All language subtitles for Alien Artifacts - The Outer Dimensions (2021) 1080p WEBRip x265 An0mal1.ENG

[solemn piano music]

- [Narrator] Every
once in a while,

archeologists, and sometimes
amateur archeologists,

make remarkable and
bizarre discoveries.

Sometimes the finding
is so surprising

that they're unable to explain
what it is they've found,

how it came into existence,
or ascertain its value.

An out of place artifact

is an artifact of historical,

archeological, or
paleontological interest,

found in a unusual context,

which challenges conventional
historical chronology

by its presence in that context.

Such artifacts may
appear too advanced

for the technology known to
have existed at that time,

or may suggest human presence

at a time before humans
are known to have existed.

Other examples

may suggest contact
between different cultures

that is hard to account for

with conventional
historical understanding.

We will explore these artifacts

and allow you to determine
what you think they are,

their purpose,
and who made them.

[eerie music]

[mid tempo rhythmic music]

Supporters regard these
artifacts as evidence

that mainstream science

is overlooking huge
areas of knowledge,

either willfully, or
through ignorance.

Many writers or researchers

who've questioned conventional
views of human history

have used purported artifacts

to attempt to bolster
their argument.

Creation science

often relies on anomalous finds
in the archeological record

to challenge
scientific chronologies

and models of human evolution.

These artifacts have been used

to support religious
descriptions of prehistory,

ancient astronaut theories,

and the notion of
vanished civilizations

that possessed knowledge
or technology more advanced

than that known in modern times.

[mid tempo music]

One such artifact that has
gained mainstream attention

is the Antikythera device.

It is now known, it is a clock
and astronomical computer.

It was found in a
shipwreck off Greece,

so its exact age is unknown,
but we know it is very old.

The device is very complicated

and has cogs that turn precisely

to track the sun and planets,

including planets that were not
known to exist in antiquity.

Yet someone made this,

crafted it together, and
designed it to be very accurate.

Modern reproduction models of
this device are very precise.

Who made this?

How old is it?

Where was it used, and by whom?

It's one of the many
questions historians tackle

as they study it.

So far, archeologists
and science is baffled.

[mid tempo music]

Located at an altitude of
approximately 1,170 meters

is the Beqaa Valley, Baalbek,

and it's known to have been
settled from at least 700 BC,

with almost continual
settlement of the town,

under the Temple of Jupiter,

which was a temple since
the pre Hellenistic era.

However, some researchers,
such as Graham Hancock,

argue that its roots go
back as far as 12,000 years.

During the period
of the Roman rule,

Baalbek was known as Heliopolis

and housed one of the largest
and grandest sanctuaries

in the empire.

One of the most awe
inspiring features of Baalbek

is the incredible
megalithic foundations

of the Temple of Jupiter.

The temple was built
on a platform of stones

that are among the largest
building blocks seen

in the whole world.

27 of these enormous
limestone blocks

can be seen at its base,

and three of them weighing
about 1000 tons each,

known as the trilithon.

How they were cut so finely
and moved into place,

has defied explanation,

particularly considering
the blocks are known

to have weighed over 1000 tons.

Many researchers,
Graham Hancock included,

reject the traditional
explanation

that the blocks are
the work of the Romans.

A visual study of the blocks

clearly shows a difference
in style and appearance

between the large
megalithic stones

and the surrounding blocks
used to build the temple.

The gigantic blocks

used in the foundations
of the Temple of Jupiter

are known to have come
from a nearby quarry,

located about 2,600
feet from the temple.

The limestone quarry houses
two massive building blocks

that never made
it to the temple,

one weighing about 1,240 tons,

and the other, known as the
Stone of the Pregnant Woman,

weighs about 1000 tons.

It's obvious these stones
could not have been moved

using the knowledge and
technology of the era,

even today with modern
technology and modern machinery,

they could not be moved easily.

So why create monuments
using these huge stones

when smaller stones
would have been simple?

What technology did they
use to move these stones

and how?

[atmospheric music]

Dogk literally means
earthen figure,

they're small humanoid
and animal figurines

made during the latter
part of the JMmon period,

about 14,000 to 400 BC,
of prehistoric Japan.

Dogk come exclusively
from the JMmon period

and were no longer made
in the periods thereafter.

There are various styles of dogk

depending on the exhumation
area and the time period.

According to the National
Museum of Japanese History,

the total number
found throughout Japan

is approximately 15,000.

Dogk were made across all
of Japan except Okinawa.

Most of the dogk have been
found in eastern Japan,

and it's rare to find
one in western Japan.

The purpose of the
dogk remains unknown.

Due, in part, to the enigmatic
nature of the figurines,

there have been
numerous theories

of the nature regarding
their ornate appearance,

with some speculating that
the physical appearance

is connected to the
suits and equipment

of modern day astronauts.

One proponent in particular,
Erich von Daäniken,

has written how the dogk

has modern fastenings and
eye apertures on its helmet,

an attribution made as
part of the final chapter

of his 1968 publication,
"Chariots of the Gods?".

