Shamed: The cheating archaeologist who faked Japan's ancient past
Submitted by TimPrevett on Tuesday, 30 December 2003 Page Views: 1345
DiscoveriesArtefacts apparently showing that Japanese civilisation is thousands of years older than previously thought were planted by a rogue archaeologist. At the centre of the scandal is Shinichi Fujimura, a flamboyant archaeologist who started out as an amateur in 1972 when he was 22 and working for a manufacturing company.At the time, most Japanese archaeologists were in two minds as to whether the Paleolithic period in their country reached further back than 30,000 years. They longed for proof that it did, so that they could claim a more distinguished place in the evolutionary scheme of things.
In 1981 Fujimura answered their prayers by unearthing a cache of stone cutting and scraping implements from a layer of volcanic ash. As the ash was 40,000 years old, his findings put that starting point back by a gratifying 10,000 years.
With his new career thus launched, Fujimura proceeded to make a whole series of findings, each progressively older than the last. By the end of 2000 he was bringing up treasures no less than 700,000 years old. No wonder the public hailed him as a national hero, while the archaeological community nicknamed him “God’s hands” — their prayers were being answered.
More: The Times Online 30/12/2003
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