Lost city, found pyramid : understanding alternative archaeologies and pseudoscientific practices /
edited by Jeb J. Card and David S. Anderson.
- Tuscaloosa : The University of Alabama Press, (c)2016.
- 1 online resource
Includes bibliographies and index.
Alternatives and pseudosciences: a history of archaeological engagement with extraordinary claims / Steampunk inquiry: a comparative vivisection of discovery pseudosciences / Part I. Case studies in alternative constructions of the past: methods, ideologies, and practitioners -- The Lost White City of the Honduras: discovered again (and again) / Witches, shamans, and looters: alternative uses and contemporary ritual reuse of archaeological remains in the north-central coast of Peru / Black Olmecs and White Egyptians: a parable for professional archaeological responses to pseudoarchaeology / Creationist history-making: producing a heterodox past / Creating pyramids: participation, performance, and pseudoarchaeology in Bosnia-Herzegovina / Part II. How archaeologists should or should not engage with pseudoarchaeology -- The central Australian face: a study of archaeological responses to a pseudoarchaeological claim / The proliferation of pseudoarchaeology through "reality" television programming / Lessons learned from lost civilizations / Ghost hunting as archaeology: archaeology as ghost hunting / Answering pseudoarchaeology / Jeb J. Card and David S. Anderson -- Jeb J. Card -- Christopher Begley -- Stacy Dunn -- David S. Anderson -- James S. Bielo -- Tera C. Pruitt -- Denis Gojak -- Evan A. Parker -- Kenneth L. Feder, Terry Barnhart, Deborah A. Bolnick, and Bradley T. Lepper -- April M. Beisaw -- Kenneth L. Feder.
"Lost City, Found Pyramid delves into the fascinating world of sensational "pseudoarchaeology," from perennial discoveries of lost pyramids or civilizations to contemporary ghost-hunting and reality TV. It examines how nonscientific pursuit of myths and legends warps both public perceptions of archaeology and of human history itself. A collection of twelve engaging and insightful essays, Lost City, Found Pyramid does far more than argue for the simple debunking of false archaeology. Rather, they bring into focus the value of understanding how and why pseudoarchaeology captures the public imagination. By comprehending pseudoarchaeology's appeal as a media product, cultural practice, and communication strategy, archaeologists can enhance and enliven how they communicate about real archaeology in the classroom and in the public arena."--Publisher.