Paintings from Val Camonica, Italy, c.10,000 BC, purportedly showing extraterrestrial visitors.

Ancient astronaut theory is a term used to describe the belief that intelligent extraterrestrial creatures visited Earth in the distant past and that such contact was linked to the origin or development of human culture. It was popularized by authors such as Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin. Much of the evidence used by supporters of this theory is archeological artifacts interpreted to support their theory. This theory is often supported by the lack of definitive explanations by scientists about certain ancient artifacts. Image File history File links Ancientastronauts. ... Image File history File links Ancientastronauts. ... Val Camonica is a valley in the lower Alpine regions of Lombardy, Italy. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, currently used by the SETI project in the search for extraterrestrial life Extraterrestrial life is life that may exist and originate outside the planet Earth, the only place in the universe currently known by humans to support life. ... Earth (IPA: , often referred to as the Earth, Terra, the World or Planet Earth) is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth largest. ... Erich von Däniken Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (b. ... Zecharia Sitchins photograph from The 12th Planet Zecharia Sitchin (born 1922)[1] is an occult scientist and a best-selling author of books promoting the ancient astronaut theory of mankinds origins. ...

It can be considered a subset of paleocontact theory, a hypothesis that intelligent extraterrestrials have visited Earth. Carl Sagan, I.S. Shklovskii, and Hermann Oberth are three notable scientists who have seriously considered this possibility. Paleocontact is generally regarded as being on firmer scientific ground than the popular "ancient astronaut" theory, due to the scientific training of its proponents, and their generally more guarded advancement of the hypothesis. A hypothesis (from Greek ) is a suggested explanation of a phenomenon or reasoned proposal suggesting a possible correlation between multiple phenomena. ... Carl Edward Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, astrobiologist, and highly successful science popularizer. ... Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky (Ио́сиф Самуи́лович Шкло́вский) (July 1, 1916 – March 3, 1985) was a Russian astronomer and astrophysicist. ... Oberth (in front) with fellow ABMA employees. ...

Details

Ancient astronaut adherents often claim that humans are either descendants or creations of beings who landed on Earth millennia ago. An associated theory is that much of human knowledge, religion and culture came from extraterrestrial visitors in ancient times. Ancient astronauts acted as a “mother culture”. These ideas are generally discounted by the scientific community. A mother culture is a term for an early people and their culture, with great and widespread influence on later cultures and people. ...

The idea of paleocontact appears in numerous science fiction stories and films, most notably 2001: A Space Odyssey. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... A movie poster from the original release of 2001 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is an immensely popular and influential science fiction film and book; the film directed by Stanley Kubrick and the book written by Arthur C. Clarke. ...

Adherents

Ancient astronaut theories have been advanced by authors such as:-

• Charles Fort (1919)
• Morris K. Jessup (1955)
• George Hunt Williamson (1957)
• Peter Kolosimo (in his 1957 book, Il pianeta sconosciuto)
• Henri Lhote (1958),^[1]
• Matest M. Agrest (1959)
• W. Raymond Drake (1964)
• I.S. Shklovskii and Carl Sagan in their 1968 book Intelligent LIfe in the Universe
• Erich von Däniken (1968)
• Robert Charroux (1969)
• Dr. S. Lunskaya (1970)
• Robert K. G. Temple (1976)
• Zecharia Sitchin (1978)
• Richard C. Hoagland
• Burak Eldem
• Alan F. Alford

Charles Fort, 1920 Charles Hoy Fort (6 August 1874 - 3 May 1932) was an American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Morris K. Jessup (1900 - 1959) was an American astronomerand writer; he is probably best remembered from his ufological writings. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... George Hunt Williamson (December 9, 1926 - January, 1986), aka Michel dObrenovic, was one of the four guys named George among the mid-1950s contactees. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cover for Il pianeta sconosciuto (The Unknown Planet), one of Kolosimos most popular international bestsellers. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Matest M. Agrest (born in 1915 in Mogilev, Belarus) was a Russian ethnologist and mathematician known chiefly for being an early proponent of ancient astronaut theories, which boomed in the 1970s. ... W. Raymond Drake (1913 - 1989), a British disciple of Charles Fort, published nine books on the ancient astronaut theme, the first four years earlier than Erich Von Dänikens bestseller Chariots of the Gods. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky (Ио́сиф Самуи́лович Шкло́вский) (July 1, 1916 – March 3, 1985) was a Russian astronomer and astrophysicist. ... Carl Edward Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, astrobiologist, and highly successful science popularizer. ... Erich von Däniken Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (b. ... Robert Charroux was the best-known pen-name of Robert Grugeau (April 7. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Robert K. G. Temple (born in the U.S. in 1945) is an American author best known for his controversial book, The Sirius Mystery (1976; though its writing began in 1967) which presents the idea that the Dogon people preserve the tradition of an extraterrestrial contact, contact with intelligent extraterrestrial... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Zecharia Sitchins photograph from The 12th Planet Zecharia Sitchin (born 1922)[1] is an occult scientist and a best-selling author of books promoting the ancient astronaut theory of mankinds origins. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Richard C. Hoagland (born April 25, 1945) is a propounder of theories on astronomical topics that are considered offbeat by many mainstream astronomers. ... Burak Eldem is a Turkish writer/researcher and journalist. ...

