All language subtitles for Ancient.Aliens.S19E18.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR:
For thousands of years,
people have held a belief

that objects can become imbued
with a mysterious energy.

Everyday objects can become
animate and even enlightened.

NARRATOR:
Known as talismans, they are
revered in every culture.

JONATHAN YOUNG:
The ancient Sumerians,
the Greeks, the Romans--

they thought there was sacred
power in inanimate objects.

NARRATOR:
And it is believed
that they provide

a connection to a higher realm.

Ancient Egyptian magic
was based on the idea

that a person holding
one of these talismans

actually possessed
the power of the god.

NARRATOR:
Could it be that what fuels
our faith in talismans

is not superstition,
but a real connection

to something beyond our world?

GIORGIO TSOUKALOS:
I think the reason why many
of us put so much value

into these talismans is because
they are a direct connection

to our ancestors

and to some sort of
a celestial power.

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.

The cross.

For billions of Christians
throughout the world,

this is the most prominent
symbol of their faith.

It adorns churches,
pulpits, the vestments

of clergy,
and members of the faith.

Representing the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ,

the cross serves as a symbolic
reminder of his sacrifice.

But for many, it is not
merely a symbol.

It is an object of power, and
serves as a modern-day example

of a very ancient concept:

the talisman.

Throughout history,
possibly throughout pre-history,

human beings have always had
an ongoing love affair

with talismans.

DOMINIC STEAVU:
Talismans are found
throughout cultures

from South America
to the Middle East,

to Africa,
to East Asia and Europe.

They are found everywhere,

and they share
a lot of common features.

They are primarily material
concretions of the divine.

Of supernatural power.

Talismans provide
a physical anchoring

for what is usually invisible.

The word "talisman"
actually means

"to consecrate and to fulfill."

And it's thought
that they actually fulfill

or amplify the will or desire
of the person using it.

JONATHAN YOUNG:
The Iroquois,
the Native American group,

had this energy in things.

It was called Orenda.
The Japanese Shinto tradition

believed that physical objects
had soul.

The ancient Sumerians,
the Greeks, the Romans,

they thought there was

the possibility of sacred
power in inanimate objects.

KATHLEEN McGOWAN:
Talismans can be big or small.

They can be carried, they can
be installed in buildings.

There are all kinds
of talismans.

There are talismans
for protection.

There are talismans for healing.

And there are a lot of talismans

for religious purposes,
which are used

to feel closer or connected to

a religious character,
a saint, or even a god.

The earliest talismans
that we have records of,

specifically, are bear claws
for helping the hunt,

eagle talons
for personal strength,

and what are called
Venus figurines for fertility.

Even in the 21st century
talismans are big.

Many people might not
think of them as talismans,

but you have
Saint Christopher medals

for travelers,
you have Christian crosses,

and you often see people
touching them or holding them.

And they do think
of them as talismans.

They do think it actually
protects them in some way.

NARRATOR:
Throughout all of human history,

and in every culture, people
have assigned certain objects

with extraordinary powers.

But why?

What is behind
this enduring belief?

YOUNG:
The talisman helps us bridge
the seen and the unseen.

The spirit and matter.

The sacred dimension is really
beyond our understanding.

We can't see it.

We can believe in it,
but it would be nice to touch.

And that's the bridging function

of a talisman or an amulet.

STEAVU:
The talisman can be
a constant reminder that someone

or something
is watching over you.

And I think a lot of people can
find comfort and solace in that.

Even for nonreligious believers,

talismans can be a concretion

that is physical of the presence
of the invisible.

NARRATOR:
Any physical object has
the potential to be a talisman,

but there are certain talismans
that appear all over the world

and in many different cultures.

The talismans that I find
the most mysterious

are those that employ
the human eye.

And they're mysterious
precisely because they appear

all over the world, amidst
cultures that are separated

by vast differences in time,
geography, custom, language,

from Siberia to Polynesia.

Literally, human beings,
for millennia,

have been devising talismans
in the shape of an eye.

The most famous, of course,
being the Egyptian Eye of Horus,

but they occupy every culture,
every territory, every time.

