The Hidden History of the Human Race - Forbidden Archeology

Here's a good Brain-Teaser ,.,.,. that everyone can empathize with!!!

How did human beings get here??? Where did we come from???

There are "2" good answers that everyone is aware of:

1- Evolution, Darwinism; we evolved from a damn monkey!

[I could never buy this explanation! I believe it's Nazism, "the blacks" being the missing link.]

2- Creationism; a God made the people! [I could never buy this hokus-pokus, faith is their only support.]

DID YOU KNOW THERE IS A THIRD ANSWER??? IT IS GAINING NOTORIETY AND STUDY FROM ALL GROUPS!!!

Creationist are NOT put-off by it!

Native Americans are NOT put-off by it!

Theoreticians are NOT put-off by it!

WHAT IS IT???? - It is put forth by Michael A. Cremo.

3- Devolution; humans are distinct from all other animals on earth!

[I like this one! If you think about it you may like it too!]

What is Devolution? The question must be posed in "2" parts (not 1).

1- What is a human being?

"A human being is a combination of three distinct substances: matter, mind and consciousness (or spirit)."

2- Where did human beings come from?

"We did not evolve up from matter (from a damn monkey); instead we devolved, or came down, from the realm of pure consciousness, spirit."

I'm starting to really like that "Devolution"!!! And the NUMBER ONE REASON why I like it is the author!!! He writes so articulately, his words flowing effortlessly into my mind!!!

Most authors writing today, of any genre, ARE PATHETIC ILLITERATES whom I cannot bare to read :-( they're also filthy, boring, immature, redundant, trite and trivial :-(

This gentleman has taken on a position where no one could even try to articulate, let alone tread water ,.,.,. Michael Cremo floats above the waves! This man is not a sightless follower! But uses "various ways of knowing in the pursuit of truth" (Human Devolution pg. xii)

Michael A. Cremo is one in a zillion!!! He answers every criticism directly! He supports every argument utilizing the official written record! He lectures throughout the world at all the prestigious Universities and Institutes of higher learning.

I have now purchased three of his books. They are all contemporary, written within the last few years.

The (3) books I've purchased by Michael A. Cremo:

1- "Forbidden Archeology" - (argues "modern humans" have been on earth for many millions of years, not thousands)

2- "Forbidden Archeology; Impact" - ("rebuts" criticism of Forbidden Archeology while answering all critics)

3- "Human Devolution" - ("Devolution" explained)

I was almost at the end of my rope ,.,. I thought I was going to have to read authors of PAST GENERATIONS over again ,.,.,. Thank You Michael A. Cremo ,.,. :-)

Sincerely,

Matthew

Phoenix, AZ

I just finished reading this book cover to cover. Despite its 900+ page length, the book is written for the layman and is an easy, fascinating read that holds your attention and leaves you wanting to read more every day - took me a couple of weeks to get through it, reading for 1 - 5 hours every day or so. And I'm a pretty fast reader.

If you thought the theory of evolution was cut and dried, with all those cute pictures of hairy ancestors with hominid bodies and ape-like faces and that nifty "family tree" with all the branches, then you've been swallowing what popular media has been feeding you hook, line and sinker. I was amazed to find that, behind the scenes, there is an incredible amount of desention among respected paleoarcheologists about what all these fossils and artifacts mean, how to date them, and what they say about the history of the human race. It'st unfortunate that only one of the many theories - evolution - has been pushed to the public.

The authors don't just throw facts at you. They back everything up with an extensive bibliography that points to litterally thousands of reports from scientific journals that have been either ignored or forgotten over time. I can't imagine the amount of work and time that must have gone into finding, cross-referencing, and organizing all of these documents. But the authors did it and have pulled everything together in a easy to read and understand chronology of discovery.

Again, I found it an amazing, eye-opening book. Those who don't like it must either don't like to read or hold to very conservative views that don't permit an open-minded view of new ideas. And the ideas presented in this book aren't new. Interestingly enough, even the famous Louis, Mary and Richard Leaky, along with other pre-eminate paleoarcheologists, believe that the evolutionary tree so often taught to us is a lot of complete nonsense.

Read the book, cover to cover with an open mind, and decide for yourself.

Very disappointing read. Unfortunately, Cremo favours the 'beat them over the head with the same information over and over again' style of writing, rather than maintaining a readable momentum in all the facts and fictions presented here. There are no decent photographs to back up any of his arguments, and no modern/contemporary research on any of the specimens he discusses - so it is all a bit pointless.

I was sorely disappointed with this book. I was expecting way more pictures to show what they found that the archaeology community wanted kept secret. The book had only line drawings.. how lame is that? This is supposed to be a landmark book in it's category? It it more like a text book. As interested as I am in the topic I find I can't bring myself to read it further. It is also huge and heavy.. like a full on university text book. The paper is low quality and the print is fuzzy at times. Like I said, disappointed but I won't take the hassle to return it.

The authors disclose at the outset that they are white Californian Hindus... which leads them to later divulge, 200 pages in, that they don’t accept evolution. Pretty much puts them on the fringe right there. That’s fine for them but they should state that right up front! I too am critical of mainstream archeology but not to the point of discounting all of evolutionary anthropology because of a Vedic traditional belief. That’s not science at all, it’sopinion. The book is therefore very misleading by not disclosing that up front. It does raise legitimate questions about many things and get vesvaccess to many otherwise unavailable publications and studies, but is also a propaganda piece. Don’t forget that.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most important works of research in [these fields] of modern times. There are so many academic "conclusions" we accept at face value, and rarely question the true depth of knowledge such acceptance or adherence to any belief system is based upon. If you just read that sentence, you likely said to yourself: "Not me! I don't do that!" Well, the next time you're discussing one of these controversial topics with someone, slow down and think about where YOU obtained your conclusions, or what sources provided us with our information.

Cremo's work is loaded with ammunition for the one in search of validation for freely opening the mind. I'd be astonished to think some would veiw these authors as having any kind of pre-determined agenda; In such a way as the sensationalized over ambitious Bigfoot researcher; or the marketers of some self-help literary snake-oil. If the authors' "agenda" was to "wake us up", so be it, and my sincere gratitude for their efforts, including my salute by purchasing the hardcover of the fascinating work. I remember some of the excitement it caused in the first few years subsequent to its publishing. I still read through it, use it for research, and value it very highly amongst the most important books of my personal library.

One reviewer wrote: "...Cremo and Thompson begin with a conclusion, then work backwards in order to justify that conclusion..." With no intentional disrespect to this reviewer, I truly can't see where such tone of response (to this work) comes from (unless of course I'm missing something.) These authors spent many years traveling all over to conduct their research, and to compile evidence for their findings. They even got themselves into trouble just trying to obtain unfettered access to many artifacts that many museums had conveniently "archived" away from public access of the "commoners"... Yes, I'm referring to any visitor of museum displays/exhibits.