There are also disparities
in the varieties of dogk,

with only a portion
of the figures

having the characteristic
goggle-like eyes,

which are most cited by
ancient alien theorists.

Were these depictions
of ancient aliens?

Or simply fertility figurines?

Why did they appear
in only one period

and then no longer seen?

What was their purpose?

Who did they represent?

[atmospheric music]

[uptempo piano music]

The Stone Doors in Hampi

are an impressive pair
of monolithic doors

that were a part of
one of the entrances

of the Royal Enclosure in Hampi.

Stone doors are one of
the outstanding remnants

of the Vijayanagara duration,

that can be visible around
many of the ruins in Hampi.

Though the huge doors are no
longer connected to any shape

and aren't purposeful
in any manner,

they do not fail to capture
the interest of the traffic.

The Stone Doors in Hampi

had been a part of
the Royal Enclosure.

The enclosure became
a fortified area

that changed into the middle
of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Some speculate these
doors were not carved,

but rather poured and
molded into shape.

What technology was used to
create these stone doors?

And why use stone,

when wood would have been
lighter and easier to move?

[atmospheric music]

Though not ancient, this very
old cloth is interesting.

The Shroud of Turin is
a length of linen cloth

bearing the negative
image of a man.

Some claim the image
depicts Jesus of Nazareth

and the fabric is
the burial shroud

in which he was wrapped,
after crucifixion.

The existence of the shroud

was first securely
attested to in 1390.

The artifact is kept in
the Cathedral of Turin,

in Turin, Piedmont,
northern Italy.

The Catholic Church has
neither formally endorsed

nor rejected the shroud,

but in 1958, Pope Pius
approved of the image

in association with the devotion
to the Holy face of Jesus.

Pope John Paul the
second, called the shroud

a mirror of the Gospel.

Other Christian denominations,

such as Anglicans
and Methodists,

have also shown devotion
to the shroud of Turin.

Diverse arguments have been made

in scientific and
popular publications,

claiming to prove

that the cloth is the authentic
burial shroud of Jesus,

based on disciplines

ranging from chemistry to
biology and medical forensics,

to optical image analysis.

In 1988, three radio
carbon dating tests

dated a corner piece of the
shroud from the Middle Ages,

between the years 1260 and 1390.

Some shroud researchers
have challenged the data,

arguing the results were skewed

by the introduction of
material from the Middle Ages

to the portion of the shroud
used for radiocarbon dating.

The image on the shroud

is much clearer in black
and white negative,

first observed in 1898,

than its natural sepia color.

A variety of methods
have been proposed

for the formation of the image,

but the actual method used

has not yet been
conclusively identified.

The shroud continues to
be both intensely studied

and controversial.

Is this the face of Jesus,
or a clever forgery?

To this day,

no one knows what technology
could have been used

to create it,

whether a genuine image
of Christ or a forgery.

[eerie music]

[tense music]

Today, there is an artifact
you can clearly see yourself,

it's in Antarctica,

and some say it depicts
the face of an alien.

With Google Earth,

you can see and zoom
in on the face, easily.

Instagrammer, ufo scandinavia,

located, what many
believe to be,

a massive alien face
on the white continent,

using Google Maps.

It's indeed there,

is this pareidolia or an ancient
monument of an alien race?

Study these images

or view them for
yourself on Google Earth.

[atmospheric music]

Perhaps the most famous
and enigmatic crystal skull

was, allegedly, discovered in
1924, by Anna Mitchell-Hedges,

adopted daughter of British
adventurer and popular author,

F.A. Mitchell-Hedges.

Mitchell Hedges claimed
that she found the skull

buried under a collapsed altar

inside a temple in Lubaantun,

in British Honduras, now Belize.

The skull is made from
a block of clear crystal

about the size of
a human cranium,

the lower jaw is detached.

In the early 1970s, it came
under the temporary care

of freelance art
restorer, Frank Dorland,

who claimed, upon inspecting it,

that it had been carved

with total disregard to
the natural crystal axis,

and without the
use of metal tools.

Dorland reported

being unable to find any
telltale scratch marks,

except for traces of mechanical
grinding on the teeth,

and he speculated that
it was first chiseled

into rough form,
probably using diamonds,

and the finer shaping,
grinding, and polishing,

was accomplished
through the use of sand

over a period of
150 to 300 years.

He said it could be up
to 12,000 years old.

The skull was examined

at Hewlett-Packard's
crystal laboratories

in Santa Clara, California,

where it was subjected
to several tests.

The labs determined, only,
that it was not a composite

as Dorland had supposed,

but that it was fashioned from
a single crystal of quartz.

They also established
that the lower jaw

had been fashioned from the
same lefthanded growing crystal,

as the rest of the skull,

no investigation was
made by Hewlett-Packard

as to its method of
manufacturing or dating.

As well as traces of mechanical
grinding on the teeth,

noted by Dorland,

Mayanist archeologist,
Norman Hammond,

reported that the holes,

presumed to be intended
for support pegs,

showed signs of being made
by drilling with metal.

