Original subtitles

NARRATOR: It was the cradle of Western civilization

and a culture that credited everything to the gods.

RIC RADER: The Greeks very much believed the gods were physically

part of our lives.

NARRATOR: The Greek gods

were said to possess incredible technology.

HUGH NEWMAN: The lightning rod of Zeus,

could wipe out whole cities

in one fell swoop.

The trident of Poseidon

could cause earthquakes.

NARRATOR: The gods imparted advanced knowledge.

And they even coupled with humans.

DAVID CHILDRESS: They’re creating these demigods

and genetically manipulating humans.

NARRATOR: Were the Greek gods the product of our ancestors’ imaginations?

Or were they otherworldly visitors

directing the course of humanity?

GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS: The Greeks clearly said that the gods were real.

And you have to ask the question,

are our ancestors talking about extraterrestrials?

NARRATOR: There is a doorway

in the universe.

Beyond it is the promise of truth.

It demands we question everything

we have ever been taught.

The evidence is all around us.

The future is right before our eyes.

We are not alone.

We have never been alone.

♪

NARRATOR: Greece.

Located in Southeastern Europe

with thousands of islands

throughout the Aegean and Ionian seas,

this popular tourist destination

is visited by roughly 30 million people each year.

They come not only to experience Greece’s Mediterranean climate

and idyllic beaches,

but also to walk amongst the ruins

of a great empire that thrived more than 2,000 years ago.

The Greek empire, which lasted

from the ninth century to the second century BC,

made enormous advances in science and mathematics...

...founded the Olympic games...

...invented democracy as a system of governance,

and established the foundation of Western civilization.

We owe virtually

almost every aspect of our society

to the ancient Greek culture,

what they brought together at that time.

Certainly, we in the Western world

are the heirs of ancient Greece, there’s no doubt about that.

WILLIAM HENRY: Thinking about what happened in Greece,

you’ve got some of the greatest minds ever.

These are the people that

created or opened the gateway

to the Western mind, to the way we think today.

MICHIO KAKU: People today know the names of Aristotle,

Plato and Socrates.

In mathematics and sciences,

people know the names of Archimedes

and also Pythagoras of the Pythagorean Theorem.

So it’s amazing that the ancient Greeks

could illuminate the artistic

and scientific world

for thousands of years to come.

MacGILLIVRAY: You have the Greek playwrights--

Sophocles, Euripides.

You have the architects...

the architects of the Parthenon,

Ictinus and Callicrates.

And then you have Hippocrates, with medicine.

The list is never-ending.

NARRATOR: Perhaps just as extraordinary as the fact

that the towering intellectual figures

of ancient Greece are still known today

is that every one of them

credited their accomplishments to the gods.

The prevalence of gods

in the lives of human beings

in classical mythological stories

tells us that the Greeks

very much believed the gods were a part of our lives.

If you were to build a temple, right,

you needed the inspiration of these gods

because you were doing something that was bigger than human.

So they are the foundation.

They are the inspiration for human beings

creating works of art of all stripes

that are far bigger than human beings themselves.

NARRATOR: Greek gods like Zeus,

Apollo and Athena remain household names even today...

...and the myths about their origins, battles, and adventures

continue to be retold to modern audiences.

The ancient Greek gods, in many ways,

are still alive with us today.

No matter where you are in the world,

everybody knows who Apollo is, who Zeus is,

who Aphrodite is.

You’ll see it in advertising,

everywhere you look, you’ll see that

there is this influence

of these characters from Greek mythology.

When I was growing up,

I followed avidly the American space program

where you had the Mercury Program,

the Gemini Program,

the Apollo Program.

It’s all based on the Greek gods.

NARRATOR: According to Greek mythology,

before the time of Zeus and the other iconic Greek gods

that we’re familiar with today,

there was another race of powerful beings

called the Titans.

MacGILLIVRAY: For the ancient Greeks,

the Titans were the first generation of gods.

