Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries : Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology and Index

by Feder, Kenneth L.

• ISBN13: 9780077274030
• ISBN10: 0077274032
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-02-01
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages

Summary

Ancient astronauts? Atlantis? Psychic archaeology? Pharaoh's curses? Committed to the scientific investigation of human antiquity, this indispensable supplementary text uses interesting archaeological hoaxes, myths, and mysteries to show how we can truly know things about the past through science. Examples of fantastic findings support the carefully, logically, and entertainingly described flaws in the purported evidence.

Table of Contents

Preface

Quick Start Guide

Science and Pseudoscience Belief in the Unbelievable

The Morning of the Magicians Pseudoscience and Archaeology

Why I Wrote This Book Frequently Asked Questions Best of the Web Critical Thinking Exercises

Epistemology: How You Know What You Know Knowing Things

Collecting Information: Seeing Isn't Necessarily Believing Collecting

Information: Relying on Others Science: Playing by the Rules There Is a Real and Knowable Universe

The Universe Operates According to Understandable Laws

The Laws Are Immutable The Laws Can Be Understood

The Workings of Science The Case of Childbed Fever

The Science and Nonscience: The Essential Differences A Rule in Assessing Explanations

The Art of Science Where Do Hypotheses Come From? Testing Hypotheses

The Human Enterprise of Science Science and Archaeology Frequently Asked Questions Best of the Web Critical Thinking Exercises

Anatomy of an Archaeological Hoax

The Cardiff Giant: The Goliath of New York The Discovery

The Beginning of the End Hull's Confession

The End of the Giant Why Did They Do It?

Current Perspectives: Frauds

The Rules for a Successful Archaeological Hoax Frequently Asked Questions Best of the Web Critical Thinking Exercise

Dawson’s Dawn Man: The Hoax at Piltdown

The Evolutionary Context The Brain-Centered Paradigm

A Remarkable Discovery in Sussex The Piltdown Enigma Unmasking the Hoax Whodunnit?

Suspect: Charles Dawson Suspect: Arthur Smith Woodward Suspect: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Suspect: Sir Grafton Elliot Smith Suspect: Sir Arthur Keith

Suspect: Martin A. C. Hinton Suspect: Lewis Abbott Suspect: W. J. Sallas

Suspect: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Lesson of Piltdown Current Perspectives: Human Evolution Frequently Asked Questions Best of the Web Critical Thinking Exercise

Who Discovered America? America's First People

A New World-To Europeans Biblical Exegesis and American Indians

American Indians: From Israelites to Atlanteans Tracing the Source of Native Americans Out of Asia

An "American Genesis"? Tracing People by Their Biology Archaeology of the First Americans Who's Next?

After the Indians, Before Columbus Artifact Trails: Evidence of Visitors to the New World Europeans in America: The Norse Discovery of America

A Newfound Land Where Was Vinland and Who Were the Skraelings?

Norse Discovery of America: The Physical Evidence Other Evidence of the Viking Presence?

Other Voyagers, Other Visitors A Chinese Discovery of the New World?

Africans in Ancient America? Other Europeans in the New World Before Columbus?

America Linguistics Inscriptions Architecture

The Archaeological Verdict Archaeological Context: Digging Pits and Recovering Evidence Current

Perspectives: The Peopling of the Americas Frequently Asked Questions Best of the Web Critical Thinking Exercises

The Myth of the Moundbuilders

The Myth of a Vanished Race Who Were the Moundbuilders?

Identifying the Vanished Race

The Walum Olum The Archaeology of the Myth

The Moundbuilder Mystery Solved Rationale for the Myth of a Vanished Race Current

Perspectives: The Moundbuilders Frequently Asked Questions Best of the Web Critical Thinking Exercise

Lost: One Continent—Reward Atlantis: Where Are You?

Atlantis: The Source of the Legend The Timaeus Dialogue

The Critias Dialogue The Source and Meaning of Timaeus and Critias Who Invented Atlantis?

Where Did Plato Get the Details of the Story?

A Minoan Source After Plato Ignatius

Donnelly: The Minnesota Congressman Atlantis After Donnelly Current Perspectiv

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