ancient astronaut project
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In April of 2010, The History Channel premiered a documentary series that explores the various claims of Ancient Astronaut theorists. It was clearly a success, as the five-episode first season was followed by a second season that began October 28, 2010. According to The History Channel website, “Ancient alien theorists like Erich von Däniken believe that, thousands of years ago, extraterrestrials landed on Earth, where they were hailed as gods and helped shape human civilization” (History.com). The show features voice-over narration paired with computer recreations and footage of ancient sites and artifacts, along with interviews with prominent Ancient Astronaut theorists like von Däniken. What neither the show nor the website mention is that when these theories were first presented in the late 1960s and early 70s they faced heavy criticism from the scientific community at large, and that criticism, including specific contradictions of the examples given in von Däniken’s works, has been constantly levied at Ancient Astronaut theory over the past 40 years. Despite this criticism thoroughly and soundly debunking the theories of von Däniken and his peers, the idea of Ancient Astronauts has maintained believers since it was first popularized, and with the inception of The History Channel series seems poised for a popular renaissance.TRANSCRIPT
Grace Williams
Dr. S. Smith
Myth & Symbols
November 23, 2010
Ancient Astronaut Theory in American Popular Culture
In April of 2010, The History Channel premiered a documentary series that
explores the various claims of Ancient Astronaut theorists. It was clearly a success, as the
five-episode first season was followed by a second season that began October 28, 2010.
According to The History Channel website, “Ancient alien theorists like Erich von
Däniken believe that, thousands of years ago, extraterrestrials landed on Earth, where
they were hailed as gods and helped shape human civilization” (History.com). The show
features voice-over narration paired with computer recreations and footage of ancient
sites and artifacts, along with interviews with prominent Ancient Astronaut theorists like
von Däniken. What neither the show nor the website mention is that when these theories
were first presented in the late 1960s and early 70s they faced heavy criticism from the
scientific community at large, and that criticism, including specific contradictions of the
examples given in von Däniken’s works, has been constantly levied at Ancient Astronaut
theory over the past 40 years. Despite this criticism thoroughly and soundly debunking
the theories of von Däniken and his peers, the idea of Ancient Astronauts has maintained
believers since it was first popularized, and with the inception of The History Channel
series seems poised for a popular renaissance.
The discussion that follows will explore the historical and sociological context of
the first wave of public interest in Ancient Astronaut theory in the United States and from
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that construct an explanation for the premiere of the related series on The History
Channel earlier this year. Attempting an explanation of any artifact of popular culture
requires some concept of what appeals to the majority of the people participating in that
culture, most powerfully the archetypes and mythic structures that satisfy their
psychological needs. Ancient Astronaut theory, though it can seem so fanciful as to be
comedic to those in academic communities, is not irrelevant. Its success can only be
explained in the sense of its fulfillment of these psychological needs and so the theories
of Joseph Campbell, and to a lesser extent his predecessor Carl G. Jung, will be applied
to Ancient Astronaut theory as it exists in American popular culture. This exploration is a
valid and necessary endeavor as strains of this pseudo-science have permeated American
culture to a point where they can be found, in earnest and in parody, in literature,
entertainment, and religion.
Erich von Däniken catapulted Ancient Astronaut theory, the theory that
extraterrestrial beings visited Earth at some point during antiquity, into American public
awareness with the publication of his first book, Chariots of the Gods? in 1969
(originally published in German in 1968) and its documentary adaptation of the same title
that aired on American television in 1970. Although not the first to suggest that these
visits could explain mysteries of ancient civilizations, Chariots was the first to do so in a
way that garnered a large audience: according to the cover of the 1999 mass-market
paperback edition the book had sold over seven million copies.
