In 1912, British archeology enthusiast Charles Dawson made a discovery that almost rocked the scientific world.
In a gravel pit alone in the south of England he had come across the skeletal remains of a man who seemed to be the missing link, ie. the evolutionary link between man and our ape-like ancestors.
The skeleton of the so-called Piltdown Man consisted of a human skull with a strong jaw, both of which Dawson said were 500,000 years old.
For decades, this significant meeting was considered the most important thing that had happened in the field of archaeology, but in 1953 it was possible to apply a new age analysis, which revealed that the bones were most probably rooted in the Middle Ages and could therefore by no means come from an ancient person.
Further research revealed that the bones were from a human and two different monkey species, probably an orangutan and a chimpanzee.
Then it was further revealed that the teeth had been worn down, in order to make them look like human teeth.
It has never been possible to reveal who was behind the scam. For years, many different people were thought to be the likely culprits.
An extensive investigation conducted in 2016 was believed to reveal that Dawson was the culprit.
Fraud in the field of archaeology:
- The Cardiff Giant was a fossil of a three meter tall man found in 1869. It turned out that a single tobacconist had created the giant.
- The head statue from Saitafernes was a gold helmet bought for the Louvre in 1896. It had been made by a goldsmith in 1894.
- In 1838, the so-called Grave Creek stone was found, but a very primitive alphabet was engraved into it. It turned out that the stone was fake.
