Kenneth Feder#Books

Feder was very interested in cryptozoology and ancient astronauts as a teenager, when a book called Morning of the Magicians about extraterrestrial aliens turned him on to what he describes as the nonsense in archaeology.{{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |year=1990 |title=Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology |publisher=McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages|isbn=978-0-07-811697-1}} "Essentially it was Erich von Däniken before Erich von Däniken", referring to the popular author and popularizer of ancient astronaut theories. "I knew it was crap and it got me really pissed off," Feder has stated, adding that researching the claims that were made grew his interest. According to Feder, after becoming a professor, he asked his students what they wanted to learn in the class. They expressed interest in the same things he was interested in as a teen, but he couldn't find a book that dealt with answers to these pseudoscience topics, which led to the writing of his first book, Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology.

File:Archaeologist Ken Feder conducting an excavation in West Simsbury, Connecticut..JPG]]

Feder is the founder and director of the Farmington River Archaeological Project which studies the prehistory of the region in northwest Connecticut.

He gained his Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology in 1973 from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, his Master of Arts in anthropology from the University of Connecticut in 1975 and his PhD in anthropology in 1982.

In 1993, Feder published an account of his archaeological investigation into a 19th-century historical site in Barkhamsted, Connecticut entitled A Village of Outcasts: Historical Archaeology and Documentary Research at the Lighthouse Site, in which he detailed a case study of a group of Native Americans, emancipated African-American slaves, and European settlers who formed a settlement that lasted from 1740 to 1860.{{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |year=1993|title= A Village of Outcasts: Historical Archaeology and Documentary Research at the Lighthouse Site|publisher=Mayfield Publishing |isbn=978-1-55934-255-1}} In a review of Feder's book in American Anthropologist, Boston University's Mary Beaudry praised Feder's writing and efforts to draw attention to the settlement and "to turn [its] site report into a work of wider relevance," but also criticized the work, suggesting that "problems ensue from the perspective prehistorians often bring to historical sites," and suggesting that the field methods used in Feder's study lack the modernity of contemporary archaeological methods.{{cite journal|last=Beaudry|first=Mary|title=A Village of Outcasts: Historical Archaeology and Documentary Research at the Lighthouse Site. Kenneth L. Feder|journal=American Anthropologist|date=December 1, 1994|volume=96|issue=4|pages=1034–1035|doi=10.1525/aa.1994.96.4.02a00730}}

Feder's concentration on the narrative of the story reconstructed by the evidence he examined at the Barkhamsted Lighthouse community site was a key aspect of his interest; of the study, Feder has stated, "That's the coolest lesson for me about the lighthouse—it's also a story about how our country is made up of not only these famous folks we always read about, but about ordinary people who do these extraordinary things living in extraordinary circumstances."{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Robert|title=Forest Lighthouse; Archaeology Gives Form to Tale of a Marginal Community; Researchers Pursue a Romantic Tale of Love and Escape|newspaper=Hartford Courant|date=August 16, 2003}}

Feder's latest book is called Ancient America: Fifty Archaeological Sites to See for Yourself,{{cite book|title=Ancient-America-Fifty-Archaeological-Sites-to-See-for-Yourself|url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442263130/Ancient-America-Fifty-Archaeological-Sites-to-See-for-Yourself|website=rowman.com|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|access-date=September 29, 2016}} based on his odyssey across the U.S. visiting all of those fifty sites. "These are places where anybody, you don’t have to be an [a]rchaeologist, can go and respond, 'Wow! That’s really impressive, that’s gorgeous, that’s all mysterious and then talk about this is what it means, this is who built these things, this is how old these places are. So it’s kind of a travel guide/time travel guide, let’s call it that.'{{cite web|title=Ancient Alien Astronauts: Interview with Ken Feder|url=http://www.skeptic.com/podcasts/monstertalk/11/07/27/transcript/|publisher=MonsterTalk podcast|access-date=January 21, 2013|archive-date=August 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831113940/https://www.skeptic.com/podcasts/monstertalk/11/07/27/transcript/|url-status=dead}}

File:Archaeologist Ken Feder at Sego Canyon.JPG at Sego Canyon in Utah.]]

