The conventional narrative of human history—that civilization began with the Sumerians and Egyptians around 5,000 years ago—is challenged by alternative theorists who propose vastly older and more dramatic origins. Two of the most prominent figures in this field are Graham Hancock and Zecharia Sitchin, though their theories are fundamentally different.

Graham Hancock: The Lost Human Civilization

• Core Thesis: Hancock argues for a highly advanced human civilization that existed during the last Ice Age. He believes this global maritime culture possessed sophisticated knowledge of astronomy, architecture, and engineering.

• The Cataclysm: He proposes this civilization was largely wiped out by a cataclysmic event, specifically a comet impact around 12,800 years ago, which triggered a “Younger Dryas” mini-ice age and mᴀssive global flooding.

• The Evidence: Hancock points to enigmatic archaeological sites that he believes are much older than mainstream science accepts, such as:

  • Göbekli Tepe (Turkey): A complex, 11,600-year-old site that suggests a level of sophistication not attributed to hunter-gatherers.

  • Gunung Padang (Indonesia): A site where he believes man-made structures lie deep beneath the surface, dating back more than 20,000 years.

• The Legacy: He suggests that the survivors of this cataclysm, the “Magicians of the Gods,” traveled the world and shared their knowledge, which later seeded the known ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Americas. His theory is a warning that a similar cosmic disaster could happen again.

Zecharia Sitchin: The Alien Architects

• Core Thesis: Sitchin’s theory, based on his personal translations of Sumerian cuneiform, posits that human civilization was created by extraterrestrials known as the Anunnaki.

• The Origin: He claimed the Anunnaki came from a hypothetical planet called Nibiru, which orbits the Sun every 3,600 years. They arrived on Earth around 445,000 years ago to mine gold, which was needed to repair their planet’s atmosphere.

• The Creation of Humanity: Sitchin wrote that the Anunnaki genetically engineered Homo sapiens by mixing their own DNA with that of early hominids (Homo erectus) to create a slave race to work in the gold mines.

• The Legacy: Sitchin attributes all the “sudden” advances of Sumerian civilization—writing, law, agriculture, astronomy—directly to the teachings of the Anunnaki.