And that common language
is fascinating.

NARRATOR:
Curiously, this talisman
serves the same function

in nearly every culture
in which it appears,

which is to protect against
what is commonly known

as the curse of the evil eye.

The evil eye goes back
at least 5,000 years.

Uh, you can go back
to Mesopotamia,

you can go back
to ancient Egypt.

The definition of the evil eye
is basically a curse.

And it is transmitted
through a glance.

So, the evil eye is born
from the emotion of envy,

of jealousy,
of greed, of resentment.

And we see there are
many different types of amulets

that deflect
this negative energy.

Today, you can find the evil eye
just about everywhere.

You have jewelry, the evil eye
beads, which is called a nazar,

of the blue
and the white circles.

The hamsa.

People will hang hamsas
on their doors,

above their desks,
they tie them on cribs.

So, you can see
these amulets everywhere,

and they are all to deflect

the curse that is unleashed
from the evil eye.

NARRATOR:
As the evil eye
is for protection

and the Venus figurine
is for fertility,

many talismans take forms
that are directly connected

to their intended purpose.

But there are some whose origins
are far more mysterious.

One talisman that many people
around the world

wear around their neck

or as a bracelet
is the so-called Merkabah.

The Merkabah
is a concept that comes

from the Hebrew faith,
and "Merkabah," translated

into plain English,
is "chariot."

It actually ties in
with the story of Ezekiel,

in which he describes,
as an eyewitness,

what he saw up in the sky.

NARRATOR:
In the Hebrew bible's
Book of Ezekiel,

the prophet Ezekiel describes
witnessing a fiery chariot

with wheels within wheels,

descending from the sky
in a whirlwind.

Not only did he see these wheels
within a wheel up in the sky,

but that thing landed
in front of him,

and somebody came out.

And Ezekiel himself is actually

taken inside this craft.

So, the Merkabah
is a transportation device.

I find it fascinating
that the Merkabah now

is just, oh, for protection.

It's for you know, longevity.

It is for procreation,
which are all great things.

But when I read that Merkabah
means "celestial chariot,"

that's when my ears perk up.

PAGLIARULO:
The book itself is among
the most mystical texts.

And so, when you
do that connection,

and you look at the Merkabah,
you can really get the idea

that it creates a connection
to another realm,

metaphorically, but then,
also, I do believe, too,

that people who wear it
do sense

some sort of a portal
into something else.

NARRATOR:
Is it possible
that the Merkabah--

that is still worn
by millions of people today--

was inspired by
an extraterrestrial visitation?

And if so, might this be true
of other talismans

as well, and the belief
that inanimate objects

can be imbued with energy?

Perhaps further clues
can be found by examining

the most prominent
and mysterious talismans

of ancient Egypt.

NARRATOR:
Thebes, Egypt.

Here, in the 1830s,
British Egyptologist

Sir John Gardner Wilkinson

discovered
the earliest known version

of what the ancient Egyptians
referred to as

"The Book of the Dead."

This text,
dating back 3,600 years,

was a key component
of Egyptian funerary rituals

and detailed as many
as 75 talismanic objects,

each with a specific purpose

for both
the living and the dead.

Ancient Egyptian magic was based
on the idea that the gods

could imbue an object
with magical powers,

with superpowers.

That a person holding
one of these talismans

actually possessed
the power of the god,

and then could heal themselves,

protect themselves,
manipulate their environment.

The Egyptians utilized talismans
in a very special way.

The actual physical object
of the talisman--

what it was created from--
is important.

Was it a scarab
carved out of lapis lazuli?

Was it important stone?
How was it inscribed?

NARRATOR:
The ancient Egyptians
often made talismans

from a type of limestone
called lapis lazuli,

which they believed
would provide good fortune,

as well as protection during
the journey to the afterlife.

Another powerful talismanic
material was moldavite,

a type of green glass
formed by a meteor impact

super heating the desert sand.

A protective heart scarab
made of moldavite was found

in the tomb of King Tut,
and the Egyptians believed

it provided a connection
to the cosmos.

