#1897 - Graham Hancock & Randall Carlson

In 'Magicians of the Gods', Graham Hancock builds on the premise introduced in his earlier work 'Fingerprints of the Gods'. He argues that a highly advanced civilization existed in prehistory but was destroyed around 10,800 BC by the fragments of a large comet, an event known as the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis. This catastrophe caused widespread destruction, climate change, and sea-level rise, leading to the end of this civilization. However, survivors, referred to as the 'Magicians of the Gods', dispersed across the world to pass on their knowledge, contributing to the construction of ancient monuments such as Göbekli Tepe, Baalbek, the Great Sphinx, and the Pyramids of Giza. Hancock links these sites to the survivors of the prehistoric civilization, suggesting they were built much earlier than mainstream archaeologists have determined.

In 'The Immortality Key', Brian Muraresku reconstructs the suppressed history of psychedelics in ancient Greek and early Christian rituals. Through a 12-year investigation, Muraresku connects the lost psychedelic sacrament of Greek religion to early Christianity, exposing the true origins of Western Civilization. He accesses hidden archives of the Louvre and the Vatican, and collaborates with archaeochemists to unveil the first scientific evidence of psychedelic drug use in classical antiquity. The book challenges traditional views of Christianity and Western history, suggesting that psychedelics were integral to the development of these cultures.

In 'Fingerprints of the Gods,' Graham Hancock argues that an advanced civilization existed in prehistory, which served as the common progenitor to all subsequent known ancient historical civilizations. He proposes that this civilization ended in a cataclysm around the end of the last ice age but passed on profound knowledge of astronomy, architecture, and mathematics to its inheritors. Hancock uses tools such as archaeo-astronomy, geology, and computer analysis of ancient myths to support his theory. He explores various ancient sites, including Egypt’s Great Sphinx, the Andean ruins of Tihuanaco, and Mexico’s Temples of the Sun and Moon, revealing evidence of a lost civilization’s vast sophistication and technological advancement.

In 'Hamlet's Mill', de Santillana and von Dechend propose that ancient myths are not just stories but rather encode astronomical knowledge, particularly the precession of the equinoxes. They argue that these myths represent a sophisticated, preliterate astronomy that was later suppressed by the Greco-Roman worldview. The book draws on a wide range of mythological, historical, and literary sources to support their thesis that myths are ciphers for celestial activities and the transmission of complex astronomical data.

In 'Food of the Gods,' Terence McKenna delves into the ancient relationship between humans and psychoactive substances. The book explores how these substances have influenced human history, from prehistoric partnership societies to modern dominator cultures. McKenna discusses the roles of various substances such as spices, spirits, tobacco, tea, coffee, opium, and alcohol, and proposes a 'stoned ape' theory suggesting that psychedelics played a crucial role in human cognitive development. He argues for an 'archaic revival,' advocating for a return to a more shamanic understanding, community, reverence for nature, and increased self-awareness to address the problems of modern society.