In December of 1912, amateur archeologist Charles Dawson made the startling announcement that he had discovered the “missing link.” A dashing Englishman, Dawson, has often been identified as the real-life model for Indiana Jones. His claim was based on a partial cranium found in situ in 1908 at a gravel pit in Piltdown Essex along with other bone shards sifted from nearby gravel heaps over the following four years. Described as “half man/ half ape”, Piltdown Man provided imperialist Britain and Western Europe a point of evolutionary departure for modern humans. Despite considerable skepticism in 1912, Piltdown Man won the support of influential British and American museums. Later investigations showed that Dawson had joined the head of a man and jaw of an orangutan intentionally to deceive. Dawson’s clever hoax was finally put to rest in 1953 by a conclusive report published in Time magazine. Our two carved museum exhibits, ca 1930-40s, are executed with all the pomp and seriousness of mistaken academic certainty on the matter. That they are making fools of their audience is responsible for most of their charm. As reminders that the truth of human evolution is as much a matter of behavior as of bones, they make good company. Condition: Excellent. Dimensions: 3.5" x 3.5" x 4".