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Ancient Apocalypse

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Ancient Apocalypse
Promotional poster
Presented byGraham Hancock
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes14
Production
Executive producerBruce Kennedy
ProducersClementine Mortelman, Joshua Gray, Rebecca Joy, Marc Tiley
Running time
  • 29-34 minutes (first season)
  • 40 minutes (second season)
Production companyITN Productions
Original release
NetworkNetflix
Release10 November 2022 (2022-11-10), 16 October 2024 (2024-10-16)

Ancient Apocalypse is a Netflix series, where the British writer Graham Hancock presents his pseudoarchaeological theories about the existence of an advanced civilization active during the last ice age. The episodes feature Hancock travelling to archaeological sites which he claims show evidence of this lost civilization, its influence on later cultures around the world, and its ultimate destruction in a cataclysmic meteor bombardment around 11,900 years ago. In frequent asides, he claims that archaeologists are ignoring or covering up this evidence.

Archaeologists and other academics describe Hancock's claims as lacking evidence and as easily disproven. A statement from the Society for American Archaeology condemned the theories presented in the series as having a "long-standing association with racist, white supremacist ideologies" and accused it of "wilfully seeking to cause harm to [...] our profession in the public eye". Non-academic reviewers generally also found the factual claims in the series unconvincing and criticised Hancock's diatribes about 'mainstream archaeology' as one-sided and evocative of conspiracy theories. Following the broadcast of the first series, specialists in the regions visited in the highlighted specific factual errors and two of the experts featured complained that footage of them was presented in a misleading way.

The first season of the series, produced by ITN Productions, was released on Netflix in November 2022. A second season, featuring actor Keanu Reeves alongside Hancock, was released in October 2024.

Synopsis

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In the series, Hancock argues that an advanced ice age civilization was destroyed in a cataclysm, but that its survivors introduced agriculture, monumental architecture and astronomy to hunter-gatherers around the world.[1] He attempts to show how several ancient monuments are evidence of this, and claims that archaeologists are ignoring or covering up this alleged evidence.[2][3] It incorporates ideas from the Comet Research Group, including the controversial Younger Dryas impact hypothesis, which has been comprehensively refuted,[4] and which attributes climate change at the end of the Pleistocene to a massive meteor bombardment.[5]

Production and release

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The series was produced by ITN Productions and released by Netflix on 10 November 2022.[6][7] Hancock's son Sean is a manager at Netflix responsible for "unscripted originals",[6] but was reportedly not involved in the production.[8][better source needed] It was the second most-watched series on Netflix in its week of release.[9]

Two archaeologists who were featured in the first season, Katya Stroud, a senior curator at Heritage Malta, and Necmi Karul, the director of excavations at Göbekli Tepe, said that their interviews were manipulated and presented out of context.[10][11]

A second season was released on Netflix on 16 October 2024[12] and featured the actor Keanu Reeves alongside Hancock.[13] Plans to film parts of the second season of the show in the USA were cancelled following opposition from Indigenous groups over Hancock's depiction of their history and culture.[14]

Episodes

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Season one

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Episodes
Episode number Title Subjects
1 Once There Was a Flood Gunung Padang, Sundaland, Nan Madol
2 Survivor in a Time of Chaos Cholula (Mesoamerican site), Great Pyramid of Cholula, Texcotzingo, Xochicalco
3 Sirius Rising Megalithic Temples of Malta, Malta Cart Ruts, Għar Dalam, Sirius
4 Ghosts of a Drowned World Bimini Road, Piri Reis map of 1513, Shark Island (Bimini)
5 Legacy of the Sages Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe
6 America's Lost Civilization Poverty Point, Serpent Mound, Mound Builders, Clovis culture
7 Fatal Winter Derinkuyu, Kaymakli Underground City, Nevşehir
8 Cataclysm and Rebirth Channeled Scablands, Missoula Floods, Murray Springs Clovis Site, Younger Dryas, Younger Dryas impact hypothesis

Season two (styled as Ancient Apocalypse: The Americas)