Some critics have attributed the popularity of von Däniken’s work to momentum
it gained because of the timing of its publishing: as Curtis Peebles notes 1968 was a year
of extraordinary social and political turmoil for the United States, including the disastrous
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Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the
subsequent unrest and crime waves in 168 cities, and the assassination of Robert
Kennedy (Peebles 186). Because of the failures of traditional social and political
structures, the radical alternative history in von Däniken’s Chariots may have been
especially appealing. Alternatively, the fantastic sweeping proposals about the
possibilities of the universe and humanity’s place within it could have provided the
escape from current events the public mind was craving because of the upheaval. For
whatever reason, von Däniken’s book and the documentary it inspired ignited the
imagination of Americans and gained a remarkable following in a short period of time.
And though the theory enjoyed its most widespread attention during the 1970s, there
endures to this day a sizeable community of people who support and advocate for
Ancient Astronaut theory.
Von Däniken is responsible for the Ancient Astronaut boom of the 1970s, but the
true father of the Ancient Alien theory is American author Charles Hoy Fort. As cultural
critic Andreas Grünschloß points out in “‘Ancient Astronaut’ Narrations,” Fort’s 1919
Book of the Damned was, according to its opening lines, “A procession of the data that
Science has excluded” (Fort, 7). That is to say, Fort outlined a series of theories that were
formed from accepted scientific data though outside of the conventions of “Dogmatic
Science” including the theory that humanity once had contact with some extraterrestrial
creature. As he explained it:
I think we’re property. I should say we belong to something: That once upon a time, this earth was No-man’s Land, that other worlds explored and colonized here, and fought among themselves for possessions, but that now it’s owned by something…
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I accept that, in the past, before proprietorship was established, inhabitants of a host of other worlds have… visited occasionally, have visited periodically… have been unable to stay here, have established colonies here, have been lost here; far-advanced peoples, or things…
(Fort, 156-157)
Though Fort’s theories flavored popular culture in indirect ways (for example, by
influencing H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction [Grünschloß, 4]) he never gained much recognition
of his own. Fort’s theory of these otherworldly creatures is relevant to any investigation
of the Ancient Astronaut theory from an American viewpoint because Fort himself was
an American and his early twentieth century text shows that the first suggestions of alien
contact with early human civilization came from the United States. Thus it is safe to
presume that there is something within the American psyche that is particularly receptive
to the theory.
A significant portion of the criticism targeting Chariots of the Gods? and von
Däniken’s later works were accusations of plagiarism and fabrication of data. For
example, the 1977 Time-Life documentary The Case of the Ancient Astronauts showed
that “von Däniken knowingly suppresses data while knowingly using unreliable and false
data. The clincher is von Däniken’s cavalier admission that he falsifies reports – to
stimulate reader interest” (Green & Justeson, 758). Because so much of von Däniken’s
argument rests on his personal research into the ancient artifacts and sites, when his
integrity comes into question his theories lose much of their credibility.
A more nuanced branch of criticism of Ancient Astronaut theory is that believing
that primitive races would have been unable to produce the artifacts and physical
structures associated with their cultures implies a latent racism. Nearly every prominent
Ancient Astronaut theorist is a white male from the United States or Western Europe, and
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many of the civilizations targeted by these theorists would have been non-white and non-
European. Carl Sagan, an American astronomer, who was a vocal critic of the movement
from its inception, objected to “the underlying assumption that our [human] ancestors
were apparently too stupid to create the monumental architecture of the past” (Huyghe,
77). Charles E. Orser elaborates on this view of the idea: “Along with their tenacious
attachment to nineteenth-century science, many pseudo-archeologists maintain their
belief in nineteenth-century racialist ideas” (Orser, 73). That the theory was most popular
in America during a time of racial and ethnic tension does seem to support Orser and
Sagan’s commentary. And yet, belief in Ancient Astronaut theories are most often
accompanied by a deep-seated mistrust of traditional power structures like the scientific
community or the national government, which seems to contradict that rationalization of
these beliefs (Grünschloß). If an individual’s rejection of mainstream explanation for
myth and artifacts stems from their latent white superiority complex, it could not be
accompanied by a rejection of the communities in which whites are so prominent without
the promotion of an alternative power structure. The findings of sociologist Williams
Bainbridge further cast doubt on this assertion as they show some correlation between
belief in Ancient Aliens and traits that signal perceived belonging to a subculture as per
cultural-deviance theories (“Falling”, 201). In fact, the community of Ancient Astronaut
theorists seems to be one that is supportive and democratic, working towards the defeat
of what Fort called “Dogmatic Science” in favor of a more democratic process that would
take seriously contributions to research made by amateurs.
