Cheerful Charlie
Contributor
American Antiquities has published a critical review of garbage pseudo-archaeology books by Donald H. Holly Jr.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/saa/aa/2015/00000080/00000003/art00013
Download the PDF for free.
There’s a popular meme that my archaeology
friends have been circulating on social me-
dia lately: a picture of Giorgio Tsoukalos,
a producer of the popular History Channel show
Ancient Aliens
, overlaid with the caption “I’m not
saying it was aliens, but it was aliens.” The caption
is a play on Tsoukalos’s and others’ claims that
the archaeological and historical record contains
ample evidence for alien visits to earth in antiquity.
To wit, past episodes of the show have suggested
that Kachinas, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and in-
digenous rock art depict aliens; that much of the
monumental art and architecture of ancient
Mesoamerica, South America, Near East, Easter
Island (of course), Malta, and elsewhere represents
the genius of extraterrestrial visitors; that Mayan
kings were not really people but alien overlords;
that extraterrestrials were responsible for the
demise of many civilizations— if not the di-
nosaurs, too— and so on. My archaeologist friends
post the meme because they think it is hilarious,
but sometimes I wonder whether we are the only
ones laughing. A lot more people seem to be lis-
tening, and even nodding in agreement
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/saa/aa/2015/00000080/00000003/art00013
Download the PDF for free.
There’s a popular meme that my archaeology
friends have been circulating on social me-
dia lately: a picture of Giorgio Tsoukalos,
a producer of the popular History Channel show
Ancient Aliens
, overlaid with the caption “I’m not
saying it was aliens, but it was aliens.” The caption
is a play on Tsoukalos’s and others’ claims that
the archaeological and historical record contains
ample evidence for alien visits to earth in antiquity.
To wit, past episodes of the show have suggested
that Kachinas, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and in-
digenous rock art depict aliens; that much of the
monumental art and architecture of ancient
Mesoamerica, South America, Near East, Easter
Island (of course), Malta, and elsewhere represents
the genius of extraterrestrial visitors; that Mayan
kings were not really people but alien overlords;
that extraterrestrials were responsible for the
demise of many civilizations— if not the di-
nosaurs, too— and so on. My archaeologist friends
post the meme because they think it is hilarious,
but sometimes I wonder whether we are the only
ones laughing. A lot more people seem to be lis-
tening, and even nodding in agreement