PAGLIARULO:
The origins of the moldavite
are extraterrestrial,

and people believed that you can
use the stone as a talisman,

um, to connect
with extraterrestrial energy.

It's bringing
the properties that

are from an extraterrestrial
world into ours.

NARRATOR:
For the ancient Egyptians,

just as important
as the material

from which a talisman was made
was the shape that it took.

The design of each talisman
invoked a certain energy.

The people believed
they could gain access

to the gods through, well,
little figurines of the gods,

or-or animals, although some
of them were very abstract,

even technological-looking.

MCGOWAN:
Arguably, one of the oldest
and certainly the most popular

and common talismans in human
history is the Egyptian ankh,

which is sometimes called
the "Key of Life,"

which resembles a cross
with a loop on the top of it.

The ankh symbolized
the goddess Isis.

Carrying the ankh was believed
to imbue you

with a lifeforce and a vitality

that came directly as a gift
from the goddess herself.

The ankh is of enormous
importance to the Egyptians.

And you have gods carrying them.

Especially the god Anubis,
the jackal-headed god,

who ushers you
into the afterlife.

And when he points it towards

the mummy of the deceased,

he's aiding in the first stages
of resurrection

and, indeed, reincarnation.

COLLINS:
The ankh often associated
with a second symbol

known as the djed pillar.

This was the representation
of the backbone

of the god named Osiris.

MCGOWAN:
But what the djed pillar
represented in terms of

talismanic use was stability.

Carrying the djed pillar
was to keep you stable

and to protect you from chaos.

The forces of evil in Egyptology
were the forces of chaos.

COLLINS:
These two symbols together
represented

life and stability,

and they were shown
being given by a god

to the current pharaoh
to bring stability

to his or her own reign
during their lifetime.

But beyond this, it was a symbol
of communication,

also, with the gods themselves.

NARRATOR:
In Egyptian mythology,
the gods Osiris and Isis

are husband and wife,
and they came to Earth

from the belt stars
of the Orion constellation.

When the talismans
that represent them--

the ankh and the djed pillar--
were combined,

it was believed to facilitate
a connection

to these otherworldly entities.

And in some cases,
these objects were associated

with a third talisman:
the was-scepter.

The was-scepter was a type
of baton, a scepter, a stick.

And at the top,
there was the representation

of an animal's head, most
often believed to be a jackal.

It was a symbol of dominion.
It was a symbol of power.

The was-scepter
was used by the gods

and the was-scepter was
also used by the pharaoh.

The was-scepter was not used
by common people.

It was only used
by people of power.

The was-scepter,
combined with the ankh

and the djed pillar, becomes
a symbol of absolute power.

You have to ask the question,
well, how are they related?

And frankly, especially the
djed pillar and the was-scepter,

they look very technological
in origin.

COLLINS:
What is curious about
the djed pillar

is its resemblance

to a Tesla coil
or an electrical conductor.

Is it possible, therefore,
that the ancient Egyptians

modeled the djed pillar
on some kind of device

that they had that could
generate electricity?

My question is: is it possible
that the ancient Egyptians

witnessed far-advanced
technology

that they then
misinterpreted as magic?

And therefore,
a mythology was created

around these objects
suggesting, well,

if you have an ankh
around your neck

or if you have a djed pillar
around your neck

or something like this,
it is imbued with power.

It would seem
these djed pillars,

which people would
carry around as amulets,

were imitations

of really high-tech
extraterrestrial devices.

NARRATOR:
The three powerful talismans
of ancient Egypt

inspired scepters
that are still incorporated

in royal ceremonies today,

like those used
for the coronation

of King Charles III
of England in 2023.

And they continue to symbolize

divinely granted authority.

The British monarchy
is the classic example

of a modern monarchy
that still uses talismans,

the scepter, that have these
ancient antecedents in Egypt

that convey the idea
that the monarch

is now separated from humans

and is much closer to the gods

than any other human being
on Earth.

NARRATOR:
Could it be that
ceremonial objects

still being used today
are rooted in ancient talismans

that were fashioned after
extraterrestrial technology?

