Events

[PRESENTATION] Whether you watch the popular yet controversial History Channel TV show Ancient Aliens or not, you probably recognize Giorgio A. Tsoukalos due to his widespread meme-ification. Though he’s embraced his life as a meme, that doesn’t mean he takes his line of work any less seriously. For those who don’t know, Tsoukalos researches and investigates evidence of alien contact with earthlings in the distant past. That research often takes the form of interpretting stories of religious deities—stories from the Bible, Mahabharata, and other books— to be literal contact with aliens in the past. The 38-year-old so called “ancient astronaut theorist” also often investigates ancient archaeological sites searching for evidence of extraterrestrial influence. On Friday, November 4, Tsoukalos will come to Buffalo’s Tralf Music Hall to discuss his theories in front of a live audience. In anticipation, we chatted with Tsoukalos via email about what it means to be an ancient astronaut theorist, and some of the most convincing evidence he’s ever discovered.

How did you get involved in ancient alien research?
When I was a little kid, sometimes my grandmother, a devout Catholic, would read Edgar Cayce’s Atlantis to me as a bedtime story and told me about the possibility of life on other planets and extraterrestrials having visited us in the past. She definitely planted the first seed. Later, as a teenager, I discovered the works of Erich von Daniken and that was it for me. Then, in 1998, I began publishing Legendary Times Magazine, the only publication in the world to exclusively report about the Ancient Astronaut Theory.

How would you summarize ancient alien theory in one or two sentences?
The ancient astronaut theory, as I prefer to call it, tries to determine whether or not flesh and blood extraterrestrials visited Earth in the remote past. The evidence is collected from all branches of science which makes it more interesting because we are not restricted to one research branch only.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about ancient astronaut theories?
I think the biggest misconception people have about the ancient astronaut theory is that aliens built the pyramids. Not once have I ever suggested such a thing. However, what the ancient astronaut theory does suggest is that space-faring extraterrestrials imparted the engineering knowledge to our ancestors because there are certain things our ancestors accomplished which we today would have great difficulty recreating. Notice how I didn’t say that we couldn’t do it. Of course we can do it today, but we’d use high-tech tools and massive machinery.

How do you respond to skeptics?
I don’t. You are either ready to explore these ideas with an open mind or you are not. I’ve also come to the realization that many skeptics, and I’ve met some of them personally, don’t know what they’re talking about when they try to discuss the ancient astronaut theory. They’re unfamiliar with the exact ideas people in my research field have proposed and therefore I no longer bother spoon-feeding it to them. 

What do you consider the single most convincing piece of physical evidence of the existence of aliens?
Puma Punku in Bolivia. Puma Punku is part of the massive Tiahuanaco archeological complex on top of the Andean Plateau. At Puma Punku there are massive stone blocks strewn about. Stone platforms made of red sandstone and grey andesite. Contrary to what archaeology suggests, grey andesite cannot be cut with copper tools because andesite is igneous rock, which means it is incredibly hard. Stonemasons have told me that some of the cuts at Puma Punku are so precise and mind-boggling that even today, they would have great difficulty replicating these blocks with their modern machinery. So one has to wonder how it was done.

There’s a rumor that President Obama will reveal UFO or ET details before he leaves office. There are also rumors that a Clinton campaign would be open to releasing such information, if there is any. What are your thoughts on the possibilities of this happening and the reaction it would create?
I think that would be amazing and certainly another step in the right direction. One thing is for sure, we are not alone in the Universe. And not only are we not alone in the Universe, but perhaps some of that life visited Earth in the remote past. Personally I think they may still be here observing us. This is why I think such discussions are healthy and I also think that the public reaction would be positive.

With so much mistrust of the media and government swirling around right now, inevitably a certain segment of the population would claim that any revelation of past or present contact with aliens to be a hoax or conspiracy.. On the other hand, there is a certain segment of the population that claims (and I’m sure that this includes many ancient astronaut theorists) that there is currently a conspiracy to cover up past or present alien contact. What are your thoughts on this state of affairs and how can alien activists and standard citizens fight for the truth?
I don’t think there is a conspiracy going on at all. Any of the information I talk about or offer in my lectures is accessible through public means. None of the stuff I talk about is secret information. I merely interpret certain segments of our history from a different perspective. I urge everyone to read as much as they can, and not just on the internet. A lot of my research is done with books.