Fringe Archaeology
Unraveling the Mysteries of the Past
(First Edition)
©2025, 316 pages
Paperback list price: $59.95
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Fringe Archaeology: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Past explores the intersection of archaeology with popular culture, myth, and fiction. Beginning with archaeology's representation in popular media, the book scrutinizes the distinction between modern archaeology and alternative, fantastic, and fringe narratives of the past. The text examines the antiquarian roots of archaeology, conflicting interpretations of the archaeological record, and the impact of pseudo-archaeological claims on public understanding.
Through nine engaging chapters, readers are guided through topics covering the foundations of archaeological methods, the fossil record of human origins, the relationship between Neanderthals and modern humans, the complexities of Neolithic cultures, fact and fantasy in the study of the ancient Egyptian past, and the story of Nazi archaeology and the politics of the past. The book demystifies sensationalist and non-scientific interpretations while providing a clear understanding of archaeological practice and evidence.
Designed to enhance students’ critical thinking, the evaluation of archaeological evidence, and the responsible interpretation of the past, Fringe Archaeology is an exemplary resource as a primary or supplementary textbook for archaeology, history, and anthropology classes.
Through nine engaging chapters, readers are guided through topics covering the foundations of archaeological methods, the fossil record of human origins, the relationship between Neanderthals and modern humans, the complexities of Neolithic cultures, fact and fantasy in the study of the ancient Egyptian past, and the story of Nazi archaeology and the politics of the past. The book demystifies sensationalist and non-scientific interpretations while providing a clear understanding of archaeological practice and evidence.
Designed to enhance students’ critical thinking, the evaluation of archaeological evidence, and the responsible interpretation of the past, Fringe Archaeology is an exemplary resource as a primary or supplementary textbook for archaeology, history, and anthropology classes.
Christopher DeCorse is Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Anthropology Department at Syracuse University. He is an archaeologist interested in the cultural entanglements of the early modern world, material culture studies, and general anthropology. Dr. DeCorse has excavated sites in the United States and the Caribbean, but his primary research is on the archaeology, history, and ethnography of sub-Saharan Africa. He is the author or coauthor of Anthropology: A Global Perspective; Anthropology: The Basics; In the Beginning: An Introduction to Archaeology; The Record of the Past: An Introduction to Archaeology and Physical Anthropology; and, forthcoming, Buried Cities, Lost Peoples. Dr. DeCorse holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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"What I love about this book is how it makes the fringe of pseudo-archaeology feel worrisomely close to mainstream archaeology. We can get there all too easily through nationalist politics, a desire for the 'unexplained,' and The History Channel. By taking readers back to real-world archaeology today, DeCorse’s book warns us of what can happen when we disavow systematic analysis for idiosyncratic belief."
Timothy R. Pauketat, Ph.D., RPA, Illinois State Archaeologist, Director of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Professor of Anthropology and Medieval Studies
Timothy R. Pauketat, Ph.D., RPA, Illinois State Archaeologist, Director of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Professor of Anthropology and Medieval Studies
