Chariots of The Gods

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                                                                       Erich Von Daniken

Content

The types of evidence von Däniken cites can be categorized as follows:

The tomb of Mayan rulerPakal (603-683 CE) inPalenque, Mexico. Interpreted by Daniken as depicting an astronaut in his spaceship.

• The existence of structures and artefacts have been found which represent higher technological knowledge than is presumed by Däniken to have existed at the times they were manufactured. Däniken maintains that these artefacts were produced either by extraterrestrial visitors or by humans who learned the necessary knowledge from them. Such artefacts include the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge, and the Moai of Easter Island. Further examples include a medieval map known as the Piri Reis Map, allegedly showing the Earth as it is seen from space, and theNazca lines in Peru, which he explains as landing strips for an airfield.

Statue from the late Jōmon period(1000 - 400 BC) in Japan, interpreted by Daniken as depicting an alien visitor.

• Interpretations of ancient artwork throughout the world as depictions of astronauts, air and space vehicles, extraterrestrials, and complex technology. Däniken also describes elements that he believes are similar in art of unrelated cultures.

The Nazca lines(200 BCE - 700 CE) in Peru, interpreted by Daniken as landing strips for alien visitors.

• Explanations for the origins of religions as reactions to contact with an alien race, including interpretations of the Old Testament of the Bible. According to Däniken, humans considered the technology of the aliens to be supernatural and the aliens themselves to be gods. Däniken asks if the oral and literal traditions of most religions contain references to visitors from stars and vehicles travelling through air and space. These, he says, should be interpreted as literal descriptions which have changed during the passage of time and become more obscure. Examples such as: Ezekiel's revelation in Old Testament, which he interprets as a detailed description of a landing spacecraft with angels in the likeness of man. Moses and the directions 'God' gave him to construct the Ark of the Covenant, which is assumed to be a communication device with an alien race. Lot and his extended family being ordered by human like 'angels' to go to the mountains, due to the destruction of the city of Sodom by God. His wife looked back at the possible nuclear explosion, and falling "dead on the spot". Däniken attempts to draw an analogy with the "cargo cults" that formed during and after World War II, when once-isolated tribes in the South Pacific mistook the advanced American and Japanese soldiers for gods. The two most controversial proposals were thatBiblical characters were inspired by the extraterrestrials, and humans acquired their superior intelligence by mating with aliens.

[edit]Response

Most scientists and historians have rejected his ideas, claiming that the book's conclusions were based on faulty, pseudoscientific evidence, some of which was later demonstrated to be fraudulent and/or fabricated, and under illogical premises. For example, Ronald Story wrote a book rebutting Däniken's ideas in 1976 titled The Space Gods Revealed. A similar internationally bestselling book, entitled Crash Go The Chariots by Clifford Wilson, Ph.D., appeared in 1972.

A 2004 article in Skeptic Magazine^[1] states that von Däniken plagiarized many of the book's concepts from Le Matin des Magiciens, that this book in turn was heavily influenced by the Cthulhu Mythos, and that the core of the ancient astronaut theory originates in H. P. Lovecraft's short stories "The Call of Cthulhu" and "At the Mountains of Madness".

The iron pillar of Delhi, erected by Chandragupta II the Great, which Von Däniken claimed did not rust (but does).

One artifact offered as evidence in the book has been disclaimed by Däniken himself. Chariots asserts that a non-rusting iron pillar in India was evidence of extraterrestrial influence, but Däniken admitted in a Playboy interview (vol.21, no.8, 1974) that the pillar was man-made and that as far as supporting his theories goes "we can forget about this iron thing." However, neither this nor any other discredited evidence has been removed from subsequent reprints of Chariots of the Gods.

[edit]Adaptations

The book was adapted as a German documentary film Chariots of the Gods, produced by Sun International, and as a TV documentary In Search of Ancient Astronauts.

Paradox Entertainment currently owns the film rights of the book.^[2]

[edit]In popular media

This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and addingreferences. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on thetalk page. (September 2009)

In 2009 The History Channel aired a program called "Ancient Aliens" that explores the plausibility of Däniken's ideas.

The book also served as inspiration for the TV series Battlestar Galactica, the short-lived The Phoenix TV series, the feature film Stargate, its spinoff TV series, the Halo video game series, and elements of the Alien vs. Predator film, where Predators came to Earth and "taught humans how to build". The Ultimate Edition DVD of Stargate contains an interview with Erich von Däniken entitled, "Is There a Stargate?". The feature film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull also uses the theme of ancient astronauts who landed in South America and interacted with early humans and mentions the Nazca Lines of Peru. Also, in John Carpenter's The Thing, the character Palmer (played by David Clennon) says, when discussing the eponymous creature, "Chariots of the Gods, man. They practically own South America. I mean, they taught the Incas everything they know."

An early episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 showed Crow and Joel talking about Däniken's book, with Crow dismissing the ancient astronauts theory as absurd due to the age restrictions which were in place by NASA at the time (Crow: "Astronauts have to be between the ages of 23 and 37!"). (This rule was changed when John Glenn made his second voyage into space two days before his 77th birthday.)

Marvel Comics' magazine Marvel Preview #1, "Man Gods From Beyond the Stars" was a tribute to Däniken. Jack Kirby's Marvel Comics series "Eternals" was influenced by Däniken.

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