Cogs and Artifacts

I've been familiar with the theory of aliens visiting Earth in ancient times and influencing humanity for most of my life. I read Chariots of the Gods in the 70s. Now with the Ancient Aliens TV series the idea is growing in popularity.

While I believe you should keep an open mind on such matters It's also very important to be careful not to jump to false conclusions. We must try to be as informed as possible about what you’re looking at and try to interpret it within the correct context.

I learned this unexpectedly in the 1970s when I visited the Indianapolis Museum of Art with my niece. Both of us had recently read Chariots of the Gods. We went to the museum on an impulse with no idea what exhibits might be on display or prior conception of what we might see.

The IMA is a world class museum. Today it's several times larger and houses one of the finest permanent collections in the world. If you visit Indianapolis you must spend a couple of days at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

My niece and I walked into the gallery that usually contained the traveling exhibits and noticed that it appeared to be a display of very ancient artifacts. A map on the wall illustrated an archeological dig at the site of a possibly prehistoric civilization. Plaques described the location of this lost culture, the habits that were so far known of its people and how the site was discovered. Around us were the objects that were unearthed from that site. Plaques described them as thousands of years old. Most of these were votive forms, objects of art crated as an offering or tribute to the gods in return for a favor. Essentially a three dimensional prayer.

We looked at the objects at first in fascination and then stupefaction. The objects could not be votive forms. They were parts of machines. There were obvious gears and cogs. Machined parts suggested a purpose that could not quite be discerned. It was if archeologists had unearthed clearly advanced devices with no concept of what they had found. Wheels and levers fit perfectly together as they were created by an advanced civilization. Certainly not by a prehistoric culture as they are understood today. Either a civilization with a technology rivaling our own once existed on Earth, almost all traces of which have now vanished or the ancient astronaut theorist were right. At that moment nothing else seemed possible.

The moment passed.

As we intently studied the objects new details emerged. On the side of one cog I could clearly read the inscription in English lettering “Kawasaki”. Other modern names could be found. Then we listened like flies on a wall as a museum official explained the exhibit to another visitor. This was an art project. A college teacher had created an imaginary civilization that had been unearthed by a fictional dig. The artifacts had been created with found objects by his students. This was not a hoax. It was art.

It is undeniable that there is evidence that suggests that at least some of the ancients were more advanced than we give them credit for or they had access to higher technology. Damascus steel was forged by a process that may have been duplicated only recently. Greek fire continues to be a matter of debate. The Peri Reis Map remains unexplained. Medieval and Renaissance art contains many images that appear to be space ships or flying craft. These suggests that we have been visited by aliens in medieval and perhaps ancient times but whether or not these visitors had any influence on our development remains speculation. Even Erich Von Daniken states that he is only suggesting a possibility and asking if perhaps it could have happened that way.