A Mammoth Fraud in Science
Authors:
- James B. GriffinJGJames B. Griffin
- David J. MeltzerDMDavid J. Meltzer
- Bruce D. SmithBSBruce D. Smith
- William C. SturtevantWSWilliam C. Sturtevant
- 1 July 1988
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in American Antiquity
- Vol. 53 (3) , 578-582
Abstract
The Holly Oak pendant is a shaped piece of marine whelk (Busycon sinistrum) shell with two holes drilled in one end that bears an incised depiction of an extinct proboscidean (woolly mammoth or mastodon). It allegedly was recovered in 1864 from an archaeological site in Delaware. There was speculation in the 1970s as to its age and significance, and it was illustrated and cited as a Paleoindian artifact of Pleistocene age. Subsequent analyses indicated the artifact was fraudulent: The engraving probably was done in the 1880s on a shell recovered from an archaeological site. This has been confirmed by a recently obtained AMS radiocarbon date. The Holly Oak pendant is a modern forgery.Keywords
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