Archaeology's Hoaxes, Fakes, and Strange Sites

[Melvadius]

If anyone has the time and wishes to look at some of the more notable frauds and hoaxes which have appeareed over the years then this article hoaxes in Archaeology may be for you.

 

Of course there are numerous others which could or probably should have been included so it may be interesting to post links to a few more.

[sylla]

Thanks and congratulations; the great relevance of these articles is not so much for the reported findings of trivia, but for critical methodological and epistemological issues; e.g. what is "truth" for Archaeology and History?

If anyone has the time and wishes to look at some of the more notable frauds and hoaxes which have appeareed over the years then this article hoaxes in Archaeology may be for you.

A careful review of this material is a must for anyone that tries to analyze archaeological or historical evidence.

As for any other science, skepticism must be compulsory, simply because knowledge can only be acquired by testing the falsifiability of any hypothesis or conjecture; i.e. by systematically trying to refute them (critical rationalism).

Of course there are numerous others which could or probably should have been included so it may be interesting to post links to a few more.

That would be nice, of course as long as we remember that the same mechanisms operative for hoaxes being made and people falling for them (e.g. greed, pride, revenge, nationalism, pranks, gullibility and so on) work nicely in both ways; just think about Holocaust denial... Edited December 7, 2009 by sylla

[Kosmo]

Interesting. While some of this frauds are easy to spot some like "the God's Hands" are almost impossible to uncover and the damage could massive and lasting:

 

"Prominent Japanese archaeologist Shinichi Fujimura has been caught red-handed burying artifacts at a site, prompting demands for a review of the nation's Palaeolithic record. Nicknamed "God's Hands" by colleagues who marveled at his luck in locating ancient sites, Fujimura was senior director at the Tohoku Paleolithic Institute. His discovery of artifacts dated to the early Palaeolithic period (600,000-120,000 years ago) at the Kamitakamori ruins in Miyagi Prefecture in 1994 established the site as Japan's oldest.

...

Fujimura first won acclaim with his discovery of 40,000-year-old stoneware in 1981. The self-taught archaeologist has investigated more than 150 archaeological sites in Japan, including most of the country's Palaeolithic sites. In light of his confession, Fujimura's involvement in several important discoveries at these sites has brought many fundamental ideas about Japan's Palaeolithic--and the content of many textbooks--into question. The Japanese Archaeological Association is debating whether to reinvestigate sites he excavated. The Tokyo National Museum has removed more than 20 artifacts discovered by Fujimura from display; other museums are following suit... "

[sylla]

Some other remarkable quotes from this same series of articles:

(All emphases are mine)

 

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