Evidence for the Coexistence of Humans and Dinosaurs? Not so Fast

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Christian apologetics is the defense of biblical faith. A popular line of reasoning for some apologists concerns the coexistence of dinosaurs and human beings. If the sequence of events in creation in Genesis 1 is to be understood properly, then human beings and dinosaurs coexisted. Proof of this, it is claimed, can be seen as recently as a thousand years ago.

The evidence marshaled to support this argument includes petroglyphs, carvings, and artifacts bearing images claimed to be dinosaurs. These pictures litter the Internet. Unfortunately, this evidence is exceedingly weak and almost always involves some degree of misinterpretation. The meme to the right is a perfect example of this. Let’s break down the individual photos in the picture.

The top line includes a picture of a figurine of a man riding a Triceratops. It appears to be one of the dinosaur figurines of Acámbaro, Mexico. This hoard of figurines, many of which were procured by a German fellow named Waldemar Julsrud, contains many examples of humans and animals. Some of the figurines look remarkably similar to dinosaurs. Allegations of forgery and deception mar the history of these artifacts. Experts have determined that at least some of them were created in the 20th century.

The other figure in the top line is a carving of an animal found on a Cambodian temple wall. Some identify it as a stegosaurus, mostly due to the decorative elements along the top of the carving that only vaguely resemble the dermal plates found on the back of this distinctive type of dinosaur. The remaining anatomical features—particularly the body, head, and tail of the animal—do not match those of a stegosaurus. It also lacks the characteristic tail spikes. Overall, it more closely resembles a hippopotamus, boar, or pangolin. Some have even claimed that the original carving has been altered.

The elements claimed to be the dermal fins of a stegosaur should probably be interpreted as decorative flourishes, similar to those found in other carvings of animals in the same temple. If it were a dinosaur, we would have to ask why artists failed to include other species of dinosaurs in the surrounding art. The meme contains three more depictions of the same carving in the third and fourth lines.

The second line includes the infamous Ica stones, which experts have discredited. A physician named Javier Cabrera Darquea collected thousands of stones bearing surprisingly accurate images of dinosaurs from a farmer in the Ica province of Peru. The farmer later admitted that he had created the stones by carving them with a dental tool and baking them in cow dung to give it a patina. Some of the stones also appear to demonstrate an advanced knowledge of astronomy and medicine. They include examples of telescopes, flying machines, and what seems to be a heart transplant. The stones give every appearance of being a hoax.

The last image of the second line is the Two Dog Palette, which dates to the late fourth millennium BC in Egypt. Palettes—including the more famous Narmer Palette—include a circular space in the center used for grinding pigments for makeup. Both of these palettes include two creatures known as serpopards, a peculiar type of creature that sometimes appears in Egyptian art. These imaginary animals look like leopards with very long necks, resembling a serpent (and thus the portmanteau, “serpopard”). Upon close inspection, the animals are entirely feline except for their necks. In other words, they are not dinosaurs. You can get a closer look at the Two Dog Palette here, and a close-up of the Narmer Palette here.

The last two lines include four images, three of which are the supposed stegosaurus in Cambodia. The last I have not been able to identify.

The most troubling aspect of this meme is that the caption claims the civilizations responsible for producing these images are “Thousands of years old.” Only one of these objects seems to be more than a few hundred years old, and it does not depict dinosaurs. This piece of evidence is so bad that I have no option but to conclude one of two things. First, an innocently naïve but irresponsible believer may have created the meme. Alternatively, a non-Christian may have purposely designed this meme to make Christians look foolish. I lean toward the latter.

Christians should never settle for bad evidence. Christian faith will not stand or fall on one argument or artifact. We should be content with the fact that that body of evidence argues for the existence of God, the reliability of Scripture, and the reasonableness of faith.