Lost City, Found Pyramid: Understanding Alternative Archaeologies and Pseudoscientific Practices - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0817362231 ISBN 13: 9780817362232

Publisher: The University of Alabama Press, 2025

Synopsis

Highly recommended." —CHOICE

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, it brings 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.
 
The first part of Lost City, Found Pyramid provides numerous case studies. Some examine the work of well-intentioned romantics who project onto actual archaeological data whimsical interpretative frameworks or quixotic “proofs” that confirm legends, such as that of the Lost White City of Honduras, or other alternative claims. Other case studies lay bare how false claims may inadvertently lead to the perpetuation of ethnic stereotypes, economic exploitation, political adventurism, and a misunderstanding of science.
 
Offering much of interest to scholars and students of archaeology, archaeology buffs, as well as policy-makers involved in the discovery, curation, and care of archaeological sites and relics, Lost City, Found Pyramid provides an invaluable corrective and hopeful strategy for engaging the public’s curiosity with the compelling world of archaeological discovery.

About this title

About the Author

Jeb J. Card is a visiting assistant professor of anthropology at Miami University in Ohio. He is the editor of The Archaeology of Hybrid Material Culture.

David S. Anderson is a visiting assistant professor of anthropology at Roanoke College and the coeditor of Constructing Legacies of Mesoamerica: Archaeological Practices and the Politics of Heritage in and beyond Mexico.

Edition details

• Publisher: The University of Alabama Press
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0817362231
• ISBN 13: 9780817362232
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272
• Editor: Card Jeb J., Anderson David S.