The Highest Common Factor: Heterodox Archaeology and the Perennialist Milieu

This article differentiates two universalist rhetorical strategies in common use among producers of alternative archaeological narratives: hyperdiffusionism and perennialism. Both strategies seek to account for perceived similarities in archaeological monuments worldwide by tracing them to a single ur-source. However, each takes a distinct epistemic position with respect to the identity of that source. Hyperdiffusionism and perennialism represent shifting ideological trends within the modern cultic milieu, and, therefore, noting the distinction is important in tracing the reception history of archaeological monuments and artifacts.