Episode Guide

The Alien Hunters

This episode traces a parallel between modern government-sponsored searches for extraterrestrial life and what ancient astronaut theorists describe as humanity's ancient efforts to contact otherworldly visitors. The launch of Breakthrough Listen in 2015—a $100 million initiative backed by Stephen Hawking and SETI founder Frank Drake—serves as the jumping-off point for claims that official alien hunting began much earlier, specifically with the U.S. Air Force's collection of 12,618 UFO reports between 1948 and 1969. The episode highlights Kenneth Arnold's June 24, 1947 sighting near Mt. Rainier, Washington, where he reported nine delta-shaped objects traveling between 1,200 and 1,700 miles per hour—far exceeding the 500-600 mph capability of aircraft at the time. Theorists argue this wave of sightings, with at least 800 reports to authorities in 1947 alone, compelled the government to systematically investigate extraterrestrial presence, mirroring what they claim are ancient precedents for such searches.

Forged by the Gods

This episode examines metallic objects that ancient astronaut theorists propose as potential evidence of extraterrestrial visitation, focusing particularly on the Betz sphere—a twenty-pound metal ball discovered by the Betz family on Fort George Island, Florida, in March 1974 after a mysterious wildfire. The sphere allegedly exhibited unusual properties: it vibrated in response to guitar music, displayed selective magnetism, and reportedly followed family members across the floor. Theorists like those interviewed by investigative journalist Linda Moulton Howe suggest this object, along with similar spheres that fell from the sky in Vietnam in 2016, Spain in 2015, and Africa in 2011, could represent alien technology or debris from extraterrestrial craft. The episode also references an ancient aluminum wedge that has "baffled historians," proposing these metal artifacts collectively form a pattern of anomalous evidence.

The Mystery of Rudloe Manor

Ancient Aliens researchers make the case that Rudloe Manor in Wiltshire, England—an unassuming manor house sitting atop 2.2 million square feet of underground tunnels—has served as Britain's secret UFO research hub since World War II. The episode centers on a 2007 controversy: when the British Ministry of Defence released its UFO files to the National Archives, 18 key files containing thousands of documents went missing, then were found, sent to the archives, and abruptly recalled without explanation. Ancient astronaut theorists including Nick Pope suggest these files were transferred to Rudloe Manor, where the MOD allegedly investigated UFO encounters and possibly stored crashed extraterrestrial craft. The former RAF base's vast subterranean chambers—originally 19th-century limestone quarries converted to a WWII aircraft factory—have never been returned to civilian control, fueling speculation about what the British government might be hiding underground.

The Alien Architects

"The Alien Architects" examines architectural parallels between ancient structures separated by vast distances, asking whether these similarities point to a shared extraterrestrial designer. Ancient astronaut theorists highlight striking resemblances between Cambodia's Baksei Chamkrong and Guatemala's Temple of the Great Jaguar—pyramids nearly 9,000 miles apart that share steep slope angles, stepped formations, central stairwells, and domed tops with nearly identical interior structures. The episode notes that both Giza's pyramids and Mexico's Teotihuacan complex align with Orion's belt despite being 7,500 miles apart. Theorists propose that mythological figures like Cambodia's Preah Pisnokar (educated by the god Indra in mathematics and engineering) and the Mayan deity Kukulkan (who taught similar sciences) may represent the same extraterrestrial architect working from a master blueprint, possibly viewing Earth from space to position structures as part of a global energy grid.

The Pharaohs' Curse

This episode argues that ancient Egyptian curses, particularly those surrounding King Tutankhamun's tomb discovered in 1922 and his father Akhenaten, may actually represent alien technology designed to protect extraterrestrial secrets. Ancient astronaut theorists including William Henry and Giorgio Tsoukalos propose that the mysterious deaths following the opening of Tut's tomb—and similar tragedies during rehearsals of a play about lifting Akhenaten's curse—point to an otherworldly protective force rather than superstition. The episode draws an unexpected connection to Oak Island in Nova Scotia, where theorist David Childress speculates the Ark of the Covenant lies buried beneath elaborate flood tunnels, protected by a similar curse that claims seven must die before the treasure is revealed. The theory suggests both Egyptian tombs and Oak Island conceal extraterrestrial devices, with the lifting of these curses potentially heralding the return of alien visitors.

