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

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

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 (sometimes called fringe or alternative archaeology) consists of attempts to study, interpret, or teach about the subject-matter of archaeology while rejecting, ignoring, or misunderstanding the accepted Scientific method, data ...

claims such as

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

, Mu, fringe related

pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact theories Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact theories, many of which are speculative, propose that visits to the Americas, interactions with the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, or both, were made by people from elsewhere prior to Christopher Columb ...

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, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''. The book is one of ...

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 an emeritus 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 Myster ...

, "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

Publications

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

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, University Microfilms,

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. *''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