Talk:America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World

Sources

Hi @Cunard, this one got redirected from here. I had a few sources going for it and I suspect that there may be more sources out there so I can bring it back, if you can please help me find them? BOZ (talk) 09:07, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

Hi BOZ (talk · contribs). Here are some sources about America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World:

1. Cook, Warren L. (1977). "America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World. By Barry H. Barraclough Fell. "A Demeter Press Book" (New York: Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Co., 1976. Pp. viii, 312. Maps. Illustrations. $12.50)". Terrae Incognitae. 9: 105–106. doi:10.1179/tin.1977.9.1.99.

   The review notes: "Having documented to beyond the point of denial, from findings in the summer of 1975, the likelihood of contact between early New Englanders and Celtiberians, Fell proceeds to amass evidence that other contemporary cultures of the Old World explored the great river routes of penetration of North America. The relics are tangible, numerous, and persuasive testimonials to such historic accomplishments. Fell is meticulous at providing illustrations and data necessary to evaluate the authenticity of such objects and the competence of his translations. What is bound to stir much controversy is Fell's assertion, based on indubitably authentic documents (e.g. Pima Creation chants, Zuni decorative motifs, Wabanaki hieroglyphics), that Punic, Libyan and Egyptian explorers had an enduring influence upon some Native American cultures, in particular the "mound builders." ... A typo with substantive importance (210, line 25: "May" should read March), a duplicated caption (292 and 293), and a few omissions (e.g. Metonic cycle, Vermont place names) in a too parsimonious index are minor blemishes in an otherwise meritorious and significant scholarly accomplishment that deserves to be widely read among those engaged in pushing back the frontiers of knowledge of our past."

2. Sorenson, John L. (Spring 1977). "America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World. Barry Fell". BYU Studies. 17 (3): 373–375. JSTOR 43044045. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-18.

   The review notes: "Fell will no doubt be smitten vigorously by hostile critics. He and his handful of collaborators are in a vulnerable position professionallysionally. Their limited resources could be augmented significantly by sales of this book. Mormons who wish to assist one who shares some of their position in the face of opposition from the professional establishment could strike a blow by buying this book. They may enjoy it, too."

3. Daniel, Glyn (1977-03-13). "America B.C. Ancient Settlers in the New World. By Barry Fell". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-18.

   This is a review of two books: America B.C. by Barry Fell and They Came Before Columbus by Ivan Van Sertima. The review notes: "Fell and Van Sertima are deluded scholars; their readers must exercise care and caution before sharing unreservedly their delusions. If one is trying to build a new ancient history of pre‐Columbian America, it must be based on well‐argued theories backed by indispensable facts—Professors Fell and Van Sertima give us badly argued theories based on fantasies"

4. Rutherford, John (1977-02-12). "Columbus, Ericson Far Behind, Says Fell". Indianapolis News. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-18 – via Newspapers.com.

   The review notes: "Fell castigates American archeologists for their lack of interest in possible prehistoric artifacts that would presume a migration to America from any direction other than from the Bering Strait passage from Asia. He blames this on the strong influence of the Roman Empire on subsequent Western thought. ... Fell's sweeping conclusions are painted with a broad brush. They add up lo a fascinating picture of what might have been."

5. Pettits III, Charles R. (1977-01-22). "Predating Columbus by 2300 years. America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World by Barry Fell". The Ithaca Journal. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-18 – via Newspapers.com.

   The review notes: ""America B.C." is written clearly, although the epigraphic details may be somewhat dry for some readers. The illustrations and photos leave much to be desired and are not of the standard that this exciting and fascinating book deserves. Nonetheless, the book is significant and is recommended for those with an interest in what is, for the moment, America's prehistory."

6. Becker, Georgia (1977-07-17). "questioning america's 'roots'". The Manhattan Mercury. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-18 – via Newspapers.com.

   The review notes: "Unless the reader is quite interested in the mechanics of linguistics, he may prefer to skim through the first seven chapters and then really settle in on chapter eight in which the historic action of the story begins to take shape. The book is very generously illustrated with drawings, charts, maps and actual photographs which add wonderfully to the understanding and interest. The book is written in a relaxed and comfortable style, posing no problems for the lay reader. The work on these early American artifacts is far from complete, in fact scarcely begun, and Fell admits that they are, no doubt, making errors that only time will reveal and correct. One tends to be skeptical, wondering how anyone can be sure what happened so long ago, but before writing Fell's theories off as fantasy, consider: 1."

7. Wiggins, John R. (1977-01-27). "Book Review: Let's Hear It For The Celts—American Visitors Before Christ?". The Ellsworth American. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-18 – via Newspapers.com.

