Do you believe in ancient aliens?

[fartboy]

For example building the pyramids and being confused as divine beings?

[John Dibble]

Well let's see, I could believe the majority of historians who work based on evidence. Or I could believe this guy...

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

No and the idea always strikes me as frankly insulting to the ancient civilizations to which it's most commonly applied.

[politicus]

No and the idea always strikes me as frankly insulting to the ancient civilizations to which it's most commonly applied.

It tends to be applied to non-European civlizations and is basically a continuation of older "theories" from the Victorian era about such places being build by people of a "higher" civilization, who are also invariably more light skinned.

[Randy Bobandy]

"Ancient aliens" are why I stopped watching the History Channel.

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

Yep.

[Cassius]

No and the idea always strikes me as frankly insulting to the ancient civilizations to which it's most commonly applied.

It tends to be applied to non-European civlizations and is basically a continuation of older "theories" from the Victorian era about such places being build by people of a "higher" civilization, who are also invariably more light skinned.

I don't agree with their views in any way, shape or form but to be fair to the people peddling this drivel (though entertaining and occasionally thought-provoking it is) they tend to regularly cite the examples of early European monuments (most commonly Stonehenge) as being examples of the handiwork of 'ancient astronauts'. At the same time, the ancient Greek pantheon also seems to get the 'God's were aliens' treatment. So I'd say that there theories aren't particularly racist, they're just the product of a lot of vivid imaginations. Moreover, of course, attributing the creation of particularly famous ancient buildings, like the pyramids, tends to be the best way for them to attract attention.

[Zioneer]

No and the idea always strikes me as frankly insulting to the ancient civilizations to which it's most commonly applied.

It tends to be applied to non-European civlizations and is basically a continuation of older "theories" from the Victorian era about such places being build by people of a "higher" civilization, who are also invariably more light skinned.

"Ancient aliens" are why I stopped watching the History Channel.

Basically both of these comments.

[DemPGH]

lol, no. The science of aliens coming here is the problem. Space is vast, empty, and quiet. Civilizations built tools and used methods that allowed them to construct their own monuments, however exotic they may appear.

And gods were not aliens. Rather, aliens are gods. Meaning, people are imaginative, and their imaginations accommodate the times.

[fartboy]

How about this though, has anyone ever heard the theory that the ancient gods were actually time travelers from the future?

[Mr. Morden]

Well let's see, I could believe the majority of historians who work based on evidence. Or I could believe this guy...

I think you should believe that guy.  He's apparently a Centauri, so he should believe in aliens.

[fartboy]

I was watching it on the history channel including the episode about Hitler and aliens. The theory is that some of the German scientists during the war who blew themselves up were really trying to communicate with extra terrestrial beings.

[Hnv1]

I generally find most of those theories to be pseudo science and utter BS, but I msut say specific thigns uncoverd in South America (such as precise geometrical carving of very hard stone that would require a very technological advanced appartus to create) are harbouring some general small scale belief in the possibility of minor encounters

[fartboy]

And how do you explain Area 51?

[beaver2.0]

There were probably aliens around in ancient times, there are also probably aliens who are pretty damn old as well, so I would say, yes, there are ancient aliens.  Whether these aliens visited earth, I say that is not likely.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I think the better question would be, "do you believe in the ancient astronaut postulate that extraterrestrial visitors have visited us in the past and shaped human history"? 

To that: No. 

[anvi]

No, and what Nathan and Politicus said.

That being the case, however, if aliens do ever show up here, there's a good chance they'll be ancient, as space travel over the distances that would be involved tends to take a while.

[Simfan34]

No and the idea always strikes me as frankly insulting to the ancient civilizations to which it's most commonly applied.

That's actually my reaction. It quite sharply made itself apparent when that show decided it was going to claim that the churches of Lalibela were built by aliens. Now as an Ethiopian and African in general, I'm sensitive to the undertones of claims that structures were not built by African people (it was once insisted that Lalibela and Great Zimbabwe were built by the Knights Templar), so I took considerable exception to the claim of the big haired guy. By which I mean I was shouting at the screen- thankfully in my room.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Even if aliens had somehow affected our history in dramatic ways, including theologically, that does little to answer the ultimate questions that someone might be purporting to solve by proposing such a theory. It only provides another step or stumbling block.

[The Mikado]

Blks and Jews were the ones that building pyramids and they're the ones along with Arabs that the Bible talks about in length or as the chosen people as the first ones. Ancient civilizations aren't supernatural. Along with Indians they can do supernatural or alien like things. Hopefully, when we die, we will see a parallel universe, a ghostly or an alien plane, and be incarnated by resurrection or reincarnation.

What the hell is this?  I can't parse this.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Ancient Egypt, first civilization did the supernatural of building the pyrimids.

The afterlife is the supernatural. And so are aliens. Which are the unknown.

When revelations reveal itself, if it comes to past, we will find out if there is so called the unknown or supernatural in a new incarnated body either when Judgement Day comes or when Buddhists say, in future lifetimes.

[pbrower2a]

NO!

The ancient Egyptians did some very good architecture based upon sophisticated geometry. They may have lost some of the knowledge after they no longer needed it.

The only 'ancient aliens' that I can imagine are Phoenicians reaching parts of the New World.