It was, I imagine, a true thing of beauty in comparison to the other known fossils of the day: no sloping, ugly forehead, no animal-like snout, no flat profile, and a cranial capacity at about 1,500 cc, which is close to the present-day average. The jaw was damaged-the connective points were broken-but even without the missing pieces Dawson and other enthusiasts felt it was a good match because the molars indicated wear similar to that of modern humans. The excitement peaked when Dawson discovered a lower jaw that seemed to fit the skull. Continued findings of animal teeth and bones suggested an estimated age of 500,000 years for the context of the dig, which securely established the skull as belonging to the oldest human ancestor in the world. In May 1912, Dawson brought the skull to Arthur Smith Woodward, the Keeper of Geology at the British Museum, who excitedly returned with Dawson to the quarry where additional skull fragments were uncovered. Return visits to the site produced additional pieces of the skull cap as well as animal bone and teeth. They were caught up in seeing what they wanted to see.ĭawson claimed that the skull cap had been given to him by quarry workers near Piltdown in England in 1908. In light of this overall sentiment, some might have considered it miraculous when amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson produced a skull in 1912 that contained all the desired traits, but many were completely swept away. There was a chance they could counter the proposition that their people had not really settled England (and that they were a nation of migrants-the horror!). This was good news for the English, who had watched from the sidelines as fossils were uncovered throughout Europe. This means that despite numerous finds, the prize fossil-the transitional fossil that fit expectations-was believed to still be up for grabs. They wanted examples that looked liked them. Flat skulls with thick, sloping foreheads, and snout-like faces were not the original citizens they wanted. It was not what people expected or wanted to believe. And with each find, a pattern began to emerge in the fossils despite clear evidence that these species had walked on two legs, their skulls were decidedly ape-like. Smaller countries like Indonesia, Belgium, and Holland also claimed a part of that story. One by one, France, Spain, and Germany stepped forward to present their connection to a shared evolutionary history. It would be ultimate claim of nationalism. They all wanted to be able to say that our earliest human ancestor was tied to their nationality. Every find added weight to Darwin's recently published The Descent of Man, and drove a frenzied scramble to find the oldest human fossil.įor European nations, claiming this "original" citizen would establish their identity in relation to their geography, but it would also award a status regarding development. We were primed for it: Beginning with the discovery of Homo neaderthalensis, we had been chasing the story of our evolutionary history. ![]() In 1912, many scientists believed they had found the missing link*. Today’s post is not quite so lighthearted, however, and looks at an instance of deception that staggered the scientific community. ![]() In this spirit, all this week, we'll explore themes of magic, fraud, and trickery. People all over the world and all throughout history have celebrated the coming of Spring with festivals of deception and lightheartedness. April Fools' Day is not unique to Western cultures.
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