By Topic
Most of the content of this site is related to five broad, somewhat overlapping topics that make claims about the human past: Ancient Astronaut Theory, Giants, Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Contact, Progenitor Civilizations, and Young Earth Creationism. Many of the claims related to these topics are based on actual material evidence (oftentimes the same material evidence), and can therefore be evaluated within a scientific framework. This section introduces these "big" topics and highlights some of their main components. A complete alphabetical listing of topics, sites, artifacts, and people for which there are entries on this site is provided in the index. You can also search for particular sites or artifacts by geographic area.
Ancient Astronaut Theory
Ancient Astronaut Theory centers on the idea(s) that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth in the past and somehow affected human genetics, culture, technology, belief systems, etc. Proponents of these ideas point to an assortment of ancient texts, artifacts, and sites as direct evidence of extraterrestrial visitation. One common claim of ancient astronaut theorists is that humans lacking modern technology could not possibly have shaped and moved the large stones used in structures as the Pyramids of Egypt, the temple at Baalbek, the Moai of Easter Island, and Stonehenge (this same notion figures into claims about the existence of giants - see below). Another common claim is that there is direct evidence of the existence of "high" technology in ancient times in the form of depictions, models, and descriptions of ancient aircraft, electrical devices such as the Baghdad Battery and the Dendera Lights, and other so-called "Out-Of-Place Artifacts." Passages from various ancient texts, often misrepresented, are commonly put forward as evidence of extraterrestrial contact.
The majority of claims about ancient astronauts are associated with the remains of various complex societies in both the New World and the Old World. A significant amount of attention is paid to the ancient states that emerged in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica, and the Andes. Ancient astronaut theorists have also hopped on the Nephilim bandwagon and have gone to great length to say dumb things about cranial deformation that was/is practiced by many cultures around the world.
The late 20th century saw significant growth in the popularity of ideas about ancient astronauts through presentation of the ideas in popular media (i.e., through the book and associated film Chariots of the Gods, the work of Zecharia Sitchen, etc.). The television program Ancient Aliens mixes the original "evidence" presented by Erich von Daniken with ideas from a younger generation of ancient astronaut proponents.
The majority of claims about ancient astronauts are associated with the remains of various complex societies in both the New World and the Old World. A significant amount of attention is paid to the ancient states that emerged in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica, and the Andes. Ancient astronaut theorists have also hopped on the Nephilim bandwagon and have gone to great length to say dumb things about cranial deformation that was/is practiced by many cultures around the world.
The late 20th century saw significant growth in the popularity of ideas about ancient astronauts through presentation of the ideas in popular media (i.e., through the book and associated film Chariots of the Gods, the work of Zecharia Sitchen, etc.). The television program Ancient Aliens mixes the original "evidence" presented by Erich von Daniken with ideas from a younger generation of ancient astronaut proponents.
Giants
Ideas about the existence of giants extend deep into human existence, appearing in mythologies all over the world and in some of humanity's earliest texts. Current claims about giants are diverse and articulate with Ancient Astronaut Theory and Progenitor Civilizations as well as religious belief systems like Young Earth Creationism (YEC), conspiracy theory, Bigfoot, and the occult/paranormal. In my opinion, giants are becoming one of the common denominators of "fringe" theory. Trying to understand how/why that is happening is a fascinating pursuit (I'm still working on it).
Young Earth Creationists embrace giants because they think that proving their existence would somehow invalidate the Theory of Evolution by showing that humans have been "devolving" since Creation rather than "evolving." Purported footprints of giant humans alongside footprints of dinosaurs (or in very old rocks) are one line of evidence that YEC uses to attempt to simultaneously demonstrate the existence of giants and the fallibility of science that says the earth is very old. Giants are a keystone of the "Creation Science" case put forward by people such as Carl Baugh, Joe Taylor, and Kent Hovind. In their view, the Bible Giants of Genesis were large humans that existed before The Flood and built the ancient megalithic structures that exist around the world.
More popular than Bible Giants today, however, is the practice of collecting and interpreting accounts of "giant skeletons" from 19th century America. These accounts, mostly from newspapers, have formed the basis for several recent books on giants as well as the television program Search for the Lost Giants. Though there is some credible evidence for some tall individuals in North America's prehistoric past, there is no material support for claims that a "race of giants" (identifiable by virtue of having double rows of teeth) traveled here from the Old World and built the earthen mounds of eastern North America. The complete lack of physical evidence to back up the 19th century newspaper accounts (many of which were probably simply exaggerations) has led to the belief, widespread among "fringe" theorists, that the Smithsonian Institution, academics, Darwinists, and a host of others across the world have conspired to hide and destroy the physical remains of giants.
