Farewell Erich von Daniken

He Was Often Wildy Economical with the Facts and Gave Birth to the Awful 'Ancient Aliens' Cringe-Fest, but I am Still Glad for his Work

Erich von Daniken passed away yesterday. He mainly wrote wildly speculative material, that was often a load of misleading nonsense, and generally misrepresented ancient art and sites to fit them into his ancient astronaut theories. The photos in his books were, at times, very economical with the truth, and yet, he was also highly successful.

I read Chariots of the Gods as a young kid and loved it. It really excited me, and I was saddened to find out later on in life so much of his evidence was, well, false. He discarded allegory in favour of selectively-literal interpretation, always leading towards ancient space men coming to earth. Tallying up the many images of native people in shamanic headresses, which he reframed as astronauts in spacesuits, would be a serious total.

The Massive Nazca Petroglyphs - Why Would Aliens Capable of Intergalactic Travel Need an Airport with Runways?

Having said that, he did have a lasting and vital legacy, as he created a generation, including myself, who began to question ancient sites and the established historical narrative. The mainstream historians were not being honest, and the ancient world was far more advanced than we were told.

No, Erich von Daniken, and there might not have been an audience for people like Graham Hancock or even my little-known self to do our work. He especially deserves credit for popularising places such as the Nazca giant petroglyphs. As this location was little known outside of South America before the publication of Chariots of the Gods.

So thanks, Erich von Daniken, for showing up and making life more enjoyable, and certainly the world a more interesting place.