1 00:00:02,042 --> 00:00:03,583 NARRATOR: Massive megalithic structures 2 00:00:03,750 --> 00:00:06,167 built thousands of years ago. 3 00:00:06,292 --> 00:00:08,875 Advanced engineering knowledge 4 00:00:09,042 --> 00:00:12,750 that defies conventional explanation. 5 00:00:12,917 --> 00:00:15,708 And a nearly identical architectural style 6 00:00:15,875 --> 00:00:18,833 found all over the world. 7 00:00:18,958 --> 00:00:20,292 For more than a decade, 8 00:00:20,500 --> 00:00:22,708 Ancient Aliens has traveled the globe 9 00:00:22,875 --> 00:00:27,333 to explore the most incredible pyramids ever discovered. 10 00:00:27,542 --> 00:00:32,250 Now, we're going to visit the top ten pyramid sites 11 00:00:32,417 --> 00:00:35,917 that just may hold the proof that Earth has been visited 12 00:00:36,125 --> 00:00:38,625 by extraterrestrials. 13 00:00:38,792 --> 00:00:40,750 ♪ ♪ 14 00:00:46,375 --> 00:00:48,708 Pyramids are some of the most mysterious 15 00:00:48,917 --> 00:00:50,958 ancient structures on the planet. 16 00:00:51,125 --> 00:00:54,333 And while they are most often associated with Egypt, 17 00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:57,583 they can actually be found all around the world. 18 00:00:57,708 --> 00:01:01,000 But are they merely incredible feats of engineering 19 00:01:01,125 --> 00:01:03,708 or could they be direct evidence 20 00:01:03,875 --> 00:01:05,958 of our extraterrestrial ancestors? 21 00:01:06,125 --> 00:01:09,000 When I think of all the amazing pyramid sites 22 00:01:09,167 --> 00:01:11,750 we've investigated on Ancient Aliens, 23 00:01:11,917 --> 00:01:13,667 one of the most compelling 24 00:01:13,875 --> 00:01:17,500 is a structure in modern-day Mexico that was actually 25 00:01:17,708 --> 00:01:21,458 designed to commemorate an otherworldly visitation. 26 00:01:21,583 --> 00:01:26,000 At number ten on our list of the top ten pyramid sites: 27 00:01:26,208 --> 00:01:27,792 El Castillo. 28 00:01:30,292 --> 00:01:33,542 NARRATOR: The Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. 29 00:01:33,708 --> 00:01:35,375 Hidden in the dense jungle 30 00:01:35,542 --> 00:01:38,708 lies the ancient Mayan city of Chichén Itzá. 31 00:01:40,042 --> 00:01:41,250 And standing at its center 32 00:01:41,458 --> 00:01:43,750 is a massive step pyramid 33 00:01:43,875 --> 00:01:45,167 believed to have been built 34 00:01:45,375 --> 00:01:48,792 sometime between the 9th and 12th centuries AD, 35 00:01:48,917 --> 00:01:51,833 known today as El Castillo. 36 00:01:52,042 --> 00:01:54,958 Made of limestone blocks 37 00:01:55,125 --> 00:01:57,625 and standing almost 100 feet tall, 38 00:01:57,750 --> 00:02:01,167 the pyramid is thought to represent a calendar, 39 00:02:01,333 --> 00:02:03,833 with each of its 18 terraces 40 00:02:04,042 --> 00:02:06,625 commemorating a month in the Mayan year. 41 00:02:08,542 --> 00:02:11,125 But its most interesting feature can be found 42 00:02:11,292 --> 00:02:13,708 on the massive central staircase. 43 00:02:15,375 --> 00:02:18,250 Castillo is a stepped pyramid, um, with some 44 00:02:18,417 --> 00:02:20,833 outward radiating staircases 45 00:02:21,042 --> 00:02:22,500 on each of the sides of the building, 46 00:02:22,708 --> 00:02:25,125 and these staircases have big high balustrades on them, 47 00:02:25,292 --> 00:02:27,000 and at the base of the balustrade 48 00:02:27,208 --> 00:02:30,250 are these big carved snakeheads, carved in stone. 