Erich von Däniken

Erich von Däniken was a leading proponent of this theory in the late 1960s and early 1970s, gaining a large audience through the 1968 publication of his best-selling book Chariots of the Gods and its sequels. Von Däniken's evidence supporting his vision of paleocontact are as follows: The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Book cover for Chariots of the Gods? Chariots of the Gods?: Unsolved Mysteries of the Past is a controversial book written in 1968 by Erich von Däniken. ...

• Certain artifacts and monumental constructions, their purpose or origin unknown, appear to have required a more sophisticated technological ability in their construction than what was presumed by historians for those ancient cultures. These objects and structures are deemed to be beyond the technological capabilities of the associated societies attributed with their manufacture (at least in the eyes of the author and his adherents). Von Däniken maintains that these artifacts were constructed either directly by extraterrestrial visitors or by humans who learned the necessary knowledge from said visitors. These artifacts and monuments include Stonehenge, the moai of Easter Island, the Antikythera mechanism and the Ancient Baghdad Electric Batteries. (See OOPArt)

• In ancient art and iconography throughout the world, certain similar themes can be interpreted to illustrate air and space vehicles, non-human but intelligent creatures, ancient astronauts and artifacts of an anachronistically advanced technology. Von Däniken also identifies certain details that appear similar across the art of geographically-diverse historical cultures, which he argues imply a common origin.

• The origins of many religions could be interpreted as reactions to encounters by primitive humans with some alien race. According to this view, humans consider the technology of the aliens to be supernatural and the aliens themselves to be gods. Von Däniken indicates that the oral and written traditions of most religions contain references to alien visitors by descriptions of stars and vehicular objects travelling through air and space. The author maintains that these should be seen as literal descriptions from eyewitnesses that have changed during the passage of time to become more obscure, rather than symbolic or mythical fiction. One such is Ezekiel's revelation in the Old Testament, which Däniken interprets as a detailed description of a landing spacecraft.

Since the publication of von Däniken's books, no substantial evidence has been found to verify his claims, while much claimed evidence has been disproven.^[2]Most historians regard his claims — as well of those of other ancient astronaut believers — as pseudoscience or pseudoarchaeology. Stonehenge 2004 Stonehenge is a Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monument located near Amesbury in the English county of Wiltshire, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury. ... Rano Raraku Moai Moai are statues carved from compressed volcanic ash on Rapa Nui, Chile (Easter Island). ... motto: ( Rapa Nui ) Also called Te Pito O Te Henua (Ombligo del mundo) (Navel of the world) Discovered by Europeans April 5, 1722 by Jakob Roggeveen Capital Hanga Roa Area  - City Proper  163,6 km² Population  - City (2005)  - Density (city proper) 3. ... The Antikythera mechanism (main fragment) The Antikythera mechanism (Greek: O μηχανισμός των Αντικυθήρων transliterated as O mÄ“chanismós tōn AntikythÄ“rōn) is an ancient mechanical analog computer (as opposed to digital computer) designed to calculate astronomical positions. ... The Baghdad Battery is the common name for a number of artifacts apparently discovered in the village of Khuyut Rabboua (near Baghdad, Iraq) in 1936. ... OOPArt, from the acronym for out-of-place artifact, is a term coined by American zoologist Ivan T. Sanderson for a historical, archaeological or paleontological object found in a very unusual, or even impossible, location. ... Iconography usually refers to the design or creation of images and more specifically to the historical study of art which aims at the identification, description and the interpretation of the content of images. ... Look up Supernatural in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Ezekiel the Prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures is depicted on a 1510 Sistine Chapel fresco by Michelangelo. ... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh. ... Phrenology is regarded today as a classic example of pseudoscience. ... Pseudoarchaeology is an aspect of pseudohistory. ...