   The review notes: "This reviewer is predisposed to credit any new idea that has been trounced upon automatically by doctrinaire types who aren't inventive enough to do more than stumble over any original theory that comes their way. The rest of you can sit pack and scoff at leisure, and no offense will be taken. For those interested, a chart of the Ogam alphabet is reproduced here from Fell's bode."

8. Rowlett, Elsebet Sander-Jørgensen (March–April 1978). "The Archaeologist's Bookshelf. America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World". Archaeology. Vol. 31, no. 2. pp. 64–65. JSTOR 41726567.

   The review notes: "It is an exciting and interesting book, well worth reading for the pleasure of it. The photographs are somewhat fuzzyand drawings of the people of past centuries are questionable because of the male nudity—the population of the cultures they depict certainly did not run around naked except on very special religious occasions or during war-games. The scientific notes, maps and index areall well chosen and up-to-date."

9. Bray, Warwick (1979). "Reviews and Short Notices. America BC: Ancient Settlers in the New World". History. 64 (212): 396. JSTOR 24413535.

   The review notes: "I do not know of any reputable linguist who accepts Fell's translations of the stones, or who believes that Celtic place names can be recognized in American Indian languages. The drystone buildings, conventionally dismissed as colonial root cellars, are another problem, and one that deserves serious investigation. They come in many different forms, are inadequately dated, and some of them may turn out to be pre-European—though that in itself would not prove their Old World origin. But here, at least, is a problem which orthodox archaeology will eventually solve, one way or the other. Fell's arguments can be refuted only by considering each item individually, but it should be remembered that a general principle is not established merely by amassing unproved examples."

10. Goddard, Ives; Fitzhugh, William W. (September 1978). "Barry Fell Reexamined". The Biblical Archaeologist. 41 (3): 85–88. JSTOR 3209452.

    The review notes: "The Department of Anthropology of the Smithsonian Institution occasionally receives inquiries regarding the book America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World, by Barry Fell (Quadrangle/ New York Times Book Co., 1976). This book attempts to demonstrate that a number of early peoples (including Phoenicians, Libyans, Carthaginians, and Egyptians) had contact with the New World long before the brief visits of the Norsemen about A.D. 1000. The evidence cited includes stone inscriptions found, or alleged to have been found, in the New World; American Indian words, place names, and writing systems claimed to be of Egyptian, Celtic, Norse, Semitic, or other Old World origin; and certain carved stones, stone structures, and artifacts. The statement below has been prepared to explain briefly why Smithsonian specialists in linguistics and New World prehistory consider the conclusions reached in this book to be incorrect."

11. Van Blair, Dale (October 1977). "A New Light on American Prehistory". Central States Archaeological Journal. 24 (4). Central States Archaeological Societies: 191–192. JSTOR 43137008.

    The review notes: "The book is copiously illustrated with dozens of photographs, drawings, tables, and charts. Included are photographs of many of the inscriptions and structures, drawings of comparable Celtic art from the old and new worlds (decorated burial urns, for example), and detailed charts comparing Egyptian and Micmac hieroplyphs. The illustrations not only are interesting in themselves, but also serve to substantiate many of the author's findings."

12. Korn, Eric (1978-06-02). "Follow that Script". New Statesman. Vol. 95, no. 2463. p. 742. ProQuest 1306950110.

    The second page of the review is available here. The review notes: "Feller uses scripts by the bucketload to support the engaging thesis that years before Madog, Celtic sailors made the great crossing, leaving Ogham inscriptions all over New England, and up and down the Mississippi Valley. Why Ogham in 1000 to the British Isles, even pinpointing its BC, which conventional wisdom confines origin to South Wales in the fourth century AD? Perhaps because Ogham is a simple system, code rather than alphabet, where each letter is represented by one to five strokes of different lengths and inclinations. ... There is a style — ingratiating, immodest, overloaded with autobiography — which unmistakably identifies the pseudo-scholar, even one as benign and judicious as Professor Barraclough Fell: if only crank-art or crank-politics were so easily detectable.""

13. "America B.C: Ancient Settlers in the New World (Book Review)". The Christian Century. Vol. 94. 1977-03-09. p. 235. EBSCOhost 527245663.

    The excerpt notes: "If Fell is correct, then all the other anthropologists and archaeologists are wrong about American beginnings, since he makes much of European intrusions long before Leif Eriksson. His theories, accompanied by photographs, are engaging and even startling. His is a high-risk game, because the rest of the profession does not take kindly to extrapolations like these. Detective work, fun and games."

Cunard (talk) 12:35, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

Wow, awesome! That far exceeded my expectations. :) I'll work on this one today! BOZ (talk) 14:37, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

That last one is by thia doctor[1] and the journal printed a rebuttal which is the Goddard and Ives link above. Which I have. Doug Weller talk 15:08, 18 January 2024 (UTC)