Perhaps further clues
can be found

by examining talismans that

represent the gods themselves.

NARRATOR:
In cultures throughout
the world,

there are talismans
that take the shape of divine

or celestial beings

and are believed
to hold a connection

to the entities they depict.

In some cultures,
these talismans

are even considered to be alive.

In Buddhism and many other, uh,
East Asian religious traditions,

statues or iconographic
representations

of deities are paramount.

And typically,

when carving a statue
that represents a deity,

the last part to be carved
are the eyes

because that's
what gives them life.

So, they're considered
to be alive, and at the point

when the eyes are opened,

this is when
the essence of the deity

descends into the statue
or the image.

They are venerated, of course,
they are cleaned and washed.

They are fed through offerings,

and these are considered
to be the equivalent

to having the deity
present in front of you.

NARRATOR:
For ancient astronaut theorists,

some of the most intriguing
talismanic objects ever made

can be found on the East Asian
islands of Japan.

Here, the Jomon people,

who emerged roughly
12,000 years ago,

created thousands of figurines

depicting strange,
humanoid beings.

The earliest culture that we can
identify in Japan is the Jomon,

which is originally
a Stone Age culture

running roughly
from 10,000 BCE to 300 BCE.

STEAVU:
The little that we do know
about the Jomon

comes from
archaeological evidence.

And one of the most
representative artifacts

that is tied to the Jomon
is the dogu statue.

There are over 15,000
dogu figurines,

uh, that date back
to the Jomon period

that are spread all over Japan.

They are thought to be
some kind of talismanic object,

but their appearance
is very striking.

They're humanoid in form,

but they don't look like
anything properly human.

Many of them have
heart-shaped heads

and they wear suits
that seem otherworldly.

A variety of these
dogu figurines

also seem to be wearing goggles,

as one would find
on astronaut helmets

or some kind
of advanced technology.

TSOUKALOS:
If you go to Japan today,
at the museums,

you can find
countless dogu statues,

and some of which
are still used today

in Japanese households
in a shrine.

The Shinto religion suggests
that any inanimate object

can be imbued with a soul.

And Shintoism is
the primary religion of Japan.

According to Shinto tradition,

uh, certain objects
can come to life.

They can become animate
and, uh, sentient as well.

Household objects,
everyday objects, tools

can become animate
and even enlightened.

TSOUKALOS:
They worship
what they call the kami,

which are these
celestial beings that come down

from their celestial palace
in the sky.

And these figurines look like
these humanoid beings

that are in some type
of space suits.

And of course, the ancient
astronaut's suggestion

is that they were created after

the extraterrestrials
visited Earth in a remote past.

NARRATOR:
Could it be that the mysterious
dogu figures are, in fact,

imbued with some type
of metaphysical energy?

And if so, might this energy

have been imparted
by otherworldly beings

that the dogu
were modeled after?

CHILDRESS:
You have, also,
these figurines from Sumeria

that are showing people
with these extremely large eyes.

They also are talismans,

and they look very much
like extraterrestrials.

And they were carrying them
around in their pocket

or in a little altar
in their house.

NARRATOR:
In Sierra Leone, Africa,

hundreds of strange,
humanoid figurines

with amphibian features
were unearthed in the 1990s.

Called the nomoli,
they are believed to date back

at least 17,000 years.

In Southern Iraq,
figurines of reptilian humanoids

have been discovered
that date to 5900 BC.

And perhaps the most
mysterious artifacts of all

are the large-eyed clay figures

found in Tell Brak, Syria,

that are more
than 5,500 years old.

PAGLIARULO:
You have the figurines that were
unearthed at Tell Brak,

and they have large eyes,

and they are very,
very much reminiscent,

in some cases if not identical,

to the image of aliens,
of Greys.

When we think of ET,
the image that comes to mind

is always the really large eyes.

They are very, very reminiscent

of even ET himself
from the movie.

HOROWITZ:
Tens of thousands
of these objects

have been recovered,

and it's enormously intriguing

to find this similarity
of design

in objects among ancient people
who were separated

by vast differences
in culture, custom, language.

