1 00:00:01,880 --> 00:00:02,672 NARRATOR: Otherworldly visitors 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:04,380 who imparted knowledge. 3 00:00:04,547 --> 00:00:06,297 AMIR HUSSAIN: In many ancient cultures, 4 00:00:06,463 --> 00:00:08,797 it's the gods who show human beings 5 00:00:08,963 --> 00:00:10,672 how to use technology. 6 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:12,630 NARRATOR: Teachers who introduced mankind 7 00:00:12,797 --> 00:00:14,963 to Earth-changing innovations. 8 00:00:15,088 --> 00:00:17,838 HUGH NEWMAN: They were master metalworkers 9 00:00:18,005 --> 00:00:19,047 and they were born of the gods. 10 00:00:19,213 --> 00:00:21,838 NARRATOR: And their presence 11 00:00:21,963 --> 00:00:24,213 altered the development of human civilization. 12 00:00:24,380 --> 00:00:27,838 PHILIP IMBROGNO: They were sent here to observe the human race 13 00:00:28,047 --> 00:00:30,505 and guide them when it's needed. 14 00:00:31,547 --> 00:00:33,588 NARRATOR: Could it be that, throughout history, 15 00:00:33,713 --> 00:00:38,505 our planet has been visited by teachers from the stars? 16 00:00:38,588 --> 00:00:44,005 GIORGIO TSOUKALOS: Ancient cultures were very clear in saying 17 00:00:44,172 --> 00:00:47,297 someone came from the sky and taught them this stuff. 18 00:00:49,463 --> 00:00:51,672 NARRATOR: There is a doorway 19 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,380 in the universe. 20 00:00:54,588 --> 00:00:57,630 Beyond it is the promise of truth. 21 00:00:59,088 --> 00:01:01,130 It demands we question everything 22 00:01:01,297 --> 00:01:03,630 we have ever been taught. 23 00:01:03,797 --> 00:01:06,713 The evidence is all around us. 24 00:01:08,005 --> 00:01:11,422 The future is right before our eyes. 25 00:01:11,547 --> 00:01:13,880 We are not alone. 26 00:01:14,047 --> 00:01:17,505 We have never been alone. 27 00:01:24,547 --> 00:01:26,547 ♪ ♪ 28 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:30,338 Athens, Greece. 29 00:01:32,005 --> 00:01:34,255 In the shadow of the Acropolis 30 00:01:34,422 --> 00:01:38,463 lie the ruins of an ancient temple called the Lyceum. 31 00:01:39,380 --> 00:01:41,672 More than 2,000 years ago, 32 00:01:41,797 --> 00:01:44,505 it served as a school of science and philosophy 33 00:01:44,713 --> 00:01:46,672 founded by Aristotle. 34 00:01:46,838 --> 00:01:50,672 Often referred to as the world's first teacher, 35 00:01:50,838 --> 00:01:52,588 Aristotle shared his wisdom 36 00:01:52,713 --> 00:01:55,505 on nearly every aspect of human knowledge, 37 00:01:55,672 --> 00:01:57,797 from biology to ethics 38 00:01:57,963 --> 00:02:00,213 and rhetoric to mathematics. 39 00:02:01,088 --> 00:02:02,838 But according to Aristotle, 40 00:02:03,047 --> 00:02:06,172 much of his knowledge came from an even greater teacher, 41 00:02:06,338 --> 00:02:09,380 one who was known only to him. 42 00:02:11,213 --> 00:02:14,338 There was one idea from Aristotle that was fascinating, 43 00:02:14,463 --> 00:02:16,380 that was new, that was different. 44 00:02:16,547 --> 00:02:19,380 It was the idea of a personal guiding spirit. 45 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,005 He called it the daemonium. 46 00:02:23,172 --> 00:02:26,547 These ideas that would come from unseen sources. 47 00:02:26,713 --> 00:02:29,963 Some later theologies called them guardian angels. 48 00:02:30,130 --> 00:02:31,838 These weren't exactly gods. 49 00:02:31,922 --> 00:02:34,338 They were like personal advisors. 50 00:02:35,338 --> 00:02:36,672 NARRATOR: Across the planet, 51 00:02:36,838 --> 00:02:39,588 ancient people wrote about mysterious entities 52 00:02:39,713 --> 00:02:42,838 or godlike beings who taught them the skills they needed 53 00:02:43,047 --> 00:02:45,547 to establish their civilizations. 54 00:02:46,922 --> 00:02:48,672 Most of us, uh, when we grow up, 55 00:02:48,838 --> 00:02:51,755 have our parents as teachers, our family members as teachers. 56 00:02:53,338 --> 00:02:55,338 We go to school. We have human teachers. 57 00:02:55,547 --> 00:02:58,338 But there's this idea that, in the ancient world, 58 00:02:58,547 --> 00:03:00,963 the ultimate teachers aren't just human beings 59 00:03:01,088 --> 00:03:02,922 but the divine. 60 00:03:03,047 --> 00:03:07,922 Many cultures and civilizations have attribution myths. 61 00:03:09,047 --> 00:03:10,505 How did we get what we have? 62 00:03:10,672 --> 00:03:13,047 Many of them attribute it to gods, 63 00:03:13,255 --> 00:03:14,630 to teacher gods 64 00:03:14,797 --> 00:03:17,338 who come and gift humanity 65 00:03:17,547 --> 00:03:19,338 with the various things that we need 66 00:03:19,505 --> 00:03:21,963 in order to build civilizations. 67 00:03:22,172 --> 00:03:24,213 (fire crackling) 68 00:03:26,422 --> 00:03:28,005 NARRATOR: While the passing down of knowledge 69 00:03:28,172 --> 00:03:30,130 by otherworldly teachers 70 00:03:30,255 --> 00:03:33,172 is often interpreted as merely mythological, 71 00:03:33,297 --> 00:03:36,005 ancient astronaut theorists suggest 72 00:03:36,172 --> 00:03:37,880 the ubiquity of these stories 73 00:03:38,047 --> 00:03:40,838 points to a more profound explanation. 74 00:03:42,047 --> 00:03:43,380 Are all these ancient stories 75 00:03:43,588 --> 00:03:46,130 just a figment of our ancestors' imagination? 76 00:03:46,297 --> 00:03:49,713 Or is there a kernel of truth? 77 00:03:50,755 --> 00:03:53,880 The ancient astronaut theory teaches that, at some point, 78 00:03:54,047 --> 00:03:58,505 our ancestors received knowledge under the instruction 79 00:03:58,630 --> 00:04:02,255 of visiting flesh-and-blood extraterrestrials, 80 00:04:02,380 --> 00:04:05,380 whom our ancestors misinterpreted 81 00:04:05,547 --> 00:04:08,755 as divine spiritual gods. 82 00:04:10,755 --> 00:04:14,088 NARRATOR: Accounts of otherworldly beings teaching humans 83 00:04:14,255 --> 00:04:17,005 date back to the beginning of recorded history, 84 00:04:17,213 --> 00:04:20,130 starting with the world's first civilization, 85 00:04:20,255 --> 00:04:21,672 the Sumerians. 86 00:04:22,630 --> 00:04:26,005 Emerging in Mesopotamia over 6,000 years ago, 87 00:04:26,213 --> 00:04:30,880 the Sumerians were the first people to develop agriculture, 88 00:04:31,005 --> 00:04:32,672 the wheel 89 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:34,838 and a written language. 90 00:04:34,963 --> 00:04:36,672 And according to their texts, 91 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:38,672 they attributed all of this knowledge 92 00:04:38,838 --> 00:04:42,005 to divine teachers who came down from the heavens 93 00:04:42,172 --> 00:04:44,963 known as the Anunnaki. 94 00:04:45,088 --> 00:04:47,047 HUSSAIN: In the Sumerian tradition, 95 00:04:47,213 --> 00:04:49,130 Enlil, you know, one of the gods, 96 00:04:49,297 --> 00:04:50,838 teaches human beings about agriculture, 97 00:04:51,005 --> 00:04:54,047 teaches human beings how to plow into the ground 98 00:04:54,213 --> 00:04:55,838 and plant seeds. 99 00:04:56,047 --> 00:04:59,922 It's the gods who show human beings how to use technology, 100 00:05:00,088 --> 00:05:01,797 how to create this technology. 101 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:07,255 WILLIAM HENRY: The Anunnaki instruct humanity in the various arts and sciences 102 00:05:07,422 --> 00:05:09,463 and rudimentary knowledge about civilization 103 00:05:09,630 --> 00:05:11,338 and how to conduct themselves. 