Finally, a giant-centric brand of fundamental Christianity is emerging which places the Nephilim (the "giants" mentioned in Genesis 6:4) at the center of an apocalyptic belief system. To Nephilim enthusiasts, giants were the result of abominable matings between angels and humans that constitute nothing less than an attempt by Satan to corrupt the human bloodline and prevent salvation. It was the Nephilim that brought on The Flood, the Nephilim that Joshua tried to purge from Canaan, and the Nephilim that still threaten us today. Steve Qualye and L. A. Marzulli are two of the main personalities cashing in on a wave of Nephilim popularity.
Young Earth Creationists embrace giants because they think that proving their existence would somehow invalidate the Theory of Evolution by showing that humans have been "devolving" since Creation rather than "evolving." Purported footprints of giant humans alongside footprints of dinosaurs (or in very old rocks) are one line of evidence that YEC uses to attempt to simultaneously demonstrate the existence of giants and the fallibility of science that says the earth is very old. Giants are a keystone of the "Creation Science" case put forward by people such as Carl Baugh, Joe Taylor, and Kent Hovind. In their view, the Bible Giants of Genesis were large humans that existed before The Flood and built the ancient megalithic structures that exist around the world.
More popular than Bible Giants today, however, is the practice of collecting and interpreting accounts of "giant skeletons" from 19th century America. These accounts, mostly from newspapers, have formed the basis for several recent books on giants as well as the television program Search for the Lost Giants. Though there is some credible evidence for some tall individuals in North America's prehistoric past, there is no material support for claims that a "race of giants" (identifiable by virtue of having double rows of teeth) traveled here from the Old World and built the earthen mounds of eastern North America. The complete lack of physical evidence to back up the 19th century newspaper accounts (many of which were probably simply exaggerations) has led to the belief, widespread among "fringe" theorists, that the Smithsonian Institution, academics, Darwinists, and a host of others across the world have conspired to hide and destroy the physical remains of giants.
Finally, a giant-centric brand of fundamental Christianity is emerging which places the Nephilim (the "giants" mentioned in Genesis 6:4) at the center of an apocalyptic belief system. To Nephilim enthusiasts, giants were the result of abominable matings between angels and humans that constitute nothing less than an attempt by Satan to corrupt the human bloodline and prevent salvation. It was the Nephilim that brought on The Flood, the Nephilim that Joshua tried to purge from Canaan, and the Nephilim that still threaten us today. Steve Qualye and L. A. Marzulli are two of the main personalities cashing in on a wave of Nephilim popularity.
Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Contact
Claims of Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Contact relate to evidence for interactions between New World and Old World peoples prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean in 1492. So-called "mainstream" archaeologists accept a Norse presence in the New World at around A.D. 1000 based on archaeological evidence from Greenland and Newfoundland. Claims for Norse penetration deeper into the continent, while plausible, are not currently backed up by hard evidence that is widely accepted. The same can be said for claims of visits by the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Minoans, the Lost Tribes of Israel, the Knights Templar, the Welsh, and many others. Such claims have often been based on rock inscriptions, "discoveries" of isolated Old World artifacts, or artifacts that appear to have Old World affinities. Many (but not all) of these have been shown to be fraudulent. Barry Fell based many of his claims on inscribed stones. Some current advocates of pre-Columbian transoceanic contact, like Scott Wolter, have claimed that professional dismissal of artifacts such as the Kensington Rune Stone was premature.
The majority of claims about New World-Old World interactions typically revolve around groups of peoples from Europe or the Near East. Consequently, many of those claims concern artifacts and sites located in Eastern North America. Nineteenth century claims of visitors from the Old World were often associated with speculation about the origins of the prehistoric earthen mounds that occur in many areas of the eastern United States. Mormon archaeologists have also put effort into searching for evidence of a migration of Near Eastern peoples to the New World consistent with the narrative in the Book of Mormon. Claims that Old World peoples mined copper from the Great Lakes have persisted for centuries despite a lack of hard evidence. Claims for contact from west (e.g., China) also occur. The Olmec civilization of Mesoamerica has been attributed to "influence" both the east (Africa) and the west (China).
