Ideas worth spreading

"Aliens built the pyramids" and other absurdities of pseudo-archaeology

1,820,541 views |

Sarah Kurnick |

TEDxMileHigh

• August 2020

Aliens have invaded ancient history: they've cropped up in humanity's past through popular television and movies, displacing facts with absurd yet commonplace beliefs like "aliens built the pyramids." Archaeologist Sarah Kurnick illustrates why these misconceptions perpetuate racist and xenophobic notions of history and culture -- and demonstrates how you can help debunk these dangerous, outlandish myths.

Aliens have invaded ancient history: they've cropped up in humanity's past through popular television and movies, displacing facts with absurd yet commonplace beliefs like "aliens built the pyramids." Archaeologist Sarah Kurnick illustrates why these misconceptions perpetuate racist and xenophobic notions of history and culture -- and demonstrates how you can help debunk these dangerous, outlandish myths.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxMileHigh, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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About the speaker

Sarah Kurnick

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Sarah Kurnick specializes in the ancient Maya and her research focuses on the creation, perpetuation and negation of inequality.

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Kenneth Feder | Oxford University Press, 2019 | Book

Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology

The notion that aliens built the pyramids is only one of many wrong yet common ideas about the past. In this delightful and thoughtful book, Kenneth Feder examines famous hoaxes and familiar pseudo-archaeological claims and explains how to evaluate strange notions about the past.

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Robert J. Sharer and Loa P. Traxler | Stanford University Press, 2006 | Book

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The Penn Museum | 1951-1965 | Watch

What in the World?®

In the 1950s and early 1960s, television networks aired factual and interesting programing about archaeology. On What in the World?®, a panel of archaeologists would try to identify objects from the storerooms of the Penn Museum. You can watch clips from several episodes here.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxMileHigh, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.