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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.
- copy of the "Great Piltdown Forgery" student handout
(PDF or
HTML)
Organize students into five teams. Assign each team a set of four questions
from the list.
Show the video and have students take notes on the parts of the video that
relate to the questions they have been assigned.
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.
Have students share their responses to the questions. (See Activity Answer
for possible answers. Accept all reasonable answers from
students.)
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
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.
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?
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:
What object was initially found at the Piltdown site? a thick piece of a
skull Who found it? a laborer What did Charles Dawson claim he noticed about the skull? that it was
extremely thick and appeared rather primitive 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 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 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 Who was Charles Dawson? a lawyer by trade; an amateur archeologist
interested in fossil hunting 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 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 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" 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 What was the significance of the canine tooth that was found? the tooth
helped reassure some doubters that the jawbone and skull belonged
together 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 Who was Kenneth Oakley? he worked at the Natural History Museum What
was his role in the Piltdown hoax? he helped reveal the forgery 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 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 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 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 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 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 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:
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. 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
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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