Beardmore

The Viking Hoax That Rewrote History

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Archaeology
Cover of the book Beardmore by Douglas Hunter, MQUP
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Douglas Hunter ISBN: 9780773555358
Publisher: MQUP Publication: August 21, 2018
Imprint: MQUP Language: English
Author: Douglas Hunter
ISBN: 9780773555358
Publisher: MQUP
Publication: August 21, 2018
Imprint: MQUP
Language: English

In 1936, long before the discovery of the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, the Royal Ontario Museum made a sensational acquisition: the contents of a Viking grave that prospector Eddy Dodd said he had found on his mining claim east of Lake Nipigon. The relics remained on display for two decades, challenging understandings of when and where Europeans first reached the Americas. In 1956 the discovery was exposed as an unquestionable hoax, tarnishing the reputation of the museum director, Charles Trick Currelly, who had acquired the relics and insisted on their authenticity. Drawing on an array of archival sources, Douglas Hunter reconstructs the notorious hoax and its many players. Beardmore unfolds like a detective story as the author sifts through the voluminous evidence and follows the efforts of two unlikely debunkers, high-school teacher Teddy Elliott and government geologist T.L. Tanton, who find themselves up against Currelly and his scholarly allies. Along the way, the controversy draws in a who’s who of international figures in archaeology, Scandinavian studies, and the museum world, including anthropologist Edmund Carpenter, whose mid-1950s crusade against the find’s authenticity finally convinced scholars and curators that the grave was a fraud. Shedding light on museum practices and the state of the historical and archaeological professions in the mid-twentieth century, Beardmore offers an unparalleled view inside a major museum scandal to show how power can be exercised across professional networks and hamper efforts to arrive at the truth.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1936, long before the discovery of the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, the Royal Ontario Museum made a sensational acquisition: the contents of a Viking grave that prospector Eddy Dodd said he had found on his mining claim east of Lake Nipigon. The relics remained on display for two decades, challenging understandings of when and where Europeans first reached the Americas. In 1956 the discovery was exposed as an unquestionable hoax, tarnishing the reputation of the museum director, Charles Trick Currelly, who had acquired the relics and insisted on their authenticity. Drawing on an array of archival sources, Douglas Hunter reconstructs the notorious hoax and its many players. Beardmore unfolds like a detective story as the author sifts through the voluminous evidence and follows the efforts of two unlikely debunkers, high-school teacher Teddy Elliott and government geologist T.L. Tanton, who find themselves up against Currelly and his scholarly allies. Along the way, the controversy draws in a who’s who of international figures in archaeology, Scandinavian studies, and the museum world, including anthropologist Edmund Carpenter, whose mid-1950s crusade against the find’s authenticity finally convinced scholars and curators that the grave was a fraud. Shedding light on museum practices and the state of the historical and archaeological professions in the mid-twentieth century, Beardmore offers an unparalleled view inside a major museum scandal to show how power can be exercised across professional networks and hamper efforts to arrive at the truth.

More books from MQUP

Cover of the book L'Église et la politique québécoise, de Taschereau à Duplessis by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Perceptions of a Monarchy without a King by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Triquet's Cross by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Some Dance by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Being Arab by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Between Raid and Rebellion by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Strategic Friends by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book What's the Import? by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Divining Margaret Laurence by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Christ, God's Companionship with Man by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Toward a Healthcare Strategy for Canadians by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book The Politics of the Pantry by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book The Social History of Ideas in Quebec, 1760-1896 by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Canada's Residential Schools: The History, Part 2, 1939 to 2000 by Douglas Hunter
Cover of the book Bilingual Being by Douglas Hunter
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy