The mysterious hoaxer

[Taika of Narfell]

I found this story on BBC, it's quite interesting hehe

www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/piltdown_man_01.shtml

The hoax itself clearly didn't stand for the newer methods of testing and such, but I'm pretty impressed that they never found out exactly who's to blame. Of those possible hoaxers mentioned there, who do you think it might have been?

I must say that since no more finds were made after Dawson's death, he's a likely perpetrator, but wouldn't it be likely that he'd worked with someone else, that he hadn't been alone in it?

What do you think?

[martinspellweaver]

Okay... I admit it... it was me!

Seriously though... I remember seeing a history channel document on it last year. I'm sure there were more suspects... though it may just be my poor memory...

If I was to guess, I'd go for a combi between Dawson and Woodward... I don't think either on their own could pull it off... but together...

Anyway... that's my theory... so it was probably neither!

Btw, Jem... just because no more finds were discovered after his death doesn't necessarily mean it was Dawson who perpertrated the hoax... it could be that someone was trying to make him look a fool, and once he was dead there would be no need for any more 'discoveries'... Just a thought...

[Taika of Narfell]

Good point, hadn't thought of that...

[Billy]

I was interested to see that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's name was linked with the whole affair.

The thought that someone else was setting Dawson up to look the fool did cross my mind as I was reading. Dawson didn't seem like the most savoury character, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was the one who did it.

If Conan-Doyle was annoyed at Dawson for some reason i think that he would have not only had the knowledge, but the temperament needed to pull off such a scheme. LOL, so just to be different I will go with Conan-Doyle.