Is it merely a tendency towards social deviance that attracts people to Ancient
Astronaut theory? Clearly supporters are not motivated by traditional scientific principles
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or conventions, but neither are they making some implicit or subconscious statement
about the superiority of their race. Inclusion in an alternate community must explain, at
least in part, the popularity of the theory. It is not as though that von Däniken’s books
were bestsellers in mid-twentieth century and were quixotically revived recently. Since
1970 Ancient Astronaut theory has grown a community of avid believers that followed
von Däniken’s lead. Although there was a marked decrease in support for the theory in
the 1980s and 90s (Huyghe, 77), with the advent of the Internet the community has
strengthened, coalesced, and diversified. The History series Ancient Aliens gives a cross
section of this community by incorporating interviews with many of the more prominent
figures, including von Däniken himself along with Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, Director of the
Erich von Däniken Center for Ancient Astronaut Research, and many other self-
proclaimed experts from fields as diverse as engineering, Christian priesthood and
filmmaking (History.com). It seems, in fact, that the only thing these individuals have in
common is a conviction in Ancient Astronaut theory.
So to understand what draws people to this theory a suitably universal explanation
must be found. This theory must encompass the diverse approaches, represented in small
part by the professions mentioned above, through which people find themselves drawn to
Ancient Alien theory. In fact there is no better way to explain this phenomenon than by
searching for the patterns – or archetypes – with which, according to Jungian
psychologists, all people can identify. As Grünschloß states:
“To the student of the religious history of mankind, Ancient Astronaut narrations must therefore be seen as truly mythic – or ‘neo’-mythic’ – activity: they represent a new mythic foundation for modern man and his scientific and technological mode of being in the world”
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(Grünschloß, 14).
Joseph Campbell in Hero with a Thousand Faces posits that there is one mythic structure
that all myths from all cultures have in common, which he calls the “monomyth.” “The
standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero” Campbell elaborates, “is a
magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation – initiation –
return: which might be named the nuclear of the monomyth” (Campbell, 23). The
narrative presented by the Ancient Astronaut theory, though it explicitly contradicts those
narratives familiar as myths, itself can be seen to follow the path described by Campbell.
The literature and propaganda of the Ancient Astronaut movement encourages
proponents of the theory to see themselves as on a heroic journey or quest for ultimate
truths about humanity and the scope of the universe. This is not the quest for
understanding one’s place within humanity that Campbell and other philosophers of
religion describe as typical for every person through individual religious practice, but
rather one that paints the Ancient Astronaut theorist as a mythic hero in his or her own
right. For there is no official unified theory as such that addresses specifically who or
what these aliens were, or why and when they came and left. Rather the community of
theorists is committed to asking the same questions while proposing radically different
answers, from explaining the Egyptian pyramids as alien power plants to identifying
Jesus Christ as a “star-child,” or human-extraterrestrial crossbreed. Thus for someone to
decide to support and advocate – or perhaps evangelize – acceptance of Ancient
Astronaut theory is to think that he or she has the potential to radically and permanently
alter human history. For all that this belief allows for entry into a community of fellow
believers, the diversity of specific theories indicates that what these theorists have in
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common more than anything else is a yearning for the immortality of a hero of myth, and
a conviction that this immortality is achievable through discovery of heretofore
unrealized truths about the origin of human civilization.