They were the six male, six female gods

who were born of the Earth, Gaia,

and heaven coming together.

KATHLEEN McGOWAN: The word "titan" exists in our language now

and refers to something that’s big and great.

And that’s what the Titans were.

They were this generation of gods

that were larger than life.

Ultimately, the Titans find themselves in a war

with the next generation of gods,

who we know as the Olympians.

NARRATOR: The Olympians are represented by 12 powerful gods

led by Zeus, who is the God of Thunder,

and the son of the Titan King Cronus.

Ultimately,

the Titans and the Olympians are not able to coexist,

and an epic war is waged

called the Titanomachy.

Joining the gods

in this ten-year-long battle are a number of strange beings,

including humanoid creatures with hundreds of arms,

and one-eyed giants called the Cyclops.

In the end, the Olympians emerge victorious

and establish an earthly base atop Mount Olympus.

RADER: There is an actual Mount Olympus in Greece.

Because it is so high,

it’s ringed in clouds,

and so that’s where the gods live

that you are not allowed to see.

HENRY: We’re told it was shrouded by a mist

so that human eyes couldn’t see it.

And it was a technology center.

You had Hephaestus there,

the Greek god of smithcraft, alchemy and technology

that was creating these extraordinary weapons,

the thunderbolt of Zeus, and all these magical weapons,

the breastplate of Athena.

He also made robots, assistants.

You couldn’t describe

a better scenario if you were talking about

extraterrestrials coming to Earth

and establishing a mountain compound or sanctuary.

It sounds very much like some kind of a military compound.

NARRATOR: Zeus reigned over all the gods and humans,

and each of the Olympians

had domain over certain aspects of existence.

Poseidon ruled the sea.

Athena was the goddess of wisdom.

Apollo’s domain was light, music and poetry,

as well as healing and prophecy.

Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty and passion.

And Ares the god of war.

MacGILLIVRAY: The Greek gods are purely anthropomorphic.

They’re seen to control natural forces...

...but they’re men and women up in the infinite ether.

And the Olympian gods

would often come down and interact with humans.

TSOUKALOS: The Greek pantheon of gods were not gods

as we think of them today.

They descended from the sky

and they interacted with humans.

So you have to ask the question,

are we really talking about

bona fide gods

in ancient Greece?

Or was it something else?

Is it possible that the pantheon of Greek gods

didn’t consist of a figment of our ancestors’ imagination,

but physical beings

that actually mingled amongst man back in the day?

NARRATOR: Is it possible that the gods, who played such a vital role

in the lives of the ancient Greeks, truly existed?

While it may sound like a fantastical notion,

ancient astronaut theorists suggest

it is a very real possibility,

and point to an important site

within the Greek empire

where it was discovered that at least some aspects

of the ancient myths are based in real history.

♪

NARRATOR: Hisarlik, Turkey. 1870.

German businessman and amateur archaeologist

Heinrich Schliemann begins excavations

in this small village

which was an important site within the Greek empire

more than 2,000 years ago.

For years, he has been obsessed with finding

the legendary city of Troy

that is at the center of the Trojan War

described in Homer’s epic, The Iliad.

The story of the Trojan War

is one of the most important stories

of the Greek mythological cycle.

Our main source is Homer, but it relies upon much earlier

oral compositions that probably were going around

in Greek culture for hundreds of years.

NARRATOR: According to the legend, the Trojan War began

when Helen, wife to King Menelaus

of the Greek city-state of Sparta,

fell in love with Trojan Prince Paris

and secretly ran off with him to Troy.

Her actions sparked a bloody ten-year war

between the Trojans and the Greeks.

RADER: The Greeks were able to defeat the Trojans

by sneaking this wooden horse

which was full of Greek soldiers,

into the city of Troy

where they were able to wreak havoc

and ultimately, you know, win the war.

DORAN: One of the aspects of the stories of the Trojan War

that is quite interesting is that the gods take sides.

Some are more on the side of the Trojans,

some are more on the side of the Greeks.