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Episode number Title Subjects
1 Chapter I White Sands fossil footprints, Amazonian geoglyphs
2 Chapter II Serra do Paituna, Easter Island, Moai
3 Chapter III Easter Island, Paracas Candelabra, Viracocha
4 Chapter IV Sacsayhuamán, Viracocha, terra preta, Temple of the Moon
5 Chapter V Native American mounds, Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon, Palenque
6 Chapter VI Palenque, Kukulkan, El Castillo, Chichen Itza, Quetzalcoatl, Oannes, Osiris, Maya calendar

Reception

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Archaeologists and other experts have described the theories presented in the series as pseudoscientific, lacking in evidence, and easily disproven. The Society for American Archaeology objected to the classification of the series as a documentary and requested that Netflix reclassify it as science fiction,[7][15][16] stating that it:

"devalues the archaeological profession on the basis of false claims and disinformation;... repeatedly and vigorously dismisses archaeologists and the practice of archaeology with aggressive rhetoric, willfully seeking to cause harm to our membership and our profession in the public eye; ... the theory it presents has a long-standing association with racist, white supremacist ideologies; does injustice to Indigenous peoples; and emboldens extremists."[7][15]

Archaeologist Flint Dibble said the show is "lacking in evidence to support Hancock's theory", while there is "a plethora of evidence" which contradicts the dates Hancock gives.[1] John Hoopes, an archaeologist who has written about pseudoarcheology, said the series fails to present alternative interpretations or evidence contradicting Hancock.[2] In the same vein, archaeologist Julien Riel-Salvatore argues that it is rather simple, from a scientific point of view, to demonstrate that the main theses of Ancient Apocalypse are false. He also believes that the series impairs the ability to discern the true from the biased, the credible from the false.[17] David Connolly, an archaeologist and founder of the website British Archaeological Jobs & Resources, said that Hancock's work relied on cherry-picked evidence for his claims, noting, "So what he'll do is take a piece of real research [by others], insert a piece of 'why not?' and then finish it off with a bit of real research [by others]".[16]

Answering Hancock's claims of a coverup, an article in Slate noted that archaeologists would be thrilled to uncover an ice age civilization, if the evidence really existed.[2] Courrier international calls it dubious that Hancock's assertions are never questioned on screen: in Ancient Apocalypse, he calls the archaeologists "pseudo-experts" and repeats that they treat him patronizingly, but he never quotes their names nor their arguments.[18] The Guardian opined that Netflix had "gone out of its way to court the conspiracy theorists" with the series, speculating that Hancock's son's role as head of unscripted originals at the company may explain why it was commissioned.[19] Writing in The Spectator, conservative commentator James Delingpole (who described himself as a "huge fan of Hancock" who finds his ideas plausible) criticised the series' production for "continually reminding [the viewer] that this is niche, crazy stuff that respectable 'experts' shun" and for portraying Hancock as "slippery and unreliable".[20] Author Jason Colavito said that the series was "not the worst show in its genre, not by a mile" but that it is "an argument against professional scholarship, specialization, and expertise—and the fear that academia is promoting the wrong kind of social change. ... It's no wonder conservatives like [Hancock]."[21]