The Science Wars

This episode argues that mainstream science may be suppressing evidence of humanity's extraterrestrial origins by ignoring artifacts that don't fit established timelines. Giorgio Tsoukalos examines a 2,000-year-old elongated skull from the Paracas region of Peru at New York University, where anthropologist Dr. Todd Disotell notes unusual features including a completely fused sagittal suture in what appears to be an adolescent specimen. The episode also highlights a hammer allegedly found in Texas dated to 140 million years ago and claims that similar elongated skulls discovered worldwide remain untested by academic institutions. Ancient astronaut theorists suggest these anomalous objects represent physical proof of extraterrestrial contact that the scientific establishment refuses to acknowledge because it challenges conventional human history.

City of the Gods

Ancient Astronaut theorists propose that Teotihuacan, the mysterious first-century AD metropolis northeast of Mexico City, may have served as an extraterrestrial spaceport or colony. The show points to several unusual discoveries: liquid mercury found beneath the Pyramid of the Sun, mica-lined walls, and golden spheres containing unknown substances. David Wilcock and James Lincoln discuss mercury's properties as a superconductor, suggesting the "literal river of liquid mercury" found at the site could have generated electromagnetic fields for levitation technology. The episode also examines Aztec origin myths recorded by Spanish chronicler Geronimo de Mendieta, which describe 1,600 gods emerging from a giant flint knife that descended from the sky near a seven-chambered cave—possibly the cavern beneath Teotihuacan's Pyramid of the Sun—to create humanity.

The Alien Frequency

"The Alien Frequency" investigates why dozens of ancient sites worldwide—including Ireland's Newgrange monument, Malta's subterranean labyrinths, and Cambodia's Angkor Wat—were designed to resonate at 110 hertz, a frequency researcher Paul Devereux claims visitors can physically feel in their bodies. Ancient astronaut theorists Giorgio Tsoukalos and David Wilcock suggest this shared acoustic signature points to extraterrestrial intervention, especially given that ancient legends from Stonehenge to Egypt's Great Pyramid to Bolivia's Puma Punku consistently describe massive stones being levitated into place using sound. The episode examines whether these frequencies, combined with the universal practice of mantras and chanting across isolated cultures, represent intentional alien design—clues to understanding consciousness and matter that modern science has overlooked.

The Majestic Twelve

In December 1984, UFO researcher Jaime Shandera received an unmarked roll of 35mm film at his Burbank, California home, postmarked from Albuquerque. When developed, the film revealed what appeared to be an eight-page classified memo—the Eisenhower Briefing Document—allegedly written in 1952 by CIA director Roscoe Hillenkoetter to President-Elect Dwight Eisenhower. The memo describes a top-secret group called Majestic-12, formed by President Truman to investigate crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft, including the 1947 Roswell incident. Aerospace engineer Dr. Robert Wood, who spent years analyzing the document's authenticity, considers it credible evidence that multiple craft and alien bodies were recovered. Investigative journalist Linda Moulton Howe highlights passages suggesting formal agreements between the U.S. government and extraterrestrial entities, including scheduled encounters at mutually agreed-upon military installations.

The Akashic Record

This episode explores whether modern cloud computing might parallel an ancient concept known as the Akashic Record—a cosmic repository of knowledge described in Eastern spiritual traditions. At a temple on Korva Island in Raichur, India, dedicated to the celestial sage Narada, pilgrims have long sought enlightened wisdom from a figure who, according to Hindu scriptures like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, could access hidden realms of cosmic knowledge. Ancient astronaut theorists suggest that descriptions of Narada and other rishis "tapping into" universal information presage our modern understanding of networked data transfer. Dr. Deepak Chopra describes the Akashic Field as a "non-local" realm where all information exists outside space and time, while neuroscientist Dr. Dario Nardi measures Chopra's brainwaves during deep meditation to observe what proponents claim is access to this cosmic network.

Voices of the Gods

Giorgio Tsoukalos travels to India to investigate whether the country's ancient Sanskrit texts preserve knowledge given by extraterrestrial visitors. The episode examines the seventh-century Surang Tila Temple in Sirpur, which uniquely survived an 11th-century earthquake that leveled surrounding structures—a resilience ancient astronaut theorists attribute to advanced "Vedic architecture" principles described in ancient texts. Tsoukalos and researchers like Praveen Mohan explore claims that these texts contain surprisingly sophisticated information about brain surgery, aviation technology, and engineering. The episode features an experiment with aerospace engineer Travis Taylor testing a flying machine design derived from 1,800-year-old texts, which reportedly demonstrated positive lift. Hindu tradition holds that these texts weren't authored by humans but transcribed directly from gods who walked the Earth, leading theorists to propose these "gods" were actually extraterrestrial beings sharing advanced knowledge.