Anna Mitchell-Hedges
refused subsequent requests

to submit the skull for
further scientific testing.

The earliest published
reference to the skull

is in the July, 1936 issue

of the British anthropological
journal, "Man",

where it is described

as being in the possession
of Sydney Burney,

a London art dealer,

who is said to have
owned it since 1933,

no mention was made
of Mitchell-Hedges.

F.A. Mitchell-Hedges mentioned
the skull only briefly

in the first edition
of his autobiography,

he claimed that it is
at least 3,600 years old

and, according to legend,

it was used by the
High Priest of the Maya

when he was performing
esoteric rights.

It is said that when
he willed death,

with the help of the skull,

death invariably followed.

In a 1970 letter,
Anna also stated

that she was told by
the few remaining Maya,

that the skull was used by
the high priest to will death.

For this reason,

the artifact is
sometimes referred to
as The Skull of Doom.

Anna Mitchell-Hedges toured
with the skull from 1967,

exhibiting it on a
pay per view basis,

she continued to grant
interviews about the artifact

until her death.

In her last eight years,

Anna Mitchell-Hedges lived
in Chesterton, Indiana,

with Bill Homann, whom
she married in 2002.

She died on April 11th, 2007.

Since that time,

the Mitchell-Hedges skull
has been owned by Homann,

he continues to believe in
its mythical properties.

Who made this skull?

How was it made, and
for what purpose?

To date, no one is
absolutely sure.

[eerie music]

The Nazca Lines are a group
of very large geoglyphs

formed by depressions
or shallow incisions

made in the soil of the Nazca
Desert, in southern Peru.

They were created between
500 BCE and 500 CE,

and no one knows their purpose.

Most lines run straight
across the landscape,

but there are also figurative
designs of animals and plants

made up of lines.

Some of the Nazca
Lines form shapes

that are best seen from the air,

the shapes are usually made
from one continuous line.

Because of its isolation

and the dry, windless, stable
climate of the plateau,

the lines have mostly
been preserved naturally.

As of 2012, the lines are said
to have been deteriorating

because of an influx of
squatters inhabiting the lands.

The figures vary in complexity,

hundreds are simple lines
in geometric shapes,

more than 70 are zoomorphic
designs of animals,

such as a hummingbird.

Other shapes include
trees and flowers.

Scholars differ in interpreting
the purpose of the designs,

but in general,

they ascribe religious
significance to them.

Who drew these enormous lines

that can only be seen and
interpreted from the air?

Why design, what clearly appears
to be runways and symbols?

Were these guideposts
for an alien race,

or landing areas for some
prehistoric civilization

now lost to man?

[atmospheric music]

It can be hard

to resist the allure
of a mysterious object

found in a context that doesn't
seem to make rational sense,

suggesting that it's
proof of time travelers,

lost civilizations,
or alien visitors.

You don't have to be
a conspiracy theorist

or cryptozoologist,

to marvel at a bizarre
computer-like device

that dates back
to ancient Greece,

or a 2000 year old battery

found outside of
Baghdad in the 1930s.

So-called out of place artifacts

are often said to
baffle scientists

and conspiracy theorists.

They suggest that
scientific efforts

to identify their
origin and purpose,

willfully ignore potentially
controversial explanations

outside the mainstream.

After all, it's true enough

that science is
constantly evolving

and we still don't
have the answers

to many of life's mysteries.

But imagine how everyday
objects from our own time

might be interpreted
thousands of years from now,

if information about how
they're used doesn't survive.

A lot of artifacts
become out of place

because their original context

might have provided
important clues,

but the object was moved
and that context is lost.

When we're so far removed from
the original circumstances

in which a historical
object was created,

it's easy to let
all sorts of things

cloud our conclusions

about what those
objects represent.

How do you explain
a sarcophagus lid

that appears to
show a spaceship,

primitive sculptures
that look like airplanes,

or cave drawings, resembling
astronauts in spacesuits?

Some proponents

of the ancient astronaut
or ancient alien theories

pose that intelligent
extraterrestrial beings

visited earth
thousands of years ago

and made contact with humans,

potentially influencing
their technology.

These visitors might have
been misinterpreted as gods,

the theories muse.

The supposed proof
of these theories

lies in drawings like
the petroglyphs of
Valcamonica, Italy,

which depict figurines with
helmets around their heads

that could just as easily
be ceremonial head dress,

or have some other more
down to earth explanation.

Ancient astronaut proponents,

also cite artifacts like a
Mesopotamian cylinder seal,

that sort of looks
like a spaceship,

since it's just hovering there.

Although the first use
of linear perspective

wasn't seen in art
until the 14th century,

so the position of
objects on a field

and in ancient composition,

doesn't necessarily
mean anything
significant, or does it?

A 1968 bestselling book
by Erich von Daäniken,

interprets imagery on
the lid of a stone tomb

belonging to Pascal the Great,

a Mayan ruler who died
in the year 683 CE,

as a depiction of
extraterrestrial influence

on the ancient Maya.

