Product Details

• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: A&E/HISTORY
• DVD Release Date: November 16, 2010
• Run Time: 470 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0038M2AWI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,136 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #29 in Movies & TV > DVD > Documentary

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Erich von Däniken's Chariots of the Gods provides the inspiration for this History Channel series, which takes UFOs and extraterrestrials deadly seriously. Over five episodes, it explores phenomena throughout the ages that defy explanation. The first, "Evidence," looks at Indian aeronautical texts, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and the Saqqara Bird, an Egyptian carving that anticipates the airplane. Legendary Times publisher and consulting producer Giorgio A. Tsoukalos feels that items like the figurine "have nothing in common with anything similar in nature." That's a matter of opinion, though other authors, engineers, and investigators tend to agree, which isn't a problem in and of itself, except there are few dissenting voices.

In "The Visitors," "The Mission," and "Closer Encounters," the show travels to Peru, Mali, Iraq, and other locations to discuss elongated skulls, cattle mutilation, and primitive stargazing (the theory that King Tut might have been part-alien seems pretty far-fetched). Further references to the Knights Templar and the Ark of the Covenant, which some believe lies beneath an island in Nova Scotia, bring Spielberg blockbusters, like Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, to mind. The series concludes with "The Return," a look at sightings and attempts to communicate with aliens by NASA and SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence).

Like von Däniken's controversial bestseller, Ancient Aliens presents intriguing data but calls for a healthy degree of skepticism, since there's more speculation on offer than verifiable fact (the boisterous Swiss scribe also appears in the program). The academic speakers make valid points, but a few experts seem less credible. It's easier, for instance, to trust an MIT or UCLA scholar over a radio host or crop circle researcher. This three-disc set concludes with a bonus episode, "Chariots, Gods and Beyond," which surveys the links between theology and ancient astronaut theory. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 11/23/2010

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

133 of 150 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Facinating and well done review of ancient astronaut theory, June 27, 2010

By 

K. Salinger "MBA, RN, RRT, sFNP" (Bay Area, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ancient Aliens: Season One (DVD)

Could it be possible that intelligent life forms visited Earth thousands of years ago, bringing with them knowledge and technology that greatly altered the course of history and human development on Earth? The Ancient Astronauts mini-series on DVD explores this possibility in depth.

Consider the following:

** How is it that the ancient Mayan calendar is more accurate than our own if the ancients were so primitive?
** What are the pyramids really for? They're located across the globe, not just in Egypt.
** Could primitive people really move solid blocks the size of train cars with only ropes and ramps to build the pyramids? Did they really bring the quartz and granite, which is only found many miles away in most cases, to the construction site, again, by pulling train car sized chunks with ropes?
** Why are there ancient artifacts and glyphs which look identical to jet airplanes that we use today?
** Did ancient Egyptians use electricity to light the internal chambers of their monuments and pyramids?
** Were the Nasca lines actually landing strips for ancient flying craft?
** How was the top of an entire mountain range artificially removed in ancient times to create the plateau where many of the "landing strip" type Nasca lines are located?

There are so many mysteries about the ancients....

** How they built such monumental megalithic structures that we would be hard pressed to attempt to build even today ** Why they had astronomical maps and maps of the Earth that match ours today, yet our maps only became as accurate as the ancient ones in the last 50 years.
** Why does every ancient religion indicate their "Gods" descended from the sky, heavens, or space bringing knowledge to their peoples?
** Why are there pyramids across the Earth, yet all similarly built during ancient times when people supposedly had no means of communicating across large distances, so there could not have been sharing of ideas?
** Why have there been stories, from ancient times until today, of flying craft in the sky, or visitations from "angels,gods,aliens,fairies" and other different beings? Could they all be the same beings who visit here, just described in different ways?
** Should we really dismiss as pure myth the stories in ancient Indian texts that describe "flying machines of the gods"?
** Are there really accounts of space craft and alien visitations in the texts of all the older, established religions and cultures? (The Bible, Bhagavad Gita, Sumerian texts, Egyptian texts, Mayan/Incan/Olmec texts, petroglyphs of ancient America, and more...)

