Forbidden Archaeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race

by Michael A. Cremo, Richard L. Thompson

This is an account of researchers who have found bones and artifacts showing people like ourselves existed on earth millions of years ago.

Genres: History, Science, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Conspiracy Theories, Anthropology, Ancient History

2 pages, Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Michael A. Cremo (born July 15, 1948), is an American freelance researcher who identifies himself as a Vedic creationist and an "alternative archeologist" and argues that humans have lived on Earth for millions of years. In case of artifacts allegedly found in the Eocene auriferous gravels of Table Mountain, California and discussed in his book, Forbidden Archeology, Cremo argues for the existence of modern man on Earth as long as 30 to 40 million years ago.

Reviews

[James Bandow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I guess controversy sells. This is a horrible book. Michael Cremo has set archaeology back more than 100 years. This book is a classic example of both a "strawman arguement" and a "red herring". Cremo sets out misinforming the reader about archaeological and geological site formation, confusing the "principle of stratigraphy" (superposition) with stratification. He also fails to connote the "principal of association". Both the former and latter laws of archaeology must be satisfied to make any conclusion at all. Cremo takes examples of archaeological artifacts and bones that are out of "insitu" context and makes fantastic historical claims regarding these specimens. I am surprised by the plethora of uncritical readers in this forum. For example, the Calaveras skull, alleged to be hundreds of thousands of years old, was dated to 1000BP by radiocarbon dating methods (Taylor et al 1992). Indeed, all Cremos claims have been addressed by the academic community, including using absolute dating methods to place these artifacts and bones, derived from "use-related secondary context", in their proper historical context.

This book is shyt.

Taylor, Richard, Louis A. Payen & Peter J. Slota
1992 "The Age of the Calaveras Skull: Dating the "Piltdown Man" of the New World"
American Antiquity 57: 261-269

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um Pontapé no Evolucionismo


Quando Darwin finalmente optou por incluir os humanos na sua Teoria sobre a Evolução das Espécies, escreveu:

“O Homem descende dum quadrúpede peludo e com cauda, provavelmente de hábitos arbóreos e habitante do Velho Mundo”.

Tratava-se duma declaração ousada mas pouco científica, visto carecer de provas capazes de a corroborar:

Onde é que estavam os “fósseis de espécies transicionais entre os antigos símios e os humanos modernos.”?

Envidados os requeridos esforços e buscas, aqui e ali, os almejados fósseis lá foram surgindo, e... numa descendência com muitas lacunas, a existência do Homo Sapiens Sapiens no planeta, foi finalmente estimada em qualquer coisa como 100 000 anos.

Este livro irá contrariar essa estimativa, ao apresentar provas — ocultadas, até à data, com o maior secretismo — da existência de humanos que datam de há milhões de anos atrás, comprovando que ... afinal... o Homem não é um refinamento do Macaco! 😉

Que grande pontapé no Evolucionismo! 😜

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me want to major in archaeology - unfortunately, many of the college professors out there are adament against anything outside of the timeline that they believe is set in stone, even now, almost a dozen years after this book was first published. This book contains numerous examples of disregarded evidence just because it did not fit into the preconcieved notions of how things progressed, illustrating how anthropology and archaeology are not 'sciences' if one repeatedly disregards evidence in favor of sticking with hypothesis that have already been established - and in many cases, without concrete evidence to begin with. Excellent book for anyone interested in anthropology, archaeology, human origins.

[The Incredible Hogg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever had a friend who watched some shitty conspiracy theory documentary and then talked about it nonstop without ever actually analyzing the claims it made or checking to see how those claims had been addressed by experts? That was me when I first read this book. I read it before going to college and actually learning science, and being the young and uneducated dipshit that I was, it convinced me.

Honestly it's an interesting book to read (hence the 3 stars), but it's complete bullshit. Cremo actually uses the Weekly World News as a source in the book. That's the same tabloid you see in the supermarket aisle with headlines about aliens and Bat Boy.

People who are convinced by this are most likely people who have a problem accepting the Theory of Evolution in the first place, scientifically illiterate people who haven't taken a science class since high school. His idea that there is some massive cover-up to keep the idea that humans have been on the earth for millions of years is ridiculous. The reason the vast majority of scientists agree that we've been on earth less than that is because that's what all the evidence points to.

