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Ancient Aliens in Bulgaria! Plus: A German Interview with Jens Notroff on Pseudohistory at Gobekli Tepe

11/16/2015

23 Comments

 
Earlier today the website of the Daily Express carried a disturbing article about yet another attempt to pass off a child mummy as an alien. According to writer Jon Austin, who made an unusual number of typos, indicating the seriousness with which the Express took he story, several UFO “experts” at a conference in Sofia, Bulgaria displayed the body of what skeptics say was a human child. They identified the 50-inch mummy as an alien being stolen from a Mayan tomb in Mexico. (Note: The linked article does not have photo of the actual mummy.) After admitting to what would, if true, seem to be several violations of Mexican and international law, the so-called UFO experts claimed that the lack of ears on the mummy proved it was a Grey alien. Bulgaria has been a hotbed of alien activity for years, with Bulgarian government scientists claiming to be in contact with aliens via crop circle Q-and-A sessions, Bulgarians capturing Greys on camera, and Bulgarians seeing aliens in the woods.
At the same conference, UFO Sightings Daily writer Scott C. Waring claimed that new thermal scans of the Great Pyramid showing unusual heat signatures near the base prove ancient astronaut theorists have been right all along: “This could be the evidence we need to prove that it was created by ancient aliens and that the pyramid is more than a spectacle to look at.”
 
Archaeologists aren’t sure what the unusual heat signature represents, but some have suggested it might represent a cavity, a hidden chamber, or even a chunk of bedrock incorporated into the base of the pyramid.
 
Given all that, today I’d like to share an interesting blog post I read on a German website, from László Matthias Simon-Nanko, M.A., who describes himself as an archaeologist, independent scholar, and critic of bullshit. Simon-Nanko studied archaeology in Tübingen, Germany (just a few miles from the site of the luminescent hat invasion of 1577), has worked for various museums and institutes, and conducted excavations in the Near East. He also contributed to ZDF’s Terra X, which is probably more prestigious in Germany, where it’s an important science series, than here, where the show is remembered mostly as the In Search of… knockoff Discovery cast it as when it ran a dubbed selection of episodes in the 1990s.
 
Anyway, Simon-Nanko interviewed archaeologist Jens Notroff of the German Archaeological Institute last week and asked him to talk about the fringe history theories that are swirling around the Turkish site of Göbekli Tepe, which has been accused of being (a) a star-gate to another dimension, (b) a monument to Noah’s Ark, (c) a construction from a lost civilization such as Atlantis, and (d) evidence of a superior lost white race that bequeathed culture to the Near East. There are a few other claims, but you get the idea. You will, of course, remember that Graham Hancock used the site as his centerpiece for his new book, Magicians of the Gods, which touches on claims (c) and (d). Notroff works at Göbekli Tepe and is critical of fringe theories about the site.
 
According to Simon-Nanko, the interview was occasioned by a conspiracy theory—one I had not heard—that suggested that terrorist attacks carried out in Turkey in October were a government-sponsored false flag operation designed to hide work on Göbekli Tepe related to a star-gate to another world.
 
Simon-Nanko asked Notroff his thoughts on pseudohistory about the site, and he answered that pseudo-historians who rail against mainstream archaeology generally have only a superficial understanding of archaeological field methods and therefore tend to fall into circular arguments and fallacious reasoning. But his description of how he became familiar with pseudohistory bears translating in full. Forgive me if my German translations aren’t quite perfect:
With the overall theme of the so-called ancient astronaut hypothesis (today subsumed under the recent term “Ancient Aliens”) I myself, like probably many others, came into contact with it as a child in the ’90s. The books of [Erich von] Däniken certainly did not pass me by, and I freely admit that I have read them through with great interest. They were easily accessible, thoroughly enjoyable, and in their argument had a certain persuasiveness.
He said that it was after engaging in years of research that he understood the fallacies and gaps in logic that characterized von Däniken’s work.
 