104 00:05:11,547 --> 00:05:13,672 And this is the origin of the Sumerians. 105 00:05:13,838 --> 00:05:15,422 This is where they got their knowledge. 106 00:05:15,588 --> 00:05:16,922 This is why they're the first 107 00:05:17,088 --> 00:05:19,297 with all of their discoveries and inventions. 108 00:05:19,463 --> 00:05:21,672 And it comes from the Anunnaki. 109 00:05:23,547 --> 00:05:25,505 NARRATOR: The Sumerian pantheon of gods 110 00:05:25,672 --> 00:05:30,047 also includes a mysterious figure known as Oannes. 111 00:05:31,338 --> 00:05:34,338 Oannes was the first bringer of knowledge, 112 00:05:34,547 --> 00:05:37,172 especially mathematics. 113 00:05:37,380 --> 00:05:40,130 And what's so interesting about Oannes is that, 114 00:05:40,297 --> 00:05:43,088 during the day, he would be among the people 115 00:05:43,255 --> 00:05:45,838 and teach various disciplines of science. 116 00:05:46,005 --> 00:05:50,713 And then, at night, he would disappear into the water. 117 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:55,755 Is it possible that our ancestors really were taught 118 00:05:55,922 --> 00:05:58,713 by some sort of an amphibious being 119 00:05:58,838 --> 00:06:01,713 that initially descended from the sky? 120 00:06:03,213 --> 00:06:06,255 NARRATOR: Could it be that the stories of the Anunnaki 121 00:06:06,422 --> 00:06:08,297 are not mythological 122 00:06:08,463 --> 00:06:11,588 but eyewitness accounts of extraterrestrial visitors 123 00:06:11,755 --> 00:06:14,963 who shared their knowledge in the distant past? 124 00:06:15,172 --> 00:06:17,338 Perhaps further clues can be found 125 00:06:17,505 --> 00:06:19,630 by examining ancient traditions 126 00:06:19,838 --> 00:06:23,005 that have carried through to the present day. 127 00:06:26,172 --> 00:06:28,172 Shaanxi Province, China. 128 00:06:28,338 --> 00:06:31,005 April 5, 2019. 129 00:06:31,213 --> 00:06:33,713 (drumming) 130 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:35,755 At the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor, 131 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,088 thousands of people gather to watch 132 00:06:38,255 --> 00:06:40,713 a traditional dragon dance. 133 00:06:40,838 --> 00:06:43,463 KATHLEEN McGOWAN: The dragon dance is an ancient ceremony, 134 00:06:43,630 --> 00:06:45,713 which for thousands of years has been a representation 135 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:49,130 of the dragons coming from the sky and returning to the sky. 136 00:06:50,338 --> 00:06:52,713 NARRATOR: The ceremony in Shaanxi celebrates 137 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:56,797 the deity considered to be the father of all Chinese people, 138 00:06:56,922 --> 00:06:58,088 the Yellow Emperor, 139 00:06:58,255 --> 00:07:01,838 who lived nearly 5,000 years ago. 140 00:07:02,047 --> 00:07:03,838 The Yellow Emperor is, uh, 141 00:07:04,047 --> 00:07:05,797 one of the earliest, uh, 142 00:07:05,963 --> 00:07:08,588 mythical or semi-mythical rulers of China. 143 00:07:08,797 --> 00:07:13,047 He is held in extremely high regard even today 144 00:07:13,213 --> 00:07:15,547 by the Chinese people. 145 00:07:15,713 --> 00:07:20,672 The Yellow Emperor gave his subjects the lunar calendar, 146 00:07:20,838 --> 00:07:22,672 mathematics, 147 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:24,838 advanced houses, 148 00:07:25,005 --> 00:07:27,380 writing systems, 149 00:07:27,547 --> 00:07:30,672 astronomy and a variety of other elements 150 00:07:30,838 --> 00:07:33,172 that really form the basis for Chinese culture. 151 00:07:33,338 --> 00:07:35,505 NARRATOR: According to legend, 152 00:07:35,630 --> 00:07:37,838 after the Yellow Emperor shared his knowledge, 153 00:07:38,047 --> 00:07:41,713 he left the planet to return to his celestial home. 154 00:07:42,713 --> 00:07:45,088 ANDREW COLLINS: We find that, at the end of his life, 155 00:07:45,255 --> 00:07:48,672 he sees this dragon come down 156 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,005 and he literally climbs aboard it 157 00:07:52,130 --> 00:07:55,422 and is taken bodily into heaven. 158 00:07:55,630 --> 00:07:57,588 So what's going on here? 159 00:07:57,755 --> 00:08:00,172 Is it possible that that dragon 160 00:08:00,338 --> 00:08:03,588 could be what we refer to today as a UFO? 161 00:08:03,755 --> 00:08:07,672 Some kind of craft that we can see 162 00:08:07,797 --> 00:08:10,963 in terms of an extraterrestrial vehicle. 163 00:08:12,005 --> 00:08:15,088 NARRATOR: Is it possible that Chinese civilization 164 00:08:15,255 --> 00:08:18,338 was established with the help of an extraterrestrial visitor 165 00:08:18,505 --> 00:08:21,630 who came to Earth in the distant past? 166 00:08:21,797 --> 00:08:24,838 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes 167 00:08:25,005 --> 00:08:28,922 and suggest that figures like the Yellow Emperor and Oannes 168 00:08:29,088 --> 00:08:32,588 were only the first teachers to influence mankind. 169 00:08:32,755 --> 00:08:35,630 As evidence, they point to stories 170 00:08:35,797 --> 00:08:38,505 associated with a technological innovation 171 00:08:38,672 --> 00:08:42,005 that changed the course of human history-- 172 00:08:42,172 --> 00:08:45,172 the mastery of metal. 173 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:51,005 NARRATOR: According to archaeologists, 174 00:08:51,172 --> 00:08:53,213 roughly 6,000 years ago, 175 00:08:53,380 --> 00:08:56,922 there was a sudden advancement in our technological ability 176 00:08:57,130 --> 00:09:01,755 as civilizations began to manipulate metal. 177 00:09:03,213 --> 00:09:07,422 PAUL BAHN: Metallurgy was a tremendous step forward for humankind. 178 00:09:07,588 --> 00:09:09,838 Although stone had been extraordinarily useful 179 00:09:10,005 --> 00:09:11,547 for hundreds of thousands of years, 180 00:09:11,713 --> 00:09:14,880 once metal becomes very widespread, 181 00:09:15,047 --> 00:09:16,880 then you have mass production of all different kinds of tools 182 00:09:17,047 --> 00:09:19,838 and weapons and plowshares and so on. 183 00:09:20,047 --> 00:09:22,672 So a very, very profound impact on human development. 184 00:09:24,380 --> 00:09:27,838 NARRATOR: A key breakthrough was the creation of bronze, 185 00:09:27,963 --> 00:09:31,672 a metal alloy that consists of copper and tin. 186 00:09:31,838 --> 00:09:34,547 BAHN: The development of bronze is a whole new ballgame. 187 00:09:34,713 --> 00:09:37,130 It's harder, it's less brittle 188 00:09:37,255 --> 00:09:39,005 and you can make all kinds of wonderful things, 189 00:09:39,213 --> 00:09:40,547 particularly weapons, 190 00:09:40,672 --> 00:09:42,630 slashing swords and things like that. 191 00:09:44,213 --> 00:09:47,630 NARRATOR: Curiously, archaeological evidence suggests 192 00:09:47,755 --> 00:09:50,005 that civilizations across the globe 193 00:09:50,172 --> 00:09:53,255 started making bronze around the same time. 194 00:09:53,380 --> 00:09:57,838 BILL BIRNES: The development of metallurgy was intriguing, 195 00:09:57,963 --> 00:10:00,547 because, right about the same period, 196 00:10:00,755 --> 00:10:04,213 that technology sprang up all over the world 197 00:10:04,380 --> 00:10:05,547 in different cultures. 198 00:10:05,713 --> 00:10:07,713 What does that tell us? 199 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:11,338 It tells us that this has to be taught. 