NARRATOR: At the time of Heinrich Schliemann’s

1870 excavation,

mainstream scholars had long maintained

that the ancient Greek story was a work of fiction

and that Troy never existed.

Heinrich Schliemann was this extraordinary character

who, I guess, he must’ve been quite rebellious as a child

because he wouldn’t accept the given facts.

When Heinrich Schliemann was growing up,

all of Greek mythology was mythology.

And Heinrich Schliemann refused to believe that.

ROBERT SCHOCH: In modern times, most scholars thought that

Homer and his writing about the Trojan War

was just a good story.

Academic scholars just did not take Troy seriously.

However, Heinrich Schliemann took Homer seriously.

NARRATOR: Details from The Iliad had convinced Schliemann

that the remnants of Troy would be found

in the Turkish village of Hisarlik

beneath a 65-foot-tall earthen mound.

In May 1873, Schliemann uncovered a hoard of gold,

valuable artifacts and jewelry that matched up

with the riches mentioned in The Iliad,

and declared that the search was over--

He had discovered the city of Troy.

Lo and behold, he found Troy.

He found a site which matched everything described in Homer.

So he brought to life the concept that we can

look at some of these ancient myths

and realize that there’s

a genuine historical basis to it.

For hundreds of years, people thought that

the Greeks had achievements in architecture and sciences,

but when it comes to history,

the story of the Trojan War, the Trojan Horse,

"Nope. It’s all myth."

But then archaeologists found it.

They found the ruins of Troy.

And we know there was the Trojan War

just like the way the ancients called it.

NEWMAN: When it comes to places like Troy in Turkey,

it does really suggest that

these myths and legends and epic tales

may have some reality to them.

MacGILLIVRAY: Heinrich Schliemann opened a whole new chapter

in the history books for us.

What had previously been mythology

was now tangible archaeology.

NARRATOR: For ancient astronaut theorists,

the discovery of Troy is highly significant

because it opens the possibility that other aspects

of Greek mythology are also based in history.

TSOUKALOS: Are these stories a true history

that we’ve misinterpreted as just fantasy?

The ancient Greek gods were

physical beings that actually mingled amongst man

in the ancient mythologies.

The ancient astronaut theory proposes that these encounters

actually happened in real life.

They were here, not spiritual beings,

they were here with their body.

You can touch them.

They were talking, they were building,

they were doing something, they were not spiritual beings.

NARRATOR: Is it possible,

as ancient astronaut theorists suggest,

that Greek mythology is based on actual events

and encounters with otherworldly beings?

Perhaps further clues can be found

by examining just how the Greek gods were described.

McGOWAN: The gods in the Greek mythology are all very,

very human in their attributes.

The Greek gods are, are jealous.

They’re angry. They’re passionate.

They hate each other. They love each other.

MacGILLIVRAY: They kill, they attack each other,

they attack humans, especially.

They have children out of wedlock.

They wage wars with each other. They trick each other.

There’s nothing entirely divine about them

other than they have specific powers.

NARRATOR: In the Greek myths, the powers of the gods

often come in the forms of magical devices, weapons,

and flying machines.

They have airships,

they have superpowers and weapons.

It would seem that the gods are using technology.

VON DANIKEN: In my opinion,

it was the technology of extraterrestrials.

And it is not just a fiction.

It’s not just fantasy. It’s not just the imagination.

It is a true story.

The old Greek gods were extraterrestrials.

NARRATOR: Could it be that the Greek gods were alien beings

who came to Earth thousands of years ago?

Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,

and suggest the stories about them

reveal even more profound truths

about the origins of the human race.

NARRATOR: The Greek Island of Crete.

1900.

A team of British archaeologists,

led by Sir Arthur Evans,

begins excavating the ruins of an ancient palace.

In their efforts to unearth the sprawling complex,

they come across a structure

eerily matching one of the most fearsome places

in all of Greek mythology--

The Labyrinth of King Minos.