In the center of the
frame is a man sitting,

bending forward,

he has a mask on his nose,

he uses his two hands to
manipulate some controls,

and his left foot is
on a kind of pedal

with different adjustments.

The rear portion is
separated from him,

he is seated on a
complicated chair

and outside of this whole frame,

you see a little
flame-like exhaust.

Or Pascal could be
sitting on a pillar

in front of a stylized temple,

among many other
plausible explanations.

What all of this shows us

is the extent of
which wishful thinking

can alter our interpretations.

It's obvious how the
helicopter hieroglyphs,

found in Abydos,
Egypt, got their name,

those images really do
look like modern aircraft.

Then there's the Saqqara Bird,

a sculpture made
of sycamore wood

discovered during the 1898
excavation of a tomb in Egypt,

which dates back
to about 200 BC.

Some people have suggested
that it might be evidence

that ancient Egyptians
developed the first aircraft

many thousands of years ago,

possibly with the
help of aliens.

The Quimbaya artifacts

a collection of tiny golden
figurines found in Colombia

and dated to around 1000 CE,
look a lot like flying objects.

When it comes to investigating
out of place artifacts,

the best tool might
be Occam's razor,

the principle that the
simplest explanation

is most likely to be correct.

The simple explanation
for all these objects

is that we've taken
a lot of inspiration

from our airplanes, helicopters,
spaceships, and drones

from nature, and abstracted
birds look a lot like planes.

Archeologists say The
Quimbaya artifacts

are just highly stylized
birds, insects, and amphibians.

The function of the
Saqqara Bird is unknown

because very little
documentation of
the period survives,

but no credible evidence
of Egyptian aircraft

has ever been found.

The Klerksdorp spheres,

discovered by miners
in South Africa,

seemed like they
had to be manmade,

owing to their, supposedly
perfect, proportions,

but they're estimated to
be 2.8 billion years old.

Does that mean that
they're evidence

of advanced prehuman
civilization on earth,

whether some other
species from this planet

or extraterrestrial?

As suggested by Michael Cremo,

author of "Forbidden Archeology:

The Hidden History
of the Human Race".

Though they certainly
look hand-carved,

these spheres are
far from perfect

and most geologists agree

that they were naturally
formed as concretions,

formed in volcanic
sediments or ash.

The grooves were likely produced

due to the very impermeability
of the layered sediments,

in which the stones were formed.

When the aforementioned
Baghdad Battery

was discovered in modern Iraq,

it was really just
three distinct objects,

a fired ceramic
container, an iron rod,

and a bit of rolled
sheet copper.

An assistant at the National
Museum of Iraq, at the time,

thought it looked like a
primitive galvanic cell

and theorized that it was
used for electroplating gold

onto silver objects.

About a decade later, a
man named Willard Gray

made a reproduction
of the objects,

put them together, and filled
the vessel with grape juice

to prove its
conductive properties.

To the surprise of
pretty much no one,

a lot of, supposed,
out of place artifacts

are just forgeries and hoaxes.

When images of a clay object

resembling a modern mobile
phone emerged online in 2015,

along with the explanation

that it was discovered
during a dig in Austria,

eager theorists

were quick to declare it's
obvious evidence of time travel.

As it turns out, the Babylonokia

is a sculpture by German
artist, Carl Weingaärtner.

But what about
enduring mysteries

like the Antikythera mechanism,

which is believed to be an
ancient Greek analog computer

used to predict astronomical
positions and eclipses?

Humans of ancient Greece

and roughly
concurrent societies,

might not have had cars,
air conditioning, or WiFi,

but their technology
was often more advanced

than many of us imagine,

all sorts of things could
have been developed, used,

and then forgotten, as
civilizations rose and fell,

and so much of that
all important context

disappeared over time.

Archeology is a puzzle,

and without all the pieces,
we're often just guessing,

which is why it's
important to note

that scientific consensus
can shift and change too.

Few conclusions are fully
set in stone, so to speak,

we never know when we might
receive new information

that changes our perceptions.

[ambient music]

The popularity of the ancient
alien architect theory

has grown to great prevalence,

this popularity must
be mostly attributed

to the televised phenomenon

of shows such as History
Channel's, "Ancient Aliens."

Some sources of
information on the topic

are found on websites

such as theancientalien.com

and archeology books

like Graham Hancock's
"Fingerprints of the Gods"

and Andrew Collin's "Gobekli
Tepe: Genesis of the Gods".

No matter the popularity
of the theory,

it is indeed extraordinary.

The belief in the ancient
alien architect theory

defies all bounds of modern
scientific knowledge,

rejecting traditional
accepted requirements

for a legitimate scientific
theory, sometimes.

There's no physical
or historical proof

that provides a definitive
evidence to support the theory,

and yet it holds.

No matter your personal
opinion on the theory,

it is undeniably
rampant, controversial,
and extraordinary,

and it may very well be true.

For those who hold stock

in the ancient alien architect
theory, explanations abound.

For example, at the
time at which so many

of the ancient monuments
in question, were built,

our perception of the necessary
technology was not invented.

