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, Italy , c. 10,000 BC , purportedly showing extraterrestrial visitors.]] Ancient astronaut theories are various proposals that the Earth has, at some point in its early history, been visited by intelligent Extraterrestrial Beings , and that such contact is linked to either the origins or development of Human cultures, technologies and/or Religion . Indeed, some of these theories suggests that Gods from most -- if not all -- religions are actually extraterrestrial beings, and their technologies were mistaken for divine entities by primitive man.12 While no Peer-review ed Scientific Journal validates such claims, these theories have been popularized, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century, by writers Erich Von Däniken , Zecharia Sitchin and others.3 ''' (土偶) is speculated to be an Ancient Astronaut that visited earth during the Jōmon Period of Ancient Japan , it shows features resembling a space suit, goggles and a space helmet.]] Proponents of ancient astronaut theories point to gaps in historical and archaeological records and the corresponding absence of definitive explanations in certain contexts from the archaeological sciences. Advocates of these theories put forward as evidence their interpretations of various archaeological Artifacts , which they deem to have been Anachronistic or "beyond the (presumed) technical capabilities" attributed to the historical cultures they are associated with (see " OOPArt "). Another common theme relies upon the interpretation of depictions in certain ancient artworks as being representations of actual extraterrestrial visitors as realised by the contacted cultures. Critics maintain, however, that such gaps in contemporary knowledge of the past do not demonstration that such alternative accounts are a necessary, or even plausible, conclusion to draw from the (lack of) available data. A number of ancient astronaut claims are made in direct opposition to the consensus scientific interpretation of evidence in situations where there are alternatives supported by more widely accepted theories. The scientific community remains generally skeptical, and the dominant view is that the evidence for ancient astronaut and paleocontact theories is undemonstrated.4 Ancient astronaut theories may 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. 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 community5 ADHERENTS
Ancient astronaut theories have been advanced by authors such as:-
Theosophy Theosophical writings of the 19th and early 20th centuries contain many precursors to the ancient astronaut theories. Theosophy influenced authors such as H. P. Lovecraft , Charles Fort , and Erich Von Däniken . 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 for his vision of paleocontact was:
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.''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 Zecharia Sitchin Zecharia Sitchin 's series ''The Earth Chronicles'', began with ''The 12th Planet'', revolves around Sitchin's interpretation of ancient Sumeria n and Middle East ern 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 of this hypothetical planet, though our direct observation of Kuiper Belt objects is presently limited. According to Sitchin, the Sumerians relate how 50 " (model man) or Adam of later mythology. Robert Temple Robert K. G. Temple 's 1976 book, The Sirius Mystery presents a case that the Dogon People of northwestern Mali preserved an ancient account of extraterrestrial visitation around 5,000 years ago. He quotes various lines of evidence, including advanced astronomical knowledge inherited by the tribe, descriptions, and comparative belief systems with ancient civilizations such as Ancient Egypt and Sumer . His work draws heavily on the studies of cultural anthropologists, Marcel Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen .Temple, Robert K. G., ''The Sirius Mystery'', 1976. ISBN 0 09 925744 0 His conclusions however, have seen criticism by Carl Sagan and Ian Ridpath , who pointed out what they saw as discrepancies within Temple's account, and suggested that the Dogon may have received some of their information recently and probably from European sources.Sagan,Carl, Broca’s Brain, published by Random House, Inc. in 1974 Investigating the Sirius "Mystery" - Skeptical Inquirer (1978) Ian Ridpath In addition, noted anthropologist and ecologist, Walter E. A. van Beek criticizes Temple's sources, mainly Griaule, for misrepresenting Dogon ethnography, imposing his own ideas, and fabricating his account.Walter E. A. van Beek: "Dogon Restudied: A Field Evaluation of the Work of Marcel Griaule." ''Current Anthropology'', 32 (1991): 139-167. In direct response to van Beek's rebuttal however, daughter and colleague of Marcel Griaule, Genevieve Calame-Griaule provided a detailed refutation of her own. She dismisses van Beek's charges as being marred by a confusion of esoteric traditions and based almost entirely on speculation. Genevieve Calame-Griaule: "On the Dogon Restudied." Current Anthropology, Vol. 32, No. 5 (Dec., 1991), pp. 575-577 Temple responded to his critics by pointing out that certain information, like the density of was cautious in his approach to the information, stating that enthusiasts of Temple's claims have neither been proven or disproved in their assertions, and while Temple was not able to establish unquestionably the antiquity of most of the information in question, speculative notions of recent attainment from Europeans is "entirely circumstantial", and concludes