Chariots of the Gods

Remember this book? I do. As a kid my father and uncle both read it and talked about it. Unsolved mysteries.... the pyramids, cave paintings and such. Something clicked in my head and I remembered the book as I was listening to Coast to Coast AM. Giorgio Tsoukalos was being interviewed early Monday morning about ancient astronauts and I heard him mention some cave art that pictured more than just buffalo hunting.

Wikipedia:

Chariots of the Gods?: Unsolved Mysteries of the Past is a book written in 1968 by Erich von Däniken. It is centered on the hypothesis that many ancient civilizations' technologies and religion were given to them by space travelers who were welcomed as gods.

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The types of evidence he cites can be categorized as follows:

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Artifacts have been found which represent higher technological knowledge than is presumed to have existed at times when they were manufactured. Von Däniken maintains that these artifacts were produced either by extraterrestrial visitors or by humans who learned the necessary knowledge from them. Such artifacts include the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge, the head statues of Easter Island and the Antikythera mechanism. Further examples include a medieval map known as the Piri Reis Map, allegedly showing the Earth as it is seen from space, and the Nazca lines in Peru, which he explains as landing strips for an airfield.
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In ancient art throughout the world themes can be observed which can be interpreted to illustrate astronauts, air and space vehicles, non-human but intelligent creatures, and artifacts of high technology. Von Däniken also points out details that are similar in art of unrelated cultures.

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Wall painting: Val Camonica, Italy
Source: http://www.crystalinks.com/ancientastronauts.html