Zecharia Sitchin

Zecharia Sitchin's continuing body of work The Earth Chronicles, beginning with the first installment The 12th Planet, revolves around Sitchin's interpretation of ancient Sumerian and Middle Eastern texts, mysterious megalithic sites and anomalous artifacts from around the world. He theorizes the gods of old Mesopotamia were actually astronauts from the planet Nibiru, which the Sumerians believed to be a remote "12th" planet (counting the Sun, Moon, and Pluto as planets) associated with the god Marduk. According to Sitchin, Nibiru continues to orbit our sun on a 3,600-year elongated orbit. Modern astronomy has failed to find any evidence whatsoever of this hypothetical "planet". Zecharia Sitchins photograph from The 12th Planet Zecharia Sitchin (born 1922)[1] is an occult scientist and a best-selling author of books promoting the ancient astronaut theory of mankinds origins. ... Sumer (or Shumer, Sumeria, Shinar, native ki-en-gir) formed the southern part of Mesopotamia from the time of settlement by the Sumerians until the time of Babylonia. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Mesopotamia refers to the region now occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and Southwest Iran. ... Nibiru, to the Babylonians, was the celestial body associated with the god Marduk. ... Adjective Plutonian Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 0. ... Marduk [märdook] (Sumerian spelling in Akkadian AMAR.UTU solar calf; Biblical Merodach) was the name of a late generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon permanently became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi...

According to Sitchin, the Sumerians relate how 50 "Anunnaki" or inhabitants of Nibiru came to Earth approximately 400,000 years ago with the intent of mining raw materials for transport back to their own world. With their small numbers they soon tired of the task and set out to genetically engineer laborers to work the mines. After much trial and error they eventually created homo sapiens sapiens: the "Adapa" (model man) or Adam of later mythology. Ancient Sumerian seal depicting the Annunaki For the fictional Anunnaki from Demon: The Fallen, see Annunaki (White Wolf). ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ... Adapa was an Ancient Sumerian king. ... Michelangelos Creation of Adam, from the Sistine Chapel. ...

Modern proponents

Graham Hancock

Graham Hancock was heavily influenced by Erich von Däniken's theories. Hancock theorizes in his book, “Fingerprints of the Gods”, that a “mother culture”, given knowledge and technologies by extraterrestrials, planted the seeds of knowledge and culture into ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians. This “mother culture” theory is often closely tied to the myths of the lost continent of Atlantis. Graham Hancock Graham Hancock (born 1951) is a British writer and journalist. ... Erich von Däniken Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (b. ... Atlantis (Greek: , Island of Atlas) is the name of an island first mentioned and described by the classical Greek philosopher Plato. ...

Raelian religious movement

Raelianism is a religious movement created by Claude Vorilhon (or Rael). Rael, who claims to have encountered extraterrestrials on a number of occasions, explains the creation of humans as having been done by an alien race, named Elohim, from another planet using their DNA. The raelian movement also argues against evolution and support cloning. In Raelian Cosmology, the Cosmological Principle is denied and instead is replaced by a hierarchal fractal structure. ... Raels first published book, the basis of the Raelian movement Claude Vorilhon, also known as Raël, (born September 30, 1946) is the founder and spiritual guide of the Raelian Movement. ... Raels first published book, the basis of the Raelian movement Raëlism is the belief system promoted by the Raëlian Movement, a religious organization which believes that scientifically advanced extraterrestrials known as the Elohim (derived from a Hebrew word appearing in the Torah) created life on Earth through... Elohim (אֱלוֹהִים , אלהים) is a Hebrew word which expresses concepts of divinity. ... Cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of an original organism or thing. ...

Evidence

Many authors use ancient mythologies to support their viewpoints, basing their theories on the basic tenet that nearly all ancient creation myths of a god or gods having descended from the "heavens" to earth to create man. These myths detail extraordinary adventures of these gods as being actually modern technologies, seen from the perspective of a simple-minded earthman.

For example, flying machines often show up in ancient texts. One classical example is the Vimanas, flying machines that can be found in the literature of India in which stories range from fantastic aerial battles employing various weaponry including bombs, to the mundane relating simple technical information, flight procedure, and flights of fancy.^[3] A vimāna is a mythological flying machine, described in the ancient literature of India. ...