A primary example of this quest narrative is the Legendary Times, the definitive
Ancient Astronaut quarterly magazine published by the Archaeology, Astronautics and
SETI Research Association, which was co-founded by Erich von Däniken. On its
website, the Legendary Times invites readers to:
Embark on a worldwide voyage of discovery, and explore the secrets of the past. Vivid tales of great adventure take you back to the time before history, and offer you, the explorer, research that you were always looking for but were unable to find. (Legendary Times)
Each believer at some point heard the call to the theory, whether through the Chariots of
the Gods? book or documentary, or later through the Internet or television specials. After
that call, each day of their belief is a trial: they are ridiculed now by popular culture and
summarily rejected by the academic establishment. This trial is made truly challenging
because the believer really does believe that they are right – this leads to a
psychologically exhausting state of being. Of course, their opponents, society at large and
mainstream archeologists in particular, are absolutely unwilling to compromise. The
believer lives in hope, though, of a day when their belief is vindicated and the Ancient
Astronaut theory becomes the mainstream mode of archeological thought. This too comes
directly from the Legendary Times website:
The A.A.S. R.A. is determined to prove, using scientific research methods, but in "layman's terms” as to whether or not extraterrestrials visited Earth in the remote past. If the "visitors-from-space", or Paleo-SETI, hypothesis will be eventually proven and accepted by the larger scientific
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community, we will not only have assisted in bringing this research to the general public but will continue to help incorporate it into our daily lives. (Legendary Times)
Erich von Däniken presents himself as an archetypal hero for the Ancient
Astronaut, which makes taking up his cause seem not only easy, but also right. He is self-
aware of his position as de facto leader of the Ancient Astronaut movement, as he
anticipated being in Chariots of the Gods? as evidenced by his first sentence, which
could be a rallying cry for the movement: “It took courage to write this book, and it will
take courage to read it” (von Däniken, 9). Throughout the more than four decades of his
career, von Däniken has insisted on the veracity of the claims he made in Chariots and
elaborated on in his sixteen subsequent books, as well as through his appearances in
various documentaries and The History Channel’s Ancient Aliens series. In speaking of
his work, though, von Däniken makes clear that he does not just see his personal
reputation at stake, but rather the whole of the Ancient Astronaut movement, often
symbolizing this by speaking in the first person plural about his work and beliefs
(Huyghe, History.com). Because of this, other Ancient Astronaut theorists often cite von
Däniken as a major influence on them, though they rarely say they agree with his specific
theories about when and why extraterrestrials came to Earth. Rather, they follow his lead
as to language patterns in arguments, substituting their own details and specific cultural
examples.
However well the alternative narratives created by Ancient Astronaut theorists
can be, Joseph Campbell more than likely would not advocate a belief in Ancient Aliens
as a viable myth system to nurture an individual’s humanity and meet their psychological
needs. As he explains in The Hero With a Thousand Faces:
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It has always been the prime function of mythology and rite to supply the symbols that carry the human spirit forward, in counteraction to those constant human fantasies that tend to tie it back. In fact, it may well be that the very high incidence of neuroticism among ourselves follows from the decline among us of such effective spiritual aid… Apparently there is something in these initiatory images [found in myth] so necessary to the psyche that if they are not supplied from without, through myth and ritual, they will have to be announced again, through dream, from within… (Campbell, 7-8)
The defining character of myth, then, is not how well it fits Ancient Astronaut theorists
who are suffering from the neuroticism of the modern human condition, and are
instinctively turning to humanity’s past, and humanity’s alleged former extraterrestrial
contacts, for inspiration and solutions. Contemporary culture does not provide the ritual
and symbolism needed to live a meaningful life, but those needs can be met,
superficially, with narratives like the Ancient Alien theory. However, by clinging to the
irrational scientific claims of the Ancient Astronaut theory, believers are completely
losing themselves in the very “human fantasies” that Campbell warns of. For ultimately
pseudo-scientific theories, because of their literal falseness, are unable to fulfill the
emotional function that fictitious myth fulfills; they are unable to provide the flesh and
blood to make the bones of the archetype come alive with meaning for a living human.
This distinction accounts for why only a portion of the population is susceptible to these
theories: whereas myth helps humanity become at peace with the cosmos, Ancient
Astronaut theory combatively labels all mythic systems as lies and pushes adherents to
find literally true explanations, that is, alien influence, for human culture and tradition.
