Ancient Ruins

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Well-known proponents of these beliefs in the latter half of the 20th century include Robert Charroux, Jacques Bergier, Jean Sendy, Erich von Däniken, Alexander Kazantsev, Zecharia Sitchin, Robert K. G. Temple, Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, David Hatcher Childress, Peter Kolosimo, and Mauro Biglino. Erich von Däniken was a leading proponent 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. According to von Däniken, certain artifacts require a more sophisticated technological ability in their construction than that which was available to the ancient cultures who constructed them. He maintains that these artifacts were constructed either directly by extraterrestrial visitors or by humans who learned the necessary knowledge from said visitors. These include Stonehenge, Pumapunku, the Moai of Easter Island, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and the ancient Baghdad electric batteries.

In Their Own Story

The idea that ancient astronauts existed and visited Earth is not taken seriously by academics and archaeologists, who identify such claims as pseudoarchaeological or unscientific. It has received no credible attention in peer-reviewed studies. When proponents of the idea present evidence in favor of their beliefs, it is often distorted or fabricated. Some authors and scholars also argue that ancient astronaut theories have racist undertones or implications, diminishing the accomplishments and capabilities of indigenous cultures. Carl Sagan wrote, 'In the long litany of "ancient astronaut" pop archaeology, the cases of apparent interest have perfectly reasonable alternative explanations, or have been misreported, or are simple prevarications, hoaxes and distortions.'

Reader's Guide

Paleocontact or 'ancient astronaut' narratives first appeared in the early science fiction of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the 1898 novel Edison's Conquest of Mars and the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The idea was proposed in earnest by journalist Harold T. Wilkins in 1954. It grew in popularity in the 1960s, mainly due to the Space Race and the success of Erich von Däniken's works, although it also received limited consideration as a serious hypothesis. Critics emerged throughout the 1970s, discrediting Von Däniken's claims. Ufologists separated the idea from the UFO controversy. By the early 1980s little remaining support could be found. A related branch of ufology, known as clipeology, emerged in Italy during the late 1950s. The term was coined in 1959 by the Italian ufologist Umberto Corazzi from the Latin clypeus ('shield'), in reference to ancient Roman accounts describing clypei ardentes ('burning shields') or clypei flagrantes ('flaming shields'), which some proponents interpret as reports of unidentified flying objects.

Did You Know?

• The term 'clipeology' was coined in 1959 by Italian ufologist Umberto Corazzi from the Latin clypeus ('shield').
• Erich von Däniken's 1968 book Chariots of the Gods? was a best-seller that made him a leading proponent of ancient astronaut beliefs.
• Carl Sagan co-authored the widely popular book Intelligent Life in the Universe with Soviet astrophysicist Iosif Shklovsky, published in 1966.
• The idea was proposed in earnest by journalist Harold T. Wilkins in 1954.
• Paleocontact narratives first appeared in the early science fiction of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the 1898 novel Edison's Conquest of Mars.