When such archived artifacts, as well as documents written by the original discoverers/researchers were examined, many disturbing things came to light for these authors about the practices of some respected museum curators. Cremo even discovered how exhibits had been displayed in such a way as to omit what [they] felt didn't belong to their determined assessment and/or findings. I didn't know that was supposed to be the responsibility of a museum? Ask John Anthony West, he'll tell you a thing or two about that.

Aren't many research books slightly introduced with a hint of the authors' conclusion(s)? Just because a book is written in a certain order, doesn't necessarily mean the research to write it was done that way. From the peripheral research I've done, and many discussions I've had with people about the authors (Cremo more particularly), it seems to me that his findings were inspiring him to share a way for all of us to re-evaluate some of the oLd-sKooL-wAcK-a-DeeMee-aH, and outdated means of adhering to institutionalized codes of both ethical, an unethical, protocol.

This is NOT a story book! You are also not likely to enjoy this work if you're expecting something like Brown's "Da Vinci code", or the wonderful Graham Hancock's "Sign and the Seal". A lot of this reads in the style of a scholarly textbook, but there are many anecdotal passages that help refresh one's attention as the reader treads the exciting path of this nearly 800 page monumental conglomeration of modern research. In my "book"... Michael "remains" one of the "Cremo" of the crop... (that was a play on words, I HAD to do it) No, not "crop-circle", I won't go that far. Cremo and Thompson deserve a lot more respect than that.
I can only hope that what I've written here, albeit a bit lengthy, will be helpful to some. I ask you PLEASE to forgive my spelling and grammar. I have no formal "academic" education.

~JSV

The one thing that will upset the present belief that man came after the dinosaurs, is the figurines of dinosaurs made by some South American tribes many thousands of years ago. Erich von Daniken, the writer of the classic book: "Chariots of the Gods," had a picture of these dinosaurs figurines in one of his later books. The question is: How did these ancient tribes know what these dinosaurs looked like if they weren't living at the same time as these dinosaurs?....Even if the tribes made these figurines from the pictures on their cave walls, the same question then arises. This is one of the many mysteries addressed in this great book....

...which in itself should tell you everything you need to know about modern "education"...

After having spent best part of the last 6 months reading this juggernaut and cross-checking references, I can only say that the authors have done a tremendous job of proving that the evidence for the great antiquity of man is at least as strong as much of the evidence commonly accepted today as proof of human history. Those reviewers who claim the authors do not know their subject, or that they employ junk science or bad archaeology, quite simply have not read the book. Those claims are based more upon the (often very impressive) ignorance and preconceptions of the reviewers; do not be put off by them. Examine the evidence and judge for yourself.

Not only do they present a very strong case that we should either open our minds or discard most, if not all, of the commonly accepted evidence of human antiquity, but they demonstrate very clearly how the process of knowledge filtration works to preserve orthodox beliefs and bury contradictory evidence. This is a very important part of the discussion because it needs to be understood why a lot of evidence which was once widely accepted is now widely regarded as mythical or having never existed at all (look at some of the early reviews for this book, mostly from Mr. A Customer, which show how widespread that view is).

I started reading this book with no preconceptions at all except for a nagging suspicion that large parts of the history we are asked to uncritically swallow are wrong and known to be wrong by certain small groups of people. It strikes me from the evidence discussed that not only is the accepted version of human history inaccurate, it is almost completely wrong!

A note of caution: the above does not mean that I believe that every artefact uncovered is unequivocal proof that human beings were around millions, and hundreds of millions, of years ago. Nor do I believe every piece of evidence the authors present. Indeed, they make it abundantly clear that they themselves do not. As in all such situations, the point is that ALL of the evidence should be publicised, examined and analysed - evenhandedly. In too many walks of life there is a dogmatic and dangerously arrogant attitude that all there is to know has already been discovered. This is rarely true; this book is yet more evidence of that. Those who insist that works such as this should be consigned to the scrap heap are blissfully unaware of a very basic fact; that their ignorance is total.

I just love the "Forbidden Archeology" by Michael Cremo, and I use it very often in my everyday life. I came across this book completely by chance, but it helped me a lot in presenting proof to my own readers. I wrote a series of books about Slavic heritage, tradition and culture called The Slavic Way, yet I lacked supporting evidence for the folklore and heritage presented in my books. Michael Cremo provided tons of official archeological evidence in his books, to where I just direct skeptical readers of my books to books written and published by Michael Cremo. A million thanks and I definitely recommend for all to read this book.

.. it was written to show how mainstream science refuses to look into other evidence properly with an objective viewpoint, which isn't science! A religious-like dogma has grown within the scientific community, it outright refuses to look into evidence which may or may not show man has been around longer or had greater knowledge than we assume they had. Dogmatic Darwinists believe we humans as of today are at the pinnacle of human intelligence and that it is impossible that humans can go from smart, to dumb, to smart again. We know the Earth went through huge transformations, the pole caps flipped. It's entirely plausible that knowledge was lost during this catastrophic period.

Another example of mainstream science's laziness is the Pyramids and ancient architecture. They believe only hammers and chisels were used to cut through granite stones with such precession that you can't even squeeze a playing card in between. Something of such fine construction needs further looking into, but because the elite have already come to their conclusion, nothing else is possible and no time should be given to investigate. It directly goes against their dogma to search for anything else.

Written well enough to get the academics to start paying some attention. This book is a good start at getting to the bottom of who we are and where we came from...but we have a long way to go for the ultimate answer.

Rahasya Poe, Lotus Guide (You can watch my interview with Michael on the Lotus Guide You Tube Channel)

A level-headed, painstakingly researched tome documenting the systematic suppression of paleontological evidence militating against currently popular theories of human evolution. A chilling, non-sensationalistic look at the "sloppiness" and general lack of integrity of members of the scientific establishment who, in their devotion to defending the current models of human origins, reject or ignore unwelcome data - much of it seemingly impeccably researched - that would throw much of their field into utter confusion.

The sheer volume and detailed discussion of "anomolous" data compiled in this book is staggering: traces of the hand of man (tools, etc.) found in strata millions of years before his supposed appearance on the evolutionary scene; off-the-cuff dismissals of such evidence by influential scientists for sometimes contradictory reasons (and sometimes almost none at all, save that "it simply cannot be"); the findings of distinguished, top-notch scientists ridiculed and being branded as heresy for going against the prevailing wisdom.

It is instructive that most scientists today are totally unaware of the controversial evidence presented here, even in their fields of specialty. If we are able to do as the authors ask and evaluate the evidence as it stands without prejudice against their (eastern) religious beliefs, we might well find that the underpinnings for their belief in the great antiquity of the human race is at least as solid as that of the ruling paradigm - and probably even more so. Even if we do not agree with their conclusions, an open-minded inquiry into these findings will certainly show current theories to be, at best, serious negligence in blissful ignorance - Mr. Magoo in a lab coat - or, at worst, anti-science.

