Life Of Navin

Two of the best known crystal skulls, once thought to be the work of ancient American civilisations - are modern fakes, a scientific study has shown.

Crystal skulls have come into focus thanks to the latest Indiana Jones film.

But experts say the artifacts showcased at the British Museum in London and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC are complete FAKES!!

Their results show that the skulls were made using tools not available either to the ancient Aztecs or Mayans.

Researchers say the work, which is published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, has finally ended decades of speculation over the origins of these controversial objects.

A team from the British Museum in London and the Cardiff University used sophisticated techniques to work out how the two skulls had been made.

"There are about a dozen or more of these crystal skulls. Except for the British Museum skull and one in Paris, they seem to have entered public awareness since the 60s, with the interest in quartz and the New Age movement," Professor Freestone of the team said .

"It does appear that people have been making them since then. Some of them are quite good, but some of them look like they were produced with a Black & Decker in someone's garage."

He added: "There seems to be the assumption that if it is roughly worked, it is more likely to have been made by a traditional society. That's untrue of course, because people were quite sophisticated. They might not have had modern tools, but they did a good job."

The researchers used an electron microscope to show that the skulls were probably shaped using a spinning disc-shaped tool made from copper or another suitable metal.

This "rotary wheel" technology was almost certainly not used by pre-Columbian peoples. Genuine Aztec and Mixtec artifacts show that they were crafted using tools made from stone and wood.

The British Museum skull was worked with a harsh abrasive such as Corundum or Diamond. But X-ray diffraction analysis showed a different material, called Carborundum (Silicon Carbide) , was used on the artefact in the Smithsonian.

Carborundum is a synthetic abrasive which only came into use in the 20th Century: "The suggestion is that it was made in the 1950s or later," said Professor Freestone.

Who made the skulls is still a mystery. But, in the case of the British Museum object, some suspect it was 19th Century French antiquities dealer called Eugene Boban.

Contemporary documents suggest Mr Boban was involved in selling at least two of the known crystal skulls - the one held in London and another in Paris.

Despite the findings, a spokeswoman for the British Museum said the artifact would remain on permanent display to the public.

The skull held by the Smithsonian was donated to the museum anonymously in 1992, along with a note saying it had been bought in Mexico in 1960.

OK so now Indy's running after perhaps something thats not as freakishly cool as some of the artifacts in his past movies..... But will that seriously stop Indy from being the best file of the year?? I doubt it!!