In late 1867 and early 1868 a brutal battle took place at the Royal Society of the Edinborough over the meaning of the Great Pyramid of Giza. On one side of the fight was Astronomer Royal of Scotland Charles Piazzi Smyth, who beleived science proved that the Great Pyramid was of Divine inspiration, and intended to be used as a metrological monument. On the other side of the battle was James Young Simpson, one of the most famous medical men of his time, but also an ardent antiquarian and master of the latest developments in new field of prehistoric archaeology. This paper examines the battle in two ways, firstly as a fight between conflicting mid-century visions of prehistory, and secondly as a battle over proper methods in the continuing 19th century to make archaeology into a science. My argument is that this battle was important in defining the border between what was and what was not acceptable by way of argument in scientific archaeology.

Burndy Library
Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology
Cambridge MA
United States of America
Email : dmcgee@dibinst.mit.edu

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