Pseudoscientific claims challenge science and scientifically proven theories. The people who believe and promote pseudoscientific ideas do not educate people on real science or facts, but only their own strong, outlandish beliefs. The crisis behind pseudoscience is that it is presented everywhere, from television to social media, even books are written to promote these ideas. An archaeologist’s job is to study the human past through material culture and remains. Any archaeologist’s main priority should be to do their work accurately and with merit, no real scientist would hide any part of their work. Credible scientists and archaeologists dedicate not only time, but also their lives into their work. Pseudoarchaeolgoical beliefs and pseudoarchaeologists threaten the work of credible archaeologists who are doing their work with ethic and morals. Due to their work and credibility being threatened by pseudoarchaeology, I believe that it is an archaeologist’s job to do their best to counteract these false ideals. 

One easy way to counteract pseudoarchaeology is to educate people who present facts that you know are false. While it can be difficult to argue with a true pseudoscientist, much of the public is just misinformed, and believe things that they see online or on television. As a scientist who knows the correct information, it is simple to educate those who you know are being influenced by these claims. Educating people on the origins of pseudoscientific claims could help deter them from supporting them. Many pseudoarchaeological claims are motivated by fame, money, nationalism, and even racism. Most people are completely unaware of the shocking intentions, and if they were to know they could change their mindset. Organizations can use public outreach to teach and educate the public of real archaeology and science research, and hopefully guide them further from pseudoscience. Making the correct information more accessible to the public could actively help to fight these claims that are tearing down the integrity of archaeologists everywhere. One way to expand public outreach is taking to social media, where most people get their news. Many people turn to shows such as Ancient Aliens, for their source of archaeological information. The archaeological community needs to combat these shows that present false information, by creating shows that portray the realness of archaeology. Real stories, real excavations, real facts all need to be aspects that can reach the everyday person who does not have access to the reliable knowledge.

People are oftentimes in wonder over pseudoarcaheoligcal beleifs. Who wouldn’t want to believe that aliens visited the Earth or that there was a secret civilization that went underwater. Unfortunately, the entertainment of pseudoarchaeology is not enough to ignore the negative impacts that come with it. Whether it is actively working against pseudoarchaeological claims, or just educating someone who is misinformed, any archaeologist should take the opportunity to fix the wrong interpretations that pseudoscience has implemented in people’s minds. Pseudoscience is a threat to real scientists and the work that they do, so archaeologists, and scientists, should prevent these hypotheses from leading the public further from the truth in any way they could.