Stephen Williams (August 28, 1926 – June 2, 2017) was an

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

who held the title of Peabody Professor of North American Archaeology and Ethnography.

Fantastic Archaeology

Williams is best known as the author of ''Fantastic Archaeology'' (1991) and a course at Harvard based on the same material; a critical examination of

pseudoarchaeological Pseudoarchaeology—also known as alternative archaeology, fringe archaeology, fantastic archaeology, cult archaeology, and spooky archaeology—is the interpretation of the past from outside the archaeological science community, which rejects ...

claims such as

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

, Mu, fringe related

pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact theories Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact theories are speculative theories which propose that possible visits to the Americas, possible interactions with the indigenous peoples of the Americas, or both, were made by people from Africa, Asia, Europe, ...

psychic archaeology Psychic archaeology is a loose collection of practices involving the application of paranormal phenomena to problems in archaeology. It is not considered part of mainstream archaeology, or taught in academic institutions. It is difficult to test ...

, etc. He also discusses claims made in the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...

about the prehistoric Americas. The book has received positive reviews. Anthropologist Julia C. Lowell commented it "should be read by any archeologist concerned with educating the public about the past". The archaeologist Francis B. Harrold described it as an "important contribution and an "invaluable reference work for anyone interested in unconventional beliefs about the human past". According to

Kenneth Feder Kenneth L. "Kenny" Feder (born August 1, 1952) is a professor of archaeology at Central Connecticut State University and the author of several books on archaeology and criticism of pseudoarchaeology such as '' Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Scien ...

, "Williams's book is a valuable contribution to the regrettably short list of publications by professional archaeologists examining, responding to, and debunking extreme claims made in the name of the discipline."Feder, Kenneth L. (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology: From Atlantis to the Walam Olum''. Greenwood Press. p. 105.

Notable students

Tristram Randolph Kidder Tristram Randolph Kidder (born 1960) is an American archaeologist and professor of anthropology and environmental studies at Washington University in St. Louis. His research focuses on geoarcheology, climate change, and the evolution of human socie ...

Publications

*''An Archaeological Study of the Mississippian Culture in Southeast Missouri'' (1954) PhD dissertation, Department of Anthropology,

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, University Microfilms,

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

. *''Fantastic Archaeology: The Wild Side of North American Prehistory'' (1991) *''Excavations at the Lake George Site, Yazoo Country, Mississippi, 1958–1960'' (2004) Papers of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.

Notes

Sources

Williams publication on lower Mississippi archeology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Stephen 1926 births 2017 deaths American archaeologists American skeptics Book of Mormon studies Harvard University faculty Mormonism-related controversies University of Michigan alumni