49 00:02:30,417 --> 00:02:34,375 NARRATOR: El Castillo was built to venerate the Mayan god 50 00:02:34,542 --> 00:02:38,542 known as Kukulkan, or the "Feathered Serpent." 51 00:02:38,667 --> 00:02:41,000 There were traditions in ancient Mexico 52 00:02:41,208 --> 00:02:44,333 of a great teacher arriving on the Gulf Coast. 53 00:02:44,458 --> 00:02:46,583 He was said to be Kukulkan, 54 00:02:46,750 --> 00:02:50,000 which translates as "the plumed or feathered serpent," 55 00:02:50,208 --> 00:02:52,250 and when he arrived, he brought with him 56 00:02:52,417 --> 00:02:54,583 the arts of civilization. 57 00:02:54,792 --> 00:02:56,958 He taught astronomy, 58 00:02:57,125 --> 00:02:59,792 he created the first calendar, 59 00:02:59,917 --> 00:03:02,875 he also taught agriculture, 60 00:03:03,042 --> 00:03:06,583 and eventually, he left, promising to return. 61 00:03:07,542 --> 00:03:12,500 And he was often depicted as a human being as well. 62 00:03:12,667 --> 00:03:15,417 NARRATOR: Kukulkan is depicted in serpent form 63 00:03:15,583 --> 00:03:19,500 on either side of the central staircase of El Castillo. 64 00:03:19,667 --> 00:03:22,958 Twice a year, during sunset and sunrise, 65 00:03:23,167 --> 00:03:27,500 an optical illusion appears on these stairs. 66 00:03:27,667 --> 00:03:30,417 Every year, on the 23rd of March, 67 00:03:30,583 --> 00:03:34,542 you see, when the sun is going up, 68 00:03:34,708 --> 00:03:36,625 some lights and shadows, 69 00:03:36,792 --> 00:03:41,583 like triangles climbing down the stairway, 70 00:03:41,750 --> 00:03:45,542 exactly the stairway where his head is on. 71 00:03:45,708 --> 00:03:49,333 And on the 21st of September, you see the opposite. 72 00:03:49,500 --> 00:03:51,875 Kukulkan disappears. 73 00:03:53,208 --> 00:03:55,792 What we have here is a visual rendition 74 00:03:55,875 --> 00:03:57,958 of the descent of Kukulkan, 75 00:03:58,125 --> 00:03:59,875 the descent of extraterrestrials 76 00:04:00,042 --> 00:04:03,500 visiting this pyramid structure known as El Castillo. 77 00:04:03,625 --> 00:04:06,500 WILLIAM HENRY: You wonder, perhaps a craft landed here, 78 00:04:06,625 --> 00:04:09,917 and this light shadow effect of a serpent making its way 79 00:04:10,125 --> 00:04:12,000 descending down the staircase, 80 00:04:12,167 --> 00:04:14,167 and then emerging through a serpent head 81 00:04:14,333 --> 00:04:17,000 is a recollection of that original event. 82 00:04:19,833 --> 00:04:24,375 If you leave Chichén Itzá and travel 900 miles due west 83 00:04:24,542 --> 00:04:27,500 through the jungles of Mexico, you'll find another 84 00:04:27,667 --> 00:04:31,167 incredible site known as Teotihuacan. 85 00:04:31,375 --> 00:04:33,667 Three massive pyramids stand at the center 86 00:04:33,875 --> 00:04:35,208 of this temple complex 87 00:04:35,417 --> 00:04:38,333 that have a direct connection to the stars. 88 00:04:38,500 --> 00:04:43,375 At number nine: the pyramids of Teotihuacan. 89 00:04:48,458 --> 00:04:51,583 NARRATOR: Just 35 miles northeast of Mexico City 90 00:04:51,708 --> 00:04:54,375 lies an ancient complex dating back 91 00:04:54,542 --> 00:04:57,500 to at least the first century AD. 92 00:04:57,667 --> 00:05:02,417 The site covers an area of seven square miles 93 00:05:02,583 --> 00:05:05,125 and was once the largest city in Mesoamerica 94 00:05:05,208 --> 00:05:08,917 with a population of over 150,000. 