Feder appeared in the episode on ancient astronauts in the National Geographic Channel's Is It Real? and several episodes of the BBC documentary series Horizon discussing Atlantis and Caral. In 2004, he spoke at the World Skeptics Congress in Italy. He is also a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), an international organization which promotes scientific inquiry.{{cite web|title=CSI Fellows and Staff|url=http://www.csicop.org/about/csi_fellows_and_staff/|publisher=Center for Inquiry|access-date=June 20, 2012}}

Feder's 1990 book Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology attempts to explore various archaeological myths and misunderstandings by comparing phenomena that might otherwise appear unexplainable to similar occurrences and events that are scientifically documented. Gordon Stein, writing for The Skeptical Inquirer, said of Feder's analysis, "While some of these (e.g., Piltdown Man) have been covered by many previous authors, few have tried to use the tools of modern scientific archaeology to show why probability is greatly against the authenticity of the particular claim," going on to state that Feder uncovers areas "not often examined critically in the popular literature."{{cite journal|last=Stein|first=Gordon|title=Mysteries, Myths, and Misconceptions — Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology by Kenneth L. Feder|journal=The Skeptical Inquirer|year=1990|volume=15|issue=1|pages=88–89}} Feder's work is used as a textbook in a number of undergraduate courses{{citation|first=Bettina|last=Arnold|title=Teaching with intent: The archaeology of gender|journal=Archaeologies|volume=1|issue=2|year=2005|pages=83–93|doi=10.1007/s11759-005-0023-5|s2cid=20686614}} and as of 2020 is in its tenth edition.

In April 2001 Feder was consulted by a producer who was putting together a documentary about Atlantis for ABC, to follow the release of the network's parent company, Disney's, animated feature Atlantis: The Lost Empire that same year, and who was "looking for a reputable university anthropologist who was of the opinion that there is [a] historical and cultural connection between Atlantis and the native civilizations of the ancient New World."{{cite journal|last=Feder|first=Kenneth|title=Atlantis in Fantasyland: A Mickey Mouse documentary about the lost continent|journal=Skeptic|year=2002|volume=9|issue=3|pages=11–12}} Feder issued criticism of the documentary, which he stated was "packaging a television program to look like a science documentary that [...] amounted to an infomercial for a cartoon." In the end, Feder did not contribute to the resulting documentary, Voyage to Atlantis: The Lost Empire, which aired June 10, 2001.{{cite web|title=Voyage to Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) - Overview - TCM.com|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/481801/voyage-to-atlantis-the-lost-empire|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=February 1, 2013}}

Discussing the Bosnian pyramid with Steven Novella, Feder stated that it does not make sense that Visočica is anything other than a natural formation. "It's all about physical evidence... ancient pyramids don't build themselves." Feder claimed that pseudoarcheologists lack the training to do a professional job evaluating items they may find.{{cite web|title=Podcast 56 - August 15, 2006|url=http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=56|publisher=Skeptics' Guide to the Universe|access-date=January 20, 2013}}

Feder's book Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology addresses popular myths, by attempting to provide easily understood explanations for why some inaccuracies are perpetuated.{{cite journal|last=Wrinkle|first=Bobbie|title=Feder, Kenneth L.: Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology: From Atlantis to the Walam Olum|journal=Library Journal|date=January 2011|volume=129}} In his book, Feder also attempts to delineate the differences between findings that are questionable from "outright frauds."

The Cardiff Giant is Feder's favorite archeological fraud.{{cite web|title=Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum!|url=http://monstertalk.skeptic.com/fee_fi_fo_fum_|publisher=MonsterTalk|access-date=January 21, 2013|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112030302/https://monstertalk.skeptic.com/fee_fi_fo_fum_|url-status=dead}} Kenneth Feder lives in Connecticut with his wife, his cats, Sedona and Dodger, and other pets. He has two sons and two daughters.{{cite web|title=Solving Mysteries|url=http://www.cicap.org/congress/presentation.html|publisher=The Fifth World Skeptic Congress|access-date=January 25, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052017/http://www.cicap.org/congress/presentation.html|url-status=dead}}

File:Archaeologist Ken Feder in Moab, Utah..JPG showing Native Americans on horseback using bows and arrows to hunt bighorn sheep. The petroglyph panel is located in Arches National Monument in Moab, Utah.]]

