White Hose

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I'm sure Heinrich Schliemann spent a lot of time in libraries reading reading about how Troy was quasi-crypto history, but he put his feet on the path and dug it out.

There was never any serious doubt in the academic world that Troy had once existed; Schliemann was one of several 19th century archeologists searching for the "lost city" of Troy but, unlike his contemporaries, he was successful. Better examples of "quasi-crypto-histories" would include the books Holy Blood, Holy Grail and Scotland's Forgotten Monarchy, both of which have spawned industries that have taken in the gullible. As far as television is concerned I'd suggest that any program putting forth as fact tales of the Knights Templar sailing to the New World, or John Wilkes Booth having eluded capture and escaping to India definitely fit the "quasi-crypto-history" template.

We all, like Groucho, appreciate the value of entertainment. Some of us, however, are more interested in the truth than the illusion of knowledge.

It's all well and good to say that, but the problem with "quasi-crypto-history" is that people tend to accept it at face value-- ancient astronauts had to have carved those huge designs on the plains high in the Andes, and von Daneken proved it in his book "Chariots of the Gods"-- and to them it becomes "the truth". Crackpot theories abound in virtually every sphere of human endeavor and while they may be accepted as gospel by the tin-foil hat brigade, they send a shudder down the spine of real historians and those people who are truly knowledgeable.

"To know that the tomato is a fruit is knowledge. Not putting it in a fruit salad is wisdom."

"Quasi-crypto-history" is a tomato in a fruit salad, and the worst kind of "illusion of knowledge".