95 00:05:10,375 --> 00:05:12,250 DR. EDWIN BARNHART: The city of Teotihuacan 96 00:05:12,375 --> 00:05:14,917 was the largest and most powerful city 97 00:05:15,042 --> 00:05:16,500 that Mesoamerica ever saw. 98 00:05:16,708 --> 00:05:20,958 At the city core, which is the Avenue of the Dead, 99 00:05:21,083 --> 00:05:22,875 the first big long straight road, 100 00:05:23,042 --> 00:05:27,083 they build the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. 101 00:05:27,292 --> 00:05:30,167 Both of those are gigantic pyramids. 102 00:05:30,333 --> 00:05:32,833 And also on the Avenue of the Dead 103 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,417 is the temple of Quetzalcoatl. 104 00:05:38,625 --> 00:05:40,250 NARRATOR: While the origins of the site 105 00:05:40,375 --> 00:05:42,250 have left archaeologists baffled, 106 00:05:42,417 --> 00:05:47,208 the Aztecs, who occupied the area around 1400 AD, 107 00:05:47,375 --> 00:05:51,167 are credited with giving it the name Teotihuacan. 108 00:05:51,333 --> 00:05:56,875 BARNHART: The name Teotihuacan means "birthplace of the gods." 109 00:05:57,042 --> 00:06:01,000 And the Aztecs believed that the gods themselves 110 00:06:01,167 --> 00:06:04,833 were born there at Teotihuacan. 111 00:06:05,042 --> 00:06:08,250 And the Aztecs talk about the many gods coming down 112 00:06:08,417 --> 00:06:11,125 to Earth and creating humans. 113 00:06:11,292 --> 00:06:16,583 TSOUKALOS: If you have stories of people descending from the sky, 114 00:06:16,750 --> 00:06:19,583 and our ancestors also called them the gods, 115 00:06:19,708 --> 00:06:23,167 you have to wonder, well, who or what did they mean 116 00:06:23,292 --> 00:06:25,833 when they said the so-called gods? 117 00:06:25,958 --> 00:06:28,417 Were our ancestors visited 118 00:06:28,625 --> 00:06:31,000 by flesh-and-blood extraterrestrials 119 00:06:31,125 --> 00:06:34,167 whom our ancestors thought 120 00:06:34,333 --> 00:06:37,417 were divine in origin when they never were? 121 00:06:37,625 --> 00:06:41,625 NARRATOR: Do the pyramids of Teotihuacan hold secrets 122 00:06:41,750 --> 00:06:45,417 of extraterrestrial visitation? 123 00:06:45,583 --> 00:06:48,458 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, 124 00:06:48,625 --> 00:06:51,667 and they believe that the pyramids standing at the center 125 00:06:51,875 --> 00:06:54,667 of the city point directly to the origins 126 00:06:54,875 --> 00:06:58,667 of these visitors, the constellation of Orion. 127 00:06:58,792 --> 00:07:00,750 PHILIP COPPENS: The Temple of the Sun, 128 00:07:00,958 --> 00:07:04,292 the Temple of the Moon, and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl 129 00:07:04,375 --> 00:07:07,042 are in the same layout as Orion's Belt. 130 00:07:07,208 --> 00:07:09,083 And this is not coincidental. 131 00:07:09,208 --> 00:07:12,583 The Mayans are very specific about Orion's Belt. 132 00:07:12,750 --> 00:07:14,875 They say it is a point of creation. 133 00:07:15,042 --> 00:07:18,792 It is said that, in 3114 BC, 134 00:07:18,875 --> 00:07:22,708 the gods came from Orion's Belt to Earth, 135 00:07:22,875 --> 00:07:25,792 and this occurred in Teotihuacan. 