_toblog anachronism antarctica apparent archaeology archeology art? artefacts artifacts born-shouting chris cthulhu curiosity definitions deltagreen fiction glvo history hoaxes horror interesting jaz knowledge later mystery society weird writing

My tags:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references (ideally, using inline citations). Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)

An out-of-place artifact (OOPArt) is a term coined by American zoologist and cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson for an object of historical, archaeological or paleontological interest found in a very unusual or seemingly impossible context.

The term "out-of-place artifact" is rarely used by mainstream historians or scientists; rather, its use is largely confined to cryptozoologists, proponents of ancient astronaut theories, and paranormal enthusiasts. The term is used to describe a wide variety of objects, from anomalies studied by mainstream science to pseudoarchaeology that is far outside the mainstream.

Critics argue purported OOPArts are most often the result of mistaken interpretation, wishful thinking, or extreme cultural centrism (the belief that a particular culture couldn't have created an artifact or technology because they were too ignorant or simply not smart enough). Some have proven to be outright hoaxes.

Supporters^[1] regard OOParts as evidence that mainstream science is overlooking huge areas of knowledge, either willfully or through ignorance.

OOPArts are often of interest to creationists and others who seek evidence that may refute the theory of evolution or support the notion of a global flood. They are also used to support religious descriptions of pre-history, ancient astronaut theories, or the notion of vanished civilizations that possessed knowledge or technology more advanced than our own. Many writers or researchers who question or challenge conventional views of human history have used purported OOPArts in attempts to bolster their arguments.^[2]

Contents 1 Alleged OOParts 1.1 Objects alleged to come from recognized cultures, recovered in unexpected places 1.2 Objects allegedly produced by unknown cultures 1.3 Objects alleged to challenge the chronology of human evolution 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Alleged OOParts

[edit] Objects alleged to come from recognized cultures, recovered in unexpected places

• The Fuente Magna, discovered in Bolivia. Ceramic bowl with writing in alleged Sumerian cuneiform.
• The Kensington Runestone, purported to be a 14th century Norse artifact found in Minnesota.
• The Maine Penny, found in Blue Hill, Maine. An 11th century Norse coin found in an American Indian shell midden. Over 20,000 objects were found over a 15-year period at the Goddard site in Blue Hill. The sole non-Native artifact was the coin.^[3] One hypothesis is that it may have been brought to the site from a Viking settlement in Newfoundland by seagoing Native Americans.
• The Spirit Pond runestones, claimed, like the Kensington runestone, to be from the 11th or 14th century, found in Maine.
• The Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca head, a terracotta head found in Mexico that some say is of Roman origin.

[edit] Objects allegedly produced by unknown cultures

• The Baghdad Battery, the name given to three terracotta jars, thought by some to be galvanic cells dating from the Sassanid dynasty (224-640 AD).
• The Baigong Pipes, pipelike features found in a cave in China.
• The Coso artifact, a lump of rock or clay containing a spark plug from the 1920s, though it allegedly took thousands of years to form.
• The Crystal skulls, claimed to have been found at Lubaantun, in Yucatan and in Belize.
• The Dorchester Pot, a Victorian-era candlestick found in Massachusetts, apparently alleged to pre-date European settlement in the Americas.
• The Dendra Lamps, representations of lotus flowers engraved into a relief in a temple dedicated to Hathor, Egyptian Goddess of the Milky Way, and alleged by some to actually represent electrical lamps.
• The Iron Man (Eiserne Mann), dating to the 13th century.
• The Lake Winnipesaukee mystery stone.
• The Wolfsegg Iron, a cubical block of metal in coal found in Austria.

[edit] Objects alleged to challenge the chronology of human evolution

• The Acambaro figures, from Acámbaro, Mexico, some of which are in the apparent form of dinosaurs.
• The Ica stones, from Peru, allegedly depicting anachronistic images such as dinosaurs and modern medical procedures.
• The Kingoodie hammer, from Scotland, purportedly an iron nail dated from 460 to 360 million years ago.
• The Klerksdorp Spheres, from South Africa, dated 2.8 billion years ago – their regular shapes lead to claims that they were artificially created.

[edit] See also

• Anachronism
• Charles Fort, researcher of anomalous phenomena
• Fortean Times

[edit] References

1. ^ See the works of Charles Fort, Graham Hancock, Erich von Daniken, Zacharia Sitchin; see also Michael Cremo and Richard L. Thompson's Forbidden Archeology (San Diego: Bkahativedanta Institute, 1993)
2. ^ See the works of Charles Fort, Graham Hancock, Erich von Daniken, Zacharia Sitchin; see also Michael Cremo and Richard L. Thompson's Forbidden Archeology (San Diego: Bkahativedanta Institute, 1993)
3. ^ Bye, Columbus - TIME magazine article

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: OOParts

• Bad Archaeology - critical perspective on Creationist and New Age claims related to Out-of-place artifacts
• Salon article: Archaeology from the dark side
• Out-of-place artefacts article from Cult and Fringe Archaeology website