Before you let yourself get swept away by Michael Cremo's tidal wave of horseshit, just do yourself a favor and see how mainstream science has addressed his claims. Listen to both sides of the discussion.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly interesting! Old bones and stone tool findings that have been ignored due to their anomaly. After Darwin's "The origin of species" archeological items that contradict Darwinism were dismissed, even not discussed. These things are reviewed and readers get to follow researchers' and anthropologists' arguments through the centuries. The fact that our ancestors might be much older than we know, actually millions of years, is thrilling. The human footprint next to that of a dinosaur's. The gold necklace in ancient coal. A super ancient beautiful vase deep down in the strata, from a time long before the existence of homo erectus. All these findings indicate a great human civilisation, lost in time. "Forbidden archeology" isn't on of those books that try to convince you of it's authenticity and reliability. This feels truthful.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustive and well-written book that every archeologist should read. Whether all their evidence stands up or not (and they're clear on ambiguities themselves) the book is a strong lesson in preconceptions and the importance of remembering that theory is not fact, and should be open to constant re-assessment.

[Andrew “The Weirdling” Glos · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a tough volume to slog your way through. It’s nearly a thousand pages of notes and observations on academic papers published regarding archeological sites. The book earns a full two stars just for the breadth of research it took to put this whole tome together. It’s somewhat breathtaking.

The book looses three starts because in a thousand pages of detailed academic analysis, he wasn’t able to convince me - even fleetingly - that his position made any sense whatsoever. Nor why his position mattered contrary to the dominant paradigm. And the reason why he didn’t argue “why it should matter” is because he hides a hidden agenda from the very start. He wants to prove the veracity of the Hindu Puranas. I don’t mind an author trying to do such a thing. In the West, plenty of scholars try to prove the truth of the Old and New Testaments. That’s not a new thing. But I find it disingenuous when they try to do that, but do not own that that is what they are doing.

[Lyrae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely fascinating, but it is not something you can pick up and thumb through. This book is a commitment to read. It's over 900 pages long and reads like an encyclopedia. This large volume serves as a reference compiling many lost, buried or otherwise hidden reports in the associated fields of archeology. There is a depth of information that needs time to be read and processed for those of us who are not professionals in the field. The book is well written with adequate definitions to many field specific terms throughout the book, but it is still a big bite to chew. I would not recommend this book to a casual reader who is not obsessed with the origins of humankind. As I said before, this book is a commitment. Many original reports are painstakingly quoted and reproduced in some length, translated from other languages. The length and depth of the controversies surrounding human origins dating back to the 19th century is indeed a fascinating revelation. Had I not read this book, I would have continued regurgitating the same nonsense I was taught in my college level anthropology class, for lack of having any better information to process and share. I have always been skeptical of some of the links in the evolutionary chain, and it has always been a nagging fascination of mine to find out more. This book helps to bridge the gap and introduce the missing information in a gradual and detailed manner, leaving behind any doubt that you are consuming a mere subjective take on currently publicly available scanty evidence. On a personal note, I took an anthropology class years ago, in 1997. My anthropology teacher was an old stuffy kind of guy, reading to us from our textbooks during lecture, typically without any relevant dialogue or explanation. One day he made a comment about the "mongoloid" heritage of the Finnish people and explained that it was likely due to the fact that the Finns were an isolated direct ancestor of "homo erectus" and not quite "homo sapiens sapiens". I found it fascinating as I sat in class that this man was insinuating that I, as a Finn, was barely "human" enough to have earned the right to have fire and primitive tools, yet there I was in college completely integrated with the rest of the "homo sapiens sapiens". I was offended to say the least. My interest in human origins was piqued at this point as I was confident that I was not being provided with objective and unfiltered information. I am happy I made the time to sit with this book. For a fraction of the price of my college class, I learned a great deal more and was not subjected to the cultural bias of my old Russian instructor. Had I really been a direct ancestor of "homo erectus", I guess it would have been appropriate for me to have just bonked him on the head with my caveman club...

[Alicedewonder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt this research text is whole and complete and pisses off every so called research wannabee that ever crawled the planet.
It's not an easy read, but it will light up your life when you discover how much research is fudged/lied about and or withheld due to the pompous wind-bags that insist on being right when they are not!
THE AUTHORS DID THEIR HOMEWORK FOR YOU!

[ΦΩΤΕΙΝΑ ΠΑΝΩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING STUFF AND FINDING OF " SURPRESSED " ARTIFACTS, TEMPLES, STRUCTURES, RUINS, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY!, ECT, HIDDEN OR DESTROYED BY GOV'T TO MUSEUM STAFF TO CORRUPT PEOPLE HIDING EVEN UNDER DEATH! HIDING THE TRUE ORIGINS OF HUMANS

[Rich Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not an easy book to read. It is essentially a textbook. But this book changes the fields of anthropology and archeology to their very cores. It is this book that has opened the door to all the ancient alien theories that are now very popular. This book gives the evidence that mankind has been on earth for thousands of years, but millions. The proof is provided in great abundance, and has rattled the cages of the worlds religions, political structure, and education institutions. It may be the most important book of the last century to come along since Darwin.