136 00:07:27,458 --> 00:07:30,458 BARNHART: Teotihuacan, despite its size, 137 00:07:30,625 --> 00:07:32,708 has no hieroglyphs whatsoever. 138 00:07:32,875 --> 00:07:34,458 There are other cultures in Mesoamerica 139 00:07:34,583 --> 00:07:36,583 that were using writing systems. 140 00:07:36,750 --> 00:07:38,542 There's nothing like that at Teotihuacan, 141 00:07:38,708 --> 00:07:42,333 so we don't really have a-a clear history 142 00:07:42,458 --> 00:07:44,417 of what happened at Teotihuacan. 143 00:07:44,542 --> 00:07:48,042 In many ways, Teotihuacan is an enigma. 144 00:07:50,583 --> 00:07:54,292 The next site on our list was home to a prolific culture 145 00:07:54,417 --> 00:07:57,000 that constructed over 250 pyramids 146 00:07:57,208 --> 00:07:59,208 more than 600 years ago. 147 00:07:59,417 --> 00:08:02,417 But what's most amazing to me is that the ancient people 148 00:08:02,542 --> 00:08:04,500 who built these incredible structures 149 00:08:04,625 --> 00:08:08,333 claimed that they received help from otherworldly beings. 150 00:08:08,542 --> 00:08:13,083 Number eight: the Sicán pyramids of Peru. 151 00:08:17,625 --> 00:08:20,625 NARRATOR: The Lambayeque Valley. Northern Peru. 152 00:08:20,750 --> 00:08:22,917 1988. 153 00:08:23,083 --> 00:08:27,292 Explorer Thor Heyerdahl investigates what appears to be 154 00:08:27,458 --> 00:08:29,833 an area of large, earthen hills, 155 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,500 but soon discovers that these hills are, in fact, 156 00:08:33,708 --> 00:08:36,250 massive adobe brick pyramids, 157 00:08:36,417 --> 00:08:39,167 severely eroded over the centuries. 158 00:08:40,167 --> 00:08:43,500 This was the site of a culture called the Sicán, 159 00:08:43,667 --> 00:08:49,750 and these people, who rose around 750 AD, 160 00:08:49,875 --> 00:08:54,583 seemed to be absolutely obsessed with the creation of pyramids. 161 00:08:54,750 --> 00:08:59,000 In fact, they created as many as 250 162 00:08:59,208 --> 00:09:01,250 within this valley alone. 163 00:09:03,458 --> 00:09:07,792 And in one particular town, they created 26. 164 00:09:09,542 --> 00:09:12,500 NARRATOR: According to mainstream historians, 165 00:09:12,708 --> 00:09:18,000 the Sicán people mysteriously disappeared in 1375. 166 00:09:18,083 --> 00:09:21,667 And although there were no written records left behind 167 00:09:21,792 --> 00:09:25,333 to explain why they were obsessed with building pyramids, 168 00:09:25,500 --> 00:09:30,000 ancient astronaut theorists say clues may be found by examining 169 00:09:30,167 --> 00:09:33,083 the multiple images of birdmen that archeologists 170 00:09:33,250 --> 00:09:36,500 have discovered inside one of the structures. 171 00:09:36,667 --> 00:09:39,958 The birdman image is something that's iconic 172 00:09:40,125 --> 00:09:43,292 of depicting someone who can come from the sky. 173 00:09:44,708 --> 00:09:47,958 So, these glyphs that are seen on the walls 174 00:09:48,083 --> 00:09:50,833 of these structures are particularly interesting. 175 00:09:53,083 --> 00:09:56,833 NARRATOR: Gods depicted as half-bird and half-man 176 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,000 were worshipped by many pyramid-building civilizations 177 00:10:00,208 --> 00:10:04,083 in the ancient world, including the Egyptians, 178 00:10:04,208 --> 00:10:06,667 the Mayans, the Aztecs, 179 00:10:06,833 --> 00:10:08,750 and even the Sumerians, 180 00:10:08,917 --> 00:10:12,125 who built pyramid-like structures called ziggurats 181 00:10:12,250 --> 00:10:15,708 as much as 6,000 years ago. 182 00:10:15,875 --> 00:10:18,000 You have to wonder if these birdmen 183 00:10:18,167 --> 00:10:21,750 aren't extraterrestrials coming to Peru 184 00:10:21,875 --> 00:10:25,000 and instructing the people on building these pyramids. 