According to the legend,

the elaborate maze of the labyrinth

was constructed by order of King Minos

to entrap a monstrous creature known as the Minotaur.

McGOWAN: This legend of the Minotaur

is one of the most important

and prevalent legends

of the ancient Greek mythology.

One day, King Minos of Crete angers the god Poseidon.

Poseidon, being angry at Minos,

casts a spell over his wife Pasiphae,

that she might fall in love with this great white bull.

And through the mating of the bull,

the Minotaur is born.

The Minotaur is half human and half bull as a result.

And he is ferocious,

and he feeds on the flesh of humans.

ANDREW COLLINS: The legend of King Minos

and the labyrinth

is something that was seen to be a fable

until the explorations of the palace in Crete.

What Arthur Evans uncovered was an entire palace

that seemed to be dedicated over

to a bull cult.

There were frescos showing people leaping over bulls.

There were bulls’ horns,

bulls’ heads everywhere.

McGOWAN: The palace is an elaborate structure,

with moving walls and mazes actually built into the palace.

It became very clear

upon looking at the structure of this palace,

that this was the original labyrinth.

NARRATOR: If the structure found in Crete

really is the fabled labyrinth of King Minos,

then is it possible that the story of the Minotaur

is based on actual events?

Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,

but suggest that what is described in the legend

is not literally a bull mating with a human.

The story of the Minotaur is an astounding story

of the creation of a hybrid being.

And what’s interesting about this is that Daedalus,

this genius engineer,

crafts this cow-shaped container,

that Minos’s wife is to enter into this container

and mate with this sacred bull.

This sounds like some kind of

genetics lab that’s been created here

for the specific purpose to mate a human

with a sacred bull.

The Minotaur is the result of that mating.

So when we peel back the layers of this story,

we can easily interpret this

as an example of ancient gene splicing.

MICHAEL CARTER: There are plenty of myths

that talk about these hybrids in the tales of Greece.

There was a centaur, half horse, half man...

If we look at the mermaid-- a woman and part fish--

with genetics, with experimentation,

maybe these beings

really did walk the Earth,

and our ancestors were depicting

what they saw around them.

NARRATOR: In the Greek mythological tradition,

there are many instances of the gods

creating hybrid animals

and even more that involve their manipulation of humans,

including the creation of the human race.

According to Greek mythology,

the Titan Prometheus formed figurines of humans out of mud,

and the Olympian Athena breathed life into them.

It is also said that Prometheus brought us civilization.

That he gave us writing,

he gave us language, he gave us arithmetic.

NARRATOR: The Greek myths go on to speak

of mortals and immortals comingling

to create hybrids who were half human and half god.

MacGILLIVRAY: These sexual interactions would produce

what they called the demigods,

somebody who was half man, half god,

or half woman, half god.

And these demigods became very, very powerful

in their own right.

NARRATOR: Much like the myths of ancient Greece,

stories of humans mixed with the bloodlines of gods

appear in many cultures throughout the ancient world...

...from the deities known as the Anunnaki

depicted in early Sumerian writings,

to the biblical book of Enoch,

which tells of fallen angels, called the Watchers,

who mated with humans to create the Nephilim.

CARTER: We are told that the sons of God

came down to Earth and mated with Earth women.

Now, this is in all mythology,

whether it’s Greek, whether it’s Sumerian,

uh, whether it’s Hindu.

And so, we have to ask ourselves,

these are new human beings that are being created.

How is this happening?

NARRATOR: According to ancient astronaut theorists,

the parallels in these accounts

may be evidence of extraterrestrials

intentionally mingling their DNA with mankind.

The Greek gods can be placed

in the same category

as the Anunnaki, the guardians of the sky,

and the so-called Watchers.

They’re all the same.

Meaning extraterrestrials observed humankind

and also guided our development.

We have the curious stories

of the Greek gods

creating these heroes or demigods.

And so we can kind of see here

how the gods or the extraterrestrials are

genetically manipulating humans.