In the Biblical Old Testament, God is described as having various attributes that could be interpreted as being advanced rockets or other flying craft. He is described as having an upper "body" of metal^[4] (which can also be interpreted as a kind of crown), appearing on a column of smoke and/or fire^[5] and making the sound of a trumpet^[6]. These descriptions portray the God of the ancient Hebrews as not only having the characteristics of a flying machine, but also quite clearly describe God as a physical presence^[7], not an abstraction. This God follows the Hebrews around and rains lightning^[8] and stones^[9] down upon their enemies from his position in the sky. However, poetically, descriptions of God have also featured having protecting wings and outstretched arms in the Psalms, features contrary to the theories of any mechanical manifestation of God. Additionally, the characteristics of the Ark of the Covenant^[10] and the Urim and Thummim^[11] are identified as suggesting high technology, perhaps from alien origins. Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh. ... A late 19th-century artists conception of the Ark of the Covenant, employing a Renaissance cassone for the Ark and cherubim as latter-day Christian angels The Ark of the Covenant (ארון הברית in Hebrew: aron habrit) is described in the Hebrew Bible as a sacred container, wherein rested the stone... Urim and Thummim (in Hebrew Urim VeTumim, אורים ותמים, Tiberian Hebrew ʾÛrîm wəṮummîm, Standard Hebrew אורים ותומים Urim vəTummim; Arabic اوريم وتميم Ūrīm waṮummīm) — typically translated as lights and perfections or revelation and truth — were a divination medium or process used by ancient Hebrews (usually Israelites) in revealing the...

Other examples include the very detailed descriptions in the Biblical Book of Ezekiel, the apocryphal Book of Enoch, and countless ancient stories from China to Peru. Ezekiel redirects here. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Physical evidence includes the discovery of ancient "model airplanes" in Egypt and South America, which bear a passing resemblance to modern planes and gliders.^[12] Probably the most famous piece of circumstantial evidence are the Nazca lines of Peru; countless enormous ground drawings which can only be seen from high in the air.^[13] More support of this theory draws upon what are thought to be flying saucers in medieval and renaissance art. Objects in the paintings that cannot be explained with relevance to the art piece are often assumed to be flying saucers. This helps support the ancient astronaut theory by showing that the creators of man kind return to check up on their creation throughout time. Other artistic support for the ancient astronaut theory is Paleolithic cave paintings. Vondijina in Australia and Val Camonica in Italy (seen above) bear a resemblance to present day astronauts. Supporters of the ancient astronaut theory claim that similarities such as dome shaped heads, or beings wearing space helmets, prove that early man was visited by an extraterrestrial race.^[14] South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... This article or section may contain external links added only to promote a website, product, or service – otherwise known as spam. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Cave, or rock, paintings are paintings painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to pre_historic times. ... Val Camonica is a valley in the lower Alpine regions of Lombardy, Italy. ...

Earlier ideas

Earlier sources — while generally not referencing ancient astronauts per se — suggest the creation of some monuments was beyond human means, such as Saxo Grammaticus' suggestion that giants had created Denmark's massive dolmens, or in tales that Merlin had assembled Stonehenge via magic. Saxo, etching by the Danish-Norwegian illustrator Louis Moe (1857 – 1945) Saxo Grammaticus (estimated. ... The mythology and legends of many different cultures include mythological creatures of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. ... Poulnabrone dolmen in County Clare, Ireland For the french TV miniseries, see Dolmen (TV miniseries). ... Merlin Ambrosius (Welsh: Myrddin Emrys (Merlin the Wise); also known as Myrddin Wyllt (Merlin the Wild), Merlin Caledonensis (Scottish Merlin), Merlinus, and Merlyn) is the personage best known as the mighty wizard featured in Arthurian legends, starting with Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniae. ... Stonehenge 2004 Stonehenge is a Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monument located near Amesbury in the English county of Wiltshire, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury. ...