200 00:10:11,505 --> 00:10:13,005 Who taught them? 201 00:10:13,172 --> 00:10:15,797 NARRATOR: According to mainstream historians, 202 00:10:15,963 --> 00:10:17,922 this technological breakthrough 203 00:10:18,088 --> 00:10:21,672 was simply the result of human ingenuity. 204 00:10:21,838 --> 00:10:24,505 But ancient astronaut theorists believe 205 00:10:24,588 --> 00:10:28,422 there may be a more profound explanation. 206 00:10:28,547 --> 00:10:31,547 And they point to mythologies around the world 207 00:10:31,713 --> 00:10:34,630 that claim the knowledge of how to work with metals 208 00:10:34,838 --> 00:10:37,713 was taught by otherworldly beings, 209 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,672 like a mysterious group in ancient Greece 210 00:10:40,838 --> 00:10:43,505 known as the Telchines. 211 00:10:43,630 --> 00:10:44,880 TSOUKALOS: In the ancient Greek mythologies, 212 00:10:45,047 --> 00:10:47,005 there is the so-called Telchines, 213 00:10:47,172 --> 00:10:51,172 who were some of the earliest metalsmith workers 214 00:10:51,338 --> 00:10:53,672 of celestial origin 215 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:58,838 that taught the ancient Greeks how to make swords, 216 00:10:59,005 --> 00:11:02,005 and, essentially, how to work metal. 217 00:11:02,213 --> 00:11:04,672 HENRY: The Telchines were chimeric beings. 218 00:11:04,838 --> 00:11:07,130 They're part human, part fish, 219 00:11:07,297 --> 00:11:10,338 and they made all the magical implements and technologies 220 00:11:10,463 --> 00:11:11,797 of the Greek stories. 221 00:11:12,838 --> 00:11:15,380 NEWMAN: The Telchines were born of the gods, 222 00:11:15,505 --> 00:11:18,130 and they were even said to have created 223 00:11:18,297 --> 00:11:20,755 the trident of Poseidon 224 00:11:20,922 --> 00:11:23,005 and the sickle of Cronus. 225 00:11:23,130 --> 00:11:25,838 And they were kind of master technologists 226 00:11:26,005 --> 00:11:27,922 as well as working with metal. 227 00:11:28,047 --> 00:11:32,713 TSOUKALOS: The ancient Greeks were very clear in saying 228 00:11:32,838 --> 00:11:34,838 someone came from the sky-- 229 00:11:35,047 --> 00:11:36,922 in this case, it was the Telchines-- 230 00:11:37,088 --> 00:11:40,755 that actually then spent time 231 00:11:40,922 --> 00:11:43,505 with the ancient Greeks and taught them this stuff. 232 00:11:43,630 --> 00:11:47,088 NARRATOR: Accounts of divine beings who shared the secrets 233 00:11:47,213 --> 00:11:50,547 of the forge can be found across the globe. 234 00:11:50,713 --> 00:11:56,338 In Egypt, the god Ptah spread knowledge about metalworking. 235 00:11:56,505 --> 00:12:00,088 Kanayago instructed the ancient people of Japan. 236 00:12:00,213 --> 00:12:03,630 And in Celtic lore, smithcraft was taught 237 00:12:03,797 --> 00:12:05,838 by the Tuatha Dé Danann, 238 00:12:06,005 --> 00:12:10,213 advanced beings who arrived in Ireland on cloud ships. 239 00:12:10,422 --> 00:12:12,838 TSOUKALOS: According to the ancient astronaut theory, 240 00:12:13,047 --> 00:12:15,838 all of these ancient cultures 241 00:12:15,922 --> 00:12:18,672 from all continents around the world 242 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,172 were, in fact, visited by the same extraterrestrials. 243 00:12:23,213 --> 00:12:26,963 NARRATOR: Is it possible that early civilizations across the globe 244 00:12:27,130 --> 00:12:31,005 were taught how to work metal by otherworldly visitors? 245 00:12:31,213 --> 00:12:33,588 According to ancient astronaut theorists, 246 00:12:33,755 --> 00:12:35,713 support for this notion can be found 247 00:12:35,922 --> 00:12:38,213 not only in myths and legends 248 00:12:38,338 --> 00:12:42,380 but also in physical evidence that was recently retrieved 249 00:12:42,547 --> 00:12:46,130 from the bottom of the ocean. 250 00:12:48,297 --> 00:12:51,547 January 2015. 251 00:12:51,713 --> 00:12:54,213 One mile off the coast of Sicily, 252 00:12:54,422 --> 00:12:58,838 archeologists excavate a 2,600-year-old shipwreck. 253 00:12:58,963 --> 00:13:03,713 They uncover an ancient treasure trove of 39 metal ingots. 254 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:06,963 Spectrographic analysis reveals the metal 255 00:13:07,172 --> 00:13:11,588 is a mysterious alloy unlike anything ever seen before. 256 00:13:12,588 --> 00:13:15,672 CAROLINE WHITEHILL: It's not gold, although it looks a lot like gold. 257 00:13:15,838 --> 00:13:18,338 It's not your typical bronze alloy, 258 00:13:18,463 --> 00:13:21,088 although it behaves a lot like bronze. 259 00:13:21,213 --> 00:13:25,838 It has a very beautiful shine, and it's an uncommon metal. 260 00:13:26,047 --> 00:13:30,505 These ingots are made of five different metals. 261 00:13:30,630 --> 00:13:33,505 We have copper, we have iron, 262 00:13:33,672 --> 00:13:37,880 nickel, lead and zinc. 263 00:13:38,047 --> 00:13:39,797 JEFF WILLIAMS: What's interesting about this is 264 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,963 zinc only occurs in nature as sphalerite. 265 00:13:43,130 --> 00:13:45,797 It's a zinc sulfur complex. 266 00:13:45,963 --> 00:13:47,838 In order to create zinc, 267 00:13:48,047 --> 00:13:51,838 you have to actually process the zinc out of this sulfide. 268 00:13:52,047 --> 00:13:54,380 They didn't have that technology back then. 269 00:13:54,505 --> 00:13:56,547 We didn't have zinc until about a thousand years ago, 270 00:13:56,713 --> 00:13:58,463 and this is 2,600 years old. 271 00:13:58,588 --> 00:14:02,338 NARRATOR: Scientists were astounded to discover 272 00:14:02,505 --> 00:14:05,172 that this advanced alloy had been produced 273 00:14:05,297 --> 00:14:08,588 centuries before humans are thought to have had the ability 274 00:14:08,797 --> 00:14:11,547 to manipulate elements like zinc into metals. 275 00:14:11,755 --> 00:14:13,963 And they were even more surprised 276 00:14:14,130 --> 00:14:16,505 when they found that the ingots closely matched 277 00:14:16,672 --> 00:14:20,172 a legendary metal described by the Greek philosopher Plato 278 00:14:20,380 --> 00:14:26,047 in the fourth century BC called orichalcum. 279 00:14:26,255 --> 00:14:30,505 Orichalcum is a very precious metal 280 00:14:30,672 --> 00:14:34,672 that is talked about in the accounts of Atlantis, 281 00:14:34,797 --> 00:14:40,005 written by Plato as early as 350 BC. 282 00:14:40,213 --> 00:14:44,338 It was second up in value to gold itself, 283 00:14:44,505 --> 00:14:48,172 and that a large part of the city of Atlantis 284 00:14:48,338 --> 00:14:51,672 was actually covered in orichalcum. 285 00:14:52,672 --> 00:14:56,005 HENRY: According to Plato, the Temple of Poseidon in Atlantis 286 00:14:56,172 --> 00:14:58,338 was covered with orichalcum, 287 00:14:58,547 --> 00:15:01,338 that the interior walls and floors were lined with it, 288 00:15:01,505 --> 00:15:03,838 and that it gleamed red and white light. 289 00:15:04,047 --> 00:15:06,797 NARRATOR: According to Plato's story, 290 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,338 the Greek god Cadmus, grandson of Poseidon, 291 00:15:10,463 --> 00:15:13,380 came down from Mount Olympus and gave orichalcum 292 00:15:13,547 --> 00:15:15,547 to the people of Atlantis. 293 00:15:15,672 --> 00:15:17,213 COLLINS: Cadmus is 294 00:15:17,380 --> 00:15:21,255 one of the legendary founders of Greek civilization. 295 00:15:21,380 --> 00:15:23,213 And quite clearly, 296 00:15:23,380 --> 00:15:29,297 he was a very inspired alchemist or smithy 297 00:15:29,463 --> 00:15:31,297 who had this knowledge 298 00:15:31,463 --> 00:15:34,213 of how to create this divine metal. 