The audiences of pseudoarchaeology are counting on us. Let’s help them.

Academics in all fields struggle with the question of whether we should actively engage with our pseudo alters. Is it worth it, for example, for archaeologists to engage with pseudoarchaeologists such as the ones featured on Ancient Aliens, or Curse of Oak Island? While engaging directly with pseudoarchaeologists themselves may not be that productive, engaging…

Reply to Neil deGrasse Tyson: The past is not inaccessible, and it is worth studying

Astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson caused some significant consternation last week among historians and archaeologists by tweeting that “We are prisoners of the present, in perpetual transition from an inaccessible past to an unknowable future”. Reactions from archaeologists and historians were swift and critical. I take this as an opportunity for reflection on questions that we,…