UFOs and archaeology

[Post-Med Potterer]

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[Post-Med Potterer]

I recently came across these remarks (all in the same posting to another forum a long way away in time and space) in another context and wondered if anyone on this forum had any comments to make?

quote:I am currently reading for a B.sc(Hons) in prehistoric Archaeology in Bournemouth, U.k.

quote:I am fascinated by the concept of extraterrestrial life and can't wait for the day when archaeologists will be called upon to evaluate evidence of stellar civilizations!

quote:Why are archaeologists excluded from the scientific study of
ufology? The most recent sightings in this area were last year
when a group of three spherical/bright objects "screamed" across
the horizon between the Purbeck hills and Hengistbury Head before
turning sharply east and literally disapearing.

quote:Cave art and contemporary carvings seem to be devoid
of any depictions of such encounters.

[Cautionary Tale]

Well, the gentleman in question makes a good point. Are UFO a recent phenomena or were they interpreted as other stella activity before the fevered Modern imagination kicked in and put us under the alien microscope?

I'll leave the original postee to comment further, aside from saying Bournemouth graduates are taught to think in interesting ways (as the other person to have read my thesis will confirm).

Haec olim meminisse iuvabit

[leg11aug]

Hi y'all. Quote '..Why are archaeologists excluded from.. "ufo-ology"'
Are they? I'd have thought any exclusion was self imposed. If there's a faster road to professional suicide than confusing science with the so-called Paranormal I can't think of it. Is this thread a bait for that dude on the nano-antiquarian thread?

throwing in the trowel..

[Illuminated]

The initial quotes aren't that ridiculous...

Archaeologists have a better clue than most on how to speculatively create a complex dynamic system from limited evidence. This skill could hypothetically be applied to alien discoveries.

Anthropologists are the chaps you'd really want for that sort of thing though..

Personally, I'm interested in theories on UFO's building stonehenge (and so on) as on the whole they are interesting and amusing. It's not a bad thing to keep up with popular current interpretations of the past anyway. Some theorists may even argue the validity of these views from a phenomenologigal(?) / post/post processual view (or whatever nonsense theorists are concerned with at the moment).

The best pseudo science theory I've heard is that the moon was built by future humans (with time travelling capability) to make conditions on earth suitable for human life to evolve....

[archae_logical]

quote:Originally posted by illuminated

The initial quotes aren't that ridiculous...


Personally, I'm interested in theories on UFO's building stonehenge (and so on) as on the whole they are interesting and amusing.

One of Terry Pratchetts books has a stonehenge-type monument being built by levitation if I remember correctly

E

[sniper]

quote:Originally posted by illuminated

The best pseudo science theory I've heard is that the moon was built by future humans (with time travelling capability) to make conditions on earth suitable for human life to evolve....

I remember hearing about this as well, sounds just like another form of Creationism to me...fails to even grasp the idea that life is like it is because of the conditions on earth, rather than the other way round...

++ i spend my days rummaging around in dead people ++

[Curator Kid]

There are loads of books on this subject - just head off to the local second-hand bookshop and have a look in the Esoteric section. Plenty of nonsense published in the late sixties-early seventies by Eric Von Daniken, Charles Berlitz etc., about aliens, technology, archaeology, and ancient civilizations. Some are very funny. Most of them appear to spring from Cold War social uncertainties and anxieties at the time, combined with the excitement caused by the USA/USSR space programmes and the Moon landings.

[Post-Med Potterer]

quote:If there's a faster road to professional suicide than confusing science with the so-called Paranormal I can't think of it. Is this thread a bait for that dude on the nano-antiquarian thread?

Well spotted.

[Orkynowot]

Read Chariots of the Gods over the summer, was I thought quite intresting in some aspects. For example he argued that archaeology had to get more invoved with other sciences, which is now happening, though the rest of it was infact rantings of a lunatic in my view, on the subject of it being suicidal-acedemically yes it may well be but financially it may be wise we are after all still talking about Daniken and what about Hancock he has just released another book that is bound to make a mint, and maybe a tv series (most likly channel 5 though). So while they may not have any acedemic value they get people on TV and sell books to laypeople who believe.

Orkynowot