Pseudo-Archaeology

What happened 13,000 years ago? Was it cold, and then started warming, and then got cold again for a bit until it finally warmed up? Looks like it. Was there a comet that struck the Earth? Could be. Did it change history by unleashing a great flood that covered all evidence of an unknown complex civilization? Of course not! Join me (if you dare) as we try to untangle the complex web of facts and f...

I’ve always found the Face on Mars to be one of the more fun and likable examples of pseudoarchaeology. What’s not fun and likable is sitting in your room in 1988 waiting for your Commodore 64 to upload an image of the Face on Mars in the video game “Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders.” Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/116 Links Retronau...

With Indiana Jones 5 almost upon us, I thought it would be a good time to remind ourselves where we last left off with our favorite archaeologist. Indiana Jones 4 came out in 2008, took place in 1957, and was timeless in its ability to cheapen a franchise… Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/115 Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Links My episode on...

What are the Maya cenotes? The time has come for Dr. Kinkella to talk about himself even more than usual as he discusses his dissertation research, talks about pseudo-archaeological ideas about human sacrifice, and generally spends lots of time bragging about his exploits in the jungle. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/114 Links SETTLEMENT A...

You’ve probably heard the name “Gobekli Tepe” in the archaeological world, but what is it? In this episode, we explore the wondrous world of a 10,000-year-old Neolithic communal/ritual center, but only after I complain about my most recent hate mail…. Enjoy! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/113 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube)...

In this episode, I present a battle royale between two terrible ideas. In the first corner, the Silurian Hypothesis, which states that socially complex human beings have been on Earth for millions of years. In the second corner, the Solutrean Hypothesis, which states that early Native American technology was influenced by Europeans who came to the New World by crossing the Atlantic thousands of ye...

Let’s be honest: The time has come for me to answer my fan mail. Join me as I dispense pearls of wisdom to my adoring fan base, and take a deep dive into dating the Sphinx once and for all! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/111 Links Article on Carbon 14 dating of the Sphinx: Link to guitar video experiments on sustain: Contact Kinkella Teach...

You would think that dating the Sphinx would be pretty easy, especially since the Sphinx’s face is that of an Old Kingdom pharaoh, and it’s right in front of an Old Kingdom pyramid. Simple man that I am, I’m going with Old Kingdom. But wait right there! What about the water erosion? Could the Sphinx actually be thousands of years older than previously thought? Does water erosion on the Sphinx expo...

Tonight we tackle the highly annoying idea of electric guitar “tonewood.” Does the wood that your electric guitar is made out of affect the sound? Many guitar manufacturers and guitar pros say yes, but science says no. You’ll never guess which side I’m on…. While this topic is more pseudoscience than pseudoarchaeology, I figure it counts because I have an electric guitar in my office on campus… Tr...

Have you ever had a big, angry mob of anonymous keyboard warriors tell you the same wrong thing over and over again? Where they typed the same foolishness so many times that you got tired of replying and decided to make a podcast about it instead? Maybe it’s just me. On tonight’s episode, we explore the great non-debate of “Clovis First,” an idea that archaeologists let go of decades ago, but pseu...

Did you survive the Maya apocalypse of 2012? Are you still putting your life back together after the supervolcano covered your home in lava just before the Tsunami washed it away? Is your equilibrium still unequal after the close call with Planet X? Does the Earth’s gravity still feel “not quite right” in the years since? The renegade few of us who survived need to stick together. Let’s analyze th...

Was Pacal the Great actually “Pacal the Great…Astronaut?” Of course not! On today’s podcast, I destroy whatever good humor you may have acquired during the holidays by forcing you down into the muck of what is possibly The Single Dumbest Story in all of Pseudoarchaeology! I’m very sorry. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/106 Contact Kinkella...

Have you ever made a YouTube video that suddenly got a lot of views? I did one on Graham Hancock's new Netflix show "Ancient Apocalypse" and made a whole bunch of people mad. Why were they so mad? Here, I review Ancient Apocalypse, talk about Graham Hancock, and thank him for giving me enough material for my next 100 shows. Enjoy! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www...

Imagine the cast of Stranger Things visiting a funny yet mysterious cabin in the woods, and you have a pretty good idea of what happened with me and my friends one day in 1986. Welcome to the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, California. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/104 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Kinkella Teaches Arch...

Do the Colossal Stone Heads of the Olmec prove that Africans came to the New World thousands of years ago? Of course not! They prove that the Olmec were part of a thriving, complex society in Central America a thousand years before Jesus was born. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/103 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Kinke...

The Archaeology Podcast Network is taking a bit of a break for October, 2022. In the mean time, we’re introducing you to some of the other fantastic shows that we produce. Here’s an episode from The Dirt Podcast about the accuracies and inaccuracies about the 2006 film, “Apocalypto”. Amber guides Anna through the jungle of the 2006 film Apocalypto...but hopefully a little less racistly than direct...

The 130,000-year-old Cerutti Mastadon site in San Diego is a place where you can definitely find mastodons, but were people there at the same time? It sure doesn’t look like it. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/102 Links Richard Cerutti Obituary Link to Life In Ruins podcast on Cerutti Mastadon site: Link to Interview with Steven Holen on Th...

This is the map that proves that ancient civilizations with technologies far beyond our own were able to visit Antarctica back when it was warm there. Wait, are you saying you don’t believe me? Well good for you! This map doesn’t do any of that stuff. It’s still pretty cool on its own though. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/101 Contact Kink...

As a celebration of the 100th episode of the Pseudoarchaeology Podcast, I turn my pointed critique inward upon myself to reveal the ways in which I myself am a fraud! Please, don't listen! I am so ashamed. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/100 Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Youtube) Blog: Kinkella Teaches Archaeology ArchPodNet APN Web...

Have you ever wondered if the Shroud of Turin is a fake or not? Of course you haven’t, because you know it’s a fake! In this episode, let’s explore the fun fakery of religious icons, starting with the burial shroud of Jesus that is definitely not the burial shroud of Jesus. Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/99 Links How the Shroud of Turin wa...

Welcome to one of the creepiest nights of my life. Alone on a desert highway one evening in 1998, I decided to pull over into a deserted parking lot. The parking lot belonged to a large storage building which had a huge sign on the front proclaiming that it housed "The Thing." Against my better judgement, I walked in... Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet...

We've all heard of "The Crystal Skulls," but this crystal skull in particular is near and dear to my heart. Found in Belize in the 1920s, the mystery and intrigue surrounding the attempt to keep this find "authentic" is much more interesting than the forgery itself! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archpodnet.com/pseudo/97 Links Crystal Skull Article Contact Kink...

Found in a shipwreck off the coast of Greece in 1901, the Antikythera Mechanism has been the subject of all sorts of claims, some outlandish, some simply false, and some true. Is this really the “World’s First Computer?” Is the technology needed to make it simply too advanced for the ancient Greeks? Join me as we sort it all out! Transcripts For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www....

You've heard of the title, but have you ever actually read the book? No worries, I've done it for you! Join me as I break down the chapters, demystify the examples, and review what can only be termed a "venerable classic" of pseudoarchaeology literature! Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot!...

It’s back! In this episode, APN kingpin Chris Webster interviews Andrew Kinkella about who he is, why he’s restarting the Pseudoarchaeology Podcast, and what to expect! Interested in learning about how to use X-Rays and similar technology in archaeology? Check out the linked PaleoImaging course from James Elliot! Connect with James on Twitter: @paleoimaging Contact Kinkella Teaches Archaeology (Yo...