Frauds

Frauds, Statute of, basis of most modern laws requiring that certain promises must be in writing in order to be enforceable; it was passed by the English Parliament in 1677. In the United States, although state laws vary, most require written agreements in four types of contracts: contracts to assume the obligation of another; contracts that cannot be performed within one year; contracts for the sale of land; and contracts for the sale of goods.

Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology is a book by Professor Kenneth L Feder, a professor of archaeology at Central Connecticut State University.

The work takes a skeptical look at outrageous claims in the field of archaeology. It is in the tradition of Martin Gardner's Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science and Charles Mackay's Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. It is required reading on many archaeology courses.

The book references Carl Sagan and Erich von Däniken extensively.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: Science and Pseudoscience
• Chapter 2: Epistemology: How You Know What You Know
• Chapter 3: Anatomy of an Archaeological Hoax
• Chapter 4: Dawson's Dawn Man: The Hoax at Piltdown
• Chapter 5: Who Discovered America
• Chapter 6. The Myth of the Moundbuilders
• Chapter 7: Lost: One Continent—Reward
• Chapter 8: Prehistoric E.T.: The Fantasy of Ancient Astronauts
• Chapter 9: Mysterious Egypt
• Chapter 10: Good Vibrations: Psychics and Dowsers
• Chapter 11: Old-Time Religion—New Age Visions
• Chapter 12: Real Mysteries of a Veritable Past

Editions in print

• ISBN 0072869488

External links

• Links to 'The best of the web sites' linked to book, a video companion guide, an index of the book, and a chapter of the book
• Extensive list of links related to the chapters listed above
• Interview with Kenneth Feder
• Example of archaeology syllabus using his book
• Article on Feder and Atlantis from the Hartford Courant
• Transcript of BBC Horizon Show on Caral featuring Kenneth Feder