Information from the
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF OF NATURAL HISTORY
Smithsonian Institution Washington D.C.
Your ÿrecent ÿinquiry ÿconcerning ÿthe Book ÿof ÿMormon ÿhas ÿbeen
received in the Smithsonian's Department of Anthropology.
The ÿbook ÿof Mormon is a religious document and not a ÿscientific
guide. ÿÿThe Smithsonian Institution does not use it in archeological
research. Because the Smithsonian Institution receives many inquiries
regarding the book of Mormon, ÿwe have prepared a "Statement Regarding
the Book of Mormon," a copy of which is enclosed for your information.
This statement includes answers to questions most commonly asked about
the Book of Mormon.
PREPARED BY
THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
STATEMENT REGARDING THE BOOK OF MORMON
--------------------------------------
1. ÿÿThe Smithsonian Institution has never used the Book of Mormon in
any way as a scientific guide. ÿThe Smithsonian archaeologists see no
direct ÿconnection between archeology of the New World and the subject
matter of the book.
2. The physical type of American Indian is basically Mongoloid, being
most closely related to that of the peoples of eastern, ÿcentral, ÿand
northeastern ÿÿAsia. ÿÿArcheological ÿevidence ÿindicates ÿthat ÿÿthe
ancestors ÿof the present Indians came into the New World -- ÿprobably
over ÿa land bridge known to have existed in the Bering Strait ÿregion
during the last Ice Age -- ÿin a continuing series of small migrations
beginning from about 25,000 to 30,000 years ago.
3. ÿÿPresent ÿevidence indicates that the fist people to ÿreach ÿthis
continent from the East were the Norsemen who who briefly visited ÿthe
northeastern part of North America around A.D. ÿ1000 ÿand then settled
in ÿGreenland. ÿThere is nothing to show that they reached Mexico ÿor
Central America.
4. ÿÿOne ÿof ÿthe main lines of evidence ÿsupporting ÿthe ÿscientific
finding ÿthat contacts with Old World civilizations, ÿif ÿindeed ÿthey
occurred at all, ÿwere of very little significance for the development
of ÿAmerican ÿIndian ÿcivilizations, ÿÿis the fact that ÿnone ÿof ÿthe
principal ÿOld World domesticated ÿfood plants or animals (except ÿthe
dog) ÿÿoccurred in the New ÿWorld ÿin pre-Columbian times. ÿÿAmerican
Indians had ÿno ÿwheat, ÿbarley, ÿoats, ÿmillet, rice, ÿcattle, ÿpigs,
chickens, horses, ÿdonkeys, ÿcamels ÿbefore 1492. ÿ(camels and horses
were in the Americas, along with the bison, mammoth, mastodon, but all
these animals became extinct around 10,000 B.C. ÿat the time the early
big game hunters spread across the Americas.)
5. Iron, steel, glass, and silk were not used in the New World before
1492 ÿ(except for occasional use of unsmelted meteoric iron). ÿNative
copper ÿwas worked in various locations in pre-Columbian ÿtimes, ÿÿbut
true ÿmetallurgy was limited to southern Mexico and the Andean region,
where its occurrance in late prehistoric times involved gold, ÿsilver,
copper, and their alloys, but not iron.
6. ÿThere is a possibility that the spread of cultural traits ÿacross
the Pacific to Mesoamerica and the northwestern coast of South America
began several hundred years before the Christian era. ÿHowever, ÿÿany
such ÿinter-hemispheric ÿcontacts appear to have been the ÿresults ÿof
accidental voyages originating in eastern and southern Asia. It is by
no ÿmeans ÿcertain that even such contacts occurred with ÿthe ÿancient
Egyptians, ÿÿHebrews, ÿor other peoples of Western Asia and ÿthe ÿNear
East.
7. ÿÿNo ÿreputable ÿEgyptologist or other ÿspecialist ÿon ÿOld ÿWorld
archeology, ÿand no expert on New World prehistory, ÿhas discovered or
confirmed any relationship between archeological remains in Mexico and
archeological remains in Egypt.
8. ÿÿReports of findings of ancient Egyptian, ÿHebrew, ÿand other Old
World ÿwritings ÿin ÿthe ÿNew World ÿin ÿpre-Columbian ÿcontexts ÿhave
frequently ÿappeared in newspapers, ÿmagazines and sensational ÿbooks.
None ÿof ÿthese ÿclaims ÿhas ÿstood up ÿto ÿexamination ÿby ÿreputable
scholars. ÿNo inscriptions using Old World forms of writing have been
shown to have occurred in any part of the Americas before 1492 ÿexcept
for a few Norse rune stones which have been found in Greenland.
9. ÿÿThere ÿare ÿcopies of the Book of Mormon in the library ÿof ÿthe
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
NOTE: ÿÿThis article is an exact reproduction of a letter compiled ÿby
The Smithsonian Institution that was received by Computers for Christ,
and has been graciously provided free of charge by them.
For your own copy, write to:
The Smithsonian Institute
National Museum of Natural History
Department of Anthropology
Washington D.C. 20560
Computers For Christ, Panama City, Fl.
X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm)
& the Temple of the Screaming Electron Jeff Hunter 510-935-5845
Burn This Flag Zardoz 408-363-9766
realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 510-527-1662
Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 415-583-4102
My Dog Bit Jesus Suzanne D'Fault 510-658-8078
New Dork Sublime Demented Pimiento 415-566-0126
Specializing in conversations, obscure information, high explosives,
arcane knowledge, political extremism, diverse sexuality,
insane speculation, and wild rumours. ALL-TEXT BBS SYSTEMS.
Full access for first-time callers. We don't want to know who you are,
where you live, or what your phone number is. We are not Big Brother.
"Raw Data for Raw Nerves"
X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X