299 00:15:35,213 --> 00:15:38,005 It's quite interesting, really, that here is this, 300 00:15:38,088 --> 00:15:41,755 what people thought was a mythological metal, 301 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:44,713 that Plato, you know, had just kind of made up 302 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:46,672 as part of his Atlantis story. 303 00:15:46,797 --> 00:15:51,838 And yet, we are finding ingots of this metal in shipwrecks. 304 00:15:52,047 --> 00:15:54,380 How amazing is that? 305 00:15:54,547 --> 00:15:58,630 NEWMAN: People have kind of gone crazy about this over the years. 306 00:15:58,797 --> 00:16:02,172 They suggest this could be evidence of Atlantis itself. 307 00:16:03,797 --> 00:16:05,755 NARRATOR: Could this mysterious alloy, 308 00:16:05,963 --> 00:16:08,005 found off the coast of Sicily, 309 00:16:08,213 --> 00:16:11,505 be proof that humans were shown how to manipulate metal 310 00:16:11,713 --> 00:16:15,838 by otherworldly beings thousands of years ago? 311 00:16:16,005 --> 00:16:19,005 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, 312 00:16:19,130 --> 00:16:22,213 and suggest that further evidence can be found 313 00:16:22,380 --> 00:16:24,797 in accounts of people who communicated 314 00:16:24,963 --> 00:16:29,172 with extraterrestrial teachers face-to-face. 315 00:16:36,755 --> 00:16:39,547 NARRATOR: A Bedouin shepherd exploring a cave 316 00:16:39,713 --> 00:16:42,047 13 miles east of Jerusalem 317 00:16:42,213 --> 00:16:44,880 comes across hundreds of ancient parchments. 318 00:16:45,088 --> 00:16:49,088 Known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the documents contain 319 00:16:49,255 --> 00:16:52,213 the oldest versions of the Bible ever discovered. 320 00:16:52,380 --> 00:16:55,963 Among them is a controversial text 321 00:16:56,130 --> 00:16:59,963 that describes an encounter between a man named Enoch 322 00:17:00,130 --> 00:17:02,922 and a mysterious group of otherworldly teachers 323 00:17:03,047 --> 00:17:05,713 called the watchers. 324 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:08,463 COLLINS: Enoch was the great prophet 325 00:17:08,630 --> 00:17:10,505 of the Book of Genesis. 326 00:17:10,672 --> 00:17:15,005 It was he that encountered the watchers. 327 00:17:16,505 --> 00:17:17,797 And it was said 328 00:17:17,963 --> 00:17:21,297 that they gave the sciences of heaven, 329 00:17:21,463 --> 00:17:24,338 the rudiments of civilization. 330 00:17:24,463 --> 00:17:26,922 IMBROGNO: Enoch referred to these people, 331 00:17:27,088 --> 00:17:29,672 whoever they are, as the watchers. 332 00:17:31,047 --> 00:17:33,047 Now, the watchers were actually a group of beings 333 00:17:33,213 --> 00:17:35,338 that we refer to as angels, 334 00:17:35,463 --> 00:17:40,130 that were specially sent here to observe the evolution 335 00:17:40,255 --> 00:17:44,255 of the human race and guide them when it's needed. 336 00:17:45,213 --> 00:17:48,422 NARRATOR: The Book of Enoch is a first-hand account 337 00:17:48,588 --> 00:17:51,838 of the biblical patriarch's encounter with the watchers. 338 00:17:51,963 --> 00:17:54,338 According to the text, 339 00:17:54,505 --> 00:17:59,672 the watchers brought Enoch to heaven in a fiery chariot. 340 00:17:59,797 --> 00:18:01,172 TSOUKALOS: The Book of Enoch 341 00:18:01,338 --> 00:18:04,172 was clearly an eyewitness account 342 00:18:04,380 --> 00:18:06,505 because he describes everything. 343 00:18:06,713 --> 00:18:09,130 "I, Enoch, did this." 344 00:18:09,297 --> 00:18:13,297 "I, Enoch, went there, and then, I saw this." 345 00:18:13,422 --> 00:18:17,297 Enoch was taken into that celestial realm 346 00:18:17,463 --> 00:18:21,797 and the watchers imparted certain knowledge to him. 347 00:18:21,963 --> 00:18:25,588 For example, the "angels" said to him, 348 00:18:25,713 --> 00:18:27,088 "Look out the window, 349 00:18:27,255 --> 00:18:29,672 "and see that you're looking at the Moon. 350 00:18:29,838 --> 00:18:34,505 The Moon has light, but it comes from the Sun." 351 00:18:34,713 --> 00:18:39,088 Well, this is deep astronomical knowledge 352 00:18:39,297 --> 00:18:43,338 which, at the time, really was not known. 353 00:18:43,505 --> 00:18:46,172 Now, you exchange the word "angels" 354 00:18:46,297 --> 00:18:50,088 with "extraterrestrials," and there you have your story. 355 00:18:51,672 --> 00:18:54,088 NARRATOR: According to ancient Islamic texts, 356 00:18:54,213 --> 00:18:57,255 Enoch used his newfound knowledge to create 357 00:18:57,380 --> 00:19:01,880 a breathtaking monument that can still be seen to this day, 358 00:19:02,047 --> 00:19:04,213 the Great Pyramid of Giza. 359 00:19:04,380 --> 00:19:06,338 COLLINS: Conventional thinking 360 00:19:06,505 --> 00:19:12,130 says that the Great Pyramid was built by the pharaoh Cheops 361 00:19:12,338 --> 00:19:17,505 in around 2500 BC as his tomb. 362 00:19:17,713 --> 00:19:20,963 However, ancient accounts that we have 363 00:19:21,130 --> 00:19:24,255 from Arab writers and historians, 364 00:19:24,422 --> 00:19:27,047 like al-Maqrizi, tells us 365 00:19:27,255 --> 00:19:32,713 that the designer of the Great Pyramid was Idris. 366 00:19:32,922 --> 00:19:38,422 "Idris" is the Arabic form of the name "Enoch." 367 00:19:40,088 --> 00:19:41,838 HENRY: Al-Maqrizi says that the pyramids 368 00:19:42,047 --> 00:19:43,463 were built by Enoch, 369 00:19:43,672 --> 00:19:46,297 who was tutored by the watcher angels 370 00:19:46,463 --> 00:19:48,838 who told him to come back down to Earth 371 00:19:49,047 --> 00:19:50,963 and build the pyramids as a repository 372 00:19:51,130 --> 00:19:52,838 for ancient knowledge. 373 00:19:52,963 --> 00:19:56,505 VON DÄNIKEN: Enoch was educated by the extraterrestrials. 374 00:19:56,630 --> 00:19:59,713 He learned their language, they teached him 375 00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:01,880 in astronomy and in engineering. 376 00:20:02,047 --> 00:20:04,672 They dictated him technological stuff. 377 00:20:04,838 --> 00:20:08,005 How can you construct this, how can you measure this, 378 00:20:08,213 --> 00:20:11,005 how can you transport the stone blocks 379 00:20:11,213 --> 00:20:13,005 but with the knowledge and the teaching 380 00:20:13,172 --> 00:20:15,005 of extraterrestrials? 381 00:20:15,172 --> 00:20:18,172 The reality is, extraterrestrials were here 382 00:20:18,297 --> 00:20:20,172 thousands of years ago. 383 00:20:21,547 --> 00:20:24,630 NARRATOR: As far as ancient astronaut theorists are concerned, 384 00:20:24,797 --> 00:20:28,630 the Book of Enoch reveals that extraterrestrial teachers 385 00:20:28,797 --> 00:20:30,255 chose certain individuals 386 00:20:30,422 --> 00:20:33,213 to help disseminate knowledge to humankind. 387 00:20:33,380 --> 00:20:35,838 And they say further evidence of this 388 00:20:36,047 --> 00:20:40,713 can be found in the ancient Sanskrit texts of India. 389 00:20:44,713 --> 00:20:47,672 At the center of this sprawling metropolis 390 00:20:47,797 --> 00:20:51,213 is the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. 391 00:20:51,380 --> 00:20:55,005 Its collection maintains the oldest known manuscripts 392 00:20:55,213 --> 00:20:56,797 of the Vedas, 393 00:20:56,963 --> 00:21:00,838 the religious texts that form the basis of Hinduism. 394 00:21:02,005 --> 00:21:06,005 These sacred teachings are more than 8,000 years old, 395 00:21:06,130 --> 00:21:10,880 and Hindus believe they come directly from the gods. 396 00:21:12,338 --> 00:21:16,130 STEAVU: The word "Veda" means "knowledge" in Sanskrit. 