A Look at American Pseudoarchaeology

[shawomet]

I have not read any of these essays as yet, and I prefer not to be too judgemental, as I am interested in alternative nterpretations of the human past.

The most recent journal of the Society for American Archaeology(SAA), has devoted 27 pages to: “Pseudoarchaeology, Scholarship, and Popular Interests in the Past and Present”, with an emphasis on reactions to Graham Hancock's "America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization".

Chapter headings include:

“Introduction” – John W. Hoopes
“Y Not a Pacific Migration? Misunderstandings of Genetics in Service to Pseudoscience” – Jennifer A. Raff
“The Cerutti Mastodon, Professional Skepticism, and the Public” – Carl Feagans
“Whitewashing American Prehistory” – Jason Colavito
“The Mysterious Origins of Fringe” – John W. Hoopes
“America Before as a Paranormal Charter” – Jeb J. Card
“I Don’t Believe, I Know”: The Faith of Modern Pseudoarchaeology – David S. Anderson

https://www.dailygrail.com/2019/12/grah ... orthodoxy/

Here is the journal:

http://cdn.coverstand.com/16146/634462/ ... 5d93.2.pdf

[Minimalist]

Hancock is better at asking questions than at providing reasonable answers.

[shapirocart]

I would agree with you on that one—I'm wondering what you all think motives behind pseudo-archeology are? Money? fame? Moral callings? You can't make anyone change their mind but..how can you honestly seek to show truth to the world?

I've always thought that pseudo-archaeological claims deter people from the the real truths of human history, while also spreading inaccurate and misguided information to those who are often readily willing to accept it as truth. I also think that pseudo-archaeological writing is popularized and mixes well with popular apocalyptic ideas of humanity as seen in the film industry, therefore, making it widely influential and (often) leaving honest, conventional archaeology to be put on the back burner.

[Minimalist]

Why do people do anything? There is probably more than one reason. Some are probably convinced that they have some genuine insight into an issue that has escaped others. Some, like the Ancient Aliens crowd or Joseph Atwill are probably just in it to make a buck. Some are probably just nuts.

[circumspice]

I think some are malicious, arrogant asses. I believe that they make up something as unbelievable & farfetched as they possibly can & then disseminate that tripe just to see how many gullible marks will believe it unquestionably. Then they'll milk their followers for whatever they can.

[Simon21]

This is a very old tendency eg. The Nazis with their "ancient Teutonic eagle brooches". One of the most ludicrous is of course Israel when Yadin formally reburied a "zealot" defender of Masada (believing Josephus implicitly) only for it to be found that the bag of bones was probably a Roman attacker.

And that is before you get to the Christian nutters who claim to have found Peter's house or the Vatican claiming to be built on Peter's grave.