I can’t help but notice how similar this was to my own teenage encounters with old paperbacks of von Däniken. But the next answer to a question about whether Notroff has seen an increase in crackpot theories about Göbekli Tepe among the public was even more interesting. He answered that popular media, fringe history books, and public perceptions go hand in hand:
In any event, I’ve noticed an increase in interview requests and emails (usually from German-speaking countries or English-speaking ones, which is certainly not by chance the same as the distribution area of the relevant authors), especially when there were recent reports in the popular media.
How interesting the crackpot ideas seem to be most prominent in the countries with the most robust fringe history industries. He went on to say that he feels that the narratives that these authors create about ancient sites take on a life of their own and can escape their creators once they end up in the hands of the public. I’ll add that the public is often less informed than the fringe writers, which likely accounts for the amplification of the crazy factor as ideas filter through the occult and conspiracy communities.
 
Notroff concluded that archaeologists need to do a better job competing with fringe historians to communicate exciting narratives to the public:
First and foremost: educating the public! We must create it (accessible material), so that our research results are perceived like the more popular theories. This means that we must strive to make our work accessible, but more importantly to find a method of making the results exciting and interesting. […] PR is underestimated by scientists in general, and archaeologists in particular, and in my view given too little respect. Our research is partly financed from public funds, so the public has a quite justified right to demand a certain amount of information.
23 Comments
Bob Jase
11/16/2015 04:43:06 pm

Frank Edwards was my von Daniken before there was a von Daniken. Its like the digestive track -no matter what went in or when it did you can be sure that there will be shit.

Reply
Only Me
11/16/2015 05:33:27 pm

Notroff's thoughts about reaching the public are particularly important, given Scott Wolter's call for the fringe community to concentrate their efforts on younger generations.

In a competition between actual science and pseudoscience for the hearts and minds of the young, I think we'd all rather see actual science emerge victorious.

As to the "alien mummy" story...oh, if only mummy curses were real.

Reply
John
11/16/2015 08:13:48 pm

Jason, I apologize for being off topic but I wanted to know if you are planning on reviewing Janet Wolter and Alan Butler's new book "America: Nation of the Goddess" coming out?

Reply
Jason Colavito link
11/16/2015 08:34:34 pm

I guess it depends on if I have to spend money on it!

Reply
Jason Colavito link
11/16/2015 08:38:29 pm

Oh, never mind. It seems that they have galley proofs available.

Uncle Ron
11/16/2015 09:44:28 pm

"Notroff concluded that archaeologists need to do a better job competing with fringe historians to communicate exciting narratives to the public."
Competing with fringe historians has two difficult hurdles to overcome. There is the challenge of trying to debunk a wacky idea and realizing that just presenting the correct facts is not enough. Often one has to explain the foundation for those facts and why they are valid while the pseudo-science is not. Sometimes an explanation of the invalid rhetorical devices that make bogus claims so convincing is required. One may have to re-build so much of the empirical pyramid before returning to the disputed topic with the truth that the person one is talking to dies of boredom (or moves down the bar to strike up a conversation with the guy who says he was abducted by aliens). It’s so much easier - and let’s face it, more fun - just to believe that Bigfoot is an inter-dimensional being.
Second, the people who read science popularizations are usually interested in science in the first place, know what they don’t understand, and want to learn. The people who are drawn to fringe science are often so scientifically illiterate they get sucked in by the romance of pseudo-scientific explanations or are gulled into believing that they part of an “insider” group that knows a “truth” the mainstream doesn’t know. They aren’t interested in the science so much as being part of the in-crowd and they will fight the debunker tooth and nail.
Actually there is a third hurdle and that is finding the right scientist to do the explaining. Not everyone who knows a subject can write or talk about it in a way that makes it "exciting and interesting."

Reply
Jens
11/17/2015 08:55:39 am

Great comment with thoroughly valid points. Actually, I couldn't agree more on the issues you describe here. Yes, it's tiresome arguing against all too attractive and simplified fringe claims. But I'm not ready to give up easily. Not yet.

