Pseudoarchaeology
Shroud of Turin? Probably Not a Death Shroud of Jesus
Image via Wikipedia
The death shroud held by the Vatican and occasionally displayed, commonly known as “The Shroud of Turin,” has long since been demonstrated to be a fraud from antiquity. The provenience is unknown; the cloth dates to the 14th century; the pigments in the “image” are ocher and vermillian (i.e. paint); the facial image is unrealistic [...]
A Decade of Pseudoarchaeology
Here are six pseudoarchaeological topics that I encountered on the internet since the beginning of the millennium. I think most of them I dealt with on this blog, others I probably encountered on various internet forums that I used to hang out on. These days, by the way, I usually stick to just The Science [...]
The ‘Ancient Underwater Ruins’ of Yonaguni, Japan
One of the pseudo-archaeological claims that I see from time to time on the intertubes is the speculation that there are underwater ruins of an ancient civilization off the coast of Yonagumi.
This by itself isn’t such a fantastic claim. There are countless settlements and remnants of civilizations as old as the neolithic and before that [...]
Alien Skulls? Not even close!
If you’ve ever spent any time browsing a UFO forum or website, you’ll eventually run into a link or claim that the ancient Mesoamericans and Incaor worshiped aliens as gods. The “proof” is usually a skull much like the one you see depicted here. And it does look alien! Indeed, this must have completely [...]
5 Minute Archaeology Update: Swiss Watch Travels Time?
Probably not. Most probably not.
Archaeologists in China are alleged to have discovered a tiny Swiss watch in a 400-year old tomb and, according to at least on online news outlet, they are baffled.
Possible explanations for such a thing would be 1) the tomb was entered since the construction of the watch; 2) its a hoax; [...]
Pseudoscience and the Serpent Mound
I recently blogged about the Serpent Mound after a visit to the Ohio archaeological site, sharing a few of the photos I took while there. Today, I get a comment that explores the “alternative” explanations for the mound (as well as other ancient sites). My first instinct was to simply delete the rather lengthy comment [...]
The Year of Pseudo-archaeology
In the last year, there have been a few stories that presented some bad archaeology and, since this is the last Four Stone Hearth of the year, I thought it might be useful to recap these stories with a summary of each that includes the primary assumptions and faults they rely on. I’ve included some [...]
Forbidden Archaeology? The Nampa Image Hoax
In a recent issue of Atlantis Rising, the ragazine that appeals to the significance-junkie, the mystery-monger, and skeptics like me who are fascinated with the first two, Michael Cremo’s latest column “Forbidden Archaeology” highlights a figurine of dubious origin. The article in question is “the mystery of the Nampa image,” Atlantis Rising, no. 64, [...]
The Bosnian Pyramid: a Brief Summary
I
n the Spring of 2006, the self-qualified “archaeologist” Semir Osmanagic announced that he discovered pyramids near Visoko, Bosnia. And not just any pyramid, but the largest pyramid in the world. And not just any largest-pyramid-in-the-world, but the oldest largest-pyramid-in-the-world!
And throughout the remainder of 2006 through 2007, Osmanagic and his followers pursued an incredible hypothesis regarding [...]
Forbidden Archaeology? The Nampa Image Hoax
XIn a recent issue of Atlantis Rising, the ragazine that appeals to the significance-junkie, the mystery-monger, and skeptics like me who are fascinated with the first two, Michael Cremo’s latest column “Forbidden Archaeology” highlights a figurine of dubious origin. The article in question is “the mystery of the Nampa image,” Atlantis Rising, no. 64, July/August [...]