All of these topics and many more have been addressed in this great mini-series originally presented on the History channel in 2010. Many experts in conventional archeology and religion are interviewed in addition to the current experts in ancient astronaut theory and authors on the subject such as Erich Von Daniken (the author who originally brought this subject to light under much controversy in the 1960's with his book Chariots of the Gods Chariots of the Gods)

This is a fascinating subject that is presented in an excellent manner. The subject is treated quite seriously with enough information provided to allow viewers to make up their own minds and spark further curiosity on the subjects presented. This series was produced with the cooperation of Von Daniken (the author who broght the subject to light in the 1960's and who continues his research into the subject to this day).

From the DVD description:

Ancient Aliens launches all-new expeditions to seek out and evaluate this evidence, with a concentration on the latest discoveries of the last 30 years, including unusual DNA findings on man's evolution and newly decoded artifacts from Egypt to Syria to South America. It is a balanced investigation into a theory some believe cannot be true, but many agree cannot be ignored.

For those new to this concept - What is Ancient Astronaut theory?

The general idea of ancient astronaut theory is that thousands of years ago there were visitors to Earth which to the primitive humans, seemed as Gods. They had advanced technology which was used around the ancient humans, and to the ancient humans this technology was so amazing that these beings could be nothing less than Gods (look up cargo cults to see how our technology had a similar effect on primitive tribal peoples during WWII). These ancient astronauts, aka alien visitors, were responsible for the instantaneous leap in development that occurred and which has remained an unexplained mystery among conventional archeologists and anthropologists. They are also responsible for guiding the building of all the megalithic structures, the advanced calendars, inexplicably accurate astronomical and world maps, etc. (Some even speculate they conducted genetic manipulation on our species and are responsible for particular unusual aspects to our DNA and development.)

Ancient Astronauts does a great job supporting the ancient astronaut theory by obtaining the expert opinion of master builders and masons regarding the aspects involved in building megalithic structures, plus theologians and other scientists who can lend insight into the various mysteries discussed. The information presented is current and very up-to-date.

I highly recommend Ancient Astronauts to anyone curious and who can bring an open mind to the subject., Additionally, there is new information presented for those who already have an established interest or knowledge on the subject. A great series - well worth owning!

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Stimulating, January 16, 2011

By 

Joseph W. Giacomo - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ancient Aliens: Season One [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Picked these up last week as I was looking for something to spark my imagination. These definitely fit the bill.
The entire documentary is NOT a collection of stories or whack jobs sharing ideas on creation. This spans many different topics whether it be human creation, building of the pyramids etc. All pointing the finger towards alien intervention and scientifically supported or debated.

The video and audio quality is fantastic, there are a few short scenes of old footage that were clearly not transferred over into HD but it's few and far between. If you're looking to spark the imagination and open your mind to other possibilities then this is for you. It's a well done program worth watching, especially on Blu-ray.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is this really what happened? You decide., January 16, 2011

By 

Ralph J. Fitcher "Namahotitae" (New York) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Ancient Aliens: Season One [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Does this show lend credibility to the conspiracy theorists views that we were and are still being visited by aliens? That is up to the viewer to decide. Does it offer the ultimate proof? Again up to the viewer. Personally, I am open to all possibilities. As the great physicist Stephen Hawking's has said on more than one occasion, it would be arrogant of us to believe we are the only intelligent life in the universe. I did not quote it, because I cannot remember the exact words. But, I am certain those are close to what he has said. The people who speak here are doctors in their field of study. Therefore make informed commentary's throughout the show. If you are open to the possibilities, this is a great source of information. If you are not, well, I would not watch this show as it will only aggravate and confuse you. If you however, want to learn about those questions that mankind has asked for many century's, again, I would certainly give this a try. I gave the show five stars not only for the information and educational value, but for the entertainment value as well. I wrote this same review for the first episode disc that is out there. But, I actually own this season.

Wasitchu