This begs the question
as to how our ancestors

managed such a feat.

Additionally, many of the
monuments, Egyptian pyramids,

Easter Island heads, et cetera,

have curiously precise
alignments with the stars

and patterns of the sun.

Without telescopes or
geometric equipment,

this type of precision
seems highly unlikely

for humans to
muster on their own.

Interpretations of cave
etchings and hieroglyphics

seem to reveal images of
helicopter-type vehicles

and structures reminiscent
of a flying saucer.

Had our ancestors

not been visited by
ancient alien architects,

how and why would
these images appear?

Lastly, there is
undeniable similarity

between structures

that were built hundreds
and thousands of years

and miles apart.

Without ever having seen
these other locations,

how did our ancestors
duplicate them?

To those who accept the
ancient alien architect theory,

it seems that the only
logical explanation

to these mysteries,

was the visitation of higher
intelligence race of aliens.

On the other hand,
there are many

who reject the idea of the
ancient alien architect theory.

From a technological
standpoint, it is true

that scientists
are still working

on figuring out how exactly

our ancestors managed such
large architectural feats.

However, modern
discoveries and research

has uncovered
explanations and theories

based in legitimate
scientific process.

For example,

a recent study,
based out of Egypt,

led to the discovery that
water can be utilized

to make the transportation
of heavy blocks easier.

This sheds light

of the question as
to how our ancestors

managed to move
such heavy objects

without modern day technology.

Circumpolar stars,
such as Polaris,

and lines of rope,
could have been utilized

as a method of aligning
the buildings so precisely,

with star patterns.

While scientists
and archeologists

acknowledged that these actions
would have been difficult,

they would not have
been impossible.

Documents and building plans

have been found in places
such as Egypt, as well,

describing the large workforces
utilized in these projects.

For those who reject the theory,

they see no actual
evidence of its claims,

they seek proof

in traditional and logical
scientific process.

Those who believe the ancient
alien architect theory

are not alone,

believers come from
every walk of life,

every age, and every
socioeconomic status.

There is a social
fascination with the topic

and it is widely popular
across many platforms.

Social media,
television shows, blogs,

and even support groups
devoted to the theory,

allow believers to hold strong.

The prevalence of the
show, "Ancient Aliens,"

undoubtedly attracts
many to this theory,

movies like, "The
Day After Tomorrow"

and "Independence Day",

while not focused primarily
on ancient architects,

promote fascination with
alien conceptualization.

All of these platforms make
it hard to ignore the topic

and allow believers
more and more outlets

to solidify their convictions.

[ambient music]

When considering the
psychological explanations

that may account for
belief in such a theory,

a few come to mind.

Ad ignorantiam
refers to the idea

that something must be true,
if it's not proven false.

This is key in the
mind of a believer,

instead of saying let
me show you proof,

they instead say, show
me proof this isn't true.

Hasty generalization
is key as well,

jumping to a conclusion based
off insufficient evidence

is found in nearly every claim

within the ancient
alien architect theory,

this ties in with the
slippery slope ideas as well.

A small idea's conjectured

and instead of analyzing
or trying to disprove it,

the idea snowballs
into an entire theory.

For example, when
considering the issue

of how the pyramids were built,

some argue that
hieroglyphics found onsite

resemble helicopters.

A believer assumes this to mean

that a helicopter
type-vehicle was present

and since humans did not
have that kind of technology,

they then assume that an
extra terrestrial visitor

must have brought it.

And so, if they were present,

they must have been helping
with the construction

of the seemingly impossible
pyramid construction.

Instead of accepting
alternate explanations,

a generalized theory is created

and seemingly
explains the mystery.

These psychological explanations

account for why so many fall
into this belief pattern,

it seems nearly impossible
to reject an idea

when everything,
seemingly, fits.

The characteristics of
pseudoscience are tricky

and can make almost
any issue believable,

humans seek explanation and
the comfort of understanding.

When tackling an issue such
as those ancient marvels,

it is natural to search
for any explanation,

because it defies what
we see as possible.

And this is where the ancient
alien architect theory

gains so much attention, and
how it continues to spread.

Just outside Cairo, in Giza,

the most famous of Egypt's
pyramids rise from the desert.

Built more than 4,500 years ago,

the pyramids of Giza
are monumental tombs

where ancient queens and
pharaohs were buried,

but how exactly did the
Egyptians build these things?

The great pyramid

is made of millions of
precisely hewn stones,

weighing at least two tons each.

Even with today's cranes and
other construction equipment,

building a pyramid as big
as that of the pharaoh's,

would be a formidable challenge.

And then there's the
astronomical configuration

of the pyramids,

which is said to align with
the stars in Orion's Belt.

As well, ancient theorists

often point to the fact
that these three pyramids

are, in a way, in better shape

than others built
centuries later.

So, are Egypt's pyramids
artifacts of aliens?

A huge circle of stones, some
weighing as much as 50 tons,

sits in the English
countryside outside Salisbury.

