May 2026 – UnchartedX

Max Fomitchev-Zamilov has made several podcast appearances recently, as well as publishing numerous articles both on his website and elsewhere, claiming that he has conclusively shown the category of ‘precise’ hard stone vessels from ancient Egypt to be modern fakes. I quite disagree. Let’s discuss.

Generally, I have a strong inclination against “reaction” content, and I already have 10-plus hours of researched content dedicated to the topic of ancient precision vases on my channel. However, seeing as I am specifically named in Max’s latest article, I do want to spend a little time to share my perspective on his claims.

I’ve met Max, and we’ve been quite cordial. I’ve spent a couple of days with him in total, so I wouldn’t say I know him well. I’m generally thankful for his interest and work on these topics, but some of his claims and statements made recently in his work and on social media I’ve found to be a little…strange.

Most of Max’s work on Ancient Egypt can be found on his website. I will mostly be referencing his latest article of April 22, 2026, but also his prior research and articles, some of which I have previously referenced in my vase focused content.

Let’s establish some baselines, and lay out my understanding of what’s happened here.