Lost City, Found Pyramid: Understanding Alternative Archaeologies and Pseudoscientific Practices
edited by Jeb J. Card and David S. Anderson contributions by Evan A. Parker, Terry Barnhart, Deborah A. Bolnick, Bradley T. Lepper, April M. Beisaw, Kenneth L. Feder, David S. Anderson, Jeb J. Card, Christopher Begley, Stacy Dunn, James S. Bielo, Tera C. Pruitt and Denis Gojak
University of Alabama Press, 2016 Cloth: 978-0-8173-1911-3 | eISBN: 978-0-8173-8980-2 Library of Congress Classification CC175.L67 2016 Dewey Decimal Classification 930.1
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Lost City, Found Pyramid delves into the fascinating world of sensational “pseudoarchaeology,” from perennial discoveries of lost pyramids or civilizations to contemporary ghost-hunting and reality TV. It examines how nonscientific pursuit of myths and legends warps both public perceptions of archaeology and of human history itself.
A collection of twelve engaging and insightful essays, Lost City, Found Pyramid does far more than argue for the simple debunking of false archaeology. Rather, it brings into focus the value of understanding how and why pseudoarchaeology captures the public imagination. By comprehending pseudoarchaeology’s appeal as a media product, cultural practice, and communication strategy, archaeologists can enhance and enliven how they communicate about real archaeology in the classroom and in the public arena.
The first part of Lost City, Found Pyramidprovides numerous case studies. Some examine the work of well-intentioned romantics who project onto actual archaeological data whimsical interpretative frameworks or quixotic “proofs” that confirm legends, such as that of the Lost White City of Honduras, or other alternative claims. Other case studies lay bare how false claims may inadvertently lead to the perpetuation of ethnic stereotypes, economic exploitation, political adventurism, and a misunderstanding of science.
Offering much of interest to scholars and students of archaeology, archaeology buffs, as well as policy-makers involved in the discovery, curation, and care of archaeological sites and relics, Lost City, Found Pyramid provides an invaluable corrective and hopeful strategy for engaging the public’s curiosity with the compelling world of archaeological discovery.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Jeb J. Card is a visiting assistant professor of anthropology at Miami University in Ohio. He is the editor of The Archaeology of Hybrid Material Culture.
David S. Anderson is a visiting assistant professor of anthropology at Roanoke College and the coeditor of Constructing Legacies of Mesoamerica: Archaeological Practices and the Politics of Heritage in and beyond Mexico.
REVIEWS
"Lost City, Found Pyramid is a strong contribution that I hope will encourage more professionals to get off the bench and use their expertise, communication skills, and platforms to do some good."
—American Antiquity
"These case studies help readers understand the motivations and methods of alternative archaeologists. The contributors assert that there is a proper methodology that produces reliable results in archaeology and science that alternative or pseudoarchaeological theories fail to achieve. They argue that scholars must respond to pseudoarchaeology and pseudoscience both reactively and proactively. Excellent bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
—CHOICE
— -
"This book is a genuine contribution to the field and should prove valuable to a broad cross section of both practicing archaeologists and advanced archaeology students."
—Troy Lovota, author of Inauthentic Archaeologies: Public Uses and Abuses of the Past and coauthor of Understanding Graffiti: From Prehistory to thePresent
— -
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Alternatives and Pseudosciences: A History of Archaeological Engagement with Extraordinary Claims / Jeb J. Card and David S. Anderson
1. Steampunk Inquiry: A Comparative Vivisection of Discovery Pseudosciences / Jeb J. Card
Part I: Case Studies in Alternative Constructions of the Past: Methods, Ideologies, and Practitioners
2. The Lost White City of the Honduras: Discovered Again (and Again) / Christopher Begley
3. Witches, Shamans, and Looters: Alternative Uses and Contemporary Ritual Reuse of Archaeological Remains in the North-Central Coast of Peru / Stacy Dunn
4. Black Olmecs and White Egyptians: A Parable for Professional Archaeological Responses to Pseudoarchaeology / David S. Anderson
5. Creationist History-Making: Producing a Heterodox Past / James S. Bielo
6. Creating Pyramids: Participation, Performance, and Pseudoarchaeology in Bosnia-Herzegovina / Tera C. Pruitt
Part II: How Archaeologists Should or Should Not Engage with Pseudoarchaeology
7. The Central Australian Face: A Study of Archaeological Responses to a Pseudoarchaeological Claim / Denis Gojak
8. The Proliferation of Pseudoarchaeology through “Reality” Television Programming / Evan A. Parker
9. Lessons Learned from Lost Civilizations / Kenneth L. Feder, Terry Barnhart, Deborah A. Bolnick, and Bradley T. Lepper
10. Ghost Hunting as Archaeology: Archaeology as Ghost Hunting / April M. Beisaw
11. Answering Pseudoarchaeology / Kenneth L. Feder
Lost City, Found Pyramid: Understanding Alternative Archaeologies and Pseudoscientific Practices
edited by Jeb J. Card and David S. Anderson contributions by Evan A. Parker, Terry Barnhart, Deborah A. Bolnick, Bradley T. Lepper, April M. Beisaw, Kenneth L. Feder, David S. Anderson, Jeb J. Card, Christopher Begley, Stacy Dunn, James S. Bielo, Tera C. Pruitt and Denis Gojak
University of Alabama Press, 2016 Cloth: 978-0-8173-1911-3 eISBN: 978-0-8173-8980-2
Lost City, Found Pyramid delves into the fascinating world of sensational “pseudoarchaeology,” from perennial discoveries of lost pyramids or civilizations to contemporary ghost-hunting and reality TV. It examines how nonscientific pursuit of myths and legends warps both public perceptions of archaeology and of human history itself.