NARRATOR: Could the Greek stories of the demigods

serve as evidence of an extraterrestrial agenda

to genetically evolve and guide

the development of humankind?

Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,

and they suggest even more compelling evidence

that there was an otherworldly presence

in ancient Greece

can be found by examining the country’s oldest structures,

which were said to have been built

by a race of giants.

NARRATOR: The ancient Greek story of King Minos first appears

in Homer’s epic poem The Iliad,

and takes place around 2500 BC,

roughly 1,300 years before the rise of the Greek empire.

According to Greek mythology, this is "the golden age,"

the time when humans shared the Earth with the gods--

as well as many other strange creatures like the Minotaur.

You’re talking about tons of giants,

tons of monsters, tons of scary beings.

Cyclopes,

you’ve got hybrids of monsters,

but they’re all existing together

somehow in the same place.

NARRATOR: In the ancient texts,

Greece was home to an advanced society

during this so-called golden age,

and ancient astronaut theorists suggest

remnants of that civilization

may be located near the city of Argos,

where there are ruins

of a mysterious megalithic structure

that is unlike any other structure in Greece.

MacGILLIVRAY: Outside of Argos there’s a really beautifully built

pyramidal building at Hellinikon,

which is a total mystery.

Really, really, very, very mysterious.

The architecture looks archaic...

...and it’s unique in that sense.

It’s a place where you can actually go into the pyramid.

SCHOCH: The pyramid of Hellinikon is quite small.

It’s maybe only 23 feet

by 30 feet by maybe 12 feet tall.

But it’s incredibly interesting.

We don’t really know what its purpose was,

and even more controversial

is the dating of it.

NARRATOR: In 1995, scientists working at the Academy of Athens

dated samples from the site

using a new and experimental method called

optical thermoluminescence.

The results were staggering.

The pyramid at Hellinikon,

according to their results...

...is one of the oldest pyramids on Earth.

The Pyramid of Hellinikon

dates to 2720 BC.

NEWMAN: The Hellinikon Pyramid is thought to be

originally built by the Mycenaeans, but...

if the dating is correct of 2720 BC,

then this is over a thousand years older.

So we have to question who really built this.

NARRATOR: The dating of the Pyramid of Hellinikon places it

in the same era as the so-called golden age

when gods and strange creatures were said to exist on Earth.

Curiously, just eight miles to the north

is another structure that does not match

the construction style of the Greek empire,

but features masonry strikingly similar

to that of the Pyramid of Hellinikon.

Standing within the ancient site of Mycenae is an incredible

megalithic structure called the Treasury of Atreus.

The Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae was

this massive structure...

...built into the hillside with huge blocks,

conglomerate stone being brought into place,

including the lintel that goes over the threshold

going into the tomb which weighs 250 tons.

What’s telling about Mycenae is that we have

multiple construction styles there.

And the oldest one is the most sophisticated.

And the same masonry style exists

at the Pyramid of Hellinikon,

about a ten-minute drive from present-day Mycenae.

So, clearly, the two were part of the same kingdom at the time.

NARRATOR: For ancient astronaut theorists,

the notion that these megalithic structures could both

date back more than 4,700 years is extraordinary.

But even more intriguing is the fact

that the Greek stories say they were built

by a race of giant humanoid beings

who lived during the golden age.

MacGILLIVRAY: According to the ancient Greeks,

the Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae

was created by the cyclopes.

Huge, giant builders that had a single, circular eye

in the middle of their forehead, and they were credited

with lifting these huge blocks into place.

NARRATOR: In Greek mythology, the cyclops were related to the Titans,

the first generation of gods, and were master craftsman.

They created Zeus’s thunderbolt, Poseidon’s trident,

and Hades’ cap of invisibility.

And they were credited with building

the ancient megaliths of Greece.

NEWMAN: The cyclops were thought to be master masons

and advanced metallurgists,

and also were able to quarry stone

in a profoundly brilliant way.

