Stephen Williams (August 28, 1926 – June 2, 2017) [1] was an archaeologist at Harvard University who held the title of Peabody Professor of North American Archaeology and Ethnography. [2]
Williams is best known as the author of Fantastic Archaeology (1991) and a course at Harvard based on the same material; a critical examination of pseudoarchaeological claims such as Atlantis, Mu, fringe related pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact theories, psychic archaeology, etc. He also discusses claims made in the Book of Mormon about the prehistoric Americas. The book has received positive reviews. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Anthropologist Julia C. Lowell commented it "should be read by any archeologist concerned with educating the public about the past". [7] The archaeologist Francis B. Harrold described it as an "important contribution and an "invaluable reference work for anyone interested in unconventional beliefs about the human past". [8]
According to Kenneth Feder, "Williams's book is a valuable contribution to the regrettably short list of publications by professional archaeologists examining, responding to, and debunking extreme claims made in the name of the discipline." [9]
Stephen Williams (August 28, 1926 – June 2, 2017) [1] was an archaeologist at Harvard University who held the title of Peabody Professor of North American Archaeology and Ethnography. [2]
Williams is best known as the author of Fantastic Archaeology (1991) and a course at Harvard based on the same material; a critical examination of pseudoarchaeological claims such as Atlantis, Mu, fringe related pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact theories, psychic archaeology, etc. He also discusses claims made in the Book of Mormon about the prehistoric Americas. The book has received positive reviews. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Anthropologist Julia C. Lowell commented it "should be read by any archeologist concerned with educating the public about the past". [7] The archaeologist Francis B. Harrold described it as an "important contribution and an "invaluable reference work for anyone interested in unconventional beliefs about the human past". [8]
According to Kenneth Feder, "Williams's book is a valuable contribution to the regrettably short list of publications by professional archaeologists examining, responding to, and debunking extreme claims made in the name of the discipline." [9]