In 2004, amateur archaeologist Dr. Abdullah Al-Saeed discovered hundreds of low stone walls in Saudi Arabia's Harrat Khaybar lava fields that revealed their true form only from above: more than 400 geometric structures stretching across hundreds of miles into Jordan and Syria, known locally as the Works of the Old Men. Ancient astronaut theorists argue these formations are geoglyphs—messages meant to be seen from the sky rather than hunting traps. Giorgio Tsoukalos and others suggest the structures were designed to contact "someone up there," questioning why gazelle hunters would build three-foot walls when gazelles can leap over ten feet high. The episode frames these Saudi Arabian geoglyphs within a global pattern of ground drawings only visible from altitude, proposing they represent an ancient coded communication system left by extraterrestrial visitors.
Mainstream archaeologists like Paul Bahn explain that geoglyphs are created through simple techniques—removing dark desert varnish to expose lighter soil beneath, piling dark stones into patterns, or combining both methods—and that satellite technology has simply revealed thousands of previously unknown examples worldwide. The hunting trap theory suggests animals were driven into these enclosures and fell into pits dug along the perimeters, though researchers admit uncertainty about why the structures eventually fell into disuse. Even for skeptics, the episode compellingly highlights how modern aerial and satellite imaging continues to reveal vast ancient landscapes that were essentially invisible to archaeologists working at ground level, raising genuine questions about how pre-modern peoples conceived and constructed such large-scale projects.
Atacama Giant (Cerro Unitas)
Chile · Andean
Ancient astronaut theorists argue the Atacama Giant served as a device to tell locals when extraterrestrials would return, noting that local elders say it represents sacred space enabling communication with sky gods. Archaeoastronomers maintain it was used for astronomical purposes, marking lunar cycles, and was a focal point of regional culture.
Blythe Intaglios
United States · Aztec
Ancient astronaut theorists, guided by Chemehuevi elder Alfredo Figueroa, argue the giant humanoid figures represent Aztec creator gods — including Quetzalcoatl and the star god Cicimitl — who descended from the cosmos, making the Blythe area the legendary Aztec homeland of Aztlan where extraterrestrials landed. Mainstream interpretations link the intaglios to Native American cultures of the Colorado River region who created them as cosmological and ceremonial images aligned with constellations.
Harrat Khaybar Stone Structures (Works of the Old Men)
Saudi Arabia · Pre-Pottery Neolithic
Ancient astronaut theorists argue that because the stone enclosures are only visible from the air and the walls are too low to trap gazelle, they should be classified as geoglyphs intended to signal someone in the sky. Mainstream archaeologists propose the structures are prehistoric hunting kites used to drive gazelle into pit traps, built many thousands of years ago.
Kanda Cosmic Egg Geoglyph
North Macedonia · Multiple proposed (unverified)
Ancient astronaut theorists argue the cosmic egg geoglyph at Kanda was intended to communicate intergalactic significance, noting its orientation toward the constellation Cassiopeia ('Queen of Heaven') and its depiction of the all-seeing god Se, suggesting non-terrestrial intelligence influenced its creation. A multinational research team concluded the geoglyph is oriented toward Cassiopeia and believe it carries encoded astronomical and mythological meaning.
Nazca Lines
Peru · Nazca
Massive geoglyphs only visible from the air — created as landing strips for alien spacecraft
Parakas / Paracas Candelabra
Peru · Paracas
A massive 180-meter geoglyph carved into a hillside visible 12 miles out to sea — alien navigation marker
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
United States · Modern
The episode uses the WIPP as a modern analogy, arguing that if future generations encounter this radioactive burial site after its geological containment fails, they may regard it as a cursed or evil place in the same way ancient peoples may have responded to extraterrestrial radioactive contamination sites. The US Department of Energy operates WIPP as a licensed deep geologic repository for transuranic radioactive waste, designed to isolate it safely for tens of thousands of years.
Winnemucca Lake Petroglyphs
United States · Native American
Theorists contend that petroglyphs dated between 10,500 and 14,800 years ago at Winnemucca Lake prove the existence of a pre-Mesopotamian civilization in America, and that the spiral motifs suggest extraterrestrial contact conveying cosmic knowledge. Mainstream researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, confirmed the age of the carvings through radiocarbon testing and attribute them to early North American peoples without positing outside influence.
“Who builds this, and-and why?”
“It has these very strange”