397 00:21:16,297 --> 00:21:18,338 And so there is this close association 398 00:21:18,547 --> 00:21:21,005 with a special type of, 399 00:21:21,172 --> 00:21:24,797 uh, wisdom or knowledge that is transmitted through the Vedas. 400 00:21:26,297 --> 00:21:29,547 Originally the Vedas were revealed by the gods 401 00:21:29,672 --> 00:21:33,255 to a certain class of spiritual elect. 402 00:21:34,338 --> 00:21:37,380 And the Vedas were transmitted orally 403 00:21:37,547 --> 00:21:40,672 from generation to generation for a very long time. 404 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:44,505 YOUNG: The Vedas was part of the secret lore 405 00:21:44,672 --> 00:21:49,380 of Hinduism that would only be entrusted to the wisdom keepers, 406 00:21:49,547 --> 00:21:53,672 a very select body of scholars who would hold 407 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:56,755 the powerful knowledge, sometimes called "Sitis," 408 00:21:56,922 --> 00:21:58,463 or spiritual powers, 409 00:21:58,630 --> 00:22:01,672 that the public might not be quite ready for. 410 00:22:02,713 --> 00:22:06,338 NARRATOR: The Vedas and other ancient Sanskrit texts of India 411 00:22:06,505 --> 00:22:09,588 contain detailed passages that describe 412 00:22:09,713 --> 00:22:12,505 divine beings who descended from the sky 413 00:22:12,672 --> 00:22:15,713 and shared knowledge with a select group of people. 414 00:22:17,380 --> 00:22:21,130 HENRY: The Vedas tell us that the gods taught humans how to chant, 415 00:22:21,297 --> 00:22:23,338 how to pray and to sing 416 00:22:23,505 --> 00:22:26,338 in order to communicate with the gods. 417 00:22:26,505 --> 00:22:30,005 TSOUKALOS: The Vedas are filled with flying chariots, 418 00:22:30,172 --> 00:22:32,880 the so-called vimanas. 419 00:22:33,047 --> 00:22:36,005 There's a very interesting part in the Mahabharata 420 00:22:36,130 --> 00:22:37,838 where a King Revita actually 421 00:22:37,963 --> 00:22:41,588 visits the celestial palace of Brahma. 422 00:22:42,755 --> 00:22:46,005 Brahma was the Hindu creator god. 423 00:22:46,130 --> 00:22:47,922 Everything came from Brahma. 424 00:22:49,047 --> 00:22:53,380 And King Revita was actually taken into the heavens 425 00:22:53,547 --> 00:22:58,755 in a chariot to visit this gigantic palace. 426 00:23:00,505 --> 00:23:03,380 NARRATOR: Similar encounters with mysterious teachers 427 00:23:03,547 --> 00:23:05,505 can be found in the traditions of 428 00:23:05,672 --> 00:23:07,963 many other ancient cultures across the world. 429 00:23:09,213 --> 00:23:12,547 YOUNG: In Buddhism, Emperor Ashoka consulted 430 00:23:12,755 --> 00:23:15,838 with a secret society called "the nine unknown men," 431 00:23:15,963 --> 00:23:19,297 who possess the knowledge of the universe. 432 00:23:19,463 --> 00:23:22,672 Similar societies existed in ancient Egypt, 433 00:23:22,797 --> 00:23:25,338 and the ideas were only taught 434 00:23:25,547 --> 00:23:28,505 on a very selective basis. 435 00:23:28,713 --> 00:23:31,463 TSOUKALOS: That is the connection of the ancient astronaut theory. 436 00:23:31,630 --> 00:23:34,880 It's not that they all, out of nowhere, 437 00:23:35,047 --> 00:23:36,505 came up with the same ideas. 438 00:23:36,630 --> 00:23:39,213 But according to the ancient legends 439 00:23:39,380 --> 00:23:42,297 and mythologies that our ancestors impart to us, 440 00:23:42,422 --> 00:23:46,422 they say that this knowledge was given to them 441 00:23:46,588 --> 00:23:50,130 by the so-called gods that descended from the sky. 442 00:23:51,547 --> 00:23:55,338 NARRATOR: Is it possible that certain people were in direct contact 443 00:23:55,505 --> 00:23:58,672 with extraterrestrial teachers in the distant past? 444 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:03,422 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, and suggest 445 00:24:03,630 --> 00:24:07,547 that this communication continues to this very day. 446 00:24:08,463 --> 00:24:09,838 And as evidence, 447 00:24:10,047 --> 00:24:12,672 they point to a 19th-century Russian noblewoman, 448 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:15,838 whose claims of otherworldly teachers 449 00:24:15,963 --> 00:24:19,505 laid the foundation for what would become known as... 450 00:24:20,505 --> 00:24:22,838 the "ancient astronaut theory." 451 00:24:31,547 --> 00:24:33,380 NARRATOR: Madame Helena Blavatsky 452 00:24:33,547 --> 00:24:37,130 founds a new group called the Theosophical Society, 453 00:24:37,297 --> 00:24:41,505 dedicated to researching and revealing the lost civilizations 454 00:24:41,713 --> 00:24:44,130 and forgotten wisdom of the ancient world. 455 00:24:45,713 --> 00:24:50,005 Madame Blavatsky was a very well-educated 456 00:24:50,172 --> 00:24:52,130 Russian aristocrat 457 00:24:52,255 --> 00:24:54,463 who had the goal of finding 458 00:24:54,630 --> 00:24:58,047 the unified field theory of religion. 459 00:24:58,255 --> 00:25:00,547 And she started gathering up 460 00:25:00,713 --> 00:25:03,588 all of these different traditions, 461 00:25:03,713 --> 00:25:07,338 and finding where they overlapped, 462 00:25:07,505 --> 00:25:09,963 finding where they repeated each other, 463 00:25:10,130 --> 00:25:14,213 and coming up with a wisdom teaching, if you will. 464 00:25:14,380 --> 00:25:16,505 In the mid to late 1800s, 465 00:25:16,713 --> 00:25:20,005 this was a very popular movement. 466 00:25:20,130 --> 00:25:23,005 GARY LACHMAN: Theosophy means the wisdom of the gods. 467 00:25:24,172 --> 00:25:26,172 And the idea of the society is that they would study 468 00:25:26,380 --> 00:25:27,922 ancient wisdom. 469 00:25:28,047 --> 00:25:32,297 And one of the key aims of the Theosophical Society 470 00:25:32,505 --> 00:25:35,547 was the creation of a universal brotherhood, 471 00:25:35,713 --> 00:25:38,047 you know, regardless of race, creed, color. 472 00:25:40,172 --> 00:25:43,713 NARRATOR: Before arriving in New York, Blavatsky traveled widely 473 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:48,672 in Egypt and India, absorbing ancient esoteric knowledge. 474 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:50,672 Madame Blavatsky becomes interested 475 00:25:50,838 --> 00:25:52,797 in the esoteric world as a teenager. 476 00:25:53,005 --> 00:25:55,172 And then in her early adulthood goes off on these 477 00:25:55,297 --> 00:25:56,922 sort of grand adventures. 478 00:25:57,922 --> 00:25:59,547 Eventually, these adventures take her 479 00:25:59,755 --> 00:26:02,713 to India, and take her to Tibet. 480 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:04,755 And throughout this process, 481 00:26:04,922 --> 00:26:08,297 she begins to communicate with 482 00:26:08,463 --> 00:26:11,588 intelligences that are referred to as 483 00:26:11,755 --> 00:26:14,713 mahatmas or Ascended Masters. 484 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:18,422 She claimed that these Ascended Masters were actually 485 00:26:18,547 --> 00:26:20,838 the masters of civilizations that appeared 486 00:26:21,005 --> 00:26:24,338 on planet Earth before the human race. 487 00:26:25,463 --> 00:26:27,838 And that they would give her knowledge, and she would use 488 00:26:28,047 --> 00:26:32,130 that knowledge to pass it on to individuals to guide them. 489 00:26:33,255 --> 00:26:35,838 LACHMAN: They had developed to a higher state of consciousness 490 00:26:36,005 --> 00:26:38,088 so they could communicate telepathically 491 00:26:38,255 --> 00:26:41,130 and cause things to materialize and things of that sort. 492 00:26:41,255 --> 00:26:46,172 NARRATOR: In 1877, Madam Blavatsky published her ideas 493 00:26:46,338 --> 00:26:48,713 in the book Isis Unveiled. 