Pseudo-archaeology includes deliberate frauds, such as the infamous Piltdown Man, as well as manufactured mysteries. These frauds have been perpetrated to bewilder, bemuse, and sometimes embarrass both recognized scientists and educated laypersons. These frauds sometimes include faked artifacts which are deliberately planted in sites to fool archaeologists.

Under the category of manufactured mysteries would be the idea that a mysterious, vanished race was responsible for the construction of the earthworks in the American Midwest and Southeast; the stories of lost continents of advanced civilizations (such as Atlantis) which were responsible for building pyramids in Mesoamerica and Egypt; and the allegation that the archaeological record shows visitations by aliens from other planets. These manufactured mysteries are often based on the mistaken assumption that ancient people were not creative, intelligent, clever, or capable.

Archaeological interpretation intended to foster either nationalism or racism is a form of propaganda that falls within the realm of pseudo-archaeology. Archaeology can be used to promote patriotism and pride in national history. Sometimes, this is pushed beyond science to become pseudo-archaeology. Examples of this would include the efforts of German Nazis during the 1930s and 1940s to use supposed archaeological findings in support of their notions of Aryan superiority. Similarly, Italy’s Mussolini had the Forum of Trajan excavated in order to celebrate Italy’s rediscovered glory. Use of archaeological findings to bolster nationalistic propaganda is not limited to Europe. In China, archaeological data is often reconciled to Marxist laws to present a Chinese case of social development in the search for innovation centers.

We might view the Piltdown Man forgery as pseudo-archaeology done out of nationalistic or ethnocentric interests. The forgery was created in 1912 and planted in a British gravel pit. British ethnocentrism and feelings of superiority let them fall into the trap of feeling that the first human was clearly an Englishman.

Another aspect of pseudo-archaeology involves the attempts to force the archaeological record to conform to and provide support for a literal interpretation of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. The archaeological evidence does not support the idea that the world was created only 10,000 years ago, nor does it support the idea of a universal flood that destroyed all but a handful of people.

Accounts of places being destroyed by catastrophic events—earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, and so on—can be found in oral traditions throughout the world. The concept of Atlantis, a great kingdom on an island, originates with the Greek philosopher Plato. While Aristotle said that Atlantis was an invented concept, other writers have used their imaginations to expand Atlantis from an island to a continent. Expanding knowledge of the world, both its geography and its geology, has driven the Atlantis story farther into fantasy. In attempts to make the story fit current understandings, the true believers have had to change dates, locations, and descriptions.

Ancient aliens is a theme that frequently appears on popular television programs which purport to be historical but are actually works of fantasy. The idea that ancient aliens created or inspired the great civilizations of Egypt, Mesoamerica, and South America is based on two assumptions: (1) that humans (homo sapiens sapiens) lacked the intelligence to create civilizations, and (2) that these civilizations "suddenly" appeared and thus must have come from outer space. Unfortunately, the archaeological record does not support these assumptions. Egypt’s pyramids, for example, were developed over a long period of time and do not actually require a sophisticated knowledge of either mathematics or engineering to construct.

Another pseudo-archaeological theme is contact between the Americas and Europe, Africa, and Asia. Speculation about the origins of American Indians began shortly after the Spanish discovery of the Americas. Europeans, assuming that the Bible had to explain the origins of the Indians, resorted to fantastic stories that seemed to fit the Old Testament. Many felt that Indians had to be descendents of one of the lost tribes of Israel, or perhaps descendents of migrations from Egypt to the Americas.

Some of these claims were originally created as frauds, revealed as such, but continue to emerge in the popular media. One example is the story of Prince Modoc of Wales who supposedly led an expedition to Florida in 1170. The story first emerges in the English court in 1580, a time when the English were attempting to expand their claims to North America via the Discovery Doctrine. While the story was clearly fraudulent, it continued to emerge during the nineteenth and twentieth century with claims of Welsh-speaking Indians as well as claims of Welsh influence in the creation of the Mayan, Aztec, and Inkan civilizations.

There are many claims that the Egyptians colonized Mexico based on the fact that there are pyramids in both areas. These claims pay little attention to the differences in the construction of the pyramids, the differences in the use of the pyramids, and the fact that the Egyptians never sailed on open water. They were, in fact, notoriously poor sailors.

In 1558 Nicolo Zeno published a collection of travel accounts allegedly undertaken by his ancestors in the 14th and 15th centuries. According to Zeno, his ancestors reached North America in 1380 and he provided a map to prove it. The Zeno map, however, was quickly shown to be a cartographic amalgam derived from contemporary maps. While it is clear that this was a hoax intended to add to his family’s prestige, it is still recounted as truth on some popular television programs.

Saint Brendan, according to stories written down between 700 and 900, set sail from Ireland in a curragh (a 36 foot skin-covered boat) about 512-530 and returned after seven years with many fascinating stories about his adventures. While Saint Brendan may have been a real person, the claims that he reached North America are less certain. Experimental archaeology has shown that such a voyage is possible, but there is no other archaeological evidence that Saint Brendan sailed from Ireland to North America.

The speculations about contacts between Asia, more specifically China, and the Americas are often based on histories and maps. Gavin Menzies presents some interesting speculation about the Chinese fleets in the 15th century, but there is little archaeological data from North America to substantiate claims of contact. On the other hand, architect Paul Chiasson claims to have discovered an ancient Chinese settlement on Cape Breton Island in Canada, but no-one trained in archaeology has examined the site.

Similarly, there are speculations about contacts between Africa and the Americans which are also based on written records. Both Leo Wiener and Ivan van Sertima have presented what they feel is evidence of this contact, but none of it is substantial enough for most archaeologists to accept.