483. The Mysterious Case of the Ape Man

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Aug 11, 2024

Discover the sensational story of the Piltdown Man, a skull once believed to be the missing link between apes and humans. Unravel the mystery of its origins, from its enthusiastic endorsement by British society to the shocking revelation of it being a clever hoax. Delve into the roles of controversial figures like Charles Dawson and Arthur Conan Doyle, and explore how this deception influenced scientific thought and debates about evolution. The blend of excitement, intrigue, and historical context creates a captivating narrative.

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ANECDOTE

Dawson and Woodward

Charles Dawson, a solicitor, and Arthur Smith Woodward, a geologist, presented Piltdown Man.
Dawson, known for his discoveries, had found the skull fragments, and Woodward, his friend, provided expertise.

ANECDOTE

Excavations and Finds

Dawson claimed workmen found and smashed the skull, thinking it was a coconut.
He and Woodward then excavated more fragments and tools, strengthening the Piltdown Man narrative.

ANECDOTE

Clouds on the Horizon

Despite initial acceptance, two odd discoveries emerged: a cricket bat-shaped bone and Dawson's death.
These events cast doubt on the Piltdown Man narrative, though suspicions were initially dismissed.

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In Sussex, in 1912, men quarrying in a gravel pit near Piltdown village turned up a human skull. According to Charles Dawson, a lawyer and amateur archeologist with a remarkable track record for finding ancient treasures, it belonged to a palaeolithic man, possibly millions of years old, and was therefore the earliest trace of mankind ever found in England. Greater still, Piltdown man as he came to be known, seemed to be the ‘missing link’ between apes and men. The discovery inflamed and delighted British society, confirming and buttressing dearly held beliefs about the evolution of modern Europeans, and radically transforming understandings of the origins of humanity. In the wake of the find and the widespread corroboration of its authenticity by some of the best academics of the age, further digs were conducted in the area, which unearthed even more wondrous discoveries - a jawbone, primitive tools, and strangest of all, a cricket bat; perhaps the first hint that all was not as it seemed…was the greatest discovery of all time nothing more than an audacious and extraordinarily skilful hoax? And if so, who was the culprit in this grand mystery?

Join Tom and Dominic, as they describe the most mystifying archaeological discovery in English history, and one of the most unscrupulous tricks of all time, revealing as they do the truth behind the history of mankind.

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Producer: Theo Young-Smith

Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett

Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

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