I have started reading this book but will not finish it. THe main reason for it is that the authors have tried to lay out a case in which they have found proof that humans have been around for millions of years and that science has covered up these "facts". The book begins by laying out a set of criteria on how knowledge should be determined. This is a reasonable statement, and it is too bad that the authors, after carefully laying this out, proceed to completely ignore it.

THe two big problems with this book are: first, the authors claim to have evidence of modern humans existing millions of years ago. They do this by discussing finds from the 19th and early 20th century. They then proceed to "show" how there is only one conclusion one can draw from this data-their conclusion. Of course before this, they warn us that one should not do what they are doing. So much for consistency.

Second, and this is the biggest problem I have with the book, is that they claim that all of this "data" and there are pages and pages and pages of it, are somehow "secret" and "forbidden". Yet, they have no problem citing papers, and evidence going back into the 19th century. If this was so forbidden, why it is readily available to scholars? Of course, they claim that modern scientists are somehow "forbidden" from discussing this stuff, but it is more likely that modern science has studied this evidence and have deemed it something else entirely-not because they are covering up "facts" but because the evidence is mischaracterized or otherwise not really evidence at all.

Moden science has pushed back early human evolution another couple of million years. They keep making new finds-and publishing them.

THere are plenty of real mysteries and problems to examine and study about early man and civilizations. This book advances neither.

Of course, the 'regular' scientists/archeologists won't like a book like this: it is not what they have learned to believe. But resistence to new visions and ideas is age-old... People who call themself 'scientist' are very often surprisingly conservative and shortsighted. Instead of finding new challenges in the finding in books like 'Forbidden Archeology', they like to hold on to what was already written down, what they were taught, feeling threatened and afraid that the info they know might be incomplete, or even wrong!
But science should be an evolving event, often with REVOLUTIONS...wasn't Darwin scolded at first for instance?
The world (and esp. the academic world) needs to wake up from their slumbering and open themselves to new insights. The ideas and possible conclusions posed are way too fascinating and too far reaching to simply disregard. Any scientist doing that, had better find another job...
Also go read books from Robert Bauval, and Colin Wilson...there is more in the world than meets the eye...if you are open to it

This is a fascinating book that obviously took a lot of work and research to write. It's not difficult reading but is "dry" material (no pun intended). It will make you curious and really wonder how so many ideas and theories in the field of archaeology were developed and why they have been accepted without question. This is a long book and not one to rush through but well worth the time to read and consider.

Beware this is edited, I have the original hardcover, the good parts have been left out, and those who would buy these things buy them for the good parts, the gold chain in the coal 300 million year old.

They had the skeleton, but that was not found until the woman who bought the coal broke it open to fit in her stove.

Bottom line, beware, you buy the kindle to read, stick to fiction for it seems some things fail in the process.

This is a meticulous and patient presentation of the evidence that "modern" man has been around for a much longer length of time than the evolutionists will acknowledge. Current science holds that modern man is 200,000 years old or less. Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson take that notion to task in a painstaking review of the record by going back to the original sources of antiquated archeological finds and reevaluating them in an unbiased fashion. They manage to push man's origins back to at least one million years with no trouble at all. Their case-by-case review of published literature dating from the mid-nineteenth century until the present is fascinating. This is not a casual read for a weekend. It is a tough, scholarly work that makes you think about the "science" in the established scientific community.

Forbidden Archeology does not propose to account for the origin of man, but it does show us that when all the available evidence regarding human fossils and other remains reported by scientists is put together - and nothing is refused for ideological reasons - the theory of human evolution from lower apelike forms becomes clearly untenable. Some might question the credibility of certain archeological finds and reports - whether rated as anomalous or not - but if just one out the reports discussed in the anomalous-evidence section of this book (well over 400 pages) is undisputable, then the authors would have made their case. And truly, quite a bit of the evidence that falls outside the official paradigms of human evolution presents a scientific reporting standard as high as - or even higher than - much of the currently accepted and vehemently advertised evidence.
However, before one sets out to read Forbidden Archeology one might do well to take a look at the philosophical context in which the disciplines of Archeology and Anthropology are set. Along with a general agnostic view on man and his situation in Cosmos these sciences have also been strongly tainted by a sort of industrial-age philosophy - let us call it Transformism - which by now has been taught in our schools long enough to have become almost instinctive in our consciousness. This belief has also been strengthened by becoming entangled with the idea of an incessantly evolving technology. Just as computers get more powerful processors so would early humans have gotten larger brains. Just as airplanes get swifter and more economic so would now-extinct birds have become the efficient fliers of today. The hymn of Transformist philosophy could well be something like "new things good, old things bad".
But the dogma of Transformism is - like most modern scientific and social dogmas - not based on empirical data. It starts out as a belief and a "work plan" to which its advocates may subsequently add any convenient combination of supporting facts. However, since for most people (including scientists) belief precedes actual evidence, the true nature of our fossil record (the rule being sudden appearance of entire animal groups in complete absence of transitional forms) is slyly ignored or grossly misrepresented to the public. A widespread belief in Transformism - although unsupported by plain evidence - is also a crucial element in the ideological make-up that maintains the herculean infatuation many of us have experienced for our present form of civilization.
Cremo and Thompson, independently of their personal beliefs (they have searched for clues in the Hindu doctrines - the oldest knowledge tradition accessible today), have put evolutionary-minded archeologists in a veritable checkmate, employing nothing but Archeology's own productions, instruments and practices of discussion. There is not a single mention of Hindu teachings in Forbidden Archeology, although this is a favorite claim made by its critics (many of which are merely ideologically opposed to it), but there is quite a lot about the problem of disciplinary suppression and the sociology of scientific knowledge.
Back in 1993, a famous anthropologist, after a quick glance at Forbidden Archeology, said that only fools would take the book seriously. But this meticulously researched and scholarly work deserves more than a hurried judgment; in fact, every page of it is worth a careful read. One might say it would be rather "foolish" not to read this book on the grounds that a few hasty archeologists and zealous transformists (not necessarily readers of the book) have come up with some sour remarks and ad hominem arguments against it. Definitely, apart from the scientists who have openly acknowledged the scientific relevance of Cremo and Thompson's work, not one critic has really faced the challenge presented by the enormous amount of evidence for extreme human antiguity amassed in this volume. Read the other and for the most part excellent reviews posted on this page...then read Forbidden Archeology and judge for yourself.