The Animal Agenda

Season 12's "The Animal Agenda" proposes that intelligent extraterrestrials may not be humanoid at all, and that some animals on Earth could have alien origins rather than purely Darwinian ones. Ancient Astronaut theorists point to the animal-headed deities found across cultures—elephant and monkey gods in Sanskrit epics, bird-headed figures in Sumerian art, and the elaborately mummified animals of Egypt—as evidence that ancient peoples encountered non-human intelligences. The episode highlights a 1992 Houston case investigated by Derrel Sims, where eight people separately reported identical abduction experiences involving a spacecraft holding what appeared to be an extraterrestrial zoo with both Earthly and unknown creatures. Theorists like Giorgio Tsoukalos argue that certain animals, such as the bombardier beetle with its rocket-fuel-like chemical defense system, present evolutionary puzzles that might suggest genetic manipulation by alien visitors.

The Replicants

This episode explores whether reincarnation—believed by over 1.5 billion people worldwide—might be evidence of extraterrestrial design rather than a natural spiritual process. Ancient astronaut theorists point to cases like James Leininger, a Louisiana boy who at age three began having nightmares about being shot down over Chichijima, Japan, eventually identifying himself as James McCready Huston, a WWII pilot killed at that exact location. The episode also examines Dorothy Eady (Om Seti), who claimed memories of ancient Egypt and accurately predicted archaeological finds, and Suzanne Ghanem, who identified 25 relatives from an alleged past life. Theorists like Giorgio Tsoukalos and William Henry suggest these cases indicate that extraterrestrials engineered human bodies as vessels for recycling souls, possibly serving a larger cosmic purpose that powerful figures like the Dalai Lama and even Saddam Hussein may have understood through their own reincarnation claims.

A Spaceship Made of Stone

This episode focuses on the Ishi-no-Hoden megalith in Honshu, Japan—a 500-ton structure carved from a single rock that appears to hover over a pool of water. According to Giorgio Tsoukalos and guide Nikki Tsukamoto, Japanese legend describes it as depicting a "sky ship made of stone" witnessed descending from the heavens. The episode argues that Japan's ancient megalithic sites, centuries-old texts with diagrams of aerial craft, and keyhole-shaped tomb structures that allegedly mirror formations photographed on Mars all point to extraterrestrial contact in Japan's distant past. Ancient astronaut theorists suggest this explains Japan's modern technological dominance and a 2007 surge in UFO reports that prompted extraordinary public statements from Japanese officials, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura affirming his belief in extraterrestrials and Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba discussing alien invasion scenarios.

The Alien Disks

This episode centers on the Dropa stones, hundreds of grooved disks allegedly discovered in caves in China's Baian-Kara-Ula mountains in 1938. According to a 1962 German magazine article, archaeologists found 716 disk-shaped objects alongside unusually small skeletal remains and cave paintings depicting the solar system. Ancient astronaut theorists like Giorgio Tsoukalos point to claims that Chinese archaeologist Tsum Um Nui deciphered microscopic hieroglyphs in the grooves telling of extraterrestrial beings who crash-landed on Earth around 10,000 BC. The episode expands this to examine sacred disks across cultures—the Babylonian deity disk, the divine disk that allegedly aided Incan leader Pachacuti's rise to power, and Peru's legendary Golden Sun Disk hidden from Spanish conquistadors. Theorists propose these weren't mere religious symbols but examples of extraterrestrial technology, with the Chinese government's alleged confiscation of the Dropa stones presented as evidence of a cover-up.

Return to Gobekli Tepe

This episode revisits Gobekli Tepe, the 12,000-year-old Turkish megalithic complex that predates Stonehenge by 6,500 years and emerged thousands of years before Mesopotamia's first known civilizations. Ancient astronaut theorists, including Andrew Collins and Giorgio Tsoukalos, argue the site serves as "smoking gun" evidence for a lost civilization that possessed advanced knowledge—possibly from extraterrestrial contact. They point to the massive T-shaped pillars weighing up to 20 tons, intricate animal carvings requiring over 300 hours each, and the site's sophisticated astronomical alignments (David Wilcock claims connections to the Cygnus star system). With only five percent excavated, proponents suggest buried structures may reveal definitive proof that ice age humans received help from a technologically superior source to preserve crucial information about otherworldly visitors.