Pseudo-Archaeology

Were you hoping that the Dendera Light from the last episode was the last you would hear of “ancient electricity?” Well too bad! Brace yourself for another round of electric foolishness, as we energize ourselves with the Baghdad Battery! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/148 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Kinkella Teache...

It’s time for yet another old school classic! Today’s topic is the Dendera “light,” which is a carved image on the side of an Egyptian temple that looks like a light bulb. Did ancient Egyptians have electric light bulbs? The full, correct answer to this question is transcribed in capital letters here: “OF COURSE THEY DIDN’T. PLEASE STOP BULLSHITTING ME.” Transcripts For rough transcripts of this e...

It’s Amelia Earhart time! What happened on that fateful day of July 2, 1937? We’ve always been pretty sure that Earhart crashed somewhere near Howland Island, but new evidence may make us VERY sure that Earhart crashed somewhere near Howland Island! Unlike most of our stories on this channel, this one actually has some real data that is being analyzed using good scientific protocol. Imagine that!...

Continuing on with the whole “I listen to my listeners so I am a good person” situation, this week I’m covering Helena Blavatsky. Beyond the fact that several of you have asked for this one, I myself have been super curious about Helena Blavatsky, as her name crops up whenever you take a stroll in the Pseudoarchaeology universe. Of course, if your name is “Helena Blavatsky” then membership in the...

I want you to know that I listen to you. As proof, tonight I’m covering the writer H.P. Lovecraft and his relationship to the Pseudoarchaeology world because a listener suggested it! See, I care (Also I’m a huge sci-fi nerd). Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/144 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Kinkella Teaches Archaeolog...

Malta is an island in the Mediterranean that is super far away from everything else in the Mediterranean. On this island, there are some temples that were made over five thousand years ago by the farmers that lived on the island. They used some pretty big stones to make them. There is also a cave there where they buried some bodies. I would label this as “super easy to understand.” Not everyone fe...

Continuing our fruitful discussion on famous geological formations that were not made by humans and don’t mean anything, I thought we’d take a cruise down the Bimini Road, AKA “The Stones of Atlantis.” Located in the Bahamas, this pile of stones is the big brother to last week’s pile of stones, the Yonaguni Submarine Ruins. Which one is stupider? YOU DECIDE. Transcripts For rough transcripts of th...

Deep below the waves in southern Japan, surrounded in mystery and intrigue, there lies a pile of stones. But wait, is this just any pile of stones? The answer is yes, it is just any pile of stones. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/141 Links Carl Feagans Yonaguni article Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Kinkella Teaches Ar...

The main event has happened! Real archaeologist Flint Dibble takes on pseudoarchaeologist Graham Hancock in a battle royale on the Joe Rogan Podcast, and lucky for us all I am here to provide the color commentary. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/140 Links Flint Dibble Sapiens article Flint Dibble and Graham Hancock on The Joe Rogan Experien...

Is the USS Hornet the most haunted ship in America? No! How do I know this? Because my dad said so, and he should know because he worked on it for years! Also because while there’s no such thing as ghosts, tourist dollars are definitely real. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/139 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Kinkella T...

For today, we are diving into a deep, dark abyss of the truly stupid. All I can say is that I am truly sorry, because your good sense, happiness, and faith in the human race are guaranteed to be destroyed by the Lost Continent of Mu. You have been warned. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/138 Links Wikipedia page on James Churchward Contact K...

Finally, Atlantis in all its glory!!! In this episode, I track the history of the oxymoron otherwise known as “Atlantean thought.” What is the history of Atlantis? Why do we still talk about it today? Where is it? Did Plato just make it up? (Hint - is Star Wars real, or did George Lucas just make it up? You decide…). Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.co...

Continuing our “Old School Classics” theme here at the Pseudoarchaeology Podcast, today we have the tale of Augustus Le Plongeon, nineteenth century explorer extraordinaire. His ideas on the Maya were terrible, but his photos of Maya sites were great! A classic case of great data meets bad interpretation - enjoy! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/ps...

Staying with our “Old School Classics” theme, this week we enjoy the fine wine that is the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925. We also have the extra added bonuses of a discussion on creationism and a quick review of the 1960 movie Inherit the Wind. What a deal! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/135 Links Why Evolution is True Blog https://whyevolut...

Time for an old school classic! The year is 1912, the place is England, and the fossil is fake! In today’s episode, I give you the most famous archaeological fake of them all, Piltdown Man. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/134 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Kinkella Teaches Archaeology ArchPodNet APN Website: https://ww...

Time to take a look back at 2023, and enjoy the highlights of pseudoarchaeological foolishness that we experienced together! From Ancient Apocalypse to the Mexican Alien, 2023 was most definitely stupider than usual. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/133 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Kinkella Teaches Archaeology ArchPod...

Let’s go back to 1984 and experience what it was like to watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom through the eyes of a 12 year old. How was the movie received by 1984’s tween culture? How has it aged? Where does it fall in the five movie hierarchy? Listen and learn my friends. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/132 Contact Kinkella Teaches...

When I was a kid, I loved the story of Thor Heyerdahl and the Kon-Tiki. I was enraptured in wonder as I read about the exciting and dangerous expedition across the Pacific in an “ancient craft.” As per usual, it’s time for me to destroy my childhood dreams. Join me as we skewer my inner child and put the Kon-Tiki to the test! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.arch...

Today let’s explore the life of Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg (1814-1874), a dedicated scholar who found and published some amazing work on the ancient Maya. The only problem is that his ideas on Maya culture and translations of Maya hieroglyphs were almost 100% wrong! Further proof that people with terrible names have little choice in life except to become pseudoarchaeologists… Transcript...

In today’s episode, I have rushed over to the microphone to give you a stern rebuttal to the current pseudoarchaeological silliness surrounding Gunung Padang, a non-pyramid (natural geological formation) located in Indonesia. Graham Hancock’s current pseudoscience abomination (the idea that this is indeed a super-old pyramid) has fooled more people than usual, helped tremendously by lazy reporting...

Welcome to a special Halloween edition of the Pseudo-archaeology Podcast! Tonight, the incredibly unsatisfying story of The Curse of King Tut. Beware! You may tune out even faster than usual… Transcripts https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/128 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Kinkella Teaches Archaeology ArchPodNet APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://...

I try to steer clear of pure alien stories that don’t ground themselves in archaeology, but so many of you have asked for this that all I can say is this: Beware what you wish for. On today’s show, please give a warm welcome to the Mexican Alien!!!!! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/127 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Ki...

Have you ever wanted to build a media empire to rival those of Apple and Amazon? It’s time to look at how I created my own, from YouTube to podcasting to blogs and books. After five years of being a Major Archaeological Influencer, can I finally quit my day job? Not remotely! If you’re ever wanted to start your own podcast or YouTube channel, this show is for you! Transcripts For rough transcripts...

Did you think that Graham Hancock made up all his Pseudoarchaeology stories by himself? I thought so too, until I realized that he simply plagiarized them from a 19th century US congressman named Ignatius Donnelly. Enjoy this week’s story of a truly bizarre, interesting man: author, lawyer, congressman, pseudoarchaeologist, utopian-community-builder, and con artist! Links Wikipedia page on Ignatiu...

Pseudoarchaeology arguments are almost always based on logical fallacies, meaning that the argument they use is not meant to counter a criticism, but instead used as a tool to take the focus away from the fact that there argument is baseless and terrible! I’ve experienced this on multiple occasions - let’s have some fun with the wackiest examples! Count how many of these you have been a victim of...