Occam's Trowel, Sifting archaeological fringe to get to archaeological fact.
The official title of America’s Lost Vikings episode 2 is “Mystery of the Sea Raiders,” never mind that the Norse weren’t raiding the coast here, they were exploring and settling. Regardless, this episode isn’t actually looking at any particular mystery, it’s supposedly looking to see if there’s any way to connect Newfoundland with Vinland. Since the last episode,... Continue Reading →
When AiPT! asked me to review the new six-part Science Channel series, America’s Lost Vikings, I was apprehensive, but a little hopeful. First, it was on the Science Channel; that’s safe, right? Also, it’s headed by two archaeologists, Blue Nelson and Mike Arbuthnot. I don’t know either man, so I did a little digging. Blue Nelson... Continue Reading →
Not a real viking... Welcome to Season 5 of the Archaeological Fantasies Podcast! To start the year off we're talking with Chelsi Slotten about Viking Women Warriors. What does archaeology say about women in Viking times? What are the controversies around the Birka Warrior? And why aren't female warriors better accepted in academia? Show notes:... Continue Reading →
Today we talk with Douglas Hunter about his new book Beardmore: The Viking Hoax that Rewrote History. We talk about what the interesting history of the Beardmore relics, how they affected Canadian history, and what lessons we can learn from the hubris of our past. Show notes: Douglass Hunter Website Beardmore: The Viking Hoax that Rewrote History The... Continue Reading →
The second article in The Lost History of Ancient America is titled 'Plants Connect the Old and New Worlds'. It's penned by Dr. Carl L. Johannessen (2017), a retired professor of geography from the University of Oregon. Johannessen's article is the longest in the first section of the book and claims that there are 14 plants that were present in... Continue Reading →
Episode 50 of the Archaeological Fantasies is live, and Ken and I were able to finally sit down with someone who knows quite a bit about the use of DNA and genetics in archaeology. Jennifer Raff, who's covered all this wonderfully over at her own blog Violent Metaphors, was just the podcast guest I've been looking for to help us sus out all the ins and outs of genetic evidence in archaeology
Yay! We're about halfway through the first season! I grossly underestimated how long it would take to review this series. There is just so much that needs to be addressed in each episode, it's daunting. I am learning to break-up the posts into smaller posts that I can then link you too for more information.... Continue Reading →
Now dubbed "America's Stonehenge" in Salem, New Hampshire, the location once known as Mystery Hill continues to draw tourists to what is touted as being evidence of pre-Columbian contact. Evidence of who is still up for debate. The site itself is about 30 acres of land just off route 111 in Salem. It's a sprawling complex of stone structures, walls, natural caves,... Continue Reading →
Pulitzer claims that he's found a Roman sword that is "100 per cent confirmed (Gadd 2015, Zolfagharifard 2015)" and that is "the smoking gun to his theory (Gadd 2015, Zolfagharifard 2015)". He says that the sword was discovered in a shipwreck just off the coast of Oak Island, and apparently made this announcement on the History Channel's show Curse of Oak Island (Gadd 2015, Zolfagharifard 2015).
It doesn't take long for this claim to start unraveling though, and unraveling in such a spectacular way at that.
While I was critiquing the 3rd episode of America Unearthed Season 1, I came upon a few new artifacts/concepts in pseudoarchaeology. One in particular caught my attention, because as I worked to debunk it, the red flags around it grew. I realized that it really needs it’s own entry into the blog, because there is... Continue Reading →
Archaeological Fantasies 