ANT210H5 Lecture 4: PILTDOWN AND FUJIMURE HOAXES 01-30-19
Document Summary
Ant210 lecture 4: the piltdown & fujimura cases (01-30-19) Lessons from two hoaxes that had serious implications for the conduct of professional archaeologists. Events: dig site was very unprofessional digging wasn"t organized, had amateurs leading, ed. Location today: known site where, in 1909, extinct mammal bones found (a gravel source for the locals, lots of digging there recovered those bones; possible that all were planted there) Woodward smith article: woodward smith published article on discovery to lend it credibility. Reconstruction of complete piltdown individual: filled in portions meant to force scholars to see how the bones might fit together, expert critics in 1913 started to doubt whether the two parts really were part of the same skull. Against this suggestion tell the whole circumstances of the discovery as above related (w. k. Gregory 1914: australian archaeologist that had caught on to the hoax, mandible turned out to be from orangutan.