Remember Gary Larsen's "Far Side" cartoon of the scientists dropping everything and running outside when the Good Humor truck comes by? We tend to think of scientists as beyond reproach - but they're not. They're just as emotional and jumpy as the rest of us, especially when their pet doctrines get called into question.
In Science the drill is to glom onto the accepted belief system and hang on for dear life. God forbid some punky upstart like Fritjof Capra should come along and write a smart-alecky book about how Vedic texts described the same tenets as Quantum Physics a coupla thousand years ago. Or Rupert Sheldrake would have the nerve to point out that the DNA emperor has not clothes. Howls of derision. Calls for book burning in the journal "Science". Yellink und screamink.
Now I don't think it takes 900+ pages to make a point. Probably 150 would have been adequate to get everybody's bowels in an uproar. The 2-cassette audio abridgement seems to do a pretty good job. As far as the actual validity of the overall argument - who knows? The evidence proposed is probably just as valid as the official party line.
It is important to remember that all scientific revolutions go through pretty much the same drill: Scorn and derision towards those presenting novel or contrary opinions, followed by fear, panic and banishment of those individuals when it begins to appear that empirical data is supporting the new theories, then total abandonment of previously cherished notions, accompanied by jumping on the bandwagon with abandon while announcing that they'd been supporting the new idea all along.
So it's really the process that's important here. Hey, sit back and enjoy the show!

This book is a compilation of scientific discoveries that have been shuffled off into a closet or ignored because they call into question modern scientific theory even though some were for a time accepted by the scientific establishment. From human footprints and skeletons estimated to be millions of years old to evidence of human habitation far older than science is willing to admit, the authors gather these and many more bits of evidence that demolish accepted evolutionary theory. The book's only drawback is its length and sometimes dry explanation of discoveries and why they are valid. In fact, the reader can sometimes be forgiven for thinking he/she is reading a textbook on archeology. However, this weakness is also a strength in that the reader will see that the discoveries listed aren't included willy-nilly but rather have strong reason to be considered as valid scientific evidence. Indeed, the authors allow noted scientists who were connected to the time when the discoveries were made to do the explaining which makes the book all the more stronger. The book also raises the disturbing question (a question asked by Charles Hoy Fort decades earlier) about the scientific community really being willing to entertain all evidence, even that which conflicts will dearly held theory.

Some of the reviews seem a bit unfair. Finding artifacts that challenge the establishment, is just fine with me.
Finding stone walls, gold jewelry, etc. encased in coal for hundreds of millions of years, really shows that we have no idea about the history of this planet.

If you're only interested in the politically correct version of human history, don't read this book. If, on the other hand, you are willing to explore evidence that contradicts the current history books, read on. The research done in this book is extremely comprehensive and hard to refute. The one-star reviews for this book don't get the big picture, and try to point out embellishments within the material that make it sound fishy, when it's really not. It's just their attempt to try and refute the real evidence which contradicts established canon. The current scientific viewpoint concerning the origins of human history has turned into a dogma, resembling that of the Inquisition, where any attempt to bring up an alternative viewpoint to history is met with a venomous assault. Scientists generally find what they are looking for, which only reinforces their current theories, and they tend to ignore evidence that doesn't fit into their belief systems. This is essentially what this book is all about.

Mr Cremo recently appeared on a radio interview show. To read this book, one gets the feeling he went to considerable pains to cite his sources and at the same time make the book readable for other than the lab-rat culture.
To hear the interview on radio, you are given this one golden nugget:
It is not any one instance of supression or omission that makes a case for this view of mankind's history, but rather the hundreds of well documented cases of proof that the scientific culture has it dead wrong.
Paraphrasing his words there, but the essence is in that statement.
He also has said something else that really grabbed me:
The creationists are wrong, insinuating that man has had one continuing trip through the 15000 or so years of existance from day 1 to the present.
The evolutionists are likewise wrong, and the "missing link" is their major flaw. In fact, the modern (scientific) movement has a 2-fold agenda: Advance the Chaos Theory, in which all the universe is one big happy accident, and Reduce humankind to mere animals with higher thinking abilities.
Overall, he shows us a very compelling reason why science and faith can BOTH have some of it right. In this, I have found a sense of hope. I only hope that this is the beginning of a renaissance in modern science and theology. Perhaps the knowlege I have long suspected as supressed by governments and religious institutions (read:Vatican) will yet someday come "out".
I do know this- Dogma exists in every institution. When that dogma is challenged, especially with proof, the reaction can be violent at many levels. Witness some of the other reviews...
Meethink thou doth protest too much.

In writing this book, Michael Cremo has touched upon a very intriguing subject that is as elusive as it is intriguing - for the very foundations of the history of mankind and its labyrinthine secrets. "Alternative" histories and explainations of Man and his origins, religions, culture and the whys and wherefores of his civilisation, especially from the angle of the argument that technologically advanced human civilisations existed in what is opaque "prehistory" to us - are not nonsense at all, and this view started gaining serious credence in the last century, especially as man's present technological achievements gained lightning speed. This book is about this subject and is scholarly set. But there are in my view, basic aspects which need attention, failing which sceptics could derail what is a theory as promising as Einstein's concept of Special Relativity. Number one is the "Vedic" tinge Cremo has given his work, in consonance with his private beliefs. He could just quote from it, instead of making it central to the thrust of his arguments. This tinge is not only offensive to many, but also to the concept of the objective scientific procedure of investigation for establishing theories. This suggestion of mine is all the more important, as Cremo appears to take pains to appear academic in his methodology and image. Secondly, as he illustrates there exists a huge corpus of irrefutable anomalous evidence on which to base the work for such a theory, but Cremo should also address the fact as to why substantial evidence for such a Civilisation(s)has not yet been found - instead of a few anomalous objects here and there. Although these objects defy all "conventional" explaination they are not sufficient to base a whole theory upon, and it will be very easy for detractors to attack this theory on the basis of the point mentioned above. Cremo should come up with an explaination for why widespread debris hasn't yet been found, or whether we haven't looked in the proper places, or if it has - it has been "covered up", etc. He hasn't made any such attempts, and these plus viewing his work wholly from the Vedic angle are the weak points he should address in what is otherwise a perfectly plausible theory, plus his own scholarly effort.

Sometimes, a book review articulates nothing other than an opinion devoid of any substance whatsover. Is that how scientists in general - or archaeologists in particular - are "supposed to" debate on the (alleged) even playing field of the scientific process? I think not.
Interestingly, we read in "Forbidden Archeology" that such reviews perfectly exhibit the responses of many paleoarchaeologists through the past hundred and more years when confronted (at the time) by evidence contrary to accepted theory.
As a non-archaeologist, I found the book to be an eye-opener for those who think that science is, in fact, done fairly when orthodoxists' paradigms are threatened. In this book, we see over and over how they would throw out data that doesn't fit their paradigm rather than consider changing the theory when confronted by honest and well researched work which produces 'anomalous' finds.
This book is a fantastic slap in the face for those who could use a wake up call, which I believe includes most of us. Through it, we see how the status quo goes kicking and screaming, not wanting to let go of a reality that is increasingly being shown to be inaccurate.