Evidence for ancient astronauts often consists of allegations that ancient monuments, such as the pyramids of Egypt, or Machu Picchu in Peru, or other ancient megalithic ruins, such as Baalbek in Lebanon,^[15] could not have been built without technical abilities beyond those of people at that time. Such allegations are not unique in history. Similar reasoning lay behind the wonder of the Cyclopean masonry walling at Mycenaean cities in the eyes of Greeks of the following "Dark Age," who believed that the giant Cyclopes had built the walls. Typical candidates for the lost civilizations that taught or provided these skills are the lost continents of Atlantis, Lemuria and Mu. View of Machu Picchu Machu Picchu (Quechua: Old Peak; sometimes called the Lost City of the Incas) is a well-preserved pre-Columbian Inca ruin located on a high mountain ridge. ... Overview of Baalbek in the late 19th century Baalbek (Arabic: ‎) is a town in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, altitude 3,850 ft (1,170 m), situated east of the Litani River. ... Cyclopean structures (Greek: Κυκλώπειες κατασκευές) were constructed during the prehistoric times, using a unique technique: huge stones as the building elements, minimal clearance between adjacent stones and no use of mortar. ... Mycenaean Greece, the last phase of the Bronze Age in ancient Greece, is the historical setting of the epics of Homer and much other Greek mythology. ... The Greek Dark Ages (ca. ... This page is about the mythical creatures. ... Lost Lands are islands or continents believed by some to have existed during pre-history, but to have since disappeared as a result of catastrophic geological phenomena. ... Atlantis (Greek: , Island of Atlas) is the name of an island first mentioned and described by the classical Greek philosopher Plato. ... Lemuria is the name of a hypothetical lost land variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. ... Underwater structures controversially identified as remnants of Mu, near Yonaguni, Japan Mu is the name of a lost land, or hypothetical vanished continent, that was once located in the Pacific Ocean but is now (like Atlantis and Lemuria, with which it is sometimes identified) believed to have sunk beneath the...

Another frequent theme that can be encountered in many mythologies is a person who comes from far away as a god, or as the archetype of a "civilizing hero" who brings knowledge to mankind. Prometheus is the best-known Western example. In Native American lore there are numerous examples, including Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs and Viracocha of the Incas. An archetype is a generic, idealized model of a person, object or concept from which similar instances are derived, copied, patterned or emulated. ... Prometheus, by Gustave Moreau In Greek mythology, Prometheus (Ancient Greek, Προμηθεύς, forethought) is the Titan chiefly honored for stealing fire from the gods in the stalk of a fennel plant and giving it to mortals for their use. ... A Hupa man, 1923 The indigenous peoples of the Americas were the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those historical peoples. ... Quetzalcoatl in human form, from the Codex Borbonicus. ... The word Aztec is usually used as a historical term, although some contemporary Nahuatl speakers would consider themselves Aztecs. ... In Inca mythology, Apu Qun Tiqsi Wiraqutra was the creator of civilization, and one of the most important deities in the Inca canon. ... For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ...

The cross-cultural similarities of deities coming from the heavens and the manners in which they speak to humans are explained by some as evidence of visitations by extraterrestrial beings. The myths of Gods and Goddesses are real accounts of these visitations. The extraterrestrials are seen as divine due to their technology which is superior to the point it can only be explained as the “powers” or magic of the God or Goddess by the creators of the deity myths. For the computer game, see Myth (computer game). ...

In Theosophical writings of the 19th and early 20th centuries, many precursors to the ancient astronaut theories can be found. Theosophy influenced authors such as H. P. Lovecraft and Charles Fort, and even later authors such as Erich von Däniken. Possible emblem of some Theosophical Society Theosophy, literally knowledge of the divine, designates several bodies of ideas. ... Possible emblem of some Theosophical Society Theosophy, literally knowledge of the divine, designates several bodies of ideas. ... Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction. ... Charles Fort, 1920 Charles Hoy Fort (6 August 1874 - 3 May 1932) was an American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena. ...

Theory overturned

In the 1940s, two French anthropologists claimed to have made a startling discovery while researching the Dogon tribe of West Africa. They reported that the Dogon people had knowledge of a small star which revolves around the other well-known star Sirius. This other small star which, impossible to see by the naked eye, was not known about by western astronomers until 1862. The anthropologists claimed this demonstrated that Dogon knowledge predated western knowledge of the star by hundreds of years. The anthropologists explained this by postulating extraterrestrial visitations to the Dogon tribe. This hypothesis was eventually disproved when further research by other anthropologists found that only the few tribe elders spoken to by the anthropologists knew of the star, which led other researchers to believe that the research by the two French anthropologists was manipulated.^[16] Although this theory is thoroughly refuted, many people still read Robert K. G. Temple's The Sirius Mystery. The Dogon village of Banani. ... Sirios (α CMa / α Canis Majoris / Alpha Canis Majoris) is the brightest star in the night-time sky, with a visual apparent magnitude of −1. ...