If you look around the site of Mycenae,

you see amazing construction all over the site.

So, is there some reality to these stories?

Is there actual giants

who were involved in the construction

of sites like Mycenae?

NARRATOR: As far as ancient astronaut theorists are concerned,

the Pyramid of Hellinikon

and the Treasury of Atreus provide further evidence

that the golden age of the gods was more than just a myth.

This idea is not something

that was just pulled out of thin air.

In fact, it also connects to other stories of gods

around the world.

Many of the ancient Egyptian texts that have been translated

speak of a so-called golden age of ancient Egypt

at a time when human beings mingled side by side

with the so-called gods.

Now, this is something that has been recorded orally

and also in a written language

for thousands of years, around the world.

And you have to ask the question,

are our ancestors all talking about the same

visiting extraterrestrials?

NARRATOR: Is it possible that the structures

like the Treasury of Atreus

and the Pyramid of Hellinikon were built during a time

when humans shared the Earth

with visitors from another world?

Perhaps further clues can be found

by examining another mysterious megalithic site,

where the Greeks claimed

they could speak directly to the gods.

NARRATOR: Located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus,

this site was a religious center

throughout the entire timeline of the Greek empire.

When Homer wrote The Iliad in the eighth century BC,

when Socrates established Western philosophy

in the fifth century BC,

and when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt

in the fourth century BC,

Delphi was the place where people went

to communicate directly with the gods.

Delphi is this extraordinarily powerful place.

I mean, you can feel it when you go there today.

Delphi became hugely important throughout classical antiquity.

Everybody, especially the ruling elite,

would go and they would pose a question.

Nobody would go to war,

nobody would even start a trade excursion,

nobody would do anything,

without going and consulting the oracle.

And the oracle would

channel basically an answer then from the gods.

NARRATOR: The oracle was a high priestess known as the Pythia,

who held court at the Temple of Apollo,

which lies mostly in ruins today.

According to ancient texts,

those seeking counsel from the gods

were put in a meditative state

before entering the innermost sanctuary of the temple,

where they would offer gifts

and present their questions to the oracle.

The way the oracle at Delphi functioned was...

...the Pythia, the priestess sat over a crevice which was

within the Temple of Apollo.

She would inhale whatever fumes were coming up from the crevice,

and she would then get an answer from Apollo,

a divine answer from above.

JONATHAN YOUNG: There was a crack in the stone there,

and there was a kind of vapor of gas that was coming,

which put her into an altered state.

Although we do not know what the altered state was like,

maybe she was tapping into something.

HENRY: Current research on the Pythia at Delphi

is asking the question, was there perhaps

some kind of psychedelic connection there?

NARRATOR: According to ancient astronaut theorists,

the notion that chemically altering the mind

might facilitate a connection with otherworldly beings

is supported by experiments with a powerful hallucinogen

called dimethyltryptamine, or DMT.

Between 1990 and 1995,

scientists at the University of New Mexico

administered DMT to 60 volunteers

and were surprised to find

that many of them had very similar visions,

including encounters

with strange beings who reportedly said,

"Now we can communicate with you."

HENRY: Recent research suggests that hallucinogenic experiences

actually open portals of communication

with otherworldly beings.

And perhaps this is what was going on back at Delphi as well.

NARRATOR: In the Greek mythological tradition,

Zeus not only chose the exact location

where the Pythia would receive messages from the gods--

he also placed a mysterious object

at the oracle called the omphalos.

Just what the omphalos was remains a mystery,

since it reportedly disappeared in 395 AD.

But a Roman replica of the stone

has been preserved at the Museum of Delphi,

supporting the notion that it truly existed.

McGOWAN: It’s a fascinating stone, it’s very beautiful.

And it, it appears to be covered in a type of crisscross pattern.

It’s possible that the omphalos stone was

some type of communication device

between the people on the ground and the people in the sky.

CHILDRESS: The ancient Greeks built their famous temple at Delphi

around this omphalos stone,

and it was the power center of the world.