494 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,838 But rather than take credit, she claimed her knowledge 495 00:26:51,922 --> 00:26:54,297 came from an unseen source. 496 00:26:56,422 --> 00:26:59,463 BIRNES: One of the things that Helena Blavatsky taught 497 00:26:59,630 --> 00:27:02,380 was the idea of automatic writing. 498 00:27:03,630 --> 00:27:07,630 That meant that, in a meditative state, 499 00:27:07,755 --> 00:27:12,005 your hand was guided by the Ascended Masters. 500 00:27:12,213 --> 00:27:13,755 And you could write-- not knowing what 501 00:27:13,963 --> 00:27:15,797 you wrote, but you could write, 502 00:27:15,963 --> 00:27:18,088 and what you wrote was 503 00:27:18,255 --> 00:27:20,297 the instruction from the ancient masters. 504 00:27:22,380 --> 00:27:25,213 McGOWAN: It is said that she wrote her entire first book, 505 00:27:25,380 --> 00:27:28,755 Isis Unveiled, with her eyes closed as automatic writing. 506 00:27:28,922 --> 00:27:31,630 She was the channel that brought forth this information. 507 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:34,880 NARRATOR: According to Madame Blavatsky, 508 00:27:35,005 --> 00:27:38,297 the Ascended Masters taught her about ancient civilizations 509 00:27:38,463 --> 00:27:41,880 and profound wisdom that had been lost to time. 510 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:44,672 She wrote this notion that there were previous 511 00:27:44,797 --> 00:27:48,213 civilizations: Atlantis, Lemuria, uh, 512 00:27:48,380 --> 00:27:50,672 there's something called the Imperishable Land. 513 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,338 She pushes back appearance of civilization 514 00:27:54,505 --> 00:27:57,005 much, much further back in time. 515 00:27:58,172 --> 00:28:01,047 According to Madame Blavatsky, Atlantis and Lemuria 516 00:28:01,213 --> 00:28:03,797 were destroyed in the flood of the Bible. 517 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:07,797 And in many ways, her scenario 518 00:28:07,922 --> 00:28:11,505 of Earth and the past is very much 519 00:28:11,713 --> 00:28:13,797 a precursor to ancient astronaut theory, 520 00:28:13,922 --> 00:28:17,005 where she's also got gods from outer space. 521 00:28:18,505 --> 00:28:22,088 NARRATOR: Many important figures joined the Theosophical Society, 522 00:28:22,297 --> 00:28:26,630 like Thomas Edison, Nobel Prize-winning poet W.B. Yeats, 523 00:28:26,755 --> 00:28:29,672 and civil war hero Abner Doubleday, 524 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:31,838 who invented baseball. 525 00:28:33,213 --> 00:28:37,172 But Madame Blavatsky had a particularly profound influence 526 00:28:37,380 --> 00:28:41,630 on a young Indian law student named Mohandas Gandhi. 527 00:28:41,755 --> 00:28:46,047 Gandhi finds himself in Madam Blavatsky's salon 528 00:28:46,213 --> 00:28:50,755 in 1889, when he is a law student in London. 529 00:28:50,922 --> 00:28:54,797 And he is completely-- not only captivated by her, 530 00:28:54,963 --> 00:28:57,963 but changed by his encounter with her. 531 00:28:58,047 --> 00:29:01,088 LACHMAN: He was introduced to the Bhagavad Gita, one of 532 00:29:01,297 --> 00:29:03,713 the great works of his own nation, 533 00:29:03,838 --> 00:29:05,755 his own religion, by Madame Blavatsky. 534 00:29:05,922 --> 00:29:07,922 And it was actually through his introduction 535 00:29:08,088 --> 00:29:12,172 to the Bhagavad Gita that Gandhi developed "ahimsa," 536 00:29:12,380 --> 00:29:14,505 which is his philosophy of non-violence. 537 00:29:15,505 --> 00:29:19,088 NARRATOR: Inspired in part by Blavatsky's teachings, 538 00:29:19,255 --> 00:29:23,005 the young lawyer would go on to become a civil rights activist. 539 00:29:23,213 --> 00:29:28,380 And in 1947, Mohandas Gandhi would lead India to independence 540 00:29:28,547 --> 00:29:30,130 from British rule. 541 00:29:30,255 --> 00:29:32,672 LACHMAN: Gandhi, until the last day of his life, 542 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:35,547 had nothing but good words to say about theosophy. 543 00:29:35,713 --> 00:29:38,630 NARRATOR: Were the teachings of Madame Blavatsky a result of 544 00:29:38,755 --> 00:29:41,838 influence from mysterious Ascended Masters? 545 00:29:42,047 --> 00:29:45,880 And if so, who-- or what-- were they? 546 00:29:46,922 --> 00:29:49,005 Perhaps clues can be found by examining 547 00:29:49,213 --> 00:29:52,130 influential figures throughout history 548 00:29:52,297 --> 00:29:56,172 who received instructions from otherworldly beings. 549 00:29:56,380 --> 00:30:00,505 BIRNES: Across the planet, there were these specific areas 550 00:30:00,630 --> 00:30:05,172 where someone with... call it clairvoyant vision 551 00:30:05,338 --> 00:30:08,838 was able to communicate with an entity, 552 00:30:09,005 --> 00:30:11,088 a supernatural entity. 553 00:30:11,255 --> 00:30:13,880 In Greece, it was the Oracle of Delphi. 554 00:30:15,213 --> 00:30:19,297 IMBROGNO: The Oracle of Delphi would go into a trance 555 00:30:19,505 --> 00:30:23,380 and channel messages from the god Apollo. 556 00:30:23,547 --> 00:30:27,963 People would go there-- kings-- if they wanted to go to war, 557 00:30:28,130 --> 00:30:31,088 if they wanted to change something. 558 00:30:32,672 --> 00:30:35,922 NARRATOR: Otherworldly guidance also had a profound impact 559 00:30:36,130 --> 00:30:38,838 on the foundation of Buddhism. 560 00:30:39,047 --> 00:30:40,505 In Buddha's story, it's very clear 561 00:30:40,672 --> 00:30:43,338 that his meditation under the bo tree is what put him 562 00:30:43,505 --> 00:30:46,088 in communication with these otherworldly beings, 563 00:30:46,255 --> 00:30:48,380 and through which he received his inspiration. 564 00:30:49,755 --> 00:30:52,838 CHILDRESS: Buddhism itself completely changed India and Tibet, 565 00:30:53,047 --> 00:30:56,797 China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia. 566 00:30:56,963 --> 00:31:00,630 And we have to wonder, you know, is meditation 567 00:31:00,797 --> 00:31:02,505 a way to connect to the gods? 568 00:31:03,630 --> 00:31:06,130 NARRATOR: Could it be that the Ascended Masters 569 00:31:06,255 --> 00:31:08,880 Madam Blavatsky claimed to channel were part of 570 00:31:09,047 --> 00:31:12,672 a long line of extraterrestrial teachers? 571 00:31:12,838 --> 00:31:15,422 And if so, what was their goal? 572 00:31:16,547 --> 00:31:19,338 Ancient astronaut theorists suggest these efforts 573 00:31:19,463 --> 00:31:22,130 are part of an extraterrestrial agenda 574 00:31:22,297 --> 00:31:24,547 to usher in a new era of humanity 575 00:31:24,713 --> 00:31:27,047 among the stars. 576 00:31:31,547 --> 00:31:33,463 NARRATOR: Throughout history, there are stories 577 00:31:33,588 --> 00:31:36,755 of otherworldly teachers who have shared wisdom 578 00:31:36,922 --> 00:31:40,213 and altered the course of human civilization. 579 00:31:41,130 --> 00:31:44,130 Could this still be happening today? 580 00:31:44,297 --> 00:31:47,380 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes... 581 00:31:47,547 --> 00:31:51,005 and as evidence, they point to a mysterious event 582 00:31:51,172 --> 00:31:53,922 that occurred in Kingman, Arizona. 