It’s Time To Talk about Pseudoarchaeology: Impacts, Strategies, and Outcomes for Engaging with Archaeology Misinformation

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Over the last few decades, pseudoarchaeology has dramatically increased in popularity. While it might seem easy to laugh off and ignore, as these claims are widely divorced from the reality of our lived experience as archaeologists, the savvy tactics used by pseudoscientist influencers means that misinformation has a real cost on the field of archaeology and its stakeholders.

Pseudoarchaeologists have an outsized impact on the public perception of our field, with best-selling books in the archaeology section, top TV shows and online videos, and major media headlines. These impacts have had a knock-on effect on how archaeological sites are managed across the world, from here in the US to Turkey to Indonesia.

Due to the increasing frequency of these negative impacts, we must become informed and respond in an effective manner. In this paper, I critically examine my own journey in high-profile engagement with the Atlantis “Lost Civilization” branch of pseudoarchaeology, from Joe Rogan and newspaper headlines to Twitter and YouTube. Drawing upon up-to-date misinformation research, I present effective strategies for engaging with the media and on social media, addressing the dangers and benefits of public engagement.

The conclusion is clear: we have to engage. But in a strategic manner.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53626