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

by Feder, Kenneth

• ISBN13: 9780073405292
• ISBN10: 0073405299
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-28
• 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

Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology

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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