185 00:10:30,958 --> 00:10:31,917 Many of the pyramids we've investigated 186 00:10:32,250 --> 00:10:35,333 on Ancient Aliens were constructed so long ago, 187 00:10:35,458 --> 00:10:40,333 no written records exist to explain who built them or why. 188 00:10:40,542 --> 00:10:42,417 But the pyramid builders at one location 189 00:10:42,625 --> 00:10:44,250 in Guatemala actually carved 190 00:10:44,417 --> 00:10:48,625 a story of an otherworldly visitation in stone. 191 00:10:49,625 --> 00:10:51,375 Number seven on our countdown 192 00:10:51,583 --> 00:10:54,833 of the top ten pyramid sites: El Mirador. 193 00:10:58,958 --> 00:11:02,792 NARRATOR: Northern Guatemala. 1979. 194 00:11:02,958 --> 00:11:07,000 Western archaeologists begin excavation of a site 195 00:11:07,208 --> 00:11:11,000 that was mysteriously abandoned in 150 BC. 196 00:11:11,167 --> 00:11:13,792 Known as El Mirador, 197 00:11:13,958 --> 00:11:16,667 it is not only the oldest Mayan city, 198 00:11:16,875 --> 00:11:22,083 but the largest, covering more than 14 square miles. 199 00:11:22,208 --> 00:11:25,917 BARNHART: The central part of El Mirador has two gigantic pyramids 200 00:11:26,042 --> 00:11:28,917 that are connected by a big causeway in between them. 201 00:11:29,042 --> 00:11:32,250 One's called El Tigre. The other one's called La Danta. 202 00:11:32,417 --> 00:11:35,958 La Danta is 70 meters tall. 203 00:11:36,083 --> 00:11:38,708 That's one of the tallest in the entire world. 204 00:11:38,875 --> 00:11:42,708 And it's so massive that, when you get to the top 205 00:11:42,875 --> 00:11:45,375 of its first basal platform, 206 00:11:45,500 --> 00:11:48,500 there's enough space where they put three more pyramids 207 00:11:48,625 --> 00:11:51,792 in a triad form on top of it. 208 00:11:51,958 --> 00:11:55,542 NARRATOR: But perhaps even more intriguing than the size 209 00:11:55,708 --> 00:11:58,917 and scope of the pyramids at El Mirador 210 00:11:59,083 --> 00:12:03,000 is an ancient stucco facade that was found between them, 211 00:12:03,167 --> 00:12:06,000 which, according to ancient astronaut theorists, 212 00:12:06,083 --> 00:12:11,000 provides an important clue about the origins of these structures. 213 00:12:11,167 --> 00:12:13,917 The archeologists at El Mirador were investigating 214 00:12:14,083 --> 00:12:17,458 the causeways and the aqueducts between the two big pyramids. 215 00:12:17,625 --> 00:12:21,500 They came upon a stucco façade 216 00:12:21,667 --> 00:12:24,625 that showed figures floating in the air. 217 00:12:24,750 --> 00:12:26,542 The archeologists interpret them 218 00:12:26,708 --> 00:12:30,417 as the Hero Twins from the Popol Vuh. 219 00:12:30,542 --> 00:12:33,750 Now, The Popol Vuh is foundational 220 00:12:33,958 --> 00:12:36,333 to Maya civilization and life, 221 00:12:36,542 --> 00:12:39,875 as foundational as the Bible is to Christianity. 222 00:12:40,875 --> 00:12:44,333 The story of the Popol Vuh really centers around 223 00:12:44,542 --> 00:12:46,833 two boys, a pair of twins. 