PAGLIARULO:
Were these mythological ideas,

or did they come from
actual experiences with aliens,

who were then perceived
to be sky gods?

NARRATOR:
Is it possible
that the gods depicted

in many ancient talismans
are representations

of otherworldly beings
that our ancestors

actually encountered?

Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes.

And as further evidence,
point to special talismans

that feature writings
and symbols

said to have been sent down
from the heavens.

NARRATOR:
Sanliurfa, Turkey.

Here, on a rocky mountaintop,

stands one of the oldest
and most astonishing

archaeological sites
in the world: Gobekli Tepe.

This ancient megalithic complex

features nearly
two dozen enormous

T-shaped limestone pillars

and has been dated
to roughly 10,000 BC,

long before
the first known writing

or the invention of the wheel.

Gobekli Tepe
features many carvings

that include depictions
of animals,

human hands,

and intricately
designed symbols.

But most intriguing
to ancient astronaut theorists

is a carving of three handbags.

The oldest symbols in all
iconography is the handbag.

When we go back to Gobekli Tepe,

12,000 years old,
we find a carving

of these three handbags

that appear above
this bird-like creature.

And what's fascinating
about this is that you can find

carvings of similar handbags
about 400 miles

to the south, where
the ancient Sumerians lived.

And there, the handbags are held

by these winged figures
with bird-like heads

called Anunnaki.

We find them at Tula, in Mexico.

What is the meaning
of this handbag?

All around the world,
on many carvings and figurines

and drawings,
you see these ancient deities

holding on to
some sort of a handbag.

This motif of a handbag
exists worldwide,

in pretty much
all ancient cultures.

NARRATOR:
Is it merely coincidence

that this mysterious
handbag motif is repeated

around the world and
in a vast range of cultures?

Ancient astronaut theorists
say no.

And some suggest that these bags

have a connection to talismans.

HENRY:
One theory is that
these handbags

are containers of talismans
brought by the gods

that contain all the wisdom
of the universe.

The ancient Sumerian texts tell
us that these handbags contained

the me tablets of the gods.

These are the tablets
of destiny.

The tablets of civilization.

The tablets that contain
all the working knowledge

of the earthly world,
as well as the heavenly world.

NARRATOR:
The Sumerian tablets
also tell of a figure

named Adapa, who was
the bringer of civilization

and carried a bag that contained
all the knowledge

that humanity would ever need.

They may have been,
literally, handbags,

in that they contained
something very useful.

The ancient priests,
almost across the board--

we're talking ancient Egyptian,
Sumer, you name it--

they, one way or another,

would communicate,
they believed, with the gods

or spirits, who would
give them information.

And what if these handbags
contained something that was

significant and highly
important to their rituals?

NARRATOR:
While researchers can only
speculate as to the true meaning

behind the handbag motif
found throughout the world,

other talismans exist that,

according to those
who create them,

are directly inspired
by otherworldly beings.

There's a special class
of talismans

in East Asian traditions

that are considered
to be the most powerful,

and they are actually inscribed

in a, uh, illegible language

that is considered to be
the language of the gods.

NARRATOR:
Known as fulu,
these talismans can be found

in Taoist, Buddhist,
and Shinto traditions.

Very little is known
about the origin of the fulu,

and they are made
even more mysterious

by the fact that
they feature script

that does not belong
to any earthly language.

Fulu are made by priests
who claim to receive visions

of so-called "magic writing."

Although the priests are not
able to comprehend this writing,

they understand it
to be the language

of the gods
and inscribe what they see

on objects
such as coins or amulets.

STEAVU:
They're typically made up
of commands or injunctions

or requests addressed
to divine beings

in their own language.

They are revealed
spontaneously sometimes

in dreams or through visions.

And another feature of these

extremely powerful talismans
is that they are adorned

with constellations.

And these function,
in some cases, as a way

to call down the gods
from those stars.

In other cases, they can
actually function as passports

to an ecstatic journey from
Earth to the stars directly.

The practitioner either leaves
their body to go directly

to those stars or experiences
this through a series

of very powerful
and inspirational visions.