583 00:31:55,963 --> 00:31:58,838 On May 21, 1953, 584 00:31:59,047 --> 00:32:02,380 eyewitnesses reported that a disc-shaped object 585 00:32:02,505 --> 00:32:05,172 crashed in the desert outside the city. 586 00:32:06,047 --> 00:32:07,505 Two days later, 587 00:32:07,672 --> 00:32:10,255 government scientists were bussed into the area 588 00:32:10,422 --> 00:32:13,088 to investigate the crashed UFO. 589 00:32:13,255 --> 00:32:15,963 MIKE SCHRATT: When they got there, it was nighttime. 590 00:32:17,005 --> 00:32:20,255 There were MPs on all corners of the craft. 591 00:32:21,630 --> 00:32:24,338 It's about a 40-foot-diameter disc-shaped craft. 592 00:32:24,547 --> 00:32:27,630 It was perfectly intact, there wasn't a scratch on it. 593 00:32:28,838 --> 00:32:31,380 NARRATOR: According to reports, the wreckage was sent 594 00:32:31,547 --> 00:32:33,672 to the top secret military installation 595 00:32:33,797 --> 00:32:36,297 known as Area 51. 596 00:32:36,463 --> 00:32:40,547 And with the craft was a survivor from the crash: 597 00:32:40,713 --> 00:32:45,005 an alien entity known as J-Rod. 598 00:32:46,005 --> 00:32:47,547 DENNETT: J-Rod is an alien 599 00:32:47,713 --> 00:32:51,755 who allegedly worked at Area 51 over a period of years. 600 00:32:53,130 --> 00:32:56,630 It was J-Rod's mission or duty 601 00:32:56,838 --> 00:32:59,630 to help reverse engineer 602 00:32:59,838 --> 00:33:02,630 technology that was, apparently, 603 00:33:02,838 --> 00:33:07,005 from the 1953 Kingman UFO crash. 604 00:33:08,088 --> 00:33:10,755 J-Rod was one of the crash survivors 605 00:33:10,922 --> 00:33:14,672 and worked directly with our own government. 606 00:33:15,838 --> 00:33:19,172 NARRATOR: According to former Air Force test pilot Bill Uhouse, 607 00:33:19,338 --> 00:33:22,172 J-Rod taught the U.S. military 608 00:33:22,297 --> 00:33:25,297 how to reverse engineer alien technology. 609 00:33:25,463 --> 00:33:27,297 BILL UHOUSE: I called him J-Rod. 610 00:33:27,463 --> 00:33:30,463 That's the name that the, the linguists gave him. 611 00:33:30,630 --> 00:33:34,172 And he talked, he would talk, but he'd sound just like, 612 00:33:34,338 --> 00:33:36,172 if you spoke, he'd sound like you. 613 00:33:36,338 --> 00:33:39,172 But he'd try and answer your question, you know. 614 00:33:39,380 --> 00:33:41,463 Basically, it was only 615 00:33:41,672 --> 00:33:43,672 engineering advice or science advice. 616 00:33:44,922 --> 00:33:46,255 NARRATOR: In the years following 617 00:33:46,422 --> 00:33:50,005 the Kingman UFO crash, scientists at Area 51 618 00:33:50,172 --> 00:33:53,797 developed some of the military's greatest innovations, 619 00:33:53,922 --> 00:33:56,047 including stealth technology. 620 00:33:57,130 --> 00:33:59,088 Is it possible that these breakthroughs 621 00:33:59,255 --> 00:34:02,422 were guided by an extraterrestrial being? 622 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:06,963 The idea of UFO crashes 623 00:34:07,088 --> 00:34:09,505 and subsequent retrievals by the government 624 00:34:09,672 --> 00:34:13,213 is central to the whole UFO phenomenon. 625 00:34:13,380 --> 00:34:15,755 There are many such cases. 626 00:34:17,088 --> 00:34:20,838 Roswell, of course, 1947. 627 00:34:21,047 --> 00:34:25,380 The Kecksburg incident from 1965. 628 00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:29,172 It's interesting to look 629 00:34:29,338 --> 00:34:32,172 at the sudden explosion of technology 630 00:34:32,380 --> 00:34:34,047 just about at the time 631 00:34:34,213 --> 00:34:36,588 that these UFO crashes were first reported. 632 00:34:37,713 --> 00:34:38,797 You see us go 633 00:34:38,963 --> 00:34:40,880 from propeller aircraft 634 00:34:41,047 --> 00:34:43,713 to space rockets 635 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:46,130 in just a few short years. 636 00:34:47,213 --> 00:34:50,255 HENRY: Are these crashes possibly intentional? 637 00:34:50,422 --> 00:34:52,838 Could these be a gift from the teachers, 638 00:34:53,047 --> 00:34:56,047 assisting us in recreating 639 00:34:56,213 --> 00:34:57,797 or disassembling this technology 640 00:34:58,005 --> 00:34:59,797 and recreating it in a human fashion? 641 00:35:01,380 --> 00:35:04,172 NARRATOR: Is it possible that extraterrestrials 642 00:35:04,338 --> 00:35:07,047 not only taught humanity in the distant past 643 00:35:07,213 --> 00:35:10,672 but continue to share knowledge with us today? 644 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:13,672 And if so, why? 645 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:15,838 CHILDRESS: There's many stories 646 00:35:15,963 --> 00:35:17,255 of people who've had contact 647 00:35:17,463 --> 00:35:19,797 with extraterrestrials who tell us 648 00:35:19,922 --> 00:35:22,255 that they want to lift us up. 649 00:35:22,463 --> 00:35:25,338 They want us to know science and technology like them. 650 00:35:26,380 --> 00:35:29,338 TSOUKALOS: What's interesting in all of these ancient 651 00:35:29,547 --> 00:35:32,880 but also modern encounters with extraterrestrials, 652 00:35:33,088 --> 00:35:35,005 it seems that there is an agenda. 653 00:35:35,213 --> 00:35:37,797 To me, one of the most important things 654 00:35:38,005 --> 00:35:40,088 that the universe has to offer 655 00:35:40,255 --> 00:35:43,463 is the spreading of life and information. 656 00:35:43,588 --> 00:35:46,422 And this doesn't happen by happenstance. 657 00:35:47,463 --> 00:35:49,005 It needs intelligence behind it. 658 00:35:49,130 --> 00:35:51,047 And so, ultimately, 659 00:35:51,213 --> 00:35:55,880 I think they, too, want us to travel out there 660 00:35:56,047 --> 00:36:00,713 and impart knowledge or spread out this information. 661 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:03,838 CHILDRESS: Part of ancient astronaut theory is that 662 00:36:04,005 --> 00:36:06,005 our mission and goal 663 00:36:06,172 --> 00:36:10,172 and what our extraterrestrial ancestors have wanted us to do 664 00:36:10,338 --> 00:36:12,422 is be like them. 665 00:36:12,547 --> 00:36:14,463 They want us to achieve 666 00:36:14,630 --> 00:36:17,047 the same things that they achieved. 667 00:36:17,213 --> 00:36:20,005 They want us to be a spacefaring nation. 668 00:36:20,172 --> 00:36:22,630 HENRY: It's up to us to take that message into our hearts 669 00:36:22,797 --> 00:36:25,255 and recognize that humanity is on the precipice of actually 670 00:36:25,422 --> 00:36:29,672 being able now to colonize our nearby star system. 671 00:36:29,797 --> 00:36:32,213 And with that comes tremendous responsibility. 672 00:36:32,380 --> 00:36:35,005 NARRATOR: Is it possible that humans are 673 00:36:35,130 --> 00:36:37,797 fulfilling an extraterrestrial agenda? 674 00:36:37,922 --> 00:36:39,672 One that for thousands of years 675 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:42,755 has been guided by otherworldly teachers? 676 00:36:43,838 --> 00:36:46,422 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes 677 00:36:46,588 --> 00:36:50,213 and suggest evidence of this can be found by examining 678 00:36:50,380 --> 00:36:55,255 a recent discovery in our own genetic code. 679 00:37:00,630 --> 00:37:02,172 NARRATOR: According to anthropologists, 680 00:37:02,338 --> 00:37:04,547 approximately 50,000 years ago, 681 00:37:04,713 --> 00:37:07,963 humanity experienced a rapid development 682 00:37:08,088 --> 00:37:10,505 in language, art and technology. 