Wading through the tremendous detail of Cremo's work one is struck at first by the speculative nature of many of his assertions. Could humanity be as old as Cremo claims, coexisting with dinosaurs? This conclusion seems unlikely, but much of what Cremo presents demonstrably proves that archaeology has selectively ignored evidence that that not been made to fit into their dogmatic and linear theory of man's emergence.

Several decades ago Immanuel Velikovsky warned that the academic world's refusal to take a fresh look at the chronology of early man's development and progress would produce an ever-increasing accumulation of anomalies, mysteries and enigmas. This work is an encyclopaedic collection of just this sort of thing. But, precisely as Velikovsky predicted, the ever-increasing number of these would lead to ever-more outlandish explanations and solutions - examples of which now pack the shelves of libraries and bookshops. The worst of these, and the most prevalent, are those which claim the monuments of the early civilizations were raised by aliens. Others have pushed back the rise of civilization into an ever-more remote antiquity; and this is the line taken by Michael Cremo and Richard Thompson. Both these writers are what might be called Hindu fundamentalists, and they take literally the millions upon millions of years which Vedic legend accords to the human race upon the earth. Thus for example they argue that human remains found in Cretaceous strata in the Moab Desert (popularly called "Moab Man" or "Malachite Man"), actually date from the Cretaceous epoch and prove mankind to be as old (or even older!) than the dinosaurs. But these remains are not, contrary, to what Cremo and Thompson claim, fossilized, and all the indications are that they are Native American burials no more than six or seven hundred years old.
Other evidence, indicating the co-existence of Pleistocene creatures with humans who made pottery and practiced agriculture, is taken by Cremo and Thompson to prove that civilization is much older than is claimed, and dates back at least as far as 10,000 years. In fact, there is a huge amount of evidence to indicate the contemporaneousness of pottery-making man and the mammoths. For example, at Vero and Melbourne in Florida, excavators discovered the partly fossilized bones of numerous Pleistocene creatures along with decorated pottery, of a variety that did not differ significantly from the pottery recovered from the mound- and barrow-building cultures of the southern United States, which are generally dated to the first millennium BC. Again, George F. Carter drew attention to the Native American traditions which seemed to recall the mammoth. According to Carter, "The Indian descriptions are very graphic. They surely were describing elephants. (mammoths, mastodons and elephants are lumped together). One legend says that the agricultural Indians complained bitterly to the Great Spirit against the mammoth damaging their corn fields. The Great Spirit then killed them off by hurling thunderbolts at them. This was told to Thomas Jefferson in Washington and Cotton Mather in New England, and that is just what is portrayed [on relics found] in Bucks County and Holly Oaks specimens. Now why would the Indians invent a tale like that? And how could they describe the elephant as to size, trunk, tusks and all if they had never seen one?" Carter also noted, "A very late kill of a mastodon in Ecuador." We are told that the mastodon was cooked in place by heaping earth over it, and the building of huge fires to cook the creature in an earth over effect. We hear that "The earth [that] heaped the carcasses contained potsherds ... This places the kill to within the pottery period of that area and a very early date would be 3000 BC. Since some of the pottery was said to be decorated, a later date is quite possible."
If we insist that establishment academics have got the date of the end of the Pleistocene right, then we have to assume - along with Cremo and Thompson - that agriculture and pottery-making were known 10,000 years ago. If however we heed the volumes of evidence brought forward by Velikovsky (in "Earth in Upheaval" and elsewhere) to show that the Pleistocene only ended around 3,500 years ago, then there is no problem, and the "anomaly" is adequately explained.

My whole life I have been facinated with the origin of man. I am Christian but do not blindly accept the interpretations of the scriptures that are widely accepted. It would also, in my opinion, be foolish to ignore the hard physical evidence repleat throughout the world and say "well the bible says........" So how do you reconcile science and religion? The evidence presented in this book fall into place with some possibilities that I have pondered.
Both disciplines tend to fall victim to assumption based on their own bias. Anyway the Bible indicates a truncated timeline for man. Current accepted scientific dogma puts the timeline way out of reach of the biblical version. I believe the biggest problem with the accepted scientific approach is the assumption (or need) to tie everything together as continuous. Blah blah blah....The history of earth has had many starts and stops. It's not continuous. I think that perhaps life did evolve (not neccessarily the Darwinian evolution) and maybe not even here on this planet.
The bible indicates that there are 7 dispensations of man. 4,000 years from Adam to Christ and 2,000 since with the 7th dispensation yet to come as the Millinial reign of Christ per Revelations. With the evidence in the book in mind that possibly civilization was much more advanced than previously believed and at a much earlier date, perhaps we can suppose that 7 dispensations have passed before and that God's PLACING of Adam in the Garden was a short cut to start the next cycle of mankind without having to go through the arguably long process of evolution again. Biblical evidence of this tendency can be found in account of Noah's ark. Why go through all the trouble of gathering a wide variety of animals in a boat if "creation" is like magic?
Obviously this is all laughable to those that dismiss religous ideas altogether. But the idea of a "recycled world" does make some scientific evidence more palatable. If you look at the zoological record you will notice many examples of the rise and fall of species and sometimes even a setback or devolution. There are many gaps. It doesn't all have to be directly linked. It may not be continuous.

During a 1989 sabbatical leave from Niagara University, I investigated philosophical problems arising from the interface of evolution theory and religious revelation, especially respecting the historicity of human first parents as depicted in Genesis. The 1993 publication of "Forbidden Archeology" brought my attention to concerns about the manner in which the scientific community treats anomalous evidence of earlier than Late Pleistocene anatomically modern human beings. This, combined with a few apparently well-documented examples of anomalous finds, such as Reck's skeleton, the Castenedolo skeletons, and the Laetoli footprints -- plus a plethora of lesser known and sometimes less well-documented cases -- led me to the conclusion that there exists probable cause to have rational doubt about the current theory of human evolution.
Chapter fourteen of my own "Origin of the Human Species," (Sapientia Press: 2003) discusses at length "Forbidden Archeology's" contention that anatomically modern humans predated hominids from which evolutionary theory claims we descended. My book demonstrates that sound natural science is entirely compatible with an authentic reading of Genesis, including Adam and Eve's reality -- and this, without recourse to young-Earth creationism. While my thesis need not rely upon "Forbidden Archeology's" claims, still, I considered its carefully documented analysis of the paleoanthropological record sufficiently credible to devote an entire chapter to analysis of its claims. I am grateful to Michael A. Cremo for his comments and suggestions during the writing of this chapter, which I include as a possible alternative scenario for human origins - one still consistent with belief in a single pair of historical first parents for the human race.
We must recall that even a single instance of an anatomically modern human being prior to the Late Pleistocene period would be catastrophic to the current human evolution theory. The telling admission made in a review by the "Social Studies of Science" (26:1 (1996): 207) that "much of the historical material that they (Cremo and Thompson) resurrect has not been scrutinized in such detail before" should forewarn critics to beware of a priori dismissal of "Forbidden Archeology's" claims concerning the early presence of true humans in the fossil record. "Forbidden Archeology" explains how practical epistemological limitations place paleoanthropology in a category far removed from experimental science conceived as easily verifiable in a laboratory and universally replicable. These epistemological limitations, combined with Cremo and Thompson's extensive documentation of what appears to be anomalous evidence of true man living earlier than the Late Pleistocene period, renders credible the contention that, even in the early years of the 21st Century, educated persons can have rational doubts about the standard human evolution scenario. Indeed, the entire process of human origins might prove to be much more mysterious than atheistic Darwinians suppose. "Forbidden Archeology" deserves careful consideration in any serious discussion of evolution and human origins.