Known as Stonehenge,
the neolithic monument

inspired Swiss author,
Erich von Daniken,

to suggest it was a model
of the solar system,

that also functioned as
an alien landing pad,

after all, how else could
these massive stones

have ended up hundreds of
miles from their home quarry?

No one knows what exactly
the meaning of Stonehenge is,

but as with all the other
sites in this collection,

the explanation could be aliens.

Instead, scientists
have demonstrated

it's actually possible
to build such a thing

using technologies

that would have been
around 5,000 years ago,

when the earliest structures
at the site were built.

But would they know to do it?

It appears as though the stones

are aligned with
solstices and eclipses,

suggesting the Stonehenge
builders were, at least,

keeping an eye on the heavens.

[subdued piano music]

Teotihuacan, meaning
the city of the gods,

is a sprawling ancient
city in Mexico,

that's best known for
its pyramidal temples

and astronomical alignments.

Built more than 2,000 years ago,

Teotihuacan's age,
size, and complexity,

can make it seem other worldly.

Scientists suspect
that, over centuries,

a mix of cultures,
including Maya and Aztec,

built this city

that could house more
than 100,000 people.

With its murals, tools,
transportation system,

and evidence of advanced
agricultural practices,

Teotihuacan is often considered

much more
technologically developed

than should have been
possible, in pre Aztec Mexico.

By far the most well known
of Teotihuacan's buildings

is the massive
pyramid of the sun.

One of the largest
such constructions

in the Western hemisphere,

the pyramid's curious alignment

is believed to be based
on calendrical cycles.

What inspired them
to build this?

Could it have been an
alien intervention?

[ambient music]

The enigmas
surrounding the Moai,

Easter Island's fleet
of large stone figures,

pretty much follows
the same narratives

as the other sites
described here.

How in the world did
they wrap Rapa Nui

make these figures more
than 1000 years ago?

And how did the Moai
end up on Easter Island?

Carved from stone,

the, nearly 900, human figures

are sprinkled along the flanks

of the island's
extinct volcanoes.

The figures average 13 feet
tall and weigh 14 tons,

and appear to have been chiseled
from the soft volcanic tuff

found in the Rano Raraku quarry.

There, more than 400 statues

are still in various
states of construction,

with some completed figures
awaiting transportation

to their intended resting place.

The reasons for carving
the Moai are mysterious,

though they are likely
sculpted for religious

or ritual reasons.

It's also not exactly clear

what happened to the
Stone Age Rapa Nui,

but a leading theory
suggests their civilization

succumb to an environmental
disaster of their own making.

Nor do we know who or what
inspired these creations,

aliens are also a
plausible reason.

Outside the old Inca
capital of Cusco,

a fortress rests in
the Peruvian Andes.

Built from enormous stones

that have been chiseled
and stacked together

like a jigsaw puzzle,

some say it could be the work
of an ancient civilization

that had a little help
from interstellar friends.

The 1000 year old
interlocking fortress walls

are made of rocks that weigh
as much as 360 tons each

and which were carried
more than 20 miles,

before being lifted
and fit into place

with laser-like precision.

How an ancient culture

accomplished such a
feat of engineering,

is a little problem to solve.

In fact, it isn't
the only example

of this intricate masonry,

similar walls exist
throughout the Incan empire,

including one in Cusco,

where a 12 angled stone

has been carefully
wedged into place.

Did aliens help with,

or inspire the creation of
these monumental structures?

It's unlikely the Inca
had this technology.

The evolution of technology

follows a pretty linear
path, throughout history,

but sometimes we
stumble upon artifacts

that challenge that perception

and throw those perceived
timelines for a loop.

To some, these out
of place artifacts

are none other than
ancient alien technology,

providing our ancestors

were once visited
by an advanced race,

while others maintain
it's evidence,

we've underestimated the
technological faculties

of our ancestors.

Growing up, most
of us were taught

that the Egyptians
built the pyramids

through primitive means,

using simple pulleys and
brute force from slave labor.

But under deeper scrutiny,

this explanation doesn't
seem to make sense,

and the same could be said

about the temple complex
at Pumapunku in Bolivia.

The temple grounds of Pumapunku

are believed to date back
to between 536 and 600 AD,

constructed by a civilization

appearing to have been wiped
out by a cataclysmic event.

Pumapunku is part

of the larger well-known
Tiwanaku Site,

an important location
to the Incas,

who believed it is the
cradle of their civilization,

characteristics
ancient alien theorists

might consider
significant as well.

This area is marked by a
decorated megalithic archway

known as the Gate of the Sun

and, according to Freddy Silvia,

it may be one of
the oldest temples.

Once home to somewhere between
10,000 and 20,000 people,

the name itself translates
to navel at the center,

implying it once served
as a cultural hub.

Atop the Gate of the
Sun is a carving,

The Supreme God of the Incas.

[eerie music]

Silvia says the
Viracocha and his ilk

were described as
being much different

than the indigenous Incas,

they were white skinned,
bearded, fair headed,

and capable of bending
the laws of nature.

