, it was Theresa’s “bull dog tenacity” that drove her to the Middle East
in hopes of discovering buried treasures and ancient secrets.
“People usually walk around a waterfall—I would walk down a waterfall. People usually walk over a bridge—I walked under a bridge,” says Theresa, describing her rambunctious childhood.
Theresa’s father expected his daughter to marry and live a respectable life as a wife and mother. He arranged a marriage for her that she complied with, but soon after, in 1926, while studying at Cambridge
, her interest in classical architecture
blossomed into a love of archeology. Unhappily married, she divorced her husband, left her son and moved to Jerusalem to study ancient ruins.
The documentary shares anecdotes that shed light on what kind of a woman Theresa was. During World War II
, she worked as a draftsman
in the Brooklyn naval yard. Her presence was enough to make heads turn. “I was the only woman among 1,200 men,” she says. There was no toilet system for woman so she had to make the long walk across the site to use the Red Cross station. Frustrated, but with a sense of humor, Theresa says, “they thought I was causing a labor problem because every time I walked to the Red Cross station every one of the 1,200 men stopped to whistle at me.”
It was before the war that Theresa learned about Nemrud Dagh, but it wasn’t until 1947 that she was able to travel to the site. With no maps, she set out with only a child to carry her duffel bag. Located in the East
section of Turkey
, the difficulty of the terrain and obscurity of the location also prevented previous archaeological exploration. King Antiochus’s shrine also slipped through the cracks of interest because it blended classical and oriental traditions. As a result, Classicalists thought it was too oriental and Orientalists thought it too classical.
Theresa proved revolutionary in a number of ways. She recognized the significance of ancient ruins that had been neglected, she insisted her team use modern technological advances; and, perhaps most importantly, she helped pave the way for future female archaeologists.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Theresa Goell, a middle-aged Jewish mother from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
who, in 1947, left her husband and son to dig beneath the Sanctuary of Nemrud Dagh. Theresa was fascinated by this shrine to King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene
Antiochus I Theos of Commagene
Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos (Greek: о Αντίοχος Θεός Δίκαιος Επιφανής Φιλορωμαίος Φιλέλλην, meaning Antiochos, a just, eminent god, friend...
, which had been neglected by previous archaeologists.
Queen of the Mountain tells her story through archival footage, family photographs, oral histories, commentary from Theresa's friends and her own letters. The New York Times said it offered a "strong, rich narrative with visuals to match."
Summary
Theresa’s career as an archaeologist was full of obstacles. She a woman working in a man’s field, and as a young adult she was also diagnosed with otosclerosisOtosclerosis
Otosclerosis is an abnormal growth of bone near the middle ear. It can result in hearing loss.-Clinical description:Otosclerosis can result in conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss...
, which meant she would slowly go stone deaf. According to the documentary, it was Theresa’s “bull dog tenacity” that drove her to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
in hopes of discovering buried treasures and ancient secrets.
“People usually walk around a waterfall—I would walk down a waterfall. People usually walk over a bridge—I walked under a bridge,” says Theresa, describing her rambunctious childhood.
Theresa’s father expected his daughter to marry and live a respectable life as a wife and mother. He arranged a marriage for her that she complied with, but soon after, in 1926, while studying at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, her interest in classical architecture
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
blossomed into a love of archeology. Unhappily married, she divorced her husband, left her son and moved to Jerusalem to study ancient ruins.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she worked as a draftsman
Technical drawing
Technical drawing, also known as drafting or draughting, is the act and discipline of composing plans that visually communicate how something functions or has to be constructed.Drafting is the language of industry....
in the Brooklyn naval yard. Her presence was enough to make heads turn. “I was the only woman among 1,200 men,” she says. There was no toilet system for woman so she had to make the long walk across the site to use the Red Cross station. Frustrated, but with a sense of humor, Theresa says, “they thought I was causing a labor problem because every time I walked to the Red Cross station every one of the 1,200 men stopped to whistle at me.”
It was before the war that Theresa learned about Nemrud Dagh, but it wasn’t until 1947 that she was able to travel to the site. With no maps, she set out with only a child to carry her duffel bag. Located in the East
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
section of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the difficulty of the terrain and obscurity of the location also prevented previous archaeological exploration. King Antiochus’s shrine also slipped through the cracks of interest because it blended classical and oriental traditions. As a result, Classicalists thought it was too oriental and Orientalists thought it too classical.
Theresa proved revolutionary in a number of ways. She recognized the significance of ancient ruins that had been neglected, she insisted her team use modern technological advances; and, perhaps most importantly, she helped pave the way for future female archaeologists.
Reception
The New York Times wrote,See also
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