A collection of twelve engaging and insightful essays, Lost City, Found Pyramid does far more than argue for the simple debunking of false archaeology. Rather, it brings into focus the value of understanding how and why pseudoarchaeology captures the public imagination. By comprehending pseudoarchaeology’s appeal as a media product, cultural practice, and communication strategy, archaeologists can enhance and enliven how they communicate about real archaeology in the classroom and in the public arena.
The first part of Lost City, Found Pyramidprovides numerous case studies. Some examine the work of well-intentioned romantics who project onto actual archaeological data whimsical interpretative frameworks or quixotic “proofs” that confirm legends, such as that of the Lost White City of Honduras, or other alternative claims. Other case studies lay bare how false claims may inadvertently lead to the perpetuation of ethnic stereotypes, economic exploitation, political adventurism, and a misunderstanding of science.
Offering much of interest to scholars and students of archaeology, archaeology buffs, as well as policy-makers involved in the discovery, curation, and care of archaeological sites and relics, Lost City, Found Pyramid provides an invaluable corrective and hopeful strategy for engaging the public’s curiosity with the compelling world of archaeological discovery.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Jeb J. Card is a visiting assistant professor of anthropology at Miami University in Ohio. He is the editor of The Archaeology of Hybrid Material Culture.
David S. Anderson is a visiting assistant professor of anthropology at Roanoke College and the coeditor of Constructing Legacies of Mesoamerica: Archaeological Practices and the Politics of Heritage in and beyond Mexico.
REVIEWS
"Lost City, Found Pyramid is a strong contribution that I hope will encourage more professionals to get off the bench and use their expertise, communication skills, and platforms to do some good."
—American Antiquity
"These case studies help readers understand the motivations and methods of alternative archaeologists. The contributors assert that there is a proper methodology that produces reliable results in archaeology and science that alternative or pseudoarchaeological theories fail to achieve. They argue that scholars must respond to pseudoarchaeology and pseudoscience both reactively and proactively. Excellent bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
—CHOICE
— -
"This book is a genuine contribution to the field and should prove valuable to a broad cross section of both practicing archaeologists and advanced archaeology students."
—Troy Lovota, author of Inauthentic Archaeologies: Public Uses and Abuses of the Past and coauthor of Understanding Graffiti: From Prehistory to thePresent
— -
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Alternatives and Pseudosciences: A History of Archaeological Engagement with Extraordinary Claims / Jeb J. Card and David S. Anderson
1. Steampunk Inquiry: A Comparative Vivisection of Discovery Pseudosciences / Jeb J. Card
Part I: Case Studies in Alternative Constructions of the Past: Methods, Ideologies, and Practitioners
2. The Lost White City of the Honduras: Discovered Again (and Again) / Christopher Begley
3. Witches, Shamans, and Looters: Alternative Uses and Contemporary Ritual Reuse of Archaeological Remains in the North-Central Coast of Peru / Stacy Dunn
4. Black Olmecs and White Egyptians: A Parable for Professional Archaeological Responses to Pseudoarchaeology / David S. Anderson
5. Creationist History-Making: Producing a Heterodox Past / James S. Bielo
6. Creating Pyramids: Participation, Performance, and Pseudoarchaeology in Bosnia-Herzegovina / Tera C. Pruitt
Part II: How Archaeologists Should or Should Not Engage with Pseudoarchaeology
7. The Central Australian Face: A Study of Archaeological Responses to a Pseudoarchaeological Claim / Denis Gojak
8. The Proliferation of Pseudoarchaeology through “Reality” Television Programming / Evan A. Parker
9. Lessons Learned from Lost Civilizations / Kenneth L. Feder, Terry Barnhart, Deborah A. Bolnick, and Bradley T. Lepper
10. Ghost Hunting as Archaeology: Archaeology as Ghost Hunting / April M. Beisaw
11. Answering Pseudoarchaeology / Kenneth L. Feder
Works Cited
Contributors
Index
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC