Ron Wyatt
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Ronald Eldon Wyatt (1933 - August 4, 1999) was a controversial self-styled archaeologist (he had no training in the discipline and held no professional position) who claimed to have found many significant biblical sites and artifacts. His claims are ignored by the scientific and historical communities.
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[edit] Biography
Wyatt was a nurse-anesthetist at Nashville's Summit Medical Center when in 1960 he saw a picture in Life magazine of a boat-like shape on a mountain near Mount Ararat. The resulting wide-spread speculation in evangelical Christian circles that this might be Noah's Ark started Wyatt on his career as a self-styled archaeologist. From 1977 until his death in 1999 he made over one hundred trips to the Middle East, his interests widening to take in a wide variety of references from the old and new testaments.
[edit] Claimed discoveries
By the time of his death in 1999 his claimed discoveries included:
- The true Noah's Ark (the Durupinar site, near but not on Mount Ararat)
- Anchor stones (actually drogue stones) used by Noah on the Ark
- The post-flood house and tombs of Noah and his wife
- The location of Sodom and Gomorrah
- Sulfur balls from the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah
- The site of the Israelites' crossing of the Red Sea (which Wyatt located in the Gulf of Aqaba)
- Chariot wheels and other relics of the pursuing army of Pharaoh at the bottom of the sea
- The true site of the biblical Mt. Sinai (located by Wyatt in Saudi Arabia at Jabal al Lawz)
- A chamber at the end of a maze of tunnels under Jerusalem containing artifacts from Solomon's temple
- The Ark of the Covenant
- The original stones of the Ten Commandments
- The true site of the Crucifixion
- The blood of Jesus, dripped onto the Mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, directly beneath the Crucifixion
Wyatt won a devoted following among some fundamentalist Christians seeking tangible evidence of the literal truth of the Bible. His credibility was disputed, often bitterly, by genuine archaeologists and biblical scholars. One member of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) stated that "Ron Wyatt is neither an archaeologist nor has he ever carried out a legally licensed excavation in Israel or Jerusalem. In order to excavate one must have at least a BA in archaeology which he does not possess despite his claims to the contrary. ... [His claims] fall into the category of trash which one finds in tabloids such as the National Enquirer, Sun etc."[1] Wyatt's official organization, Wyatt Archaeological Research (WAR), claims that the IAA have always been well aware of the excavations and issued "verbal" permits (presumably meaning oral permission) for most of them. They also claim that the IAA has issued official permits to all WAR excavations since 2002. Nevertheless, the only evidence of WAR involvement in a legitimate excavation sanctioned by the IAA relates to WAR part-funding of a 2005 dig.[2]
The more mainstream branches of the evangelical movement are not any less skeptical, with one Seventh-day Adventist professor of archaeology summing up Wyatt's Noah's Ark and anchor stones claims in these words: "While the Durupinar site is about the right length for Noah's ark, [it is] ... too wide to be Noah's ark. Wyatt has claimed that the "boat-shapedness" of this formation can only be explained by its being Noah's ark, but both Shea and Morris have offered other plausible explanations. Likewise, Wyatt has argued that the standing stones he has found are anchors, while Terian is aware of similar stones outside the Durupinar site area that were pagan cultic stones later converted by Christians for Christian purposes."[3] Dismissed by the mainstream as a pseudoarchaeologist, Wyatt and his followers in turn dismissed their critics as motivated by personal spite and/or anti-Christian animosity.
The Garden Tomb Association of Jerusalem state in a letter they issue to visitors on request:
The Council of the Garden Tomb Association (London) totally refute the claim of Mr Wyatt to have discovered the original Ark of the Covenant or any other biblical artefacts within the boundaries of the area known as the Garden Tomb Jerusalem. Though Mr Wyatt was allowed to dig within this privately owned garden on a number of occasions (the last occasion being the summer of 1991) staff members of the Association observed his progress and entered his excavated shaft. As far as we are aware nothing was ever discovered to support his claims nor have we seen any evidence of biblical artefacts or temple treasures.
Following Wyatt's death a split developed between the official Wyatt Archaeological Research (WAR) organization which he founded, and the independent ministries and interested individuals which had previously cooperated with WAR. WAR currently claims to be the sole owner of all Wyatt's photographs, newsletters, and other intellectual property. Other individuals previously close to Wyatt have established rival websites (see "External links" below).
[edit] References
[edit] External links
[edit] Official and Pro-Wyatt
- The official website of Wyatt Archaeological Research
- Site of Wyatt enthusiast Bill Fry
- Site of Jim Pinkoski, curator of Wyatt's first museum
- Site of Jonathan Gray, Wyatt's early associate and promotor in Australia and New Zealand
- Pro-Wyatt, anti-WAR site of Kevin Fisher, president of non-profit organization Voice of Truth, Inc.
- Ron Wyatt FAQ
