2 Urban Legends
[Ancient Aliens]
Some people believe aliens built great works
around the world, like the statues found on
Rapa Nui, an island in the South Pacic Ocean.
Introduction
How were the pyramids built? Why
did early cultures draw people
with huge heads? Where did the
Greeks get a myth about a sky
god who gave people the gift of
re? Some say that aliens from
other planets are the answer. They
think aliens came to Earth long
ago. Some people believe aliens did
genetic engineering on primates that
helped apes evolve into humans.
Other people think the aliens gave
us tools and big ideas. Maybe aliens
told us about math. Maybe they
gave us maps of the stars. Some
people even believe the theory that
humans are aliens. They think aliens
came to Earth when their own planet
died. Maybe they began a new life
here, and we are their descendants .
Is there evidence in art, myth, and
architecture that aliens were once among us? If so, why
did they come here? And will they ever come back?
Did you know?
genetic engineering:
cutting up and combining
genetic material from two
dierent species in order
to produce certain traits
in a new plant or animal
descendant: a person
who is related by blood
to a common ancestor
architecture: the art and
science of building things
Close Encounters
Some of the animal and plant shapes
on the Nazca desert are as long as
the Empire State Building is tall.
Best Recorded Sighting
In the early 1900s, the rst planes began to y over Peru. While
ying over a region near Nazca, pilots noticed something odd. On
the red and tan desert ground, they saw strips of white. The marks
formed straight lines and shapes. Some of these were
geometric shapes, such as triangles. There were also plant and
animal designs. The marks could
be seen only from the sky. They
went on for miles (kilometers).
geometric: based on
simple shapes like circles,
lines, or squares
4 Urban Legends
Scientists began to study the lines. The
Nazca people had made them to
2,000 years ago. They had scraped the
red dirt from the surface to reveal the pale
sand beneath. This area in Peru gets very
little wind and rain. That is why the lines
stayed intact. But why had people made
shapes they could not even see? Writers
such as Erich von Dniken came up with
an idea. He noted that some of the straight
lines ran up to miles (48 kilometers)
long. He thought the lines could be
landing strips for alien ships. Had aliens told people how to make
the designs? Or had the aliens made the lines themselves?
drought: a period
of time in which not
enough rain falls
to keep plants and
animals healthy
Did you know?
droughts
Close Encounters
The Nazca lines cover hundreds of
square miles (kilometers) between
the towns of Nazca and Palpa in Peru.
Ti m e l i n e
Historical myths and
legends may show evidence
of aliens visiting Earth.
Early people in Australia tell
a story about sky-beings.
They came to earth to
create people.
People in the area
of modern-day Italy
draw what look like
astronaut suits.
The Great Pyramids of
Giza are built in Egypt.
Akhenaten takes the
throne in Egypt. Drawings
of him show that he had a
very long skull.
The intricate stone structures
called Puma Punku are built in
the area of modern-day Bolivia.
6 Urban Legends
Morris K. Jessup publishes
his book UFO and the
Bible . He says that the
story about Jesus rising up
to heaven was most likely
describing a spaceship
beaming him up.
Erich von Dniken
publishes his book Chariots
of the Gods? Many people
hear about ancient alien
theories for the rst time.
Two members of the Soviet
Academy of Sciences come
up with a theory about the
moon. They say it may actually
be an ancient alien ship.
Claude Vorilhon
starts an ancient alien
religion called Ralism.
The Big Questions television
show debates whether or
not major religious gures
were aliens.
Close Encounters
Each pyramid was built as a
tribute to a pharaoh, or king. The
Egyptians believed their pharaohs
were chosen by gods in the sky.
Evidence For and Against
The Great Pyramid of Khufu amazes engineers. It is very large. Each
side is about feet (229 meters) long. It is almost feet (152 m)
tall. The pyramid is made of more than two million stone blocks. It is
lined up with the points of the compass . Some say that people from
early times could not have made it. Maybe aliens helped them. How
could humans have lifted the heavy blocks by themselves? They did
not yet have machines. Even though the Egyptians lived long ago,
their brains were the same as our own. Historians say that Egyptians
were curious and smart. They say the Egyptians hauled the blocks
on ramps made of earth and
wood. No one knows for sure.
compass: a device for
determining direction
8 Urban Legends
Near the Great Pyramids in Egypt is another great marvel . This is the
stone Sphinx. The Sphinx has the head of a man and the body of a lion. It
is feet (20 m) tall and feet (73 m) long. Its paws are about as long
