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Boldest Hoax, The
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Classroom Activity
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Objective
To learn more about the Piltdown hoax and who might have been
involved.
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copy of the "Great Piltdown Forgery" student handout (PDF
or
HTML)
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Organize students into five teams. Assign each team a set of
four questions from the list.
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Show the video and have students take notes on the parts of the
video that relate to the questions they have been assigned.
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After watching, have students write down the name(s) of the
individuals they thought committed the forgery. Tell team
members not to share their choices with one another. Then ask
students to work together in their teams to answer their
questions.
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Have students share their responses to the questions. (See
Activity Answer for possible answers.
Accept all reasonable answers from students.)
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Review the evidence regarding the following people's involvement
in the hoax. Ask each student to present his or her reasons for
choosing any of the following suspects.
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Charles Dawson
- Sir Arthur Smith Woodward
- Martin Hinton
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After all students have presented, ask if anyone has changed his
or her opinion about who committed the forgery. If any students
changed their choices, ask what evidence prompted the change.
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To conclude, discuss whether students think the Piltdown hoax
could happen today. Why or why not? What might compel scientists
today to be involved with or taken in by the hoax? What might
prevent a hoax from being perpetrated?
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As an extension, have students research other scientific hoaxes
and forgeries such as the Tasaday tribe (purported to be a small
Stone Age tribe living in complete isolation on the Philippine
island of Mindanao) or the alien autopsy (an alleged autopsy on
an alien that purportedly died when a flying saucer crashed in
1947 in Roswell, New Mexico). Do they share any similarities
with the Piltdown hoax? How are they different? Ask students to
share their findings.
Suggested answers to the questions listed on the student handout:
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What object was initially found at the Piltdown site?
a thick piece of a skull Who found it? a laborer
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What did Charles Dawson claim he noticed about the skull?
that it was extremely thick and appeared rather primitive
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How does Charles Darwin fit in to the story of the forgery?
about 50 years earlier, Darwin had published the theory of
evolution; scientists and others began looking for a half-ape,
half-human missing link in the evolution of humans
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What evidence did Germany, Spain, and France have in relation to
the evolution of humans that England did not have?
evidence of early man through Neanderthal skeletal remains and
cave paintings
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How did the time period—WWI—affect the atmosphere
surrounding the hoax?
the buildup to the war intensified the rivalry between Britain
and Germany; believing itself to be the "greatest empire" on
Earth, Britain wanted to prove itself as the birthplace of
humans
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Who was Charles Dawson?
a lawyer by trade; an amateur archeologist interested in
fossil hunting
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Why might Dawson have wanted to be associated with Sir Arthur
Smith Woodward?
he may have wanted to align himself with the eminent Woodward
to build academic credibility
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Who was Woodward?
a noted geologist who worked at what is now London's Natural
History Museum
What remains did he and Dawson find at Piltdown?
they found what they believed to be the remains of prehistoric
animals, Stone Age tools, and an ape-like jawbone with
human-like teeth
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When was Piltdown man presented to the world?
on December 18, 1912
What was he called?
Eoanthropus dawsoni, or Dawson's Dawn Man; later nicknamed
"the earliest Englishman"
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What was the initial response of the science community to
Piltdown man?
some scientists believed the creature was genuine; others
questioned whether the jawbone and the skull were from the
same creature, since there was no evidence linking the two
artifacts
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What was the significance of the canine tooth that was found?
the tooth helped reassure some doubters that the jawbone and
skull belonged together
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Where was the second Piltdown man found?
a few miles from the first location
Who discovered it? Dawson What was the significance of
this second find?
it convinced some scientists that Piltdown man was genuine
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Who was Kenneth Oakley?
he worked at the Natural History Museum
What was his role in the Piltdown hoax?
he helped reveal the forgery
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What items were revealed to be forged?
all 40 or so finds were forged and planted
How were some of the items faked?
the fossils had been boiled and chemically stained and teeth
had been filed down; the canine tooth had been painted
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What evidence points to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's possible
involvement?
he lived near Piltdown; he knew the others and belonged to the
same archeological society as Dawson
What might have been his motivation?
the scientific community had made a fool of him for his belief
in spiritualism (communicating with the dead); he may have
wanted to mock the scientists who mocked him
Describe his character.
he was considered a man of truth and integrity
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What is the evidence for Dawson's involvement?
he wanted to make a name for himself; many other artifacts he
had found had been forged or were of questionable origin
Describe his character.
he treated others without respect to their feelings; he was
considered a liar, cheat, and swindler
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Why might Woodward have been considered a suspect?
he was Piltdown's greatest advocate
Why might Woodward not have conducted more rigorous science
tests on the artifacts?
his ambition may have blinded his scientific judgment
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Who was Martin Hinton? he was a museum volunteer What is
the evidence of his connection with the forgery?
he was a rival of Woodward's; stained bones were found in his
trunk; his letters revealed he knew about the hoax
Include a description of his character.
he was an enigmatic man who attracted attention; considered a
bit devious and a practical joker
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What object was planted that might have revealed the Piltdown
hoax? a cricket bat What happened when it was found?
Dawson and Woodward wrote it up as a curious bone instrument,
a Paleolithic artifact
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What character traits might have compelled some of the
scientists to be involved with or taken in by the hoax?
egotism, pride, ambition, and rivalry
Web Sites
Piltdown Artifact Photos
owen.nhm.ac.uk/piclib/www/search.php?search=piltdown
View photos of the Piltdown site and the artifacts discovered there.
Piltdown Man: Britain's Greatest Hoax
cgi.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/piltdown_man_print.html
Analyzes the Piltdown hoax and tries to uncover who was involved in
the fraud.
The Strange Case of the Piltdown Man
www.autopen.com/piltdown.shtml
Provides an overview of the case and its importance.
The Talk-Origins Archive: Piltdown Man
www.talkorigins.org/faqs/piltdown.html
Examines the Piltdown case and studies the myths and the people
involved.
Books
Russell, Miles.
Piltdown Man: The Secret Life of Charles Dawson.
Gloucestershire, UK: Tempus, Stroud, 2003.
Considers Dawson's family life and a great deal of evidence on why
the frauds took place.
Spencer, Frank.
Piltdown: A Scientific Forgery.
London; New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.
Analyses the original documents and other evidence, and presents a
new case about who is responsible for the forgery.
Walsh, John Evangelist.
Unraveling Piltdown: The Science Fraud of the Century and its
Solution.
New York: Random House, 1996.
Considers Sussex solicitor Charles Dawson as the perpetrator of the
Piltdown fraud.
The "Great Piltdown Forgery" activity aligns with the following
National Science Education Standards.
Grades 5-8
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Science Standard G:
History and Nature of Science
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Nature of Science:
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In areas where active research is being pursued, and in which
there is not a great deal of experimental or observational
evidence and understanding, it is normal for scientists to
differ with one another about the interpretation of the evidence
or theory being considered.
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It is part of scientific inquiry to evaluate the results of
scientific investigations, experiments, observations,
theoretical models, and the explanations proposed by other
scientists.
Grades 9-12
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Science Standard G:
History and Nature of Science
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Science as a human endeavor
Nature of scientific knowledge
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Because all scientific ideas depend on experimental and
observational confirmation, all scientific knowledge is, in
principle, subject to change as new evidence becomes available.
Classroom Activity Author
Developed by WGBH Educational Outreach staff.
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