that it is likely we will never know for sure and this case may in fact remain a mystery.James Oberg, " Chapter 6, The Sirius Mystery ", in ''UFOs and Outer Space Mysteries'', (1982) Donning Press Raëlian religious movement Raëlism , or Raëlianism, is a religious movement created by Claude Vorilhon (or Raël ). Raël, who claims to have encountered extraterrestrials on a number of occasions, and that humans were created by an advanced extraterrestrial humanoid race the Elohim , using their knowledge of DNA & Genetics. The Raëlian movement also argues against Evolution and supports human Cloning . PURPORTED EVIDENCE Many authors use ancient mythologies to support their viewpoints, based on theories that basically tenet that nearly all ancient creation myths of a god or gods of having descended from the "heavens" to earth to create man. These myths detail extraordinary adventures of these god-like beings as actually using technologies unseen from the perspective of early man. For example, flying machines often show up in ancient texts. One classical example is the Vimana s, flying machines that can be found in the Sanskrit Epics of India .see also '' Vaimanika Shastra '', a text on Vimanas "channeled" in the early 20th century. David Hatcher Childress ('' The Anti-Gravity Handbook '') finds stories ranging from fantastic aerial battles employing various weaponry including bombs, to the mundane relating of simple technical information, flight procedure, and flights of fancy. In the Biblical , 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 ." are identified as suggesting high technology, perhaps from alien origins. 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 . Physical evidence includes the discovery of ancient "model airplanes" in Egypt and South America , which some believe bear a resemblance to modern planes and gliders,http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_7.htm although conventionally these are interpreted as models of birds; the best known bears a painted falcon's face. More support of this theory draws upon what some have 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 is used to support the ancient astronaut theory by attempting to show that the creators of humanity return to check up on their creation throughout time. Other artistic support for the ancient astronaut theory has been sought in Palaeolithic Cave Paintings . Vondijina in Australia and Val Camonica in Italy (seen above) bear a resemblance to present day astronauts; quite why ancient astronauts should wear pressure suits familiar in the late Twentieth Century is not explained. Supporters of the ancient astronaut theory sometimes claim that similarities such as dome shaped heads, interpreted as beings wearing space helmets, prove that early man was visited by an extraterrestrial race.http://www.etcontact.net/AncientAstronauts.htm 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 Dolmen s, or in tales that Merlin had assembled Stonehenge via magic. 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 . 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 Godesses are supposedly 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 . CRITICISM Although there does not seem to be evidence supporting the ancient astronaut speculation, there is evidence against the ancient astronaut idea. 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.http://www.eridu.co.uk/Author/human_origins/ancient_astronauts.html “''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)(see Fermi Paradox ). Nazca Lines The Nazca Lines of Peru area large group of enormous ground drawingshttp://www.crystalinks.com/nazca.html Many supporters of this theory cite the Nazca Lines as evidence because the civilization that made them would only have been able to view these from the air. They have been reproduced by scientists such as Joe Nickell of the relating to the possibility of ancient astronauts, the theory was put forth that the Nazca Lines, if they are indeed made by the hands of mankind, were a means of contacting alien beings they may once have encountered in an attempt to entice their return. This theory remains pure speculation, at best. Difficulties of building and moving megaliths Evidence for ancient astronauts often consists of suggestions that ancient monuments and megalithic ruins, such as the pyramids of Egypt, walling at Mycenaean cities in the eyes of Greeks of the following " Dark Age ," who believed that the giant Cyclopes had built the walls. As well as aliens other candidates for the lost civilizations that taught or provided these skills are the pseudo-historical Lost Continents of Atlantis , Lemuria and Mu . However modern archaeology has successfully demonstrated that people with stone age technology can create and move megaliths such as the Easter Island Moai .http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/easter/ Also the idea that certain stonework was beyond the technological capabilities of the people who historians attribute it to has been challenged, with for example the Moai and Ahus of the Rapanui of Easter Island put into the wider context of Polynesian Marae by Alfred Metraux and others. ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS IN FICTION AND ARTS The ancient astronaut theory has been addressed frequently in Science Fiction and Horror Fiction . Especially in TV and film as Human like aliens are usually easier to cast and cheaper to clothe. Early occurrences in the genres include: Novels & comics
Movies & TV series
Games
Music
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