[Jeffrey Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. At least Cremo tells you upfront that he subscribes to the Hindu view of the world age circle. Once one understand this viewpoint, everything else falls into place. So, what about those strange artifacts found miles underground, dating back millions of years? Food for thought. Highly recommend

[Andrew Hennessey · Rating 5 out of 5]

you would think that the academics didn't have a big enough carpet to hide this mountain of refutations under - but they obviously do - aided and abetted by the digital TV circus, convincing sound tracks and educated accents ... this is where the ivy towers fall off a cliff ...

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me begin with the authors' conclusion:

"...We conclude that the total evidence...is most consistent with the view that anatomically modern humans have coexisted with other 'primates' for tens of millions of years." Location 18480 (Kindle Edition...iPad)

And they spent a long,long time examining the evidence and inserting themselves within the substantial anomalous data and giving this a 'good' bit of deconstruction. They are a bit cagey about their approach when the affirm:

"...There exists in the scientific community a knowledge filter that screens out unwelcome evidence." (Location 550)

But they do not attempt to disguise their own perspective and openly acknowledge that they "...are members of the Bhaktivedanta Institute." (Location 672) Translated this means they are Hare Krishnas...this organization has had the epithet 'cult' thrown at them and for good reason. However, their reading of the data is interesting and valid (to a point)....and they had me until they began to examine cryptozoological organisms.

Still, their readings of the paleoarcheological and paleoanthropological records and how scientists whom don't tow the 'party' line are treated is, for the most part, valid if not convincing.

My problem, and it is a personal one, is that I do not have the academic background to argue with them. That said, the arguments do seem strained and cherry-picked at times...and that comes from an outsider.

My biggest problem with this book was the deadening repetition of data and biographies that repeat themselves over and over and over again: though told of different scientists and their travails with mainstream science.

Then there was the fact that this book was just a setup for their sequel: Human Devolution. Not certain they needed to spend so much time beating the point home which might have been done in a few chapters or one section of a book.

I understand why so few people, of my acquaintance, have never finished this tome...the same story, more or less, gets repeated and repeated and repeated with the same conclusions or implied conclusions. Of course, the authors would argue this is for thoroughness. This would be necessary because so many scientists and academics would be hostile to their thesis. This would be acceptable if this had been a peer reviewed and vetted text which was then published by an academic press but it was not...this was produced by Torchlight Publishing Inc. ~ no academic press I've ever heard of.

Still, it was interesting if deadening. If you really are into alternative science and archaeology then you may find this interesting...if you are looking for a diverting excursion into the world of fringe science and gnostic dementia then this may not be what you are looking for.

I hope Human Devolution is better than this one.

The three stars I gave it were generous...perhaps it deserves only one but I did have moments of amusement while reading it.

Only for those truly obsessed with alternative science/history/reality all others will be bored to tears.

[Stuart Rimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a mighty tome, and not for those wanting a bit of light reading. So overwhelming is the evidence that the authors present against the dominant hegemony of archeological thought, that this book reads like a relentless inventory of archeological 'finds' which suggests a chronology other than that which is commonly accepted and propounded, 'finds' which the establishment overlook, or outright deny. Things like anatomically modern human bones recovered from rock strata millions of years old, and manufactured artifacts recovered from similarly ancient strata. It is fascinating stuff and gives a great deal of food for thought. A bible for the alternative history buffs, and a challenge to the scientific establishment.

[Kelli George · Rating 5 out of 5]

My archaeology professor told me that this book was written by a wacko with fringe theories even though he had not read it. I disagree because this book is basically about the history of the science of archaeology. Anyone who disagrees with this book and dismisses it has not even read it!!!

[Jai Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating journey into the history of archaeology and human evolution. It raises all kinds of questions about what humans really know about our past and what we still need to know. It left me wanting to learn more which is always a good thing.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. Lots of stuff to think about and not for people who are married to current scientific theory about human history.

