Presented in the 1968 bestselling book Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Daniken, the theory of "ancient aliens" rocked people%27s beliefs in mankind%27s progress. Ancient cave drawings of strange creatures, remains of landing strips in Peru, and Indian texts that describe the "flying machines of the gods" were just a few of the odd archaeological artefacts cited by von Daniken as proof that ancient astronauts were well known to our ancestors. Produced with the exclusive cooperation of von Daniken himself, Ancient Aliens launches all-new expeditions to seek out and evaluate this evidence, with a concentration on the latest discoveries of the last 30 years, including unusual DNA findings on man%27s evolution and newly decoded artefacts from Egypt to Syria to South America. It is a balanced investigation into a theory some believe cannot be true, but many agree cannot be ignored.
S01E00 Chariots, Gods & Beyond
This documentary looks into the research of author Erich von Däniken who theorized that advanced beings from another world visited primitive humans, gave them the knowledge of the solar system, concepts of engineering and mathematics, and became the basis for their religions and cultures as evidenced by ancient monuments such as the Nazca Lines and the statues of Easter Island.
S01E01 The Evidence
A look at some of the possible evidence that aliens made contact with primitive humans, such as the Indian Sanskrit texts from 6000 BC that describe details of flying machines called Vimanas; Egyptian megaliths showing precision cutting work; and the Jewish Zohar writings which describe a "manna machine" that is strangely similar to chlorella algae processing of today.
S01E02 The Visitors
A look at legendary evidence of alien visitation from around the globe, such as the galactic knowledge of the Dogon people who claim was given to them by a star god; the legends of the Hopi and Zuni who celebrate Kachinas (or "gods from the sky") with headdress that resemble modern space helmets; and the Chinese legend of Huangdi, a Han leader who came to Earth on a yellow dragon which could have been a spaceship.
S01E03 The Mission
A look into the possible evidence that extraterrestrials have a mission plan for Earth and mankind; from the Sumerian tablets that described the Anunnaki, a race of creatures that came to Earth to mine gold; to Egyptian hieroglyphs that depict hybrid creatures, part man/part animal; to the mysterious crystal skulls and crop circles that may contain messages mankind has yet to decipher.
S01E04 Closer Encounters
A look at some examples of possible alien encounters that have been documented in various historical texts, such as the 13th Century book Otia Imperialia which details a sighting of a strange creature descending from a flying craft over Bristol, England; the log entries of Christopher Columbus during his voyage to the Americas of strange lights in the sky; cigar-shaped craft seen over Europe during the Black Plague, and Medieval art that depicts disc-shaped objects floating in the heavens.
S01E05 The Return
A look at possible alien contact events during the 20th Century, such as the Battle of Los Angeles in 1942 and the Roswell UFO Incident in 1947; the recent attempts by man to make contact with extraterrestrial life through the CETI project; and what would happen if aliens answered back, what protocols exist to determine who would speak on behalf of mankind and how we would communicate...