683 00:37:10,713 --> 00:37:13,588 Curiously, many researchers believe 684 00:37:13,755 --> 00:37:17,088 that this was not only the result of evolution 685 00:37:17,213 --> 00:37:19,505 but that the genes of ancient humans 686 00:37:19,630 --> 00:37:21,672 went through a sudden change. 687 00:37:22,713 --> 00:37:25,130 WHITEHILL: There's a very important transition that happened 688 00:37:25,338 --> 00:37:27,047 about 50,000 years ago 689 00:37:27,213 --> 00:37:28,672 that appears to have been a genetic switch, 690 00:37:28,797 --> 00:37:31,838 that set apart a huge gulf between us 691 00:37:32,047 --> 00:37:33,505 and our predecessors. 692 00:37:33,630 --> 00:37:36,463 Languages became more complex and more creative. 693 00:37:36,630 --> 00:37:38,380 We see paintings that depict 694 00:37:38,547 --> 00:37:41,213 not just what's happening around them but some sort 695 00:37:41,380 --> 00:37:45,047 of philosophical or esoteric explanation of things. 696 00:37:46,255 --> 00:37:47,505 TSOUKALOS: 50,000 years ago, 697 00:37:47,672 --> 00:37:52,172 our brain volume increased by 60%. 698 00:37:52,297 --> 00:37:54,005 That is something that, 699 00:37:54,213 --> 00:37:57,380 according to Darwinian evolution, 700 00:37:57,547 --> 00:38:01,922 couldn't happen that quickly, because evolution needs time. 701 00:38:02,047 --> 00:38:03,797 So, what happened? 702 00:38:03,963 --> 00:38:05,880 One of the basic tenets 703 00:38:06,005 --> 00:38:07,380 of the ancient astronaut theory 704 00:38:07,547 --> 00:38:09,422 is that, long ago, 705 00:38:09,547 --> 00:38:12,672 extraterrestrials finagled our DNA 706 00:38:12,838 --> 00:38:15,588 and essentially gave us a bigger brain. 707 00:38:16,547 --> 00:38:18,422 VON DÄNIKEN: The humans on this planet 708 00:38:18,547 --> 00:38:21,672 from the family of apes, we are part of that, 709 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:24,630 but we are also part of extraterrestrials, 710 00:38:24,797 --> 00:38:27,922 because the extraterrestrials changed the humans 711 00:38:28,088 --> 00:38:30,005 according their own image. 712 00:38:30,213 --> 00:38:31,755 We are a mixture 713 00:38:31,922 --> 00:38:34,838 of human evolution and extraterrestrials. 714 00:38:36,047 --> 00:38:39,797 NARRATOR: Is it possible that, tens of thousands of years ago, 715 00:38:39,963 --> 00:38:44,630 human DNA was manipulated by extraterrestrial beings? 716 00:38:46,005 --> 00:38:48,172 And if so, did they design us 717 00:38:48,338 --> 00:38:51,338 to be like them so that they could teach us 718 00:38:51,505 --> 00:38:53,505 and lead us towards becoming 719 00:38:53,672 --> 00:38:55,922 a technologically advanced civilization? 720 00:38:56,963 --> 00:39:00,505 Ancient astronaut theorists suggest that a distant memory 721 00:39:00,630 --> 00:39:03,297 of the genetic transformation of the human race 722 00:39:03,422 --> 00:39:05,630 is preserved in ancient writings. 723 00:39:07,922 --> 00:39:09,463 HENRY: Beginning with the Sumerian accounts 724 00:39:09,588 --> 00:39:11,838 of the Anunnaki, who transformed us 725 00:39:12,005 --> 00:39:16,172 by making us a hybrid being and activating our intelligence, 726 00:39:16,297 --> 00:39:18,338 we have stories all over the world 727 00:39:18,463 --> 00:39:20,380 of a similar situation where 728 00:39:20,547 --> 00:39:23,130 an otherworldly being is responsible 729 00:39:23,297 --> 00:39:26,005 for a transformation of humanity. 730 00:39:26,213 --> 00:39:30,005 NARRATOR: In Greek mythology, the god Prometheus is 731 00:39:30,213 --> 00:39:34,672 responsible for creating humans and advancing our intelligence. 732 00:39:35,713 --> 00:39:38,422 The ancient Egyptians credited the god Ptah 733 00:39:38,588 --> 00:39:40,172 with the same achievements. 734 00:39:41,380 --> 00:39:43,797 And in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis, 735 00:39:43,963 --> 00:39:46,380 Adam and Eve have a mind-altering experience 736 00:39:46,547 --> 00:39:48,047 in the Garden of Eden 737 00:39:48,213 --> 00:39:51,422 when a serpent-like being tempts Eve with an apple. 738 00:39:53,963 --> 00:39:58,172 McGOWAN: Eve comes along and shares the apple with Adam, 739 00:39:58,338 --> 00:39:59,880 and all of a sudden, 740 00:40:00,047 --> 00:40:03,838 they both have this sort of instantaneous awareness, 741 00:40:03,963 --> 00:40:06,213 this understanding of who they are as humans 742 00:40:06,380 --> 00:40:08,463 and an understanding of the world 743 00:40:08,630 --> 00:40:09,838 that they didn't have before. 744 00:40:11,213 --> 00:40:14,963 COLLINS: Is it possible that the serpent of Eden is 745 00:40:15,088 --> 00:40:17,588 the memory of some kind of higher intelligence, 746 00:40:17,755 --> 00:40:19,797 some kind of teacher 747 00:40:19,963 --> 00:40:22,672 that was in touch with our ancestors 748 00:40:22,838 --> 00:40:26,297 and that this story became the foundation point 749 00:40:26,422 --> 00:40:28,963 of the Book of Genesis itself? 750 00:40:30,255 --> 00:40:34,005 NARRATOR: Have otherworldly teachers been fostering human progress 751 00:40:34,130 --> 00:40:35,672 for thousands of years, 752 00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:39,505 continuing right up to the present day? 753 00:40:39,713 --> 00:40:41,463 And if these beings were 754 00:40:41,588 --> 00:40:44,338 responsible for activating our intelligence, 755 00:40:44,505 --> 00:40:46,838 as ancient astronaut theorists suggest, 756 00:40:47,005 --> 00:40:50,255 could this evolution be exactly what they intended 757 00:40:50,463 --> 00:40:52,838 for humanity all along? 758 00:40:53,838 --> 00:40:55,672 According to the ancient astronaut theory, 759 00:40:55,838 --> 00:40:57,505 we are their offspring. 760 00:40:58,547 --> 00:41:00,838 They made us homo sapiens sapiens 761 00:41:01,005 --> 00:41:02,672 that we are today. 762 00:41:02,838 --> 00:41:05,338 If you have such a creation, 763 00:41:05,505 --> 00:41:08,130 I don't think you'd would just abandon that. 764 00:41:08,297 --> 00:41:11,547 And in order for this whole experiment to work, 765 00:41:11,713 --> 00:41:14,005 these extraterrestrials then also would show up 766 00:41:14,172 --> 00:41:16,172 and be our teachers. 767 00:41:17,172 --> 00:41:20,338 And today is not the end of this 768 00:41:20,547 --> 00:41:23,172 because they want to see our progress. 769 00:41:23,338 --> 00:41:25,380 It would not surprise me 770 00:41:25,547 --> 00:41:29,130 that they're here and still enhancing us 771 00:41:29,297 --> 00:41:31,922 to ensure our future survival. 772 00:41:33,047 --> 00:41:34,630 NARRATOR: Could it be that humans 773 00:41:34,755 --> 00:41:37,713 are part of an extraterrestrial experiment, 774 00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:42,088 one that not only began with the manipulation of our DNA 775 00:41:42,255 --> 00:41:45,713 but has been continued by otherworldly teachers 776 00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:47,880 for thousands of years? 777 00:41:48,922 --> 00:41:52,338 Perhaps as new technology allows us to venture deeper 778 00:41:52,463 --> 00:41:54,338 and deeper into space, 779 00:41:54,463 --> 00:41:56,963 we will fulfill an alien agenda 780 00:41:57,130 --> 00:41:59,963 that was set in motion long ago... 781 00:42:00,963 --> 00:42:04,172 ...and become extraterrestrial teachers 782 00:42:04,338 --> 00:42:05,880 ourselves. 783 00:42:06,047 --> 00:42:07,963 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS