The second season of "Ancient Apocalypse" is currently viewable on NetFlix. See my season 1 review here. Graham Hancock continues his search for a lost Ice Age civilization. This time by focusing on "evidence" in the Americas.
Back in the day, schools taught that some 13,500 years ago, humans crossed across a land bridge (in what is now known as the Bering Strait) to Alaska and then populated the continents from the northern down to the southern hemisphere. This is known as the Clovis theory. Hancock says this is wrong and that humans existed in many areas already. Mainstream science also debunked the Clovis theory in the early 21st century (so there is no conflict there).
The Younger Dyas occurred some 14,500 years ago. This cataclysmic event (possibly caused by a comet impact) had worldwide implications. It caused massive destruction and is believed to have caused the extinction of much of the Earth's mega fauna. There were sudden temperatures drops and rises in sea levels.
Most humans died during this period (referred to as the Great Flood by many cultures). When the waters finally subsided, they were some 25 feet higher. This may have buried many historical sites under water.
According to Graham, a small group of people survived thru the Younger Dryas and traveled around the world teaching those left farming, written language, astronomy, law, how to organize society, etc. He points to the traditions of various groups as evidence of these "travelers":
- Incas- Viracocha- this stranger also taught intricate stone working techniques
- Egyptians- Osiris
- Aztecs- Quetzalcoatl
- Rapa Nui (Easter Island)- King Hotu Mau'a
- Amazon- the Daughter Of the Sun arrives and prepared the land for settlers and gave them fire, tools, crafts and showed them how to farm, they then transported people there to live
Graham visits a number of sites to "prove" his theories. They include:
- White Sands, NM- Researchers have found footprints of giant sloths, mammoths, dire wolves, camels etc. They also found human footprints from the same time. It was previously believed that humans occupied the area some 11,500 years ago. These findings push the timeline to possibly 23,000 to 21,000 years ago.
- Amazon Rainforest- Spanning various countries such Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, etc- Deforestation has uncovered thousands and of ancient geoglyphs. Hancock later returns to the Amazon and talks about LIDAR findings which indicate there were many sophisticated cities previously in the Amazon. Remember those stories of lost cities in the Amazon? They might just be true. How were these areas able to support such large cities (some with as many as 3 million people)? It might be something called Dark Earth. Graham asserts that the Amazon area was purposefully terraformed, and people moved during a planned settlement. The oldest trees there are approximately 10,800 years old (which is right at the end of the last Ice Age). Sorry, not sure I'm buying that. Ayahuasca (a hallucinogenic plant-based medicine that has been around for thousands of years) is somehow evidence of connected societies because of the artwork people did when "under the influence".
- Rapa Nui (Easter Island)- Could the island's settlers be descendants of people from Peru who travelled to the island due to decreased water levels? Rapa Nui may have been connected to Sacsayhuaman in Peru via a series of islands at one point.
- Paracas Candelabra (also known as the Candelabra of the Andes)- Located in Peru it is believed to be related to the Nazca lines
- Sacsayhuaman- At 11,000 feet above sea level exist 3 long rows of stone ramparts that zigzag across the mountain tops. Why are these stones here and how were they positioned with such exquisite precision? It looks as if the stones were "melted" together. This technique is known as Hanan Pacha and appears to be lost to time. This area (including the city of Cusco) was once the capital of the Inca empire. This is also the civilization that gave us Machu Picu.
- Temple of the Moon- Hidden in the rocks near Sacsayhuaman.
- Q'enqo- Between the Temple of the Moon and Sacsayhuaman
- Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks- Serpent Mound, OH and other North American sites such as Poverty Point (that we saw in season 1).
- Chaco Canyon, NM- Graham visits a number of sites in the area. Pueblo Bonito is one of the largest structures. It has as many as 800 rooms and stood some 4 stories high. These were created by the "ancestral Pueblo people". The rounded structures are known as kivas. They are believed to have been created for ceremonial purposes. The largest kiva is nearby in Casa Rinconada. Hopi tradition asserts that Spider Grandmother was put in charge of helping the people. She guided them from an underground kiva into the fourth realm (which is where we exist today). Why were these people underground? Was it due to a cataclysmic event above ground (like a meteor strike that started the last Ice Age)? As with other ancient sites, those in North America also have orientations to celestial events. Sun priests kept track of the summer solstice, winter solstice and other equinoxes. They did this on order to know when to begin planting each year. But they also observed a number of celestial events that had nothing to do with anything tangible. But why?
- Palenque, Mexico- The Temple of the Sun- the Maya culture existed in Hondorus/El Salvador.in the Yucatan Peninsula. Their pyramids and architecture are fascinating. They are best known for their exquisite calendar keeping over thousands of years. Mayan folklore says that Kukulkan arrived in their land after a great cataclysm and taught the people how to grow crops, build pyramids, astronomy, etc. He is associated with Venus for some reason. Chichen Itza has the great temple of Kukulkan. He is also known elsewhere as Quetzalcoatl (the winged serpent). Could he also be Viracocha in Peru, Osiris in Egypt, Oannes in Mesopotamia? The Mayans has a very sophisticated mathematical system. They had a base 20 system (while we have a base 10). They had three calendars-- the sacred calendar, the solar calendar, and the long count calendar (which tracks vast expanses of time). The ancient Mayans believed the world goes thru cycles of creation and destruction. They believe our current time started at 3114 BC August 13th. Many other civilizations also assert that time started somewhere around 3000 BC. Remember that Mayan prediction about the world ending in 2012? Graham asserts that it really meant an 80-year period that would mark extreme change. And we are currently in it. Sounds about right with everything going on.
- Serra do Paintuna, Brazil- Hancock again visits this site of various hand painted pictographs. He says something about the Milky Way being the repository of lost souls. Sorry he lost me on that one.
Added Bonus: Keanu Reeves makes several appearances to talk with Graham. And I'm game for watching anything he is in.
Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). "Ancient Apocalypse: The Americas" has excellent production values. The episodes are a quick 45 minutes each. Just don't take the show as gospel. Hancock has been long criticized for his cherry picking of "facts" and not providing counter arguments. Graham seems to have a grudge against the entire scientific community for not agreeing with him. Season 2 is a bit meandering at times and Hancock lost me when he started discussing psychedelic drugs. He also contends that indigenous populations were not capable of such engineering feats (so someone else must have shown them how). That strikes me the wrong way, but I am still willing to listen to his theories. It is strange that civilizations around the world have very similar structures (such as pyramids) but supposedly had no contact with each other. All in all, I still enjoyed the series very much. And if nothing else, it gives views a look at many archeological sites they may have never seen.
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TV: Heavy On Horror, Sci Fi, Fantasy & Adventure
November 28, 2024
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