They were also
significantly taller,

and these weren't descriptions
of the conquistadors,

they didn't come along
for about another century.

The reports of Viracocha's
superhuman race,

make the anomalous
stonework at Pumapunku

all the more interesting,

perfect 90 degree
angles, precision cuts,

and immaculately even spacing
in the stones were shocking,

considering the primitive
epoch in which they were made.

Much of this craft stonework
remains distinct to this day,

confounding scientists
and archeologists alike.

[eerie music]

Earth is probably the
last place you'd look

for extra terrestrials,

especially with all the
new exoplanet discoveries

in the endless quest to
prove there was life on Mars

at least once in the past,
something billion years ago.

But are we looking too far?

Some scientists
are less out there

and more down to
earth, literally,

when it comes to finding
traces of alien lifeforms.

Not that these
hypothetical aliens

are actually crawling
around our planet,

what these scientists argue

is that they may have dropped
by before humans even existed

and left behind
technosignatures, such
as radios, rockets,

or other tech that might've
been lying deep underground,

or floating around
in space for eons.

Astrophysicist, John Wright,

has elicited more
than a few eye rolls

with a controversial argument

that was recently published

in the "International
Journal of Astrobiology".

He believes that
technosignatures
from an alien species

that landed not just
on earth or the moon,

but even Mars,

before its atmosphere
was obliterated,

or Venus before it became
a swirl of toxic clouds,

could have possibly
survived somewhere.

While Venusian
clouds and volcanoes

would have long since eroded

and liquified any
shred of evidence,

he still believes

it is possible something
could be buried on earth,

Mars, or the moon,

if it hadn't, long
ago, become space junk.

If a prior technological,
perhaps space-faring species,

ever arose in the solar system,

it might have produced artifacts
or other technosignatures

that have survived
to present day.

[mid tempo music]

Meaning solar system artifacts

provides a potential path

to resolving an
astrobiology question.

Wright doesn't believe aliens
actually lived on earth,

and even if they had, erosion
and ever shifting landmasses

would've turned any
trace of them to dust.

Hypothetical alien trash

would have had a much
better chance of surviving

in the sub surface of Mars,

away from the solar
winds and radiation

it constantly gets blasted with,

and too deep to be smashed
by meteorite impacts.

The Red Planet also
has no plate tectonics

to crush any ancient computers,

or whatever they might've
scattered around.

Other scientists
are more skeptical,

possibly because we haven't yet

found any prehistoric ray
guns or radio transmitters

next to a T-Rex skeleton.

Astronomy professor, Avi Loeb,

believes that there
could have been a visit

from other
civilizations on earth.

The search for
extraterrestrial artifacts

is more likely to
find technosignatures
in space, though,

however unlikely that still is.

The most effective way to
zoom in on something unusual

would be a sky survey,

whether we'd actually
recognize something as alien,

even if we saw it as an
entirely different thought

to keep both
scientists up at night.

Supporters of the drive to
find extraterrestrial artifacts

are already peering
deep into space,

in a bid to discover
cities, satellite networks,

or gigantic mega structures.

Some even think our
own solar system

could contain probes sent
by an advanced civilization,

wreckage from old spaceships,

or even evidence of
ancient settlements

on planets like Mars or Venus.

Yet other experts
slammed this headline,

grabbing easily
sensationalized discipline

as entertainment science,

and question whether
there's any point

looking for such tiny needles

in the mega haystack

of our breathtakingly
gigantic universe.

Avi Loeb,

chair of the Harvard University
Astronomy Department,

is among the world's most
respected astrophysicists.

He stunned the
scientific community

by refusing to rule
out the possibility

that a strange
cigar shaped object,

which sped through
our solar system,

may have been alien in origin.

Astronomers named the
space rock Oumuamua,

Hawaiian for scout,

and said it was an
interstellar visitor,

which formed in
another star system

before traveling here, through
the void of deep space.

He did not simply
dismiss the idea

that it was built by an
extraterrestrial civilization,

and suggested it could have
been a lightsail craft,

calling on his fellow
scientists to keep an open mind

about its origins.

What sort of alien technology

are astronomers
searching for right now?

Well, examples include
artificial light,

industrial pollution, or
reflection of starlight

from solar cells on
the surface of planets

around other stars,
mega structures,

or fleets of satellites.

Space archeology, with
our best telescopes,

might reveal technological
equipment floating in space,

similar to the two Voyager
probes that we launched,

and are now leaving
the solar system.

But we should keep in mind

that the travel time is
very long between stars,

it would take the Voyagers
about 100,000 years

to reach the nearest
stars to our sun.

The equipment could
therefore be defunct

if it belongs to a
civilization that died by now.

The artifacts we're
most likely to find

include the defunct debris

of highly sophisticated
technologies,

which could be the wreckage
of alien spaceships.

Perhaps our best way to
put our hands on them

is to find objects
that collide with earth

and survive as meteorites.

Is the truth out there?

When astronomers peer
out into deep space,

in search of alien technology,

they're often looking
for big objects,

such as a Dyson sphere,

a theoretical Death
Star style space station

built around a star
to harvest its energy.

