Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public

In an age dominated by the success of science and rationalism, more and more people appear to be turning their backs on reason and logic and putting their trust in any number of pseudo- or anti-scientific worldviews. Archaeology is particularly susceptible to this trend, as the fringe interpretations of sites such as Atlantis, ancient Egypt and Stonehenge illustrate. Archaeological Fantasies asks why pseudo-archaeological works are so appealing to the public, what makes certain cultures so vulnerable to alternative (mis)readings, and how ‘genuine’ archaeology needs to respond to this potential threat to the academic discipline.