Simply put: - a masterpiece for the novice; - a good reference book for the (already) believer; - and a paper weight for the narrow-minded and blinded amoebic mass that is left.
If you are a hard-core science person - religious person - or afraid of the awful truth - then DON'T buy this book and whine about it for ever and ever thereafter.
On the other hand if you are open minded, inquisitive, and wish to make up your own mind rather than accept blindly the teachings of your high-school science teacher - than this is a must-have for you.
It may not be the most hard-core academic thesis ever written - but was it written as an academic thesis? I think not. But it does provoke thought, debate and the imagination, which is a lot more than most of the so-called academic thesis's I have had to endure over the years.

Well, most of the previous reviewers are already told about what you expect to read in this book. I am not retelling it again, but I would like to say that there are lot of books in the world printed every year and it is not easy to scan all this information available.

It is ugly to say but I would devide the books in to two column- one for killing the time and other for getting new information.
Now, when you are interesting about history, ancient knowledge (the way it was before) then it is advisable to skip also most of "official science" materials as they mirror only the way "it should be to suit in best way the rules of the winners".

What you have left is not much but still very valuable amount of materials. I would put this book in this last part. Not easy reading but you should have it as long as it is available. This is kind of book you want to open again in later years.

I strongly advice to have it:)

Cremo & Thompson have thrown down a mighty gauntlet with this excruciatingly well-researched volume. The gist of their probing question lies somewhere inside a mountain of evidence that betrays the party line of the "scientific community" on the origins of man.

Their point: you cannot cherry-pick the evidence that fits your hypothesis. Either completely change the accepted standards for archeological evidence, or embrace all evidence that meets the required standard - and then let the chips fall where they may.

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" yelled the Wizard of Oz.

Stand there looking silly, or buy this book and pull back the drapes.

*be prepared to spend hours pouring over the minutia of detailed scientific arguments*

A thorough-going piece of scholarship. Many of the criticisms of this book (and I'd recommend getting "Forbidden Archeology's Impact" along with this work) have read as if Cremo and Thompson are advocating some kind of "creationist" alternative to Darwinism. They aren't. What the book does do is show the logical and rhetorical inconsistencies in the current mainstream view. A veritable modern-day "Sic et Non."

I tried to listen to the audio tape while driving to work, however the monotone, drone style of the reader made it very difficult to pay attention. The tone is that of a school teacher reading to a fairy tale to young children. This might be an excellent tape as a sleeping aid. The usual theme is repeated again and again. It goes like this: someone found a tool or skeleton that is much older than current accepted theory, however no one will pay any attention to it. This is repeated over and over. Perhaps at the end it all ties in together to an alternate theory with explanations why the scienctific community will not listen to them, however I couldn't make it past the first tape.

While the information is very interesting, a careful review would show that the author wasn't using the most current information available to him at the time. In fact, I don't think he was using information after the 1940's. The field has substantially changed since that time.

The author is up front with his agenda. He has a particular religious viewpoint that gains considerable traction if civilization can be documented to be far older than is currently considered to be by the arcademic community.

That said, it is an interesting read and would have profound meaning if true.

I am disappointed by some of the responses to alleged readers of this book, but I understand that they are typical propaganda efforts that we see so often with so many other ideas that upset people's views of the world and actually cause them to think. I have the book, I have read the book, and regardless of the author's credentials, I believe it is worth a read by other people.

READ THIS BOOK.
BUY THIS BOOK.
FORBIDDEN ARCHEOLOGY
presents GROUNDBREAKING
NEW RESULTS ON THE ACTUAL AGE OF MANKIND...
AND PROVIDES SURPRISING DETAILS
INTO THE ACTUAL AGE OF THE PLANET EARTH...
... WE ARE IN FOR A SURPRISE.
EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW...
IS WRONG...
forbidden archelogy
POINTS OUT MISTAKES IN TEXT BOOKS...
from the BOOK EDITOR
... THAT IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR A MAJORITY OF THE BOOKS
IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
...(the right wing Texas Church...)
FORBIDDEN ARCHEOLOGY
shows how the Church is on a mission of
DIS-information.
READ this BOOK.
NOTE: the author
M. CREMO
regularly appears on radio Worldwide
and in LOS ANGELES kFI 640 am...
Coast to Coast
with
Art Bell
and
television programs worldwide.
KRS108

I am disappointed by some of the responses to alleged readers of this book, but I understand that they are typical propaganda efforts that we see so often with so many other ideas that upset people's views of the world and actually cause them to think. I have the book, I have read the book, and regardless of the author's credentials, I believe it is worth a read by other people.

READ THIS BOOK.
BUY THIS BOOK.
FORBIDDEN ARCHEOLOGY
presents GROUNDBREAKING
NEW RESULTS ON THE ACTUAL AGE OF MANKIND...
AND PROVIDES SURPRISING DETAILS
INTO THE ACTUAL AGE OF THE PLANET EARTH...
... WE ARE IN FOR A SURPRISE.
EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW...
IS WRONG...
forbidden archelogy
POINTS OUT MISTAKES IN TEXT BOOKS...
from the BOOK EDITOR
... THAT IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR A MAJORITY OF THE BOOKS
IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
...(the right wing Texas Church...)
FORBIDDEN ARCHEOLOGY
shows how the Church is on a mission of
DIS-information.
READ this BOOK.
NOTE: the author
M. CREMO
regularly appears on radio Worldwide
and in LOS ANGELES kFI 640 am...
Coast to Coast
with
Art Bell
and
television programs worldwide.
KRS108

Now when "the Hobbit", i.e. Homo Floresiensis, was discovered, now when even the official archaeology and paleoanthropology accept the fact that some 30 to 50 thousand years ago there existed (and co-existed) at least (at least - since we know those "hobbits" were around Indonesia islands as recently as 12 thousand years ago) three human species: Homo Sapiens, Homo Neanderthalensis and the Ngandong Homo Erectus (the Asian branch of Homo Erectus), does still the human evolution look to some as something strictly linear and so much gradual? Does still anyone believe in Darwin, an evolution, and simplistic linear models?

The answer is yes, many still do, since it always takes time to know and get used to something new that at times contradict a widely accepted scientific dogma.

