Pseudoarchaeology: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Part 2)
![Image](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1hszbYywPwmSSV5iyA4LPtZK8MUPftmt93RGWR2DV8OwiFsItpdQ9mIpK-t1bS15j8IKT11KaVWYtN8VBLCFcW11K6vEkVM6nZ-Hp1p0iFfS5jW7pi95cUeRIAD7faSlqwGqNgkxa52G/s640/Chapman-Fear-Survey-2017-Paranormal-Beliefs.jpg)
Kia ora, A couple of posts back I talked about what pseudoarchaeology was. As the combining form 'pseudo-' implies, it is essentially 'false archaeology'. Pseudoarchaeological interpretations of the past are based on data that has been 'cherry-picked' (i.e. selectively sampled) to support a particular pre-determined conclusion. What's the harm in a bit of pseudoarchaeology? The fact that pseudoarchaeology is intellectually dishonest, and widely perpetuates inaccurate information about the past is in itself a reason to challenge it. The Ancient Astronaut 'theory', discussed in my earlier post , is one prominent example of pseudoarchaeology. It has gained a strong foothold in popular culture thanks to the hugely successful TV show Ancient Aliens, which in turn was inspired by an earlier outlet for the idea - Erich von Däniken's bestselling book, Chariots of the Gods? While these may just be a bit of a ( meme-worthy ) laugh to some, t