Alan F. Alford, author of “Gods of the New Millennium”, (1996) is an adherent of the ancient astronaut theory. Much of his work draws on Sitchin’s theories. However, he does admit to some faults in Sitchin’s theory after deeper analysis.^[17] “I am now firmly of the opinion that these gods personified the falling sky; in other words, the descent of the gods was a poetic rendition of the cataclysm myth which stood at the heart of ancient Near Eastern religions.” (Alford)

Ancient astronauts in fiction

The ancient astronaut theory has been addressed frequently in science fiction and horror fiction. Early occurrences in the genres include:- Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle, or horrify the reader. ...

• H. P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu (1926) and At the Mountains of Madness (1931).
• Nigel Kneale's Quatermass and the Pit television serial (1958) used a version of the idea.
• Arthur C. Clarke has written several stories utilizing the theme, most famously in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
• Walter Ernsting (The Day the Gods Died).
• Douglas Adams used a satirical version of the theory in his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.
• The Doctor Who serial Pyramids of Mars featured the Egyptian gods being aliens, and a number of other Doctor Who serials had used similar ideas.
• In Larry Niven's Known Space, humanity is descended from aliens called The Pak.
• In Star Trek, The Progenitors seeded the galaxy with humanoid life.
• The Star Trek episode Plato stepchildren uses this theme.
• The Tintin adventure Flight 714 references ancient astronaut theories.
• The TV show The X-Files has borrowed the theory.
• The original Battlestar Galactica and the 2003 remake explored the idea that Earth was colonized by man millennia ago.
• The movie Stargate and its spin-off television series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis feature aliens posing as gods to influence early earth cultures, and later on in the SG-1 series, aliens are found to have traveled to earth millions of years ago to influence human evolution.
  • The Stargate: Ultimate Edition: Director’s Cut DVD includes a featurette interview with Erich von Däniken entitled "Is there a Stargate?".
• The Halo video game series makes numerous allusions to a Forerunner civilization responsible for the construction of the ancient but unbelievably advanced rings that are the namesake of the game.
• The March 1961 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact contains a piece by Arthur W. Orton entitled "The Four-Faced Visitors of Ezekiel". Although described in the magazine's Table of Contents as a short story, it actually takes the form of a pseudo-factual essay presenting a verse-by-verse analysis of Ezekiel's vision and interpreting this in terms of an encounter with ancient astronauts. In this respect the essay mirrors J. F. Blumrich's book The Spaceships of Ezekiel (1974), although predating it by more than a decade.
• The computer game Rise of Legends features the Cuotl, a Pre-Columbian mesoamerican civilisation manipulated by a group of aliens whose spaceship crashed.
• The Tabletop Battle Game, Warhammer Fantasy also uses aspects of the Ancient Astronaut Theory. The race of Lizardmen being created by the so called Old Ones in an attempt to fight Chaos.
• The manga Bio-Booster Armor Guyver features numerous ancient astronaut trappings in its explanation of the Creators and the origin of the Guyver.
• An episode of the animated series Gargoyles involves an ancient alien living in a hidden spaceship under Easter Island. In the episode it is concluded that this alien came to Earth long ago and inspired the gigantic heads which Easter Island is famous for.
• The Marvel comic The Eternals deals with aliens who had advanced the evolution of apes into man and as well as two sister races.
• While not specifically using Earth as an example, the fictional Star Wars universe has made many references of aliens giving primitive races technology, or humans de-advancing into a more primitive society as time passes.
• The film Ice Age features a brief scene of an alien spacecraft trapped in ice following the advent of the Ice Age
• One of the Spriggan chapters depicts Tezcatlipoca as an ancient astronaut during a mission in Mexico.
• The French TV series Il était une fois l'Espace (English: Once Upon a Time...Space) featured far-future humans taking on the role of superior aliens to a caveman culture. The spaceships of the human civilization also used decorative iconography derived from the Nazca lines as a wink to the theory - the ship of the main characters using a hummingbird design.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction. ... Cover for a reprint of The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories. ... At the Mountains of Madness is a novella by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... The opening titles of Quatermass and the Pit. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (born December 16, 1917) is a British author and inventor, most famous for his science-fiction novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, and for collaborating with director Stanley Kubrick on the film of the same name. ... Walter Ernsting (13 June 1920 - 15 January 2005) was a German science fiction and fantasy author who mainly published under the pseudonym Clark Darlton. ... Douglas Noël Adams (March 11, 1952 – May 11, 2001) was a British author, comic radio dramatist, and amateur musician. ... The cover of the first novel in the Hitchhikers series, from a late 1990s printing. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Pyramids of Mars is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from October 25 to November 15, 1975. ... Known Space is the fictional setting of several science fiction novels and short stories written by author Larry Niven. ... Protector eating the root of life Pak Breeders and Pak Protectors are two generic forms of fictional life in Larry Nivens Known Space universe. ... Star Trek is an American science fiction franchise. ... A Progenitor as seen in the ST:TNG episode The Chase The Progenitors were a race of humanoids in the fictional Star Trek universe that were one of the universes oldest sentient species. ... The main cast of the series. ... // Flight 714 (Vol 714 pour Sydney), first published in 1968, is the twenty-second of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. ... The X-Files is an American television series created by Chris Carter. ... Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction movie and television series, produced in 1978 by Glen Larson and starring Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict. ... Battlestar Galactica refers to a re-imagined science fiction universe debuting in 2003 and based on the 1970s Universal Studios movie and television franchise of the same name. ... Earth (IPA: , often referred to as the Earth, Terra, the World or Planet Earth) is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth largest. ... An activated Stargate, the central object of the fictional Stargate universe, here depicted in the SG-1 television series. ... Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is a science fiction television series based upon the 1994 science fiction film Stargate. ... Stargate Atlantis is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the television series Stargate SG-1, which was based on the film Stargate (1994). ... The Halo universe is a fictional setting for the video games Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, the future games Halo 3 and Halo Wars, and the books listed on Halo (video game series). ... The Forerunner are a race of aliens referred to in the Halo universe. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Astounding Stories was a seminal science fiction magazine founded in 1930. ... This article is in need of attention. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends is a RTS, or Real-Time Strategy game for the PC by game company Big Huge Games and published by Microsoft. ... The term Pre-Columbian is used to refer to the cultures of the New World in the era before significant European influence. ... Mesoamerica is the region extending from central Mexico south to the northwestern border of Costa Rica that gave rise to a group of stratified, culturally related agrarian civilizations spanning an approximately 3,000-year period before the European discovery of the New World by Columbus. ... Warhammer or Warhammer Fantasy is a fantasy setting created by Games Workshop, in which many games of that company are set, the best known ones being the Warhammer Fantasy Battles wargame, and the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay role-playing game. ... Bio-Booster Armor Guyver or Guyver: The Bio-Boosted Armor ) is a long-running (over 140 chapters) manga series written by Yoshiki Takaya. ... The Eternals is a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Earth (IPA: , often referred to as the Earth, Terra, the World or Planet Earth) is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth largest. ... Opening logo to the Star Wars films Star Wars is a science fantasy saga and fictional galaxy created by writer / producer / director George Lucas during the 1970s. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Il était une fois lEspace (English: ) was a French animated TV series from the late 1970s. ... This article or section may contain external links added only to promote a website, product, or service – otherwise known as spam. ...