Reply
Mark L
11/17/2015 04:18:40 am

Nice job having a typo in the same sentence you're complaining about other peoples' typos.

Reply
An Over-Educated Grunt
11/17/2015 09:42:19 am

Other peoples' typos? I didn't realize that whole nations engaged in typography.

Reply
Mark L
11/18/2015 02:44:00 am

When I ask people to pay me for my comments on this blog, then we can have this conversation again.

David Bradbury
11/18/2015 03:23:00 am

Mark L, please pay me for my comments on this blog.

An Over-Educated Grunt
11/18/2015 07:34:46 am

When you expose your ass in public you can expect a boot. Especially when you make the exact same mistake you choose to complain about someone else making. You're the living embodiment of Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Ring" speech.

Tony
11/18/2015 08:57:05 am

"I didn't realize that whole nations engaged in typography."

Heh, I saw what you did their. ;-)

Jens
11/17/2015 04:50:19 am

Thanks for sharing these thoughts on 'fringe' instrumentalisation of our research and how we as archaeologist could and should handle this public interest. I still stand to my word that it's partly our fault if those with a basic interest are being taken by fringe authors. Finding actual research results is still not easy if you lack funds or access to scientific publications. And here I'm not even talking about an accessible and generally intelligible writing style.

As easy as it is to make fun of the more whacky conspiracy theory as dangerous are those giving the impression to actually use a scientific method, creating a false 'expertise'.

PS: You're German must be pretty good; these quotes cover exactly what I meant (and said). ;-)

Reply
Klaus
11/18/2015 06:51:18 pm

Jens, Jason, hat tip to you both

Best Regards
Klaus

Reply
El Cid
11/17/2015 08:08:13 am

As an average person who likes to read about archaeology and ancient history, it's really, really tiresome to have to wade through all the pseudoarchaeologists and the rest of the nut squad every time you want to read anything via the internet about Gobekli Tepe.

At least so far they're not so entranced with Catalhoyuk.

Reply
DaveR
11/17/2015 09:42:26 am

I think some of the allure with fringe claims is they are, by and large, not academics and so are out of the "main stream" scientific community. The fringe theorists also state they have some hitherto unknown knowledge that legitimate academics are surprising, denying, or cannot understand. The argument is generally the same: "Main stream scientists cannot explain exactly and precisely how this was built or why, therefor they don't know the answer. Since we cannot build this today with our modern technology the only explanation that makes sense is some alien society came to Earth in the ancient past and used their advanced technologies on these constructions."

I can understand how some people may believe that people who have spent years in study and field work and many thousands of dollars on advanced degrees could be protecting the current academic theories and actively surprising fringe claims.

Regardless of what is done by scientists, archeologists, and other academics to engage the public, there will always be a market for fringe theorists.

Reply
David Bradbury
11/18/2015 03:27:51 am

Although the "conspiracy to hide the truth" notion is undoubtedly true, it does directly tie in with Uncle Ron's "so much easier" argument. People want to understand things, which is not the same as being given accurate explanations they cannot understand.

Reply
DaveR
11/18/2015 11:18:28 am

Good point. I've been watching a lot of programming on Physics and freely admit I understand little of what they're talking about. I think another issue is that people tend to want to know how and why something was built, and in some instances nobody can say for sure, which may cause people to reach for alternative theories.

Tony
11/18/2015 08:53:57 am

"Archaeologists aren’t sure what the unusual heat signature represents, but some have suggested it might represent a cavity, a hidden chamber, or even a chunk of bedrock incorporated into the base of the pyramid."

Sounds just like a granary to me. An alien granary. Duh.

Reply
Only Me
11/18/2015 04:30:39 pm

No, no, Tony. The evidence clearly shows the pyramid is the world's largest popcorn maker. :)

Reply
Tony
11/20/2015 10:44:42 am

Well, Orville Redenbacher did look like he came from outer space. ;^)

John Moore
11/21/2015 10:15:42 am

If I was an ancient alien visiting earth and wanting to build structures on earth would I build a pyramid?

Nope. I'd build a steel mill first.

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