The Piltdown Hoax

The infamous event of the Piltdown hoax is one that continues to draw speculative attention over a century after the initial announcement of the paleoanthropological findings. Although many scientists, especially those involved in the field of paleoanthropology, would like to forget the incident entirely, the Piltdown man—otherwise taxonomically referred to as Eoanthropus dawsoni—is perhaps the greatest hoax in anthropological history. Since the exposure of the Piltdown discovery as a forgery in the mid-twentieth century, many accusations have been made against various individuals; however, the mystery still remains unsolved. Despite much of the research that seems to incriminate prime suspect Charles Dawson, among others, the Piltdown hoax can be accredited to Martin A. C. Hinton given his career, access to the gravel pits, and unique staining method. By 1912, British scientists were desperate for a …show more content…
Since the hoax was revealed in 1954, the anthropological society has changed and the technologies to determine the legitimacy of archeological findings have strengthened. Hinton was clever in how he presented the hoax. With various knowledge and access to the necessary resources to carry out the hoax, such as a career at the National History Museum, close working associations, and a unique staining technique, Hinton was able to pull off one of the greatest hoaxes in anthropological history. As an employee at the National History museum throughout his career, Hinton had access to collections from the Department of Zoology. As a scholar closely associated with Eolithophiles, Hinton also gained valuable knowledge about eoliths and palaeoliths and their co-occurrence. Finally, Hinton 's research interests in gravels and the staining of fossils, and the later discovery of the trunk were the necessary evidence to implicate Hinton as the hoaxer in the Piltdown