And this omphalos stone was also supposed to be a vehicle

for communicating with the gods.

So you have to wonder, was it really

some special stone that could help people

communicate with extraterrestrials?

NARRATOR: Is it possible that the ancient Greeks

were given specific instructions

on where to build the Temple of Apollo

by an otherworldly visitor?

One who utilized both the vapors from the Earth

and some mysterious technological device

to facilitate a means of communication?

Ancient astronaut theorists say yes

and suggest that Delphi’s otherworldly connection

was established long before the rise of the Greek empire,

during the so-called golden age

when the gods were said to be present on Earth.

As evidence, they point to mysterious ruins

that feature the same type of cyclopean masonry

found at Mycenae and the Pyramid of Hellinikon.

Officially, Delphi is dated to about the sixth century BC,

but there are earlier constructions at the site.

And these are the gigantic cyclopean and polygonal walls

that are not just in the main part of the site.

If you actually look around carefully,

you find them half buried down

near the entrance at the lowest levels,

and it really does suggest

that the site could be much, much older.

And this was used for not hundreds,

possibly thousands of years.

NARRATOR: According to the ancient Greeks, figures like Zeus,

Athena and Apollo continued to guide them

well beyond the golden age.

And ancient astronaut theorists suggest

these otherworldly beings

inspired an extraordinary moment in history

that would shape the world for centuries to come.

NARRATOR: Starting with the harnessing of fire

hundreds of thousands of years ago,

there have been moments in human history

of sudden and significant advancement...

...like the Renaissance,

the Industrial Revolution,

and the founding of the United States.

But some scholars believe

the most significant period of all

occurred in Athens around 2,500 years ago.

In the span of a single lifetime,

dozens of history’s most brilliant minds emerged

and achieved monumental advancements

that would reverberate through the ages.

It was a time known as the Greek miracle.

It goes almost without saying

that without ancient Greece,

and without the so-called Greek miracle,

civilization today would not be the same.

NEWMAN: Some of the most profound philosophers lived at this time.

Plato, for instance, he created these remarkable 3D geometries.

The dodecahedron.

Pythagoras related the harmony of the cosmos

and all within it

to mathematical formulas and geometry.

And different philosophers came up with different ideas

looking at this much more kind of practical way

of understanding life and the cosmos.

TSOUKALOS: You had Socrates, Hippocrates, Aristotle,

Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus,

and the list goes on.

They all lived at the same time.

So my question is...

...is it possible that they had a direct connection

with the physical extraterrestrials

that were monitoring Earth at that time?

And my answer to that is a resounding yes.

NARRATOR: Whether the Greek miracle happened by chance

or by extraterrestrial design, one thing is certain--

the accomplishments of the ancient Greeks

helped to shape the world for centuries to come.

We see and we experience

the gifts of the ancient Greeks

every day in our modern lives

in the 21st century.

They gave us everything from democracy

to the most extraordinary architecture and art.

We see it in our nation’s capital, in Washington, D.C.

The extraordinary Greek temple architecture.

KAKU: You go to Paris, you go to London,

all the architecture comes from ancient Greece.

And then you learned about the mathematics

that made these monuments possible.

All of that coming from ancient Greece.

MacGILLIVRAY: Anybody who does science will be still using terms

that were coined in archaic and classical Greece.

We’re still using

ancient Greek words and concepts.

So the Western world is very,

very much indebted to, to ancient Greece.

CHILDRESS: If it’s true that almost everything

of the Western world that we have today

has its birthplace in ancient Greece,

then perhaps it would mean

that modern civilization itself can be traced back

to these extraterrestrials,

these gods of Olympus.

NARRATOR: Could it be that the incredible

mythological tales of ancient Greece

tell the story of humankind’s true origins?

And that the world we live in today is the product

of extraterrestrial visitation

that took place thousands of years ago?

Perhaps we will receive the answer

when visitors descend from the sky once again,

and we come face-to-face with our alien ancestors.

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