In the past few decades the orthodox views of ancient history have been presented with newly discovered, newly translated, or newly emphasized data that just don’t fit it with the tidy schemes and time lines of the academic world.

Since to many academics changing their minds is the equivalent of dying, the new data has been ignored or sneered at because the people who noticed what the experts hadn’t noticed don’t have degrees in the disciplines involved. That always happens. When Fulton built his steam ship the experts stood on the bank shouting in chorus, "It’ll never start." When it took off down stream they ran down the bank shouting, "It’ll never stop."