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CASE #QH5DST · 2 entities · 1 connections
Piltdown Man
A fake fossil fooled the scientific world for 41 years — a human skull glued to an orangutan's jaw, with the teeth filed down and the bones stained to look ancient.
In 1912, amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson announced the discovery of a skull in Piltdown, England that appeared to be a genuine missing link between apes and humans. It was accepted by much of the scientific community for over four decades before being definitively exposed in 1953 as a deliberate forgery combining a modern human skull with an orangutan's jaw.
✕debunked
Quick facts
- →The skull was "discovered" by Charles Dawson and presented at the Geological Society of London in December 1912.
- →It was accepted by a significant portion of the scientific community as a genuine early human ancestor for 41 years.
- →The 1953 exposure found the skull combined a relatively recent human cranium with a filed-down orangutan jaw, both artificially stained to appear ancient.
- →A 2016 scientific review formally concluded the hoax was perpetrated by Dawson himself, seeking recognition among fellow archaeologists.
Entities on file
Piltdown Man (artwork)
Fossil hoax presented in 1912 as a missing evolutionary link; exposed in 1953 as a forged combination of a human skull and orangutan jaw.
No outgoing connections on file.
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Charles Dawson (person)
Amateur archaeologist who presented the Piltdown Man specimens; a 2016 review concluded he was almost certainly the sole hoaxer.
→ fabricated → Piltdown Man✓documented