The book by Cremo and Thompson is never a panacea or the answer to all the questions about human origins. It is rather just a good chance to start thinking of man's past a little more freely, a little less standardly.

And while the great antiquity of man (leaving aside the "devolution") may still be left as a big question to many (and a matter for a further investigation to others), the idea of the co-existence of different human species in the remote and recent past has been proved to be true already.

This century will, hopefully, bring much more discoveries concerning the human origins and history. It will never take long for most of us to understand that man, just like any other animal, in the process of the evolution should rather have followed the very same general trends (some of which are still not understood by science) that were taken by thousands and may be millions of other animals' species. And if it is difficult to imagine a linear model of evolution (anda single-species existence) of a bird, or a mammal, or an insect species, then it should be as much difficult to see a single line of man progress and believe that only one human species must have existed at a time.

The reality is much more striking and unexpected than the ideas developed by the authors of "Forbidden Archaeology". Even the H.Floresiensis case clearly shows that we can easily find so much new and unknown only fifteen feet underground: now we know that a human species being isolated, just again as any other animal, may evolve in unpredictable courses, and, what is more groundbreaking and almost heretical, a brain size (considering the minimal brain capacity of "the Hobbit") does not matter in terms of doing anything intelligent.

More news form modern archaeology and we find out that even official representatives of the science start to finally put humans in North America at least 50000 years ago, which is, to say least, just revolutionary.

More news about human's history, more news about us. The best one is we get wiser, we tend to quit being narrow-minded and scared of the new.

Admittedly, I start many books in the middle, and so it was with Forbidden Archeology. My disappointment began when I read the chapter on "ape men" and the possible survival of bigfoot-like hominids well into the modern era. While I'm not completely closed to the idea, the section smacked of pseudo-science: little better than the Bigfoot books of the 1970s and filled with dubious eye witness accounts and third-hand facts. Given all the silliness and exploitation within crypto-zoology over the years, we need a bit more than what the authors provide to take this seriously.
And so it is for much of this book. Cremo and Thompson have collected a great deal of material, some if contradictory, much of is dubious, and crafted a thesis which is difficult to trust. That's a shame, because there is more than enough fascinating, legitimate material on anomalous discoveries to easily fill a book this size.

Like UFO's, ESP, or Psychic Network commercials, the authors' idea is certainly far more interesting than current scientific theories. The "evidence" supporting their arguments having either disappeared or been discounted by the dominant paradigm, the authors rely on what amounts to little more than hearsay. Of course it's all lies, but they're interesting lies. And isn't that more important than the truth?

I spent several years in Central Asia, travelling the Old Silk Road in search of lost artifacts and forgotten historical clues. I wish I had this book with me before I left. But now that I have read it,I am delighted and pleased. You need not agree with all his conclusions, but you will always wonder "what if..." after reading this book. I do recommend it.

I too have just ordered this book. Why? To locate the sites where the information has been obtained to cause Mr. Cremo to write this compendium. I am surprised by the many negative comments received against this book, and those books written by other explorative Scientists, and Researchers. If I were to choose just one book of information to congeal my ideas, then I could consider myself a fool; however I have a large and growing library of authors on similar subjects. Much is unknown about our past history, to the average citizen that is, and our Colleges have not properly educated their students for the past approximately fifty years. More about that another time. I find that the two most virulent detractors on the issue of past technologically advanced societies on this Earth, and perhaps Mars, are the Rosicrucians (upper Masonic levels) and the Fundamentalist Christians. The Rosicrucians have a large and growing economic stake in this information, for it uncovers their actions, and shines light on their idea of superiority to us rank and file inferiors. They see themselves as pre-ordained to rule the Earth, and be the supreme rulers when their leader Lucifer returns to this planet. The Christians on the other hand, tend to represent the uneducated, and non-reading group, who have a similar stake in the misapplied Creation theory. Most of them can not explain the first few verses of Genesis, let alone a real interpretation of the Scriptures. They are also led, for the most part, by people are qualified mostly for jobs as Fund Raisers, Car Salesmen, or paid consultants for various products. The timeline given for creation, does not fit any reasonable known data for archaeology, or known historical records. The Bible used by both groups, although more so by the Christians, plainly states in Genesis, that the Gods created the Heavens and the Earth, not a God as they assume. King James was a nefarious person, and should not be held as a good guy who wanted to share spiritual knowledge. He had his reason for the translation, and you can find that reason in many articles. I for one believe the statements and facts given in the Bible, but prefer the Hebrew translations for accuracy and direction. It, along with Sumerian texts, explains why we find so many Giant Mummies filling the caves in many places within the United States, and other Nations. I for one choose to seek "Right" knowledge, and thank all the authors, for whatever reason drives them, for providing me this choice information. It truly gives credence to why I choose to be "A Follower of Christ."

What I enjoyed most about this book was content, lots and lots of superbly researched and argued content,complete with an exstensive bibliography. Any open-minded scientific person would have to acknowledge this work if they read it.Emotion is human nature,facts stand on their own.Anomalies and contradictions are percieved in all areas of science and everyday life. I have a question for Mr.Darwin; Sir,why did our brains get so large and complex,so long ago when mankind at the apex of evolution uses so little of it now?

Few books on such subjects ever provide full sustenance to their statements. This one does and in a great manner. It not only provides ancient civilizations but also provides with evolution lines, normally not quet well spread.

Great Book, but i was surprised to find an earlier work:
Ancient MAN: a Handbook of Puzzling Artifacts,
isbn# 0915554038
I need to go back to my shelf and see if Cremo and Thompson
give this earlier work credit. the style and content are similarly edited both books are a great read.

The authors set out to "prove" their Vedic scriptures, and came up with a great many "just so" stories to "explain" how their beliefs are "supported" by actual science--- but that scientists are conspiring, for evil and economic reasons, to keep hidden from humanity. To put it bluntly, the authors lack even the most basic understanding of how science is done; how archeology is done; how a valid argument is formulated; how to avoid false analogies; how to avoid self-fulfilling "discoveries;" how to... well, the list seems nearly endless.

Rather than present a valid case for their beliefs, the reader is given bold, baseless assertions and then left wanting for the evidence that would convince any reasoning, thinking person. In fact, the book appears to have been written for people who cannot reason, or refuse to reason: the baseless assertions are so blatently absurd it seems likly to me that ONLY THOSE WHO ALREADY BELIEVE will accept the book as worth reading. The majority of readers, who still have their critical thinking abilities functioning, will reject the book in total as the work of crank paradoxers.

The book belongs in the trash with the morning coffee grounds; it does not belong on anyone's book shelf.

Forbidden Archaeology is a perfect example of fantastic archaeology. It is so fantastic and forbidden because it is largely a comic book fantasy of the authors imaginations, a work of science fiction that no legitimate archaeologist would ever take seriously. Since neither author have credentials in archaeology, one has to wonder how they have been able to uncover this so called Hidden History, while all professional archaeologists are so deluded. Forbidden Archaeology falls under mythology, science fiction, or new age mysticism, but definitely NOT serious archaeology.