Notes

1. ^ http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/L/Lhote.html
2. ^ Erich von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods: Science or Charlatanism?, Robert Sheaffer. First published in the "NICAP UFO Investigator", October/November, 1974. http://www.debunker.com/texts/vondanik.html
3. ^ http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_7.htm#Ancient%20Indian
4. ^ Ezekiel 1:26-28
5. ^ Exodus 13:21
6. ^ Exodus 19:16-19
7. ^ Numbers 35:34
8. ^ 2 Samuel 22:10-16
9. ^ Joshua 10:10-11
10. ^ Wikipedia Baghdad Battery article: "On Mythbusters' 29th episode (which aired on March 23, 2005), the Baghdad battery "myth" was put to the test... For the religious experience aspect of the batteries, a replica of the fabled Ark of the Covenant was constructed, complete with two angels (strangely resembling Adam and Jamie). Instead of linking the angels’ golden wings to the low power batteries, an electric fence generator was connected. When touched, the wings produced a strong feeling of tightness in the chest. Although the batteries themselves had not been used, it was surmised that, due to the apparent lack of knowledge of electricity, any form of electrical sensation from them could equate to the “divine presence” in the eyes of ancient people.
11. ^ Wikipedia article on Urim and Thummim: "According to the teachings of Judaism, a small parchment with God's holy name, the Tetragrammaton, inscribed on it was slipped into an opening under the Urim and Thummim on the high priest's breast plate, which caused the breastplate to "glow" and thereby "transmit messages" from God to the Children of Israel."
12. ^ http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_7.htm
13. ^ http://www.crystalinks.com/nazca.html
14. ^ http://www.etcontact.net/AncientAstronauts.htm
15. ^ http://www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/lebanon/baalbek.htm
16. ^ http://www.geocities.com/area51/corridor/8148/dogon.html
17. ^ http://www.eridu.co.uk/Author/human_origins/ancient_astronauts.html