A civilization capable of
building a Dyson sphere

would have to be
highly advanced,

because it would take
decades, or even centuries,

to build such a structure.

Jason T. Wright,

associate professor of
astronomy and astrophysics

at Penn State University,

became world famous
after speculating

that the mysterious behavior

of a distant sun
called Tabby's Star,

was caused by a mega structure
moving in front of it,

although this hypothesis
has been dismissed.

The idea that we should
look, scientifically,

for evidence of alien
technology in the solar system,

goes back to Ronald
Bracewell in 1960.

Although, of course,
people have speculated

about Martians, and
such, for centuries,

he said, just 100 ago,
it was totally reasonable

for scientists to
discuss the possibility

of technological life on Mars.

In the '60s,

the Mariner probes showed
that the Martian surface

has no obvious signs
of large technology,

and so people assumed it, and
the rest of the solar system,

must not have any sort of
technology on it at all.

But no one has put scientific
numbers to that assumption,

how much of the solar
system have we checked?

Sure, we can rule
out the existence

of big cities on nearby planets,

but what about smaller things?

How long would something
last on the surface

before we would not recognize
it as technological?

The search for bigger
structures out in space,

requires a different strategy.

Finding artifacts
outside the solar system

is all whole different matter.

In that case, we would not be
looking at images of things,

but perhaps for the
heat it gives off,

or its shadow as it
passes in front of a star.

These sorts of artifacts would
have to be tremendously huge,

bigger than earth, for
us to even notice them.

Space is large, so if we
find something around a star

1000 light years away,

our radio waves haven't
even gotten to them yet.

Even if we do ever
set up communication,

it will be thousands of
years between messages,

so contact will be
pretty limited and slow.

However, Wright does believe

that if we do find signs
of an alien civilization,

then it's probably still alive.

[ambient music]

On a cosmic timescale,

things don't tend
to last very long

after their creators
or maintainers go away,

so what about the possibility
of finding alien probes

near the earth?

There's no reason to
think that such probes

couldn't be constructed,

but you would have to build
an enormous number of them

for us to notice one flying
through the solar system.

There are hundreds of billions
of stars in the galaxy

and if there aren't artifacts
moving among those stars,

they will spend most of
their time in deep space,

where no one would
ever notice them.

For one

to just happen to be passing
through the solar system

around now,

there would have to be

thousands of trillions
of trillions of them

throughout the galaxy.

But sure, it's possible to
build that many machines.

If they are, what are
called Von Neumann machines,

Johnny Von Neumann
was a scientist

who discussed the implications
of building a machine

that could build
a copy of itself.

If you build one of those
in space on an asteroid,

the idea goes that it would
build a copy of itself,

then those copies
would build copies.

Eventually they'd run out
of asteroids altogether

and would have to move
on to somewhere else.

If they could go between stars,

then at each star,

they would turn all the
asteroids into more copies.

With a scheme like that, you
could eventually have enough

that would be everywhere.

Despite our best efforts,

humanity has so far
failed to discover

even the most basic
form of alien life.

Dr Paul Davies, a professor
at Arizona State University,

is author of "The Eerie Silence:

Searching for Ourselves
in the Universe".

His book grapples with
the Fermi paradox,

an argument which
discusses the contradiction

between the high likelihood

that aliens live
somewhere in the universe,

with humanity's
inability to find them,

which is often called
the great silence.

He has previously called
for a search of the moon

to look for traces of aliens,

as well as discussing
the possible existence

of a shadow biosphere on earth,

populated by
undiscovered creatures,

which behave very different to
all other known forms of life

on our planet.

[eerie music]

Searching for alien artifacts
on the moon is possible,

if there was alien technology
in the solar system,

this is a good place to look,

because the lunar surface
is relatively stable.

We search right here
on earth for artifacts

in the genomes of
terrestrial organisms.

This might be as simple

as a message uploaded into
the DNA sequence of a microbe,

human scientists now
do this all the time,

or in the existence
of a shadow biosphere

implanted here, say
100,000,000 years ago.

However, there is a risk

that we might not even recognize
alien life or technology,

if we discovered it.

[slow techno music]

From ancient artifacts

to monuments and
structures on our planet,

as well as others, seem to
suggest, we are not alone,

and mankind has been visited

and influenced by
extraterrestrials.

Perhaps one day we will be
able to travel back in time

and see where such structures
and artifacts came from.

But still then, we can
only massage the science

and try to understand the
technologies that once existed,

or determine if they were
inspired by someone else.

We live in a wondrous world

with mysteries and questions
all over the globe,

but when it comes down to it,

the only real question,
is what do you believe?

Did aliens inspire
or even create

some of the curious structures

and artifacts we're
continuously finding?

Or is it man, himself,

more intellectual than
we have ever considered?

The answer to our questions
may not be in the stars,

but rather right here,
on our own planet earth.

- [Announcer] 10, nine,
transmission sequence starts,

six, five, four,

three, two, one, zero.

[dramatic music]

[upbeat music]