Page 31 - 201004 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - April 2010

April 2010_june_july_2009.qxd 22/04/2010 11:27 PM Page 31 The best historical pranks and hoaxeses 31 31 The best historical pranks Egyptian princess related to King Tut. Whatever happened to Considered a rare find when offered for sale and hoaxes (the Amarna art style was only practiced during The Amazing Kreskin? the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaton) the Princess fetched £440,000 and was put on display at Continued from Page 29 Bolton Museum. The museum later said the rarity of the item made it more difficult to identify the statue as a fake and added that experts at the British Museum also believed it to be genuine. Other 'ancient' forgeries by Greenhalgh included the Rizley Park Lanx (a serving plate that he created by melting down genuine Roman coins) which was accepted as genuine for years, and a 10th century brooch. Greenhalgh's run of good luck came to an end when in 2005 he and Emperor Constantine had a splendid sense of his father tried to sell three faked Assyrian humour for a Roman, but he couldn't stand reliefs to the British Museum. He was caught out by spelling errors in the cuneiform This brooch may look genuine 10th century, inscriptions and what appeared to be 20th but is actually a fake by Shaun Greenhalgh. century harnesses on the horses. Scotland Yard criticism. When in the fifth century one of his was called and before long Greenhalgh was court jesters boasted that fools and jesters of the exposed. court could rule the empire better than the Other remarkable hoaxes include a Emperor himself, Constantine decreed that the report published by Biblical Archaeology fools would get their chance at proving this Review in 2002 that claimed an amazing However, the course focuses on claim. discovery: a stone box with a contemporary psychological methods such as jogging lost The ruler set aside one day in the year inscription confirming the existence of Jesus of memories through relaxation techniques or upon which a fool would reign the great Roman Nazareth and his brother, James the Just. If detecting lies through body language and voice empire. The first year, Constantine appointed a authentic, the ossuary would have been the first inflections. jester named Kugel as rule, who immediately archaeological evidence that Jesus existed aside "Bottom line is that the mind is a ordained that only the absurd would be allowed from the manuscript tradition. In 2003, the remarkable tool," Kreskin said. "We all pick up on that day. This yearly tradition of celebrating Israeli Antiquities Authority published a report a lot more than we're consciously aware of." of all what is ludicrous, nonsensical and utterly concluding that although the ossuary and the "I think Mr. Kreskin has no more derisory was a huge success, and so the tradition first half of the inscription were genuine, the abilities to solve cases than the investigators," of April Fools' Day was born. Or was it? second half was a poor forgery. Specifically, it said James Randi, the country's foremost Actually, the Ancient Roman origins of appears that the inscription was added recently skeptic of paranormal claims. "If it's of any use, April Fools' Day is actually a prank itself, and a and made to look old by addition of a chalk I would applaud it." very successful one. Pitched in 1983 to a solution. The owner, Oded Golan, has since On Kreskin's Web site, journalist by Professor Joseph Boskin, the story been arrested, and his forgery equipment and amazingkreskin.com, he takes credit for helping was released on the Associated Press news partially completed forgeries have been break a missing persons case last year involving wires and followed up by many reputable news recovered. Scott Javins, a 22-year-old Indiana State outlets. A few weeks later, Boskin admitted that In the US, a number of remarkable University student from Terre Haute, Ind. Javins the whole story was a hoax quartz crystal skulls, apparently Mayan or Aztec disappeared in 2002 after a night with friends. Boskin’s prank is just one of many to in origin, were recently in circulation. Although There had been no trace of him for five years. have fooled archaeological scholars and several are now housed in museums, including "Kreskin Helps Precipitate museums over the years. In fact The the British Museum, none of the skulls come Breakthrough in Five Year Old Missing Persons Independent had its own archaeological prank from well-documented, official excavations and Case," the Web site reads, describing how a on April 1st 1993 when the newspaper it is now generally agreed that these skulls are group brought Kreskin to Terre Haute for a May announced the discovery of the 3000-year old 19th century forgeries. Although skull fundraiser for families and law enforcement village of cartoon heroes Asterix and Obelix, iconography is found in Mesoamerican art, involved in missing adult cases. Publicity complete with Asterix-period pottery and Iron some of the anomalies that give the skulls away surrounding Kreskin's appearance, the Web site Age standing stones. The village, said to be as fakes are the rigid linearity of features asserts, resulted in someone "with potentially 3000 years old, was reportedly found at Le representing the teeth (contrasting with the important information" about the Javins case Yaudet, near Lannion, France - almost exactly more precise execution of teeth on pre- contacting a Kreskin representative and then the where author Rene Goscinny placed it in his Columbian artefacts) as well as the way these police. books. Professor Barry Cunliffe of Oxford features were carved. Also, a cutting wheel - not "It's my understanding that he tried to University and Dr. Patrick Galliou of the introduced until after the Spanish conquest - elicit information from the audience to help University of Brest were credited with its must have been used in the producting of this with the case," said Max Jones, editor of The finding. skull, ruling out the possibility that they were Tribune-Star newspaper in Terre Haute. "But Not all hoaxes are as playful as these manufactured during the Aztec period. then, he also did card tricks." examples; the antiquities market is plagued with The British Museum has decided to hold In October, Javins' remains were found fakes and forgeries. It can be difficult even for onto its forged skulls, and it seems that there is in a car submerged in a local river. Last month experts to determine whether an artefact is a role for forged artefacts in the world’s top the county coroner ruled the Indiana State genuine, as the ongoing debate over the museums. Royal Ontario Museum curator Paul University student's death was an accidental authenticity of the Bust of Nefertiti can attest, Denis claims that, of the hundreds of ancient drowning. and if an artefact is deemed genuine, it has the Zapotec artefacts in the museum, about half of "I was really close to the case, and as far potential to command a high price. them are fake. Some museums will even go to as I know, he [Kreskin] didn't tell us anything at One of the most successful hoaxers was great lengths to have hoaxes on display. When all that helped us in the investigation," said British was Shaun Greenhalgh. His Amarna Peter Dance's book Animal Fakes and Frauds Chief Deputy Jake Compton of the Vigo County Princess sculpture - named after the Egyptian made the hair-covered ‘fur-bearing trout’ Sheriff's Department. "He can take the credit he capital under the reign of Akhenaton - is the famous, National Museum of Scotland’s wants to take." most famous 'fake' in Britain. The 52cm taxidermist tracked down some rabbit fur and Question: But What ever happened to alabaster statue was believed to be that of an created one to go on display. [] the Las Vegas UFOs?... LOL... Rob M []