It's Ted Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hugh. Whether it's on TV or in school, we hear about the ancient past, the Mayans, the Romans, the Greeks. But many of these stories are full of claims that anthropological archaeologist Sarah Kernick calls pseudo-archiology.

She explains what that is and how untrue understandings of the past can be harmful to our present.

A few years ago, a stranger sitting next to me on a plane asked what I did for a living.

I told him that I'm an archaeologist,

and I study the ancient Maya. He said, wow, I love archaeology, and told me how excited he gets

when hearing about new finds. Then he told me how amazing it is that aliens from the planet Nibiru had come to Earth and established the ancient Sumerian culture in Mesopotamia.

I have these conversations a lot.

On planes, in bookstores, and in bars, people want to talk with me about pseudo-archiology,

something that seems like archaeology, but isn't. It involves making wild and unproven

claims about the human past. Things like aliens built the pyramids, or survivors from the lost continent of Atlantis

invented hieroglyphic writing. Now, most of us know that claims like these are unfounded and

frankly absurd, yet they're everywhere. They're on TV shows, in movies, and in books.

Think of the History Channel series Ancient Aliens,

currently in its 15th season.

Or of the most recent Indiana Jones movie

about the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Or Eric von Danikins' classic book,

Chariots of the Gods. Here's the crucial question. Who cares? It's just entertainment, right?

Isn't it a nice escape from reality and a fun way to think about the world?

It's not.

Most pseudo-archiology is racist and xenophobic, and like other forms of entertainment,

it influences our culture in real ways.

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