If the famous grave robber Lara Croft lived at the same time as the even more famous archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones and they started a family and had a daughter, she would look like Ella al-Shamahi. This is the first thought that comes to mind when I see this Yemen-born British archaeologist, anthropologist, writer and researcher on stage. Yes, on stage, because she’s also a stand-up comedian who jokes about her work and science. There seems to be more than 24 hours in a day and more than 365 days in a year.
Interview with Ella it is repeatedly postponed, until one morning at the end of the year I finally see a smiling face with sparkling eyes on the Zoom screen. Just before our conversation, she returned from an expedition to Cambodia and, laughing out loud, she recounts how she scared her sister at her house, telling her that there she was bitten by a crocodile! “She thought I bit off half of her arm, but it was just a small bite,” she says, showing a finger with a really small spot.
It seems that if a scientist were to escape an attack by lions or evil mummies reborn, they would make it into a funny story later, even if they narrowly escaped. She becomes serious when she talks about how war is ravaging her native Yemen. Although her family left this country before Ella was born, she feels a close connection to it. It is clear that if she were born there, her life would not be the same as it is now as a British citizen, but Ella speaks of Yemen sincerely, and it is unequivocally clear that she still wants peace for this land – even to return and do research .
Ella al-Shamahi specializes in the Paleolithic era, but talks about different eras and finds in her television programs.