224 00:12:47,042 --> 00:12:49,833 They're called the Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque. 225 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,083 And they battle with the Lords of Death, 226 00:12:53,250 --> 00:12:58,125 and they make the world safe for creation, us, to occur. 227 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:03,000 NARRATOR: According to the Popol Vuh, 228 00:13:03,208 --> 00:13:05,208 this battle didn't take place on Earth, 229 00:13:05,375 --> 00:13:09,208 but in a mysterious realm called Xibalba. 230 00:13:09,375 --> 00:13:12,292 In Maya the word Xibalba means the Underworld. 231 00:13:13,375 --> 00:13:16,333 But some have suggested that the word Xibalba 232 00:13:16,458 --> 00:13:21,333 doesn't necessarily mean Underworld, but the Milky Way. 233 00:13:22,333 --> 00:13:26,958 If you look at that carving, the guy is clearly wearing a helmet, 234 00:13:27,042 --> 00:13:28,750 and he has this backpack, 235 00:13:28,917 --> 00:13:30,708 and he's actually floating in space, 236 00:13:30,875 --> 00:13:33,375 or he's descending from the sky. 237 00:13:34,500 --> 00:13:39,042 You have, uh, what seem to be like some kind of helmet. 238 00:13:39,208 --> 00:13:41,708 Could these stone carvings be depictions 239 00:13:41,833 --> 00:13:43,167 of ancient astronauts? 240 00:13:43,375 --> 00:13:45,833 And you have to wonder if this pyramid 241 00:13:46,042 --> 00:13:49,375 isn't some kind of landing site 242 00:13:49,542 --> 00:13:52,542 for extraterrestrial craft. 243 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,833 You might be surprised to learn that one of the oldest 244 00:13:58,042 --> 00:14:00,708 pyramidal structures on Earth is in a place 245 00:14:00,917 --> 00:14:04,000 that has never been associated with pyramids, 246 00:14:04,167 --> 00:14:07,042 my own ancestral homeland of Greece. 247 00:14:07,208 --> 00:14:11,958 Number six on our countdown: the pyramid of Hellinikon. 248 00:14:15,083 --> 00:14:17,208 NARRATOR: Argos, Greece. 249 00:14:18,167 --> 00:14:21,042 Just outside this ancient city 250 00:14:21,208 --> 00:14:23,917 stands a mysterious stone structure 251 00:14:24,042 --> 00:14:26,917 known as the pyramid of Hellinikon. 252 00:14:27,083 --> 00:14:29,042 It is the only pyramid in Europe 253 00:14:29,250 --> 00:14:32,167 recognized by mainstream archaeologists. 254 00:14:32,333 --> 00:14:35,917 ROBERT SCHOCH: The pyramid of Hellinikon is quite small. 255 00:14:36,125 --> 00:14:41,458 It's maybe only 23 feet by 30 feet by maybe 12 feet tall, 256 00:14:41,625 --> 00:14:44,167 but it's incredibly interesting. 257 00:14:45,250 --> 00:14:48,000 Some people suggest that it was maybe a watch tower, 258 00:14:48,125 --> 00:14:51,333 or a guard tower, or a small garrison. 259 00:14:52,500 --> 00:14:56,250 We don't really know what it was for, what its purpose was, 260 00:14:56,458 --> 00:15:01,500 and even more controversial is the dating of it. 261 00:15:02,625 --> 00:15:04,875 TSOUKALOS: The pyramid of Hellinikon is one of the most 262 00:15:05,042 --> 00:15:09,333 enigmatic ancient structures on planet Earth. Why? 263 00:15:09,542 --> 00:15:13,083 Because, according to some archaeological research, 264 00:15:13,250 --> 00:15:18,375 it dates to before the Great Pyramid at Giza. 265 00:15:19,625 --> 00:15:21