Ancient Aliens is a popular television series that made its debut on the History Network in 2010. The show presents arguments for the existence of extraterrestrials, and bases their findings on historical texts, archeological artifacts, and the interpretation of folklore. Despite being a very interesting watch, Ancient Aliens has been criticized by historians, cosmologists, and the scientific world in general for presenting arguments that verge on pseudo-science.
Certainly, some episodes have more scientific backing than others. While watching the show, the viewer must keep in mind that many of the arguments presented on the show are opinion, and not based in empirical facts. The problem is, not every viewer has an advanced critical mind, and many will take the show's subject matter as pure fact. Some of the inconsistencies in the show are obvious, and some are harder to pinpoint. Here are some of exaggerated, or simply false, allegations made on the show.
15. Ancient Egyptians Were Capable Of Building And Flying Aircrafts
via Newsweek
One of the biggest exaggerations on the show is the theory that alien civilizations brought aircrafts to Earth for ancient Egyptians' use. Archaeologists have never uncovered artifacts to support this theory, but the show defends that the aliens would have removed the aircrafts from Earth. They reference art that resembles airplanes to support their claim, but many experts have suggested that these ancient drawings actually depict birds, not airplanes.
14. Crystal Skulls Were Produced By Aliens
via History
Crystal skulls have long been linked to alien folklore, though almost all experts agree that they are the product of skilled fraudsters, and don't actually have any anthropological or historical relevance. There has never been an incidence of a crystal skull being found in an ancient dig site; instead, they have been turned in by regular people, which always rings a few alarm bells. Even if crystal skulls are cool enough for Indiana Jones, they don't prove the existence of alien visitation.
13. Aliens Contributed To Building Ancient Incan And Mayan Cities
via National Geographic
One of the most widely believed theories about aliens is that they assisted in the building of ancient Incan and Mayan cities. Many of the sites are in difficult to reach destinations, and were built with heavy natural materials. Because of this, many people assume that humans could not have succeeded in erecting their cities without help. By judging ancient civilizations by today's standards, we are doing history a disservice. There is no evidence to support that aliens contributed to the building of ancient sites.
12. Aliens Created Dinosaurs (And Then Destroyed Them)
via reddit.com
Before human life evolved on planet Earth, the dinosaurs had their reign in the Triassic period, which ended some 66 million years ago. Archeological findings and dinosaur bones have allowed historians to paint a pretty accurate timeline of the dinosaur age. The dinosaurs spent up to 177 million years on Earth, and their extinction was likely due to environmental factors. Ancient Aliens claim that aliens were responsible for the creation and destruction of dinosaurs, but there is no empirical evidence to support this theory.
11. Aliens Created Volcanoes To Live In
via Live Science
One alien theory that has been presented on the show is that volcanoes were created and occupied by aliens. There is some scientific backing to this claim; NASA has been conducting research on underwater volcanoes, simply because there are comparative eruptions on Saturn's moon, Enceladus, and Jupiter's moon, Europa, both considered the most likely spots for alien life in our solar system. There has been no scientific evidence to support the theory that aliens have ever occupied volcanoes on Earth, though.
10. Aliens Were Behind The Black Death
via History
In the 14th Century, the Black Death plagued Europe for close to a decade, resulting in over 200 million deaths across the continent. The pandemic is universally believed to have been caused by a bacterial contamination, but ancient alien theorists have other thoughts. They claim that aliens were responsible for the Black Death, and that the bacteria was in fact created by aliens to test on human beings.
9. The Great Flood Was Orchestrated By Aliens
via History
Yet another mythic natural disaster that the show claims the aliens orchestrated: the Great Flood. Despite almost all theologians and historians agreeing that the Great Flood, also known as the Mesopotamian Flood, was based on legend and not fact, the ancient alien theorists are convinced that it happened. Several episodes of the show have referred to the Great Flood as if it really happened, which is troubling in itself. They also believe that Atlantis was real, so that reduces their credibility just a tad!
8. Aliens Moved Statues On Easter Island
via CBS News
The Easter Island statues have been one of the world's biggest mysteries, and the subject of several alien theories. Though most scientists believe that the statues, called moai, were erected by the Rapa Nui tribe, there remain some skeptics. Many people fail to believe that human beings could be responsible for moving the heavy stones, the heaviest of which weighs 82 tons. Though mysterious, it's not impossible that the statues, erected between 1100-1680 AD, were in fact made by humans
7. Aliens Cut Off The Tops Of Mountains To Make Space For Aircrafts
via New York Times
Ancient Aliens is completely convinced that alien civilizations introduced aircrafts to humans, and built several landing strips and runways on Earth. One theory is that flattop mountain edges were not the result of tectonic plates shifting, or erosion, but alien interference. Though the Nazca and Palpa lines in Peru remain mysterious, most experts agree that human beings are responsible, and not aliens.
6. Royals And Certain Politicians Are Descendants Of Aliens
via CNN
According to theorists, aliens operate within a hierarchical system, and they have allegedly planted the seed of alien life into certain politicians and aliens. Some of these claims have been supported by television appearances where politicians and royalty appear to 'morph' into their alien essence, but clearly, this is open to interpretation.
5. Aliens Came To Earth On A Quest For Gold
via Medium
Who knew gold was so precious to aliens? According to theorists, aliens came to Earth because it was the only planet in the solar system that produced gold. So many questions arise about this theory. Why do aliens need gold if they have the ability to visit different planets? If they are responsible for cultivating the gold mines, why did they choose Earth to do so? The theory just doesn't add up, and leaves many questions unanswered.
4. All Gods Are Actually Aliens
via Sprudge
Based on ancient artwork, many alien enthusiasts have concluded that all Gods were in fact aliens. Artwork depicting alleged flying saucers, or alien-looking deities, have been interpreted as fact. Despite the fact that there is no tangible or definitive proof that any deity exists, the show is convinced otherwise.
3. Several Inventors Were Actually Aliens
via Soulask
Here's an interesting perspective that the show claims: several esteemed inventors were actually aliens. The show has claimed that humans could not exercise genius status without the help of aliens. Scholars and historians rebuke this claim, and support the theory that some people are just smarter than others!
2. Aliens Are Responsible For The Curse Of The Pharaohs
via History
There is much speculation that aliens are responsible for the building of the Pyramids in Egypt. There have been tales of the Pyramids being protected by curses, so that those resting inside the tombs could maintain their peace everlasting. Alien theorists would argue that these curses were actually spells cast by aliens, in order to exert their power over humans.
1. Aliens Created Nuclear Explosions
via Ancient Code
The theory that aliens created nuclear explosions is based on ancient drawings that depict explosions. Many experts would argue that these pictures actually showcase the sun or the stars, but the show maintains that aliens were testing nuclear power way before human beings had the necessary tools to do so.
