Re: Ad Yurii Gloriam (Was Re: maize in ancient india: strong transpacific links are indicated)

Yuri Kuchinsky (yuku@io.org)
17 Jan 1997 16:51:15 GMT

I don't know if I should laugh or cry when I see so many overwrought
people rushing in to display their sour grapes in public. Everyone
wants to defend the pristine honour of archaeology here as if a
horde of vandals is standing outside the gates of a besieged city.
And I DIDN'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING about the "honour of archaeology"
this time... But if you really want to talk about the pristine
excellence of archaeologists and their methods, by all means... I
can give you some real material you can bite into...

I've been following the Dead Sea Scrolls controversies for a while
now. Is this true that "the stalwarts of professionalism", the DSS
insiders, had no suspicions at all cast on their professionalism? No
egg on their faces? All evidence speedily disclosed and published?
No unsavoury politics involved? Oh, yes, this scandal has been
described by some parties in rather strong terms...

The amazing vanishing Amazonian pottery, anyone? The oldest pottery
in the Americas gathering dust in someone's closet for 20 years? The
whole discipline of American prehistory being deliberately
railroaded into a wrong track for all those years? Oh, yes,
wonderful professionalism... Congratulations are in order!

The Vineland saga. I'm just curious as to how no professional
archaeologist ever bothered to look at those Viking sites, by no
means hidden from view, until a non-archaeologist came around to
take a look? No local archaeologists in Newfoundland or Canada doing
surveys? Or is it possible that they were far too busy exercizing
their awesome talents in pouring sarcasm and ridicule on any
"nutcases" who had the temerity to suggest that there may be _some_
element of truth in those tall tales told by the Vikings?

No, I'm not the one who likes to load guilts on anyone. Sour grapes
is not my specialty. But here you asked for it, lady and gentlemen.

And I find it quite interesting that none of you actually _answered_
the simple question that I asked re: buying a book in a bookstore...

To borrow a phrase from Domingo, Flame away...

Cheers,

Yuri.

--

            =O=    Yuri Kuchinsky in Toronto    =O=

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