Ancient Astronauts: Claims, Critics, and the Persistent Debate over Humanity's Origins

Ancient astronauts - Wikipedia

Ancient astronauts is a pseudoscientific belief that intelligent extraterrestrials visited Earth in antiquity and shaped human civilization, technology, religions, and biology, with proponents such as Erich von Däniken, Zecharia Sitchin, and Robert Temple citing monuments, artifacts, and biblical texts as evidence, reinterpreting Genesis and Ezekiel as records of watchers, Anunnaki, or spaceship visions, and critics including Carl Sagan and many archaeologists arguing the claims are unfounded and explainable by conventional archaeology and history, noting intersections with UFO religions and popular culture (as in Ancient Aliens) and concerns about racist or colonial implications, though some indigenous writers challenge wholesale dismissal, leaving the debates ongoing as proponents advocate alternative readings of the past and skeptics demand rigorous evidence, and the enduring appeal of a dramatic reimagining of human origins continues to inspire skepticism and imaginative storytelling in fiction and media.