MythBusters is an American pop science television program on the Discovery Channel starring special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, who use their skills and expertise to test the validity of various rumors and urban legends in popular culture. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: MythBusters The cast/crew of the television series MythBusters performs experiments to verify or debunk urban legends, old wives tales, and the like. ... A late 19th-century artists conception of the Ark of the Covenant, employing a Renaissance cassone for the Ark and cherubim as latter-day Christian angels The Ark of the Covenant (ארון הברית in Hebrew: aron habrit) is described in the Hebrew Bible as a sacred container, wherein rested the stone... Adam Savage Adam Savage (born July 15, 1967) is an American television co-host on the program MythBusters on the Discovery Channel. ... Jamie Hyneman, with his trademark walrus moustache and dark beret Jamie Hyneman (born 1956) is an American visual effects expert, best known for being the co-host of the television series MythBusters on the Discovery Channel. ... An electric fence is a barrier that uses painful or even lethal high-voltage electric shocks to deter animals or people from crossing a boundary. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Yahweh. ... The Children of Israel, or Bnei Yisrael (בני ישראל) in Hebrew (also Bnai Yisrael, Bnei Yisroel or Bene Israel) is a Biblical term for the Israelites. ...

References

• Erich Von Daniken, Chariots of the Gods. Berkley Publishing Group, 1972. ISBN 0-425-16680-5.
• Zecharia Sitchin, The 12th Planet (The Earth Chronicles, Book 1). Avon, 1999. ISBN 0-380-39362-X.
• Rael, The Message Given by Extra-terrestials. Nova Dist. 1974. ISBN 2-940252-20-3
• Robert Charroux, Masters of the world. Berkley Pub. Corp. 1974. ASIN B0006WIE1O
• Andreas Grünschloß, "Ancient Astronaut" Narrations: A Popular Discourse on Our Religious Past. Marburg Journal of Religion: Volume 11, No. 1 (June 2006). ISSN 1612-2941

See also

• OOPArts - "out of place artifacts," found in very unusual or seemingly impossible locations
• Pseudoarchaeology - pseudoscientific archaeology
• Raëlism - an atheist UFO religion founded in 1970s
• Robert K. G. Temple - author of The Sirius Mystery, a book exploring extraterrestrial contact by the Dogon people
• Xenoarchaeology - archaeology of the physical remains of past alien cultures

OOPArt, from the acronym for out-of-place artifact, is a term coined by American zoologist Ivan T. Sanderson for a historical, archaeological or paleontological object found in a very unusual, or even impossible, location. ... Pseudoarchaeology is an aspect of pseudohistory. ... Raëls first published book, the basis of the Raëlian movement Raëlism is the belief system promoted by the Raëlian Movement, a religious group which believes that scientifically advanced extraterrestrials known as the Elohim (as found in the Hebrew texts of the Christian Bible and the... Robert K. G. Temple (born in the U.S. in 1945) is an American author best known for his controversial book, The Sirius Mystery (1976; though its writing began in 1967) which presents the idea that the Dogon people preserve the tradition of an extraterrestrial contact, contact with intelligent extraterrestrial... The Dogon village of Banani. ... Xenoarchaeology is a fictional science that exists only in science fiction worlds, mainly in works that have to do with space exploration like Star Trek. ...

External links

• UFOs and Art
• Center for Ancient Astronaut Research
• Erich von Däniken Homepage
• Annual Ancient Astronaut Theory Forum
• Von Daniken's Maya Astronaut
• Aurora Paradox
• Aliens in Cryptozoology
• Ellen Lloyd's Ancient Astronauts
• SitchinIsWrong.com addressing flaws in the writings of Zecharia Sitchin
• Statements about Flying Saucers and Extraterrestrial Life made by Hermann Oberth(Redirects to MUFON.org).