Ancient astronaut theory
From The Black Vault Encyclopedia Project
Ancient astronaut theory is a term used to describe the theories of ancient extraterrestrial contact being involved in some way with the origin or development of human culture. Most notably popularized by authors such as Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin, this theory is an expansion or elaboration of the more basic Paleocontact theory.
These theories often claim that human beings are either the descendants or creations of aliens who landed on Earth millennia ago — ideas that are commonly dismissed by the scientific community.
Another element of this view is the suggestion that much of human wisdom or religion was given to man by extraterrestrial visitors in ancient times. This possibility has been considered by some scientists, including Carl Sagan and I.S. Shklovskii, but the lack of hard evidence and the nature of the concept makes it unpopular among the scientific community.
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Adherents
Ancient astronaut theories have been advanced by authors such as Charles Fort (1919), Peter Kolosimo (in his 1957 book, Il pianeta sconosciuto), Henri Lhote (1958) [1] , Matest M. Agrest (1959), Erich von Däniken (1968), Dr. S. Lunskaya (1970) Robert K. G. Temple (1976), Zecharia Sitchin (1978) and Richard Hoagland.
Däniken
Erich von Däniken was foremost in popularizing ancient astronaut theories in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the 1968 publication of his best-selling Chariots of the Gods and its sequels. The evidence that von Däniken put forward to support his vision of paleo-contact can be categorised as follows:
- Artifacts and monumental constructions have been found whose manufacture appears to have required a more sophisticated technological ability than that presumed to have been available to their associated contemporary cultures. These include objects and structures whose purpose or origins are not known, as well as those deemed to be beyond the capabilities of the societies attributed with their manufacture, at least in the eyes of Von Däniken and his supporters. Von Däniken maintains that these artifacts must have been manufactured either by extraterrestrial visitors or by humans who learned the necessary knowledge from them. Such artifacts and monuments he cites include Stonehenge, the head statues of Easter Island, the Antikythera mechanism and the Ancient Baghdad Electric Batteries. (See OOPArt)
- In ancient art and iconography throughout the world, themes can be observed which can be interpreted to illustrate astronauts, air and space vehicles, non-human but intelligent creatures, and artifacts of anachronistically-advanced technology. Von Däniken also identifies details that appear to be similar in the art of geographically-diverse historical cultures, which he argues imply a common origin.
- The origins of many religions could be interpreted or characterized as reactions to contacts of primitive humans with some alien race. In this view, the humans considered the technology of the aliens to be supernatural and the aliens themselves to be gods. According to von Däniken, the oral and written traditions of most religions contain references to visitors from stars and vehicles travelling through air and space. These, he says, should be interpreted as literal descriptions which have changed during the passage of time and 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 many of them have been disproven.[2]Most historians regard his claims — as well of those of other ancient astronaut believers — as pseudoscience or pseudoarchaeology.
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 and mysterious megalithic sites and anomolous artifacts from around the world. He theorizes the gods of old were actually astronauts from the planet Nibiru, which the Sumerians believed to be a remote "12th" planet (counting the Sun and Moon as planets) associated with the god Marduk. According to Sitchin, Nibiru continues to orbit our sun on a 3,600-year elongated orbit.
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.
Evidence
Many authors use ancient mythologies to support their theories, most notably the basic tenet of nearly all ancient creation myths of a god or gods having come from the "heavens" to earth and creating man, with the extraordinary adventures of these various gods interpreted as being modern technologies as 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]. Other examples include the Biblical Book of Ezekiel, the apocryphal Book of Enoch, and countless ancient stories from China to Peru. Physical evidence includes the discovery of ancient "model airplanes" in Egypt and South America, which bear a passing resemblence to modern planes and gliders [4]. 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.[5]
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.
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, [6] 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.
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.
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.
Ancient astronauts in fiction
The ancient astronaut theory has been addressed frequently in science fiction and weird fiction. Early occurrences in the genres include H. P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu (1926) and At the Mountains of Madness (1931), and John W. Campbell's Who Goes There? (1938) (the last two stories both incidentally set in Antarctica). Arthur C. Clarke has written several stories utilizing the theme, most famously in 2001: A Space Odyssey. So too did 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. Even the Tintin adventure Flight 714 references ancient astronaut theories.
The TV show The X-Files has borrowed the theory, and both 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 featured aliens posing as gods and influencing early earth cultures. The Stargate: Ultimate Edition: Director’s Cut DVD includes a featurette interview with Erich von Däniken entitled "Is there a Stargate?".
Notes
- ↑ http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/L/Lhote.html
- ↑ 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
- ↑ http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_7.htm#Ancient%20Indian
- ↑ http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_7.htm
- ↑ http://www.peru-explorer.com/nasca.htm and http://www.crystalinks.com/nazca.html
- ↑ http://www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/lebanon/baalbek.htm
References
- Erich Von Daniken, Chariots of the Gods. Berkley Publishing Group, 1972. ISBN 0425166805.
- Zecharia Sitchin, The 12th Planet (The Earth Chronicles, Book 1). Avon, 1999. ISBN 038039362X.
- Rael, The Message Given by Extra-terrestials. Nova Dist. 1974. ISBN 2940252203
- Robert Charroux, Masters of the world. Berkley Pub. Corp. 1974. ASIN B0006WIE1O
See also
External links
- Center for Ancient Astronaut Research
- Erich von Däniken Homepage
- Annual Ancient Astronaut Theory Forum
- Von Daniken's Maya Astronaut
Copyright
"Original data received from Wikipedia on April 21, 2006. Credit given to original authors can be seen Here."