• {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |year=1998 |title=Lessons From the Past: An Introductory Reader in Archaeology |publisher=McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages |isbn=978-0-7674-0453-2}}
• {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |author2=Coauthor - Michael Alan Park|year=1989|title=Human Antiquity: An Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Archaeology|publisher=Mayfield Publishing |isbn=978-0-87484-828-1}}
• {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |year=2019 |title=Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology 10th edition |publisher=Oxford University Press Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages|isbn=978-0190096410}}
• {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |year=1993|title= A Village of Outcasts: Historical Archaeology and Documentary Research at the Lighthouse Site|publisher=Mayfield Publishing |isbn=978-1-55934-255-1}}
• {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |author2=Coauthor - David A. Poirier|year=2001|title=Dangerous Places: Health, Safety, and Archaeology|publisher=Bergin & Garvey |isbn=978-0-89789-801-0}}
• {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |year=2006 |title=Past in Perspective: An Introduction to Human Prehistory|publisher=Mcgraw-Hill College |isbn=978-0-07-310770-7}}
• {{cite book|first=Kenneth|last=Feder|author2=Coauthor - Michael Park|year=2006|title=Human Antiquity: An Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Archaeology|publisher=McGraw-Hill|isbn=978-0-07-304196-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/humanantiquityan0000unse}}
• {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |year=2007|title=Linking to the Past: A Brief Introduction to Archaeology|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533117-2}}
• {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |author2=Coauthor - Thomas R. Hester |author3=Coauthor - Harry J. Shafer|year=2009|title=Field Methods in Archaeology, 7th Edition|publisher=Mayfield Publishing |isbn=978-1-59874-428-6}}
• {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |year=2010 |title=Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology: From Atlantis to the Walam Olum |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofdu0000fede |url-access=registration |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-37918-5}}
• {{cite book |first=Kenneth |last=Feder |year=2016 |title=Ancient America: Fifty Archaeological Sites to See for Yourself |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=978-1-4422-6312-3}}
• {{cite book |last1=Feder |first1=Kenneth |title=Native American Archaeology in the Parks: A Guide to Heritage Sites in Our National Parks and Monuments |date=2023 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-4586-9 |url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538145869/Native-American-Archaeology-in-the-Parks-A-Guide-to-Heritage-Sites-in-Our-National-Parks-and-Monuments?fbclid=IwAR0jaxlhjLnVqzxsDleFnX4v_MsCXrTU44FcIZz8dQzc47afOIMoSa_On4k |language=en-us}}
• {{cite book |last1=Feder |first1=Kenneth L. |title=The Barkhamsted Lighthouse: The Archaeology of the Lighthouse Family |date=2023 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-8085-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_hzNEAAAQBAJ&q=The+Barkhamsted+Lighthouse+The+Archaeology+of+the+Lighthouse+Family+KENNETH+L.+FEDER |language=en}}

{{reflist|2}}

• [http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/caraltrans.shtml Transcript of BBC Horizon Show on Caral featuring Kenneth Feder]
• [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1570853/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1/ Ken Feder] at the Internet Movie Database
• [http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/caraltrans.shtml Transcript of BBC Horizon Show on Caral featuring Kenneth Feder]
• [http://monstertalk.skeptic.com/media/skeptic/010_Monstertalk.mp3 Interview with Kenneth Feder on Monster Talk podcast dated 1/13/2010, "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum!" (Caution: some foul language)]
• [http://monstertalk.skeptic.com/media/skeptic/038_Monstertalk.mp3 Interview with Kenneth Feder on Monster Talk podcast dated 7/27/2011, "Ancient Alien Astronauts: Interview with Ken Feder"]
• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl68fplNJM8BsG6uJLeHUfMYtNHeza5l_Exposing Hoaxes, Busting Myths, & Solving Mysteries A Ten-Part Lecture Series In Archaeology]

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