Forbidden Archeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race

By Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson

 Reviewed by Katharina Wilson for The MUFON Oregon Observer Newsletter 

Forbidden Archeology is a work that questions current beliefs about human evolution. Part I of Forbidden Archeology (which covers 458 pages) is based on what the authors call ‘anomalous evidence’ and "provides a well­ documented compendium of reports absent from many current references and not otherwise easily obtainable." The authors discuss how scientific evidence has been "systematically suppressed, ignored, or forgotten...not through a conspiracy organized to deceive the public, but through an ongoing social process of knowledge filtration that appears quite innocuous, but has a substantial cumulative effect."  

Chapter One discusses information that has been overlooked, suppressed, or forgotten even though a lot of the evidence was discovered immediately after Darwin published The Origin of the Species. This chapter explains the basics about archeology, such as the geological timetable and the incompleteness of the fossil record. 

The authors’ thesis is based on the premise that anomalous finds should be studied and possibly accepted along with currently accepted evidence. Perhaps as is the case with other types of controversial information, "One prominent feature in the treatment of anomalous evidence is what we could call the double standard... evidence agreeing with a prevailing theory tends to be treated very leniently...In contrast, evidence that goes against an accepted theory tends to be subjected to intense critical scrutiny, and it is expected to meet very high standards of proof." 

There is a section in Chapter One titled The Phenomenon Of Suppression which perfectly describes what abductees or experiencers and those involved with experiencer research are faced with. "...there are some observations that so violently contradict accepted theories that they are never accepted by any scientists. These tend to be reported by scientifically uneducated people in popular books, magazines, and newspapers."

Chapter Two covers detailed descriptions of reports involving intentionally cut and broken bones of animals. In other words, bones that have been altered by man. Some of this evidence points toward a theory that there was a human presence in the Americas far earlier than was originally believed, which is thought to be between 12 thousand and 25 thousand years ago. However, many serious scientists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries reported that marks on bones as old as 25 million years old were indicative of human work. This chapter illustrates that when ‘unbelievable’ information arises and people are convinced that it cannot exist, the evidence pointing to such conclusions is overlooked or ignored by the scientific community. 

Chapters Three, Four and Five continue with extremely detailed studies of anomalous old stone tools and industries. Chapter Six closes out the first section of Forbidden Archeology with a discussion of anomalous human skeletal remains. In their conclusion of Part I, the authors write: "…the evidence suggests the existence of anatomically modern humans as far back as the early Tertiary - the first period of the Cenozoic era; 65­37 million years ago." A partial review of this anomalous evidence is listed at the end of this report. 

Part 2 of Forbidden Archeology involves discussions of ‘accepted evidence.’ Beginning with a review and discussions of Java Man, and continuing with The Piltdown Case, and Peking Man, which is very interesting. In addition, a highly recommended read is Chapter Nine, Peking Man and Other Finds in China. 

The authors go into detail about how the Rockefeller Foundation funded many of the digs in Peking (Beijing). 1f I may quote liberally from this chapter (page 534): "It thus becomes clear that at the same time the Rockefeller Foundation was channeling funds into human evolution research in China, it was in the process of developing an elaborate plan to fund biological research with a view to developing methods to effectively control human behavior. [Canadian physician Davidson] Black’s research into Peking man must be seen within this context in order to be properly understood." 

From pages 537 and 538, in reference to a new beginning of philanthropy, "All programs in various Rockefeller charities ‘relating to the advance of human knowledge’ were shifted to the Rockefeller Foundation, which was organized into five divisions. Each division was run by a highly competent academic and technical staff who advised the trusties of the Foundation where to give their money. It was not to be five programs each represented by a division of the Foundation; it was to be essentially one program, directed to the general problem of human behavior, with the aim of control through understanding…the Foundation also saw itself engaged in a kind of thought control. Fosdick (1952, pg.143) said: ‘The possession of funds carries with it power to establish trends and styles of intellectual endeavor.’ " 

In a discussion about Beijing man, when actual physical evidence is not available for study, some reports are believed while others are dismissed: "[The authors] propose that reports about evidence conforming to the standard view of human evolution generally receive greater credibility than reports about non-conforming evidence. Thus deeply-held beliefs, rather than purely objective standards, may become the determining factor in the acceptance and rejection of reports about controversial evidence." 

Bigfoot 

Chapter Ten is titled Living Ape Men? This chapter reviews and discusses many descriptions of what is sometimes referred to in the Pacific Northwest as "Bigfoot." The term used by the authors most often is "wildmen." This chapter is highly recommended. It increased my knowledge and awareness about the prevalence of reports concerning this type of creature or being. 

Indeed, after pages and pages of descriptions and discussions of evidence, the authors write, "Despite all the evidence we have presented, most recognized authorities in anthropology and zoology decline to discuss the existence of wildmen. If they mention wildmen at all, they rarely present the really strong evidence for their existence, focusing instead on the report least likely to challenge their disbelief." 

Later in the book during another discussion about skeletal remains discovered in Africa the authors write [pg. 649]: "Most of the discoveries scientists have used to build up their picture of human evolution are similarly ambiguous, their significance obscured by professional rivalries and imperfect investigative methods." 

A Sample of Anomalous Evidence 

From pages 795-814 Appendix 2, which is titled Evidence for Advanced Culture In Distant Ages. A sample of anomalous evidence follows: 

"Raised letter-like shapes found inside a block of marble from a quarry near Philadelphia, PA. The block of marble came from a depth of 60-70 feet, which suggests the letters were made from intelligent humans from the distant past." 

"A metallic bell-shaped vessel that was blown out of pudding stone now called the Roxbury conglomerate, is over 600 million years old...by current standards, life was just beginning to form on this planet...but this vessel indicates the presence of artistic metal workers in North America over 600 million years before Leif Erikson." 

"A chalk ball was found...and based on its stratigraphic position, it can be assigned a date of 45-55 million years ago."

The appendix has a long list of other anomalous evidence, but since I’ve already over-quoted from this text, I will leave the remainder of the secrets to be discovered by the reader. 

Forbidden Archeology: The Hidden History of the Human Race by Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson (ISBN 0-89213-294-9); Bhaktivedanta Book Publishing, Inc., 3764 Watseka Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90034. www.mcremo.com