[Kevin Kraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a landmark and exhaustive work that anyone, who wants to hear challenges to Evolutionism, from historical finds, not mere Christian/Creation Science sources, needs to read this. I have read this huge volume, which details anthropological, paleontological and archaeological discoveries classified as "anomalies" because their very presence suggest that the conventional "facts" as established by a dogmatic scientific establishment, intolerant of challenges to their religion, three times now, and I plan to purchase this soon. The authors created a breathtakingly researched work that should (but won't) be in ever public school library, so that students can research independently, and draw their own conclusions to, what they are taught as fact in science class from K through 12 and, indeed, in college and universities everywhere.

[Steve Cran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humans may have been on this planet a lot longer then we may have realized. We tend to think that Homo Sapeins have been here at the most 30 thousand years. In reality human existence may stretch back several millions of years. How advanced those societies were is another question. It is. Supposed under this thesis that humans or Homo Sapien Sapiens may have existed alongside aide other humanoid like homo erectus, Neanderthal and cro magnoln

Archaeologist have found evidence of some semi advance human stuff going back. Millions of years to the Pleistocene era. Such items would include human bones, skiulls and handiwork’s . However when scientists bring this up they are often ridiculed by their academic colleagues . Often at the cost of their careers,

The last part of the book discusses cryptozoology . Mentioning other humanoid creatures that might still be out there but hidden. There are areas in Washington state and Canada that have not been thoroughly explored creatures like a big foot might be out there. Supposedly there have been numerous sighting.

The only on this book is the brevity of the audible. I believe this book has many pages and books of this length usually take several more hours to read through on audible. Hope we are not getting the abridged version here. That would Medan the readers are getting cheated.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a massive tome, written in a dry and technical manner, and yet is utterly fascinating. I read it cover to cover, and every student of paleoanthropology should do the same.

This book discusses not only the most famous finds, but also objectively discusses well documented discoveries that were dismissed because they did not fit into the current pet theories of human evolution. I never knew that there were unequivocal modern remains and technology found in strata tens of millions of years ago, and even shoe prints found in rock that is hundreds of millions of years old.

The authors look at each case individually, and discuss the technical data related to each case, both strengths and weakness, and objectively discuss various viewpoints on the most well known cases. The revelations of an objective and unbiased analysis vs.conclusions based upon trying to fit findings into existing theory are profound, and change what I have been taught into a very different set of theories, once all rather than selective data is presented.

[Alan Grieveson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read this book a while back and it is brilliant. Written by scientists it is hard read but worth it if you are interested in the subject and offers a more realistic account of things than many of the more modern Alternative Archaeology books.
By detailed accounts the authors show how mainstream archaeology tries to stifle, suppress or totally ignore discoveries when they don't fit their standard model of things. It is ever thus and a downside of peer reviews.
Worth the effort to get through it.

[Devero · Rating 1 out of 5]

Una bella sequenza di balle raccontate pure male, con scarsa coerenza interna e pure senza scorrevolezza. Voglio dire, Kolosimo, Von Daeniken, Hancock, Sitchin, non solo scrivono molto meglio, raccontando a volte le stesse frottole ma con più stile, un briciolo di plausibilità e coerenza, ma seguono pure uno schema logico, che in Cremo manca totalmente.
Non sequitur su non sequitur.

[Dennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sensationelle Funde? Wohl eher sensationeller Quark - aber ab und an lese ich diesen ganzen Atlantis-, UFO- und ähnlichen Krempel ganz gerne mal, wenn ich ihn auf dem Grabbeltisch günstig bekomme. Für etwas Amüsement immer gut...

[Gevera Piedmont]

This book wasn't what I thought. I expected something like "Fingerprints of the Gods" and it's not, it's creationist literature, very dry and boring and not at all compelling. No stars because I didn't finish it.

[Jeffrey Petit-bois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative. The scientific society has not been always honest with the public about the remains of our ancestors. Anybody in the field of anthropology and or has a curious mind concerning the origins of humanity and archeology should it. Superb work.

[AniKore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just amazing, what you won't be taught at school. About 900 pages full of facts that contradict 18th-century evolution theory. It's a serious call for scientists to revisit this holly and sacred theory submitted in an era where knowledge of biology and biological processes was extremely limited.

