Fantastic Archaeology: The Wild Side of North American Prehistory

by Stephen Williams

The landscape of the nineteenth century, Williams asserts, is dotted with fakes, frauds, and humbugs whose fantastic claims of purported findings would make even P. T. Barnum blush. In Fantastic Archaeology, Williams takes them all on with gusto—illuminating, debunking, and instructing on the modes, methods, manners, and manifestations of American archaeology through the past two centuries.

The author begins his walk on the wild side of North American archaeology with a fascinating introduction to the continent's real past. Then, acting as detective, he answers the questions, Who Found It? Who Done It? Who Twisted the Facts? From solemn old professionals like Samuel Haven to eccentric "odd fishes" like Constantine Rafinesque, from brash "free thinkers" like Harold S. Gladwin to stoic strategists like A. V. Kidder, Williams enthusiastically portrays them all.

The big issues are here, the quest for the first Americans, the transoceanic search for links to distant civilizations, and the meaning of ancient writings. From monstrous stone giants to mysterious messages from the past, right up to the real story of America's archaeological past, the author unearths a wondrous tale that will amaze, delight, and inform professional and general readers alike.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Anthropology, Science

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Williams' book delivers pretty much exactly what the title promises: a survey of cranks, hoaxes, and misconceptions in the archeology of North America. He tiptoes around a bit when it comes to the Mormon "revelations" but for the most part pulls no punches. He's as charitable as he can be when it comes to amateurs and the victims of hoaxes, but uses humor and dry ridicule a lot and keeps things entertaining. We meet a series of fascinating characters, as well some really repugnant frauds and opportunists. By the time we get to the twentieth century, the story is getting a little redundant, with relatively notorious cranks like Barry Fell and Ivan Van Sertima blatantly ignoring the work of actual historians and archeologists and retreating into the "hidden" or "suppressed" work of discredited 19th century hacks. So despite the humorous treatment of many topics, it looks a little dismal. But the final chapter of the book is a welcome change: the author explains the current (as of 1991!) understanding of North American prehistory and enthuses that the truth, as far as it has been uncovered, is actually pretty fantastic in its own right and all the talk of precolumbian contacts and influences is really an insult to the amazing things the indigenous people were up to.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was another one that I wanted to like way more than I actually did. First, I appreciated that the focus was on North American archeology, since many of the books about archeology in general, and frauds specifically, focus on the Old World. The tidbits of history of the Native Americans was really interesting. I had one main complaint about this book, and one secondary concern.

First, you need a freaking chart to keep up with all the of the people mentioned in every chapter. Sometimes a person is mentioned in one sentence and never mentioned again, sometimes they're mentioned once, then pop up again pages later, leaving you wondering who exactly the author's talking about. The writing jumps around so much that trying to keep track of who is being discussed is really, really difficult. Maybe that's just me, since the ratings for this book are generally pretty high, but I found it really difficult to follow just who the author was talking about at any given moment.

The other thing I found kind of odd is the introduction and subsequent treatment of Joseph Smith and the supposed discoveries that led to the founding of the Mormon religion. While the author tries not to out and out call anyone a fraud in this book, he isn't shy about calling a specific "artifact" a complete sham. Which makes me wonder why on earth he wouldn't declare the golden plates supposedly found and translated by Smith a fraud. According to all of the author's own standards on where they were found, in what context, and with what other objects (completely ignoring the ridiculous story of the translation and the fact that no one else saw the plates and that they were "miraculously" taken back to heaven by an angel when the translation was complete), this story definitely qualifies for the fraud stamp. I understand if the author didn't want to offend anyone's religious sensibilities, but why introduce it in the first place if it's going to be treated with kid gloves?

Anyway, others may not be bothered by these issues, and might enjoy this book, but for me it just wasn't a good read.

[Ernest Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruins and archaeological artifacts fire the imagination--we humans can't help it. We also have agendas, and hopes for a past worthy of our expectations. FANTASTIC ARCHAEOLOGY explores these fantasies, and sorts them out from the reality, which is turning our to be stranger that anyone had imagined. Another book that will make my travels more interesting.

[Mark Moxley-Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting volume on hoaxes, odd beliefs, and just general strangeness related to American archaeology. Relatively light reading, though he gets into things pretty deep and has clearly researched them a lot.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than I expected from the title--very nicely researched debunking of many archaeology stories (like the Grave Creek Stone).

[DoctorM · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful account of the underside of North American archaeology--- frauds and delusionaries, visionaries and con men, Phoenicians in Kansas, Vikings in Minnesota, Africans in the Yucatan, Canaanites in Nebraska. This is a well-crafted and dryly witty account of the kind of archaeology that seems (alas!) to have corrupted History Channel, but says so much about the dreams, hopes, needs, and scams of 19th-c. America.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for my Archaeology program.