COLLINS:
Some of the most powerful
talismans are inscribed

with messages received through
some kind of, uh, divine source.

It's almost like
the higher intelligence

is speaking to you directly.

It would seem
that certain talismans--

they could all be inspired
by extraterrestrials.

NARRATOR:
If objects like the fulu and
the mysterious handbags depicted

in various cultures
possess a real link

to otherworldly beings,
then might they contain

some type of hidden power?

Perhaps further clues
can be found by examining

a recent scientific experiment
that appeared to capture

a thermal anomaly
triggered by a talisman.

NARRATOR:
On Easter Sunday, thousands
gathered in St. Peter's Square

bow their heads
as Pope Francis performs

the Liturgy of the Eucharist

and consecrates the offerings
of bread and wine.

(speaking Latin)

(bell chimes)

NARRATOR:
According to
the Roman Catholic tradition,

during the mass, the priest
is empowered by the prayers

that energize the bread and
the wine such that they become

transformed,
or transubstantiated,

into the living presence of the
body and the blood of Christ.

Transubstantiation is one
of the Catholic Church's

most exalted mysteries.

And Catholics believe that,
through this

transubstantiation miracle,
or process, somehow

these ordinary wafers
and ordinary wine become,

as a matter of fact,
the blood and body of Jesus.

NARRATOR:
In the example
of the Catholic Mass,

the recitation
of the eucharist prayer

is believed to infuse the bread
and wine with an outside energy.

Similarly, many cultures
hold the belief that talismans

can become energized through
spoken words or sacred sounds.

Throughout all sorts
of cultures,

ancient African cultures,
South American, Sumer,

ancient Egypt, you name it,

the power of the word
was quite something.

Egyptians used magical words
over all the talismans.

Talismans that they carried.

Talismans that they buried
the dead with.

All of these items

would have magical words spoken
over them, chanted over them.

In South Asian traditions, um,

tantric Buddhism,

for example or Hinduism, um,
and even Jainism,

the power of the spoken word
is paramount.

Words unlock divine potential
in the talismans.

NARRATOR:
Spoken words and sacred sounds

also play a critical role
in Native American rituals,

especially in connection
to certain places or objects.

YOUNG:
If you go to
Native American ceremonies,

you see that repeating
certain phrases

are essential to the ritual.

The words are the conveyor.

The word is the portal
to the sacred dimension.

NARRATOR:
Is it possible
that certain words,

when spoken, can imbue objects

with talismanic power,

perhaps unlocking gateways
to other dimensions,

and even otherworldly beings?

Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes

and point to recent
experiments conducted

at one of the most mysterious
sites in the world:

Skinwalker Ranch.

Located in Northern Utah,
this 512-acre property

has been a hotbed
of UFO sightings

and other mysterious phenomena
for more than a century.

Today, a team of researchers,
which includes

astrophysicist
Dr. Travis Taylor,

is conducting scientific
experiments across the property,

and has documented
numerous startling anomalies,

including a number of
unidentified aerial phenomena.

-Hey, look, J.P., right there!
-Yep. I see it.

NARRATOR:
Some of which have vanished
into thin air.

MAN:
It's gone.

NARRATOR:
According to the traditions

of the Indigenous Navajo people
in the Uintah Basin,

the phenomena that occurs
on Skinwalker Ranch

is actually related
to interdimensional portals.

And they believe that
by utilizing certain words

and sound frequencies,
particularly in conjunction

with talismanic objects,
these portals can be opened.

Within Native American culture,
there are music, there's chants.

There's things that are done
at a certain frequency,

and we believe that
it's very possible

that different frequencies
can open portals

to other places.

NARRATOR:
In 2022,

an organization
of Indigenous tribal members

known as Blazing Bear

were invited to Skinwalker Ranch

in order to perform
an ancient song ritual

near a megalithic spiral
of boulders.

A formation that was created
centuries ago

and is believed to hold
talismanic power.

DOVER:
A circle of stones
that were purposely

set up in a circle
could be a portal area.

Maybe with all our
scientific instruments,

we can nail it down
a little better.

