Chariots of the Gods: 50th Anniversary Edition

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Von Däniken also said that there were too many problems with their tools, and, according to him, the Egyptians had no prehistory so they could not have possibly built these large pyramids, even though there are pyramids in Egypt that were built before the Great Pyramid. Because he believed that there was no prehistory, von Däniken put forward that there is nothing known about how, when, or why these pyramids were built. [39] [40] I imagine an as yet unidentified form of energy which will one day make the incomprehensible comprehensible." The Nazca lines in Peru, which he claims may have been constructed by humans as crude replicas of previous alien structures

this is a recognised flaw in human reasoning, particularly important in things like chess. When you consider an option intently - a move in a game, a theory asking for belief, a politician - and eventually decide against that option, there's a strong tendency for you to immediately latch on to a new alternative option with limited scrutiny, even if you would never have accepted that option had you given it the same amount of thought you gave the first option.] The book also suggests that ancient artwork throughout the world can be interpreted as depicting astronauts, air and space vehicles, extraterrestrials, and complex technology. Von Däniken describes elements that he believes are similar in the art of unrelated cultures. [1] [12] [13] Among the artwork he describes are ancient Japanese Dogū figurines (which he believes to resemble astronauts in spacesuits) and 3,000-year-old carvings in an Egyptian New Kingdom Temple that appear to depict helicopter-like machines. [7] In other words, the word "gods" in the "ancient" books and the "Torah" are in fact extraterrestrial beings, which the people of that time called "gods". a b c d Lingeman, Richard R. (31 March 1974). "Erich von Daniken's Genesis". The New York Times. p.6.The film was re-edited and dubbed into English by Sunn Classic Pictures for release in the United States in 1973. [5] Reception [ edit ]

The Case of the Ancient Astronauts". BBC 2. 1977. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013 . Retrieved March 15, 2017. Story, Ronald (1980), The Space-gods revealed. A close look at the theories of Erich von Däniken (2ed.), Barnes & Nobles, ISBN 006464040Xa b c Lingeman, Richard R. (31 March 1974). "Erich von Daniken's Genesis". The New York Times. p.6. A lot of ingredients go into that blender, including (...) apocryphal lore. He refers to "The Book of Dzyan", for example, which he helpfully adds is to be found in "The Secret Doctrine" of Mme. Blavatsky (...) "The Book of Dzyan" exists only in her astral thoughts. (...) Actually, both of these documents have a way of turning up repeatedly in books on flying saucers, which is probably where von Däniken found them.

The Gods Were Astronauts: Evidence of the True Identities of the Old "Gods" (Vega books, 2001) ISBN 1843336251

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There are many problems connected with the technology of the pyramid builders and no genuine solutions." I found the writing difficult to read. Not because of large words or the difficulty of the issues. Rather, the prose is so stilted, the editing so horrible, the sentences so run-on, it was hard to plod through. The second school of thought is that the burning of the library of Alexandria destroyed many important documents and books regarding the construction of pyramids. It is said that some technologies mastered by the Egyptians were more advanced than those we possess today. Shermer, Michael (July 2013). "How Beliefs in Extraterrestrials and Intelligent Design Are Similar". Scientific American . Retrieved March 15, 2017. Magin, Ulrich (February 10, 2002). "Nazca – Ein Flughafen für die Götter?" (in German). Mysteria3000. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022 . Retrieved March 20, 2017.

I could rant on the stupid theories in the book but I will let you do it yourself. Although many of the theories are nothing but wild postulation, the subject matter is interesting. I have always been intrigued about the possibility of alien life, so, crazy as this guy is, its a fun subject. In one Goodreads group which some of my friends belong to, they're having a discussion of the ethics of giving a book a one-star rating with no explanatory review; one person likened the practice to a drive-by shooting. I could see her point; but in my case, on the rare occasions I've done it, it's been with nonfiction books read in the past that I didn't have leisure to review, but didn't want people who might browse my shelves to think I agreed with or endorsed, just because I'd read them. This book is a prime example. :-) Books like it might also be a prime example of why one of these Goodreads friends observes that he sometimes has trouble deciding whether to classify a book as "nonfiction" or fiction; the author certainly wants readers to view it as nonfiction, but a factual basis isn't one of its attributes.

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A 2004 article in Skeptic Magazine states that von Däniken took many of the book's concepts from The Morning of the Magicians, 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 stories " The Call of Cthulhu" written in 1926, and At the Mountains of Madness written in 1931. [53] His first book, Chariots of the Gods?, had been published by the time of his trial, and its sales allowed him to repay his debts and leave the hotel business. Von Däniken wrote his second book, Gods from Outer Space, while in prison. [6] [13] Claims of alien influence on Earth [ edit ] It involves the hypothesis that the technologies and religions of many ancient civilizations were given to them by ancient astronauts who were welcomed as gods. Von Däniken is an occasional presenter on the History Channel and H2 show Ancient Aliens, where he talks about aspects of his theories as they pertain to each episode. [60] "Dänikenitis" [ edit ] A 2004 article in Skeptic magazine [20] states that von Däniken plagiarized many of the book’s concepts from The Morning of the Magicians, 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 stories “ The Call of Cthulhu” and At the Mountains of Madness.