German scholar Andreas Grünschloß describes Hancock as misinterpreting sources to support his own ideas, for example repeating a post-conquest fiction of Quetzalcoatl as a "white" and “bearded” cultural hero (not supported by any pre-Hispanic sources); he says that Hancock is a fiction writer who presents his fiction as a "science-like" publication.[22] In one episode, Hancock says the Megalithic Temples of Malta, built in 3600–2500 BC, were actually built during the last ice age. Maltese archaeologists dismissed these claims.[10] Experts in Pacific geography and archaeology have characterised Hancock's claims about Nan Madol as "incredibly insulting to the ancestors of the Pohnpeian [islanders] that did create these structures", linking them to 19th century "racist" and "white supremacist" ideologies.[23] Writing in Skeptic magazine, impact physicist Mark Boslough criticised the series' presentation on the largely discredited Younger Dryas impact hypothesis.[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Dibble, Flint (18 November 2022). "With Netflix's Ancient Apocalypse, Graham Hancock has declared war on archaeologists". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Onion, Rebecca (18 November 2022). "The Ancient Absurdities of Ancient Apocalypse". Slate. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  3. ^ McKie, Robin (27 November 2022). "Lost city of Atlantis rises again to fuel a dangerous myth". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  4. ^ Holliday, Vance T.; Daulton, Tyrone L.; Bartlein, Patrick J.; Boslough, Mark B.; Breslawski, Ryan P.; Fisher, Abigail E.; Jorgeson, Ian A.; Scott, Andrew C.; Koeberl, Christian; Marlon, Jennifer; Severinghaus, Jeffrey; Petaev, Michail I.; Claeys, Philippe (December 2023). "Comprehensive refutation of the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis (YDIH)". Earth-Science Reviews. 247. Elsevier: 104502. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104502. S2CID 260218223.
  5. ^ Ogden, Leslie Evans (April 2018). "Hot Theory About Cool Event". Natural History. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  6. ^ a b Moore, Kasey (17 October 2022). "Ancient Apocalypse: Graham Hancock to Present Netflix Original Docuseries". What's on Netflix. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Benzine, Vittoria (2 December 2022). "Archaeologists Ask Netflix to Reclassify Graham Hancock's 'Unfounded' Netflix Docuseries 'Ancient Apocalypse' as Fiction". Artnet. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  8. ^ Colavito, Jason (11 November 2022). "Review of Netflix's Ancient Apocalypse". Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  9. ^ Mathews, Liam; Surette, Tim; Picurro, Allison; Connolly, Kelly (15 November 2022). "Netflix Top 10 Shows and Movies: New Releases and Trending Today, November 15". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  10. ^ a b Arena, Jessica (20 November 2022). "Maltese archaeologists push back against Netflix show's temple claims". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  11. ^ Ebbinghaus, Uwe (20 December 2022). "Netflix-Doku über Eiszeit: Wenn Bilder lügen". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Ancient Apocalypse: The Americas | Series two of Graham Hancock's series to be released on Netflix on 16th October - ITN Productions | Media Centre | ITN". www.itn.co.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  13. ^ Goldbart, Max (18 September 2024). "'Ancient Apocalypse' Season 2 Confirmed By Netflix With Keanu Reeves Set To Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Netflix's Ancient Apocalypse scraps US filming plans after outcry from Native American groups". The Guardian. 1 July 2024.
  15. ^ a b Sandweiss, Daniel H. (30 November 2022). "Dear Ms. Bajaria and Ms. Corp" (PDF). Society for American Archaeology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  16. ^ a b Doak, Sam (12 January 2023). "Double Check: Are Archaeologists Suppressing Research on a Secret Civilization?". Logically. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  17. ^ Riel-Salvatore, Julien (22 November 2022). "Netflix, l'archéologie et l'obscurantisme". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Netflix. "À l'aube de notre histoire" : faut-il croire ce que raconte Graham Hancock ?". Courrier International (in French). 16 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ Heritage, Stuart (23 November 2022). "Ancient Apocalypse is the most dangerous show on Netflix". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  20. ^ Delingpole, James (7 December 2022). "Fascinating, plausible ideas undermined by Netflix: Ancient Apocalypse reviewed". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  21. ^ Colavito, Jason (5 December 2022). "The Strange and Dangerous Right-Wing Freakout Over Ancient Apocalypse". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  22. ^ Grünschloß, Andreas. Unmasking Hegemonial ‘Fingerprints of the Fraud’. Disinformation, Data Manipulation and Discursive Silencing of Native Perspectives in Graham Hancock’s Netflix-Series Ancient Apocalypse. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 2023. doi: 10.47952/gro-publ-123
  23. ^ Hodge, Hugo (6 December 2022). "Experts dismiss Netflix's Ancient Apocalypse as 'racist' and 'pseudoscience'". ABC News. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  24. ^ Boslough, Mark (March 2023). "APOCALYPSE! WHY GRAHAM HANCOCK'S USE OF THE YOUNGER DRYAS IMPACT HYPOTHESIS IN HIS NETFLIX SERIES ANCIENT APOCALYPSE IS ALL WET". Skeptic Magazine. 28 (1): 51–59.

Further reading

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