_Forbidden Archeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race_, published by the Bhaktivedanta Institute, by historian and philosopher of science Michael A. Cremo and researcher Richard L. Thompson first appeared in 1993. This book called into question the most widely accepted account of the origin of mankind by bringing to light an enormous amount of anomalous evidence. Such evidence would seem to indicate that mankind (as Homo sapiens sapiens) existed on this planet long before the accepted date for man's origins (believed to be 100,000 years ago in Africa after evolving from an ape-like ancestor). However, were the evidence presented in this book to be accepted, then it would call into question the most widely held theory of man's origins, the Darwinian account of evolution by means of natural selection. The book relies on a certain understanding of the scientific enterprise itself, emphasizing the role that social forces play in the scientific endeavor. As such, the authors admit their debts to such philosophers of science as Thomas Kuhn, Steven Shapin, and Paul Feyerabend. The ideas of these philosophers are controversial (particularly among scientists) because they seem to show that sociological (and even political) factors play a greater role in the scientific endeavor than is usually admitted. (Long ago, others such as Charles Fort also amassed anomalous evidence that called into account many widely accepted theories of the time.) Throughout the book the authors will maintain that such anomalous evidence presents a challenge to the orthodox scientific account of mankind's origins. They also maintain that while much of the evidence appears in older journals and publications from the Nineteenth century that it was too casually dismissed by scientists of a later generation when the Darwinian account became the orthodox theory. The authors maintain that there is really no good reason to reject such older evidence, provided that one also accepts the modern evidence which lends support to the Darwinian account of mankind's more recent origins. Thus, one can choose to either accept both forms of evidence (for the older account of mankind's origins) or to reject both. Either way, the results do not look good for the standard Darwinian account. Since the beginning however, reactionary scientists have scoffed at such evidence, largely attributing it to fraud, improper data collection, memory distortions, etc. - basically any excuse to reject it. This can be seen in the reactions of many scientists to the ideas presented in this book. When this book did appear, with few exceptions, it was uniformly greeted with a negative reaction from the scientific community. Some maintained that the book amounted to a conspiracy theory, was thus unfalsifiable, and could not be taken seriously. However, this objection cannot be used against it, because science itself has been found to contain many unfalsifiable theories. However, even more importantly others have maintained that the motivations of the authors are religious in nature and that this discredits any evidence they may present. Thus, some have maintained that the authors have a confirmation bias and have leveled the charge of "creationism" against the authors. However, these scientists fail to take into account their own confirmation bias in their blind allegiance to the orthodox Darwinian viewpoint. The authors admit at the beginning of their account that they are members of the Bhaktivedanta Institute and were motivated by reading accounts of mankind on earth long before current history allows in the Vedas. Such accounts are certainly interesting and may reveal that there is more to the story of mankind's origins than is commonly allowed. The fundamental issue at stake here is how science deals with anomalous evidence. Some merely scoff at it, or attribute it to other causes a priori without even examining it. However, others may take a closer look at it and find that there is more to it. I am not quite sure that the authors have proven that man in fact inhabited this planet at such early dates as some of the evidence in this book may seem to indicate, but they have certainly provided me with much to think about. I can no longer look at the official accounts of human origins in the same light again. It seems as if many scientists have allowed personal, political, and ideological motivations to guide the scientific endeavor and thus have lost all sight of objectivity. Such things must be taken into account when formulating a theory of human origins.

The first section of this book deals with anomalous evidence. The authors begin by presenting some history of how Darwin's account as detailed in _The Origin of Species_ and for humans in _The Descent of Man_ came to be the most widely accepted account. The authors then note some epistemological issues that will occur regarding the facts of testimony and the possibility of fraud. They then propose their model of suppression for how the scientific community has systematically ignored certain types of evidence. Following this, the authors present anomalous evidence for human toolmakers in the following forms: incised and broken bones, eoliths (anomalously old stone tools), crude paleolithic stone tools, advanced paleoliths and neoliths, and anomalous human skeletal remains. Much of this evidence is extraordinarily old and it may cause one to doubt until one considers the fact that the case for such evidence is every bit as good as the case for any other piece of evidence used to establish the standard orthodox account. The authors next present the accepted evidence. First, they call into question certain aspects of the Java Man (Pithecanthropus Erectus) finds. Then, they devote a chapter to the Piltdown man fiasco and forgery. The important thing about the Piltdown man case is that it shows how wrong orthodox opinion can often be. Many have attributed the Piltdown man forgery to the scheming of a single scientist (usually conveniently blaming the "amateur" Dawson or the religious Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin, rather than a "real" scientist). However, one possibility is that the forgery resulted from an overzealous form of British nationalism. The authors have an interesting take on this. They consider the possibility that a group of scientists themselves created the forgery, only later to "expose" the very forgery that they had created. If such a thing occurred (and it is just as probable as blaming it on any given single scientist), it would certainly cast doubts on a large part of the scientific endeavor. Following the Piltdown case, the authors examine evidence for Peking man and other finds in China. Following this, the authors turn their attention to the possibility of living ape-men, who may live among us. This is a controversial topic; however, they note that evidence for such ape-men (be they called sasquatch, yeti, or what have you) is just as acceptable as any other form of evidence. Further, many new animals are discovered every year. Many mainstream anthropologists have remained silent on this issue and some have spoken out against modern ape-men; however, a brave few have spoken up in favor of modern ape-men, and their studies of the phenomena are presented here. The authors then discuss some of the findings from Africa. Darwin maintained that Africa was the birthplace of man and much of modern paleoanthropology seems to indicate he may have been right. However, there is reason to be suspicious again because of recurrent issues of nationalism. The authors call much of this evidence into question. (They also question the alleged time frame for man's first arrival in the New World.) The book concludes with three appendices: one on chemical and radiocarbon dating of anomalous human skeletal remains (calling into question many accepted methods), one on evidence for advanced culture in distant ages (this remains more questionable of course, but would indicate that many ancient writings are correct were it proven to be valid), and a summary of the evidence.

After reading this book, I remain largely baffled as to how to respond. Certainly most of the evidence here deserves a careful looking at. And, the fact that many mainstream scientists remain so skeptical and outright reactionary is not a good sign. It would appear that much of the scientific endeavor has become corrupted with politics as a result. (For example, the authors note the role of the Rockefeller Foundation in influencing the modern scientific endeavor and the decline in traditional religion.) Scientists have been fooled before by the Piltdown man hoax, and it remains a distinct possibility that a great many of them are fooled even today. However, until such time as more open-minded and cautious people are capable of looking objectively at the evidence, the scientific community is unlikely to alter its course in dogmatically affirming the Darwinian account. Such is the sad story of the modern scientific enterprise.