NARRATOR:
As night falls
on Skinwalker Ranch,

the Blazing Bear drummers
continue their song ritual

near the spiral of boulders.

The investigative team
filmed the event

using a thermal camera.

-Right there.
-NARRATOR:
And almost immediately,

they spotted an anomaly.

TAYLOR:
Well, when they started singing,

the temperature
literally changed.

Look at the top of the mesa!

Eric, the stone circle
is where it's heating up

-on top of the mesa.
-Are you kidding me?

TAYLOR:
You should see this.
This is fascinating.

Right there-- that's
where the stone circle is.

And it's heating up.
Look how hot it's getting.

NARRATOR:
Is it possible that
a spiral of boulders

was imbued
with talismanic powers

by the words and sounds
of an ancient, sacred ritual?

(singing)

NARRATOR:
While many cultures
throughout history have believed

that sounds can infuse objects
with otherworldly powers,

there are those who suggest
even more profound talismans

can be created
from the remains of the dead.

NARRATOR:
Clay figurines
believed to be sentient.

Coins inscribed
with the language of the gods.

A spiral of boulders said to
open an interdimensional portal.

Many talismans are considered
to possess great power,

but perhaps none more than
the remains of holy figures.

McGOWAN:
Human remains have been used
as talismans

since the beginning of time.

In the last 2,000 years, we tend
to think of human remains

in terms of relics--

holy relics used primarily
by Christians,

uh, in order to connect them
to the saints

who they are praying to
as an intercessor

between them and to God.

PICKNETT:
It's the idea that
just being in the presence

of this tiny bit of bone
is touching you with the divine.

The tip of
a little finger belonging

to Saint John the Baptist,
for example,

has become hotly contested
over the centuries.

NARRATOR:
Because saints and other
holy figures are seen

as transcending humanity

and having a connection
to the divine,

their remains are considered
to hold special power.

CHILDRESS:
With these talismans,
it's as if that energy,

that power
that these people had,

is still embedded
in pieces of their body,

such as bones or skulls or hair.

NARRATOR:
While it may sound
like a primitive notion--

that a bone fragment
or a piece of fabric

retains a connection
to the person

it once belonged to--

some researchers suggest
it is not so far-fetched

and point to the modern-day
scientific concept

of quantum entanglement.

Quantum entanglement says that
if two objects' particles

were ever connected,
they're forever connected.

And you can link with a being
clear across the universe

through an object
through quantum entanglement.

MICHIO KAKU:
Quantum entanglement is based
on the idea that electrons

are like waves,
and if I have two electrons

right next to each other, they
wave simultaneously, coherently.

If I separate them,

there's a invisible
umbilical cord

that connects these two,

even if I separate them,
to the ends of the universe.

HENRY:
Is that what talismans
are ultimately all about--

some kind of
quantum entanglement device?

A god originally touched
or possessed an object

and it still has the energy
of that god.

I think it's very possible.

NARRATOR:
Could there really be
a scientific explanation

behind the ancient notion
that objects

can possess a connection
to some otherworldly power?

And if so, was this taught
to our ancestors

by extraterrestrial visitors?

PAGLIARULO:
The mythology brings us back
to this idea of the gods.

Were these mythological ideas

or did they come from
actual experiences with aliens

who were then perceived
to be sky gods,

aliens who came forth
and communicated?

CHILDRESS:
It may be that, really,
in the past,

the early talismans
were ET technology,

real devices
that could do things.

We see talismans
in pretty much any culture

in modern day society
because of belief.

It is faith in an object

that it is imbued with some sort
of a divine or celestial power.

And you have to ask
the question, why?

I think that has to do
with extraterrestrials

that visited Earth
in a remote past.

NARRATOR:
Could it be that the talismans

we continue to carry with us
and revere

provide a connection
to an incredible past

when ancient people
encountered visitors

from other worlds?

And if so, is this connection
merely symbolic

or might these objects
of veneration

possess a profound power

that we are not yet
equipped to understand?

Perhaps it is through talismans

that our
extraterrestrial ancestors

have remained
among us all along.

CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY
A+E NETWORKS