Why some people still believe that aliens shaped ancient civilisations

Erich von Däniken proposed that monumental structures such as the pyramids could have been built with help from aliens. Stefan Baumann

Could ancient humans really have built the pyramids without extraterrestrial help? Or do such questions reveal more about modern anxieties than the past itself?

The idea that aliens assisted the builders of ancient monuments was promoted by the Swiss author Erich von Däniken in his bestselling book Chariot of the Gods – published in 1968. Von Däniken died in January 2026...