A thread of hyperdiffusionism (the idea/assumption that cultural similarities must be the result of common ancestry) underlies many of the claims related to pre-Columbian transoceanic contact. The television program America Unearthed is perhaps the most well-known recent presentation of ideas about pre-Columbian transoceanic contact.
The majority of claims about New World-Old World interactions typically revolve around groups of peoples from Europe or the Near East. Consequently, many of those claims concern artifacts and sites located in Eastern North America. Nineteenth century claims of visitors from the Old World were often associated with speculation about the origins of the prehistoric earthen mounds that occur in many areas of the eastern United States. Mormon archaeologists have also put effort into searching for evidence of a migration of Near Eastern peoples to the New World consistent with the narrative in the Book of Mormon. Claims that Old World peoples mined copper from the Great Lakes have persisted for centuries despite a lack of hard evidence. Claims for contact from west (e.g., China) also occur. The Olmec civilization of Mesoamerica has been attributed to "influence" both the east (Africa) and the west (China).
A thread of hyperdiffusionism (the idea/assumption that cultural similarities must be the result of common ancestry) underlies many of the claims related to pre-Columbian transoceanic contact. The television program America Unearthed is perhaps the most well-known recent presentation of ideas about pre-Columbian transoceanic contact.
Progenitor Civilizations
The Progenitor Civilization idea is that a mysterious, single, advanced "mother culture" or civilization gave rise to all subsequent civilizations.. Hyperdiffusionism is at the heart of this idea, which attributes commonalities among Holocene civilizations (such as those in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, the Andes, and Mesoamerica) to descent from a common ancestor rather than as a result of common processes. Proponents of a Progenitor Civilization are very fond of pyramids (both real ones such as those in Egypt and other ones for which there is no good evidence - e.g., Bosnia, Crimea, Alaska, Antarctica) and Out-Of-Place Artifacts that they claim provide hints of advanced technology from a very long time ago. Artifacts such as the Piri Reis map are claimed to show geographical knowledge that could only have been obtained in a very remote period by an advanced civilization.
In addition to an uncritical embrace of hyperdiffusionism (that similarity = descent), claims about Progenitor Civilizations depend on the "mother culture" being older than its offspring. Proponents of the Progenitor Civilization idea are often guilty of playing chronometric tennis with the net down: anything that helps to make ancient monuments from the Holocene seem older (closer in time to the hypothesized "mother culture") is welcomed, as is anything that muddles the stark time differences among the various "offspring" civilizations. Claims for Pleistocene or Early Holocene ages for monuments like the Sphinx and the Egyptian pyramids are common, for example, as are claims that Inca ruins were built by some civilization before the Inca. Current proponents of a Progenitor Civilization include Graham Hancock, who alleges that an advanced civilization existed during the Ice Age. Older variations of the Progenitor Civilization idea are associated with Atlantis and with academic hyperdiffusionists like Elliot Grafton Smith (who linked the spread of "civilization" to the spread of an ancient European/Mediterranean people from Egypt). Hindu creationist Michael Cremo claims there is evidence for the cyclical rise and fall of civilizations extending far into the past.
Proponents of Progenitor Civilizations use many of the same pieces of evidence as Ancient Astronaut Theorists - just about anything that can be used to suggest "connections" between cultures or the existence of technologies/abilities that are "ahead of their time" is fair game. Following Zecharia Sitchin's ideas about the role of aliens in the past, Michael Tellinger proposes that 200,000 years ago alien gold miners created a slave civilization in South Africa from which later civilizations derived.
In addition to an uncritical embrace of hyperdiffusionism (that similarity = descent), claims about Progenitor Civilizations depend on the "mother culture" being older than its offspring. Proponents of the Progenitor Civilization idea are often guilty of playing chronometric tennis with the net down: anything that helps to make ancient monuments from the Holocene seem older (closer in time to the hypothesized "mother culture") is welcomed, as is anything that muddles the stark time differences among the various "offspring" civilizations. Claims for Pleistocene or Early Holocene ages for monuments like the Sphinx and the Egyptian pyramids are common, for example, as are claims that Inca ruins were built by some civilization before the Inca. Current proponents of a Progenitor Civilization include Graham Hancock, who alleges that an advanced civilization existed during the Ice Age. Older variations of the Progenitor Civilization idea are associated with Atlantis and with academic hyperdiffusionists like Elliot Grafton Smith (who linked the spread of "civilization" to the spread of an ancient European/Mediterranean people from Egypt). Hindu creationist Michael Cremo claims there is evidence for the cyclical rise and fall of civilizations extending far into the past.
