Han Parker has streaks of green running through her hair and sports a killer cat eye. On TikTok, she garners millions of views not for lip-syncing trendy audio or producing stylish #GRWMs. Instead, @historical_han_ goes viral for talking about…the archeology of art in the Roman Near East. Seriously.
Parker, 24, has multiple degrees in Classical Civilizations and Archaeology and subsidizes her doctoral stipend through content creation. During the pandemic, she took up TikTok as a joke. But soon, her videos, especially her "Archaeology News" and "Sappy History" series, were commanding views in the millions.
Much of her most popular content is concerned with Pompeii, the ancient city preserved in volcanic ash. When we chat, Parker tells me why she's obsessed with the subject matter. While the vast majority of digs reveal artifacts of funerary, military, or religious value, the Vesuvian site raises different sorts of questions: "The way people decorated their homes, the colors and the murals—why would someone want a sex scene painted on their foyer?" she asks me conspiratorially.
According to TikTok analytics, her followers are mostly in the 18 to 34 year old range. Seventy-five percent of her viewers are female. Parker has received dozens of comments from historians-in-the-making: How can I do this? I'm going to college because of you. You gave me the idea for my thesis. For Parker, who is originally from Saudi Arabia, it's a powerful validation of her online presence. "TikTok is getting me into a world that isn't meant for me," she says, indicating her hair and skin. |
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