"Ancient Apocalypse" Review: If "Ancient Aliens" Had A PseudoHistory Cousin

"Ancient Apocalypse" is a eight episode series on "NetFlix". Graham Hancock, an investigative journalist, is much at odds (according to him) with established historians, archaeologists and geologists. The NetFlix series is based on his 1995 book "Fingerprints Of The Gods".

Hancock believes we "are a species with amnesia". He contends that human civilization is much older than currently thought. In the series Graham lays out his "evidence" for a civilization or civilizations existing BEFORE the last Ice Age.

The series asks why we have structures such as pyramids scattered around the globe. Why do many civilizations have a similar "flood" story? Graham says it's because a group of "travelers" visited various groups long ago and taught them agriculture, architecture, astronomy, etc. Basically this premise takes away the idea that these societies could create such amazing structures without outside interference. Hancock's theory has actually been around for some time. A 1882 book entitled "Atlantis: The Antediluvian World" by Ignatius Donnelly contends the same thing. The story of Atlantis originated with Plato. Did such an advanced civilization actually exist or is it meant to be a warning about society's hubris?

Here are some of the sites Hancock visits:

Graham visits Gunung Padang in Indonesia. For many years scientists believed the thousands of columnar basalt stones were naturally occurring. Hancock suggests this may be the world's oldest pyramid (even older than the Egyptian pyramids) and that there are a number of underground chambers hidden in the hillside. Is Gunung Padang really some 14,000 to 27,000 years old?
The Great Pyramid of Cholula in Mexico may be the largest structure ever created. When the Spanish invaded they build over top of the pyramid. A church now stands on top of a hill (obscuring what is below). The secret is that inside the pyramid there are several older structures. The oldest pyramid in the series may be from around 500 BC.
In Malta, Graham explores Ggantja. The site is officially 5600 years old. Hancock believes it to be the oldest standing structure on Earth. He contends that in the last Ice Age humans walked across a land bridge from Italy to Sicily to Malta.
Malta has a number of different temples that all have different orientations. If you go back past the accepted time frame, all these temples line up with Sirius (the dog star). It is of course the brightest star in the sky. But what is so special about Sirius that people in Malta, the ancient Egyptians, and other culture were so attracted to it?
Off the coast of Florida, does the Bimini Road point to the existence of Atlantis? How many people believe Atlantis is off the coast of Florida? Not me. This seemed to be a strange addition to the series. Graham also looks at some old maps (from the 14th to 16th centuries). They in turn were based on older source material. Obviously the world would look very different with a lower water level.
Next it's off to Gobecki Tepe (and Karahan Tepe) in Turkey. Gobecki Tepe was discovered in 1994 and may be one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all times. It is twice as old as Stonehenge and the Sphinx (which were built around the same time). Gobekli Tepe is believed to be the world's first temple. Its circularly arranged T shaped columns have lots of carvings of animals. Graham speaks with someone about the designs carved into the rocks. They ascertain that the scorpions, birds, etc actually describe constellations. Why were ancient societies so interested in the sky? Why was Gobecki Tepe and it's associated sites purposefully buried at some point?
The Mesopotamians (believed to be the world's oldest culture) had a tradition about our origin. The first humans were lazy and unruly so that gods sent a huge deluge (flood) to wipe them out. They then sent seven sages (the Apkallu) to various parts of the world to teach the remaining humans architecture, architecture and astronomy.
Hancock visits Poverty Point in Louisiana and the Serpent's Mound in Ohio. He asserts that these sites are much older than believed.
In the region of Cappadocia, Turkey a vast network of underground chambers exist. It is called Derinkuyu (meaning deep well). The site is large enough to house 20,000 people plus livestock and food. Later discoveries include a network of similar sites-- many of which might be connected. Who would build it and why? Some think it was to hide from invaders. But Graham thinks it's something else. A Zoroastrian tradition says Yima received a vision from the god Ahura Mazda telling him to take the best people, two of all animals and various plants and hide below ground because a terrible winter was coming. That winter would be heralded by a "snake" in the sky. Was that snake a comet?
Hancock again travels to the US and the Channeled Scablands in south eastern Washington. The environmental is very otherworldly. It has strange rock formations, giant canyons and lots of groves in the landscape. Could this have been caused by a sudden tremendous flood?
At the US / Mexico border at Murray Springs Graham encounters a researcher who is looking at the "black mat" layers of Earth. Below the "mat" are bones of various animals such as Mastadons, American camels, saber toothed tigers, etc. Above the mat none of these animals exist. Is this proof of the extinction event Graham has been looking for? The dinosaurs were wiped out by a comet some 66 millions ago. Could the same have happened AGAIN 13,000 years ago?
At the beginning of the series Hancock asked "Why were ancient peoples so interested in the sky"? He asserts it's because debris from comets (when the Earth went through the Taurid comet stream) set off a devastating flood and the last Ice Age. Do the symbols we see on sites such as Gobecki Tepe try to tell us when this event happened? Do they serve as a warning that such an event could happen in the future? And if so, what could we possibly do to prevent it.

Grade: 4 1/2 (out of 5 Monsters). "Ancient Apocalypse" has a high production value and is very entertaining. Hancock crosses the globe visiting various ancient sites to support his hypothesis. He believes that at the of the last Ice Age a group of "travelers" from Atlantis visited various groups of indigenous peoples and taught them architecture, agriculture, astronomy, etc. OK interesting idea. I have often wondered how we ended up with pyramids all over the world if these people never crossed paths. Why has "Ancient Apocalypse" been cited as "the most dangerous show on NetFlix". The major reason is the lack of FACTS. Hancock continually contends that mainstream historians / archaeologists refuse to acknowledge what he has discovered. That's because he is just presenting his skewed views and has no real evidence. I'm all for a good story (and I really want to believe what he's saying) but we need some truth to back it up. I should have known we were in trouble when Joe Rogan showed up. How did this series get the green light? Probably because Hancock's son is the senior manager of unscripted original programming at NetFlix. I'm all for questioning "authorities" but just saying something doesnt make it so. I hope viewers can enjoy the series and still ask critical questions. I fear that wont be the case though since nutcase conspiracy theorists seem to be multiplying exponentially. There is not a conspiracy behind everything in the world people! And the Illuminati / Lizard People / Rothchilds / Masons / etc are not trying to keep you from some big hidden truth.