Fake news is nothing new. The internet teems with hoaxes but, long before Microsoft and mobile phones, human beings have been sharing misinformation and counterfeit claims.
Charles Dawson was celebrated as the man to discover the earliest missing link between man and ape.
The Piltdown Man: a case study in archaeological deception
In 1908 workmen digging gravel for road repairs near Dawson's home in Piltdown, East Sussex, showed him fragments of human skull. As an amateur collector of some note he gained the support of palaeontologists and scholars to search the area further.
By 1912 they had enough remains to declare to the world that they had found a human cranium with an ape-like jaw. At 500,000 years old, this was the missing link that made England the cradle of the human race. The remains were older than rivals found in China, Germany or South Africa.
The press loved it. Dawson had the remains named after him. Not only was a missing link established between humans and apes but they were found in England. As if on cue, in 1914, an associated implement was found – an elephant leg bone carved to look remarkably like a cricket bat! Evidence had been found that cricket-loving human beings had emerged first not in Africa but in England. One newspaper had declared: ‘Natives of Great Britain can trace their ancestry further back than any other peoples on the face of the earth.’
The really astonishing thing about the ‘Piltdown Man’ hoax is that it was not confirmed as such until 1953 and only then were the remains removed from display. Scholars had had their doubts, but it took further analysis to prove it. The skull turned out to be modern human and the jaw bone that of an orangutan. The associated artefacts had been worked by modern tools.
In retrospect, the hoax appears laughable. Artefacts only ever emerged when Charles Dawson was present. It is quite likely that many scholars suppressed their doubts because they were so keen to believe. Archaeological evidence needs interpretation, and a dangerous ‘confirmation bias’ leads us to affirm evidence that is in favour of things we might like to be true.
The ‘Piltdown Man’ hoax was an embarrassment for various London museums and scientific societies. The lesson from Piltdown includes a warning for those of us who love Biblical archaeology.
Ron Wyatt’s claims: unverified Biblical discoveries
Quite frequently, when speaking on the subject of archaeology and the Bible, I will be told of a sensational discovery associated with an American adventurer called Ron Wyatt (1933–1999). Though he died some time ago, his proofs for Biblical events keep popping up, and well-meaning Christians refer to them as positive evidence. His books and films continue to be republished and do the rounds in the evangelical world.
Wyatt made an impressive list of discoveries. He explored the remains of Noah’s Ark and found anchor stones that gave it stability. He found the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah along the shores of the Dead Sea. He unearthed Goliath’s sword and, of course, the tablets with the Ten Commandments. While exploring a cave in Jerusalem he discovered the Ark of the Covenant. He even found traces of the blood of Jesus and had them analysed to prove the virgin conception.
Apparently, there are 100 discoveries claimed by Ron Wyatt that directly prove the Bible. Many people have mentioned to me his ‘discovery’ of Egyptian chariot wheels from the time of Moses in the gulf of Aqaba. Grainy videos and photos without context are all offered as evidence.
What is even more impressive is that all these discoveries were made during his vacations while working as an anaesthetist. Without any training in archaeology, he was able to make these discoveries and give these interpretations. There is not a single peer-reviewed article published by him and not one of Wyatt’s discoveries has been independently confirmed.
Ron Wyatt’s outlandish claims make Charles Dawson’s ‘Piltdown Man’ look quite credible! So why do they still circulate among Christians? Wyatt was a Seventh Day Adventist and though that group have officially distanced themselves from him, he still has a loyal following. The presence of content online ensures it will pop up from time to time and capture the unwary. It remains a good example of ‘confirmation bias’ among Christians.
Characters like Charles Dawson and Ron Wyatt have benefitted from that bias. It is worth noting that, like Wyatt, Dawson also had a string of archaeological hits to his name – including a cast-iron Roman statue, a petrified toad inside a rock and evidence for a sea serpent in the English Channel – all proven to be fake. For sake of the gospel witness we must scrutinise sensational claims – and be wary of our own confirmation biases!