[Maureen A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The challenges faced by archeologists with views against the mainstream remind me of today’s bullying in the media. If your story does not fit the narrative, you’re pushed out or ignored. Good info in this book.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'Homo Sapiens ha convissuto per milioni di anni con quelli che la maggior parte degli studiosi del settore ritengono i suoi antenati (Australopithecus, Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus): questo è il tema principale del saggio, che Cremo e Thompson riescono a spiegare efficacemente attraverso la storia di ogni reperto (dove e quando è stato scoperto; chi l'ha ritrovato; la testimonianza di chi ha partecipato alla scoperta; la spiegazione data dagli evoluzionisti ortodossi e quella degli studiosi che,invece, non riescono ad accettarla; il ragionamento scientifico e razionale dei due autori per mostrare le tante cose che non tornano nell’analisi degli accademici).
Il tema secondario è cercare di far capire al lettore che il mondo scientifico non possiede la conoscenza assoluta. E come potrebbe esserlo, se gli studiosi del settore tentano di “piegare” la prova (il reperto) alla teoria (la Teoria dell’Evoluzione) e non viceversa? Eppure, gli stessi evoluzionisti sono molto confusi riguardo alla linea evolutiva umana che continuano a proporre come l’unica ipotesi possibile (per esempio, ci sono molti dubbi riguardo ai legami evolutivi tra i diversi tipi di Australopithecus e a nuovi reperti che mostrano che questa scimmia era soltanto una scimmia e non un ominide).
I due autori, ovviamente, non potendo dare una risposta a questa seconda questione, si concentrano sulla dimostrazione dell’esistenza dell’Homo Sapiens molto prima dei 30.000 anni proposti dalla Teoria dell’Evoluzione, elencando moltissimi reperti (ce ne sarebbero tantisimi altri, ma i due autori hanno deciso, come spiegano nell’Introduzione, di includere, anche per ragioni di spazio, solo quelli più significativi). Nella prima parte del saggio, vengono analizzati i reperti archeologici (eoliti, paleoliti, neoliti, ossi incisi, spezzati, intagliati o raschiati, e un capitolo dedicato agli ooparts – oggetti spesso di una perfezione irraggiungibile per la nostra attuale tecnologia, che, tuttavia, sono stati trovati in strati geologici risalenti a centinaia di milioni di anni fa, quando, cioè, in teoria, non esisteva l’Homo Sapiens). Nella seconda parte viene raccontata la storia dell’uomo di Giava, dell’uomo di Piltdown e dell’uomo di Pechino, da quando, all’inizio, sono stati considerati l’anello mancante con gli ominidi scimmieschi che avrebbero preceduto l’Homo Sapiens, fino a quando perfino gli studiosi hanno dovuto accettare il fatto che appartengono alla categoria dell’Homo Erectus (Cremo e Thompson hanno svolto questo lavoro per smentire quegli studiosi che, ancora oggi, citano questi tre ominidi per affermare la validità della teoria evoluzionista). Viene dedicato anche un capitolo al bigfoot, allo yeti e a tutti i loro “cugini” sparsi per il mondo, in cui i due autori si chiedono se è possibile che esistano ancora oggi l’Homo Erectus oppure alcuni ibridi nati dall’unione dell’Homo Sapiens con l’Homo Erectus o l’uomo di Neanderthal. Infine, nell’ultimo capitolo, vengono mostrati i dubbi che i paleoantropologi ortodossi hanno sulla Teoria dell’Evoluzione dell’uomo.
La conclusione a cui giungono Cremo e Thompson è che le prove mostrano che uomini con un anatomia attuale sono coesistiti con altri primati per decine di milioni di anni e che siamo ancora molto lontani dallo scoprire l’origine della nostra specie su questo pianeta.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating alternative view of our anthropological knowledge and theories. His thesis is that there is evidence for a much older human presence on our planet than we traditionally acknowledge (perhaps as much as 250 Million years) and that the evidence for a relatively young humanity (1 million years at most) is shakier than we would like to think.

This book gives new insight into the way our scientific process works and has worked. Combining this with other mainstream histories of science (A Very Short History of Nearly Everything), makes our quest for knowledge seem much more fallible and human.

I don't believe Cremo's arguments wholesale. He clearly has a religious motivation, which he acknowledges (He favors a Vedic history) but he keeps his religious biases out of the overt discussion in this book, unlike the works of say, creationists. Ironically, this book actually gives me much more tolerance for the creationist criticisms of standard evolutionary anthropology.

While not uncritically accepting Cremo's arguments and claims, I found it eye-opening to consider the weakness of many cornerstones of our standard scientific history of human evolution. Java Man, for instance, seems to rest on very shaky evidence. Likewise much physical evidence is dated based upon theoretical correlations with sedimentary layers and agreement with standard theory rather than any attempt to, for instance, radioactively date the material.

I know there are efforts (unconnected with Cremo) to definitively date all the physical evolutionary evidence we can because this lack of a common "measuring stick" is an acknowledged weakness in evolutionary anthropology.

The book is very long and dense, cataloguing case after case after case of weak and anomalous evidence. To get the gist of it, the condensed version is far superior.