Proponents of Progenitor Civilizations use many of the same pieces of evidence as Ancient Astronaut Theorists - just about anything that can be used to suggest "connections" between cultures or the existence of technologies/abilities that are "ahead of their time" is fair game. Following Zecharia Sitchin's ideas about the role of aliens in the past, Michael Tellinger proposes that 200,000 years ago alien gold miners created a slave civilization in South Africa from which later civilizations derived.
Young Earth Creationism
Young Earth Creationism (YEC) is a religious belief that the Earth and all of its inhabitants (plants, animals, humans, etc.) were created by a supernatural power about 6000 years or so ago. This belief is in direct conflict with the picture of the Earth's history that has emerged over the last two centuries as a result of numerous, independent lines of scientific inquiry (geology, paleontology, astronomy, physics, anthropology, etc.). Proponents of YEC cite material evidence that they claim demonstrates that humans, plants, and animals were created "as is" (i..e, there has been no biological evolution) and that the geology of the Earth can be explained by The Flood described in the Old Testament.
Key to the claims of YEC is the rejection of radiometric dating that tells us the Earth is billions of years old. Young Earth Creationists embrace many of the same "Out-Of-Place Artifacts" (OOPArts) beloved by advocates of Progenitor Civilizations, only they interpret these artifacts as demonstrating that rocks are younger than we think (not that civilizations are older). Young Earth Creationists also embrace "evidence" (such as Anomalous Footprints) that allegedly show that dinosaurs and humans co-existed and Out-Of-Place Human Remains that they say refute the idea that humans have not always been "modern."
Giants are a keystone of the "Creation Science" case put forward by Young Earth Creationists such as Carl Baugh, Joe Taylor, and Kent Hovind. In their view, the Bible Giants of Genesis were large humans that existed before The Flood and built the ancient megalithic structures that exist around the world. At least some of the YEC interest in giants revolves around the idea that demonstrating the existence of giant humans in the past would show that we have been "degenerating" since Creation (become smaller, weaker, dumber, and shorter-lived) rather than "evolving." This fascinating mis-understanding of evolution results in biblical giants being cast as the "good guys" (bigger, smarter, stronger, closer to Creation) rather than the "bad guys" (as in the Nephilim narrative). The YEC interest in giants leads to more emphasis on trace fossil "evidence" (such as Giant Footprints, many of which have been shown to be misinterpretations or hoaxes) that would demonstrates the antiquity of giants rather than the 19th century newspaper accounts that are garnering so much attention from Nephilim enthusiasts, conspiracy theorists, and New Age writers.
Key to the claims of YEC is the rejection of radiometric dating that tells us the Earth is billions of years old. Young Earth Creationists embrace many of the same "Out-Of-Place Artifacts" (OOPArts) beloved by advocates of Progenitor Civilizations, only they interpret these artifacts as demonstrating that rocks are younger than we think (not that civilizations are older). Young Earth Creationists also embrace "evidence" (such as Anomalous Footprints) that allegedly show that dinosaurs and humans co-existed and Out-Of-Place Human Remains that they say refute the idea that humans have not always been "modern."
Giants are a keystone of the "Creation Science" case put forward by Young Earth Creationists such as Carl Baugh, Joe Taylor, and Kent Hovind. In their view, the Bible Giants of Genesis were large humans that existed before The Flood and built the ancient megalithic structures that exist around the world. At least some of the YEC interest in giants revolves around the idea that demonstrating the existence of giant humans in the past would show that we have been "degenerating" since Creation (become smaller, weaker, dumber, and shorter-lived) rather than "evolving." This fascinating mis-understanding of evolution results in biblical giants being cast as the "good guys" (bigger, smarter, stronger, closer to Creation) rather than the "bad guys" (as in the Nephilim narrative). The YEC interest in giants leads to more emphasis on trace fossil "evidence" (such as Giant Footprints, many of which have been shown to be misinterpretations or hoaxes) that would demonstrates the antiquity of giants rather than the 19th century newspaper accounts that are garnering so much attention from Nephilim enthusiasts, conspiracy theorists, and New Age writers.
