Crystal Skulls
The crystal skulls are a particularly notable example of the popularization of pseudoarcheological ideas. Some believe the skulls to be of Aztec or Mayan origin, while others think them to be from Atlantis or outer space. [1]
Origin
None of the known skulls are actually from a documented archaeological sites, nor do they reflect the artistic styles of the cultural groups they are attributed to. The first known crystal skull was obtained by the British Museum in 1856 by Henry Christy. At this time there was little known about pre-Columbian artifacts in Mexico and as observed by Smithsonian archaeologist, W. H. Holmes, in 1884 there was an abundance of fake artifacts being sold in Mexico at the time. In 1867 two more crystal skulls surfaced at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. These skulls had been procured by an "archaeologist" named Eugene Boban. Mexico City purchased two crystal skulls; one in 1874 and another in 1886. These skulls account for the first generation of crystal skulls. The second generation of crystal skulls are also associated with Eugene Boban, who in 1881 attempted to sell a crystal skull in his antiques shop in Paris. The skull did not sell so Boban returned to Mexico City in an attempt to sell the skull to Mexico's national museum claiming that it was a genuine Aztec artifact. The Mexican museum declined, however, assuming the skull to be a fake. In 1886 the skull was sold in an Auction in New York to Tiffany & Co. Ten years later Tiffany & Co would sell the crystal skull to the British Museum for the same price it was bought at, $950. The auction's catalog lists another skull having been sold but its current whereabouts are unknown. The third generation of skulls surfaced around 1934 when art dealer, Sidney Burney, purchased a skull with extremely similar proportions to the skull bought by Tiffany & Co. However, this skull was much more detailed and had a detachable mandible. This skull, typically refered to as the “Mitchell-Hedges” skull, is attributed to the Maya instead of the Aztec, is said to emit a blue glow from its eyes, and is known to occasionally crash computer hard drives. As time has passed more and more skulls have come forth. There are now what could likely be categorized as fifth or sixth generation skulls. Moreover, they are no longer suggested to be from exclusively Mexico. People claim they have been found all over Central and South America and one was even said to be from Tibet. Many of theses newer "crystal" skulls are not even made of crystal, but rather glass or resin. [1]
Pseudoarchaeological Impact
The popularity of these crystal skulls has greatly increased due to their inclusion in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. The popular movie depicts the skulls as belonging to aliens which is a notion deeply rooted in pseudo archaeological thought. [1] In this way, the depiction of the skulls in this most recent installment of the franchise is highly damaging to the field of Archaeology. This movie depicts the indigenous people as generic savages, much too simple to create the skulls themselves and instead suggests that the skull belongs to the body of an alien.[2] This is not a new concept. Aliens have been linked to the crystal skulls for several decades.[3]
Another prevalent pseudoarchaeological idea about the origins or the crystal skulls is that they originate from Atlantis. Edger Cayce, born in 1877, is a prominent figure in this argument. Also known as the sleeping prophet, Edgar Cayce was known to go into trances and awake with new knowledge, which was often connected to the lost continent of Atlantis. He belivesd and taught that people were reincarnated and would often track peoples past lives to Atlantis. Cayce was a hyperdiffsionist who believed that all of the world's culture diffused from Atlantis. It is proposed by those who beive in this, that crystals helped heighten Atlantian's physic abilities allowing them to see into other dimensions. Moreover, the crystals were reportedly used to power the machines that Cayce saw in his visions. When the crystals were brought to Central America after Atlantis's fall they were supposedly shaped into skulls as a mix of Atlantian and Olmec cultures.[4]
Regardless of which of these outlandish origins they believe, many believe in the supernatural abilities of these crystal skulls. Joshua Shapiro is a notable advocate of the powers the skulls supposedly possess. In his book, Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls Revealed he suggests that the skulls possess healing abilities as well as having the power to expand psychic abilities. Furthermore, he believes them to be a sort of super computer that can record energies and vibrations around them. The skulls are then able to create images to replay from these vibrations that act as a sort of visual history of the world.[3]
Some of these crystal skulls are still on display in museums as genuine artifacts. In Mexico's national museum there are several crystal skulls that are presented as real, genuine Aztec works despite their lack of archaeological evidence.[1]
Scientific Disproof
Electron Microscope analysis reveal modern tool marks
probs mid to late 1800s
crystal from Brazil or Madagascar and manufactured in Germany
no similar artifacts on real archaeological excavations
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Walsh, Jane MacLaren. "Legend of the Crystal Skulls." Archaeology 61.3 (2008): 36-41.
- ↑ Pyburn, K. Anne. "Public archaeology, Indiana Jones, and honesty." (2008): 201-204.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lovett, Richard A., and Scot Hoffman. "Crystal Skulls." National Geographic. Accessed 19 Nov. 2017.
- ↑ Tarpey, Raymond. "The Spirit Functions of the Crystal Skulls and the Akashic Testimony of Edgar Cayce." Crystal Skulls.com, 15 Mar. 2012. Accessed 21 Nov. 2017.