The Cardiff Giant and the Piltdown Man Introduction Lately, concepts such as ‘clickbait’ and ‘fake news’ have penetrated national conversation as political pundits and leaders raise concerns over what people read and hear in various media platforms

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The Cardiff Giant and the Piltdown Man

Introduction

Lately, concepts such as ‘clickbait’ and ‘fake news’ have penetrated national conversation as political pundits and leaders raise concerns over what people read and hear in various media platforms. However, for pseudoarcheologists, these issues are not new. They have encountered many questions revolving around topics such as the Atlantis real location, aliens' existence, or the people responsible for building the pyramid. As such, the public is filled with various pseudo-myths, some of which are fake news or hoaxes. The Cardiff Giant and the Piltdown Man are two of the most prominent pseudo-archaeological hoaxes since they focus on giving people what they believed and heardabout biblical theories and human evolution

The Historical, Social, And Political Context Of These Hoaxes

According to (Pettit, 665), Charles Darwin's work in 1859 focused on the origins of species and arose a growing interest in evolution and fossils. Its conflicts with existing religious norms, beliefs, and values further attracted the attention of the pubic, although most of them still believed in Christianity. Pseudoarchaeological hoaxes, such as the Cardiff Giant and the Piltdown man were invented at the commencement of the 19th century (Pettit, 665). The industrial revolution and the emergence of the middle class implied that many citizens were open to welcoming new ideas linked to advancements such as natural science. However, the development of the Cardiff Giant and the Piltdown man at almost the same historical period indicated that the new sciences were attractive and appealing to many individuals but they failed to comprhedn them precisely. In other words, the people living during the 19th century regularly failed to distinguish between critical evaluaution of subjects. They attended theaters, visited museums, heard lecturers and revival, and circus meetings with the same intention and enthusiasm. Comment by Editor: Charles Darwin died in 1882

The Piltdown man and the Cardiff Giant rose to prominence at the commencement of the Gilded Age, filled with materialism, optimism, and individuality. Although they appealed to an extensive range of audiences, its creators' primary impetus was to showcase the gullibility of religious believers (Pettit, 659). For example, George Hull, the architect of the Cardiff Giant, was associated with atheism. As a result, he was a member of the minority, hence an outcast even during this period when science increased enticement. He thought about Cardiff, the Giant, when they argued about a biblical passage with a Methodist revivalist preacher. Although he disagreed about his ideology, most of his assertions got him thinking. He believed that his trick of creating a Giant and presenting it as a petrified man would illustrate the ridiculousness of believing in bibilical stories. 

 

The emergence of the Giant Cardiff and Piltdown man was inspired by the success stories of people like Barnum and the economic aspect of becoming rich. It was a chance for its creators to shame their enemies and make them appear foolish in a public manner. Informatio about The Piltdown Man and the Cardiff Giant circulated in newspapers for several years befoe the hoaxe was discovered. In doing so, their creators became famous and earned lucrative deals in the process.

Why They Were Popular

The Piltdown man and the Cardiff Giant were famous because they became an instrumental cautionary narrative for science. Their description embarrassed several prominent scientists that allowed their irrational exuberance and speculation to overpower them. The two hoaxes served as a crucial reminder of the importance of the scientific technique. Simultaneously, they also increased the emergence of archeology in America. 

How Each Of These Two Hoaxes Follow Feder's Rules Of Hoaxing

The First rule of Feder's archaeological hoax is giving individuals what they want. George Hull's Cardiff Giant creativity emanated from an individual's belief that biblical doctrines about giants are true. Its conception was to reinforce peoples' beliefs about them. It showcased the ridiculousness of believing in such biblical narratives. Individuals view of the Cardiff Giant fullfiled their spiritual wants (Pettit, 659). For scientists, it did not matter whether it was a petrified man or an ancient statue. It was a monumental discovery. On the other hand, the unknown person behind the creation of Piltdown Man gave individuals what they wanted to to know about Homo erectus. The UK citizens wanted early man to have originated in England. As a result, the Piltdown man misguided them on the concept of human evolution. 

 

The second Feder's rule of the hoax is not so successful. Before deciding on creating the Cardiff Giant, George Hull was not successful. However, he ensured that he made as many net revenues as possible before the hoax was discovered. For instance, a group of individuals bought patents in his innovation (Pettit, 640). Furthermore, nearly daily, newspapers would explain various theories about the origin of the giant.

On the other hand, although some unanswered qustions were evident outside the UK, most of the scientific and public community acknowledged the narrative revolving around the Piltdown man as exciting and authentic. Its excavations continued up to 1914, where they uncovered carved bone slab and canine teeth. The discovery was interrupted by the First World War, which made the fame of its creators brief, but the imitation remained prominent for years.

The final state of Feder's Rule of Hoax is learning from mistakes. Individuals realized that the Cardiff Giant was only a hoax discovery. One primary sign of fakery was the material used. Gypsum was water-soluble. Thus, the giant could not have lived or survived in an area where there were many underground streams. Regarding the Piltdown man, people learned from their mistake in 1953 when they discovered that the jawbone belonged to the orangutan, a contemporary ape. They realized that the Piltdown man was exposed to chemicals to make people believe that it had been lying underneath for years.

Conclusion

The Piltdown Man and the Cardiff Giant are remembered in history as two of the most famous pseudo-archaeological hoaxes because they made people believe in what they hear about human evolution and biblical narratives. The deceptions rippled through museums' exhibitions and the news media. Without accessibility to relevant and appropriate sources, their story spread fast. As such the two hoaxes showcases the devastating implications of making conclusions based on emerging or limited information for both the scientists and the public.