Throughout the Ancient Alien series on History Channel, the various Ancient
Astronaut theorists interviewed repeatedly refer to the gods described in ancient religious
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texts as false and fanciful. Mythic powers are identified as advanced alien technology that
primitive humans were unable to understand, and mysteries of architecture and
symbolism are explained in terms of extraterrestrial influence. But opinions vary on what
role these aliens played in human society. Von Däniken and his associates tend to suggest
that they were teachers and mentors who left with promises to return when human
technology had progressed sufficiently. Other theorists suggest that Earth was merely a
battleground in some alien war and that humans were only involved in terms of suffering
as collateral damage. But in each case, the theorist places huge importance on the textual
and artistic artifacts from antiquity. They view these as being true, more literally true than
any psychologist or religious philosopher would claim but with more scientific basis than
most religions suggest. Thus it can be seen that to be an Ancient Astronaut theorist one
must find humanity’s myths and traditions deeply compelling.
In the mid 1960s Joseph L. Henderson, an associate of psychologist Carl Jung,
wrote “The ancient history of man is being meaningfully rediscovered today in the
symbolic images and myths that have survived the ancient man” (Henderson, pg. 97).
Henderson would undoubtedly been disapproving of the alternative myth system
proposed by believers in Ancient Aliens, with its emphasis on reinterpreting history
through literal interpretations of sacred texts and renewed explorations of ancient sites. It
is a strange coincidence, though, that less than a decade after psychotherapists began
calling for a turn back to the ancient traditions of mythology for their symbolic import,
Ancient Astronaut theorists propounded a more tangible return to antiquity to reevaluate
physical evidence for proof of extraterrestrial technology. For an average American
viewer at home, though, it is easy to guess which will be a more attractive solution for the
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deciphering of ancient artifacts: because Ancient Astronaut theory can produce
(convincing, if not entirely accurate) neat answers to the unsolved questions of
archaeology then the theory will always be able to garner supporters from television
viewers.
Although the appeal of the show to the general American audience can be
understood in terms of Campbellian motifs, the question remains as to the motivation of
History for airing it. Programming on the station, and on the other stations owned by its
parent A&E Television Networks, which in turn is operated jointly by “The Hearst
Corporation, Disney-ABC Television Group and NBC Universal” with the stated mission
of “offering consumers a diverse communications environment… as well as supporting
nationwide educational initiatives” (AETN.com), does not seem to indicate a serious
agenda of supporting pseudo-scientific conspiracy theories. Furthermore, the production
company responsible for Ancient Aliens, Prometheus Entertainment, is similarly free
from any obvious anti-establishment motivation; its other successful shows are Food
Paradise, which features different restaurants across America, and Girls Next Door, a
reality television series that follows Playboy founder and Editor-in-chief Hugh Hefner’s
three girlfriends. One can assume that, elaborate conspiracy theories aside, a company
with this portfolio is a typical production company, without any eccentric subculture
agendas to force onto American TV watchers.
Simply put, History as a television station and Prometheus Entertainment as a
production company, like any other businesses, are motivated by its bottom line. To make
a profit, a TV station must provide to its customer, the viewer, a product that the
consumer wants, that is, a show that they want to watch. There is no better way to satisfy
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a customer, and ensure their continued patronage, than by offering a product that satisfies
the deepest psychological urges; thus it stands to reason that a TV station will work to
offer shows that will appeal to the public’s psychological needs. Though characterized by
shoddy scholarship, weak logic, and in some cases by blatant lies, Ancient Astronaut
theory gives a convenient replacement for the myths that it rejects. Furthermore, Ancient
Astronaut theorists present themselves and their theories in a way that resonates with the
most basic archetypes recognized by the human subconscious. As long as the public is
willing to accept this fulfillment of archetypes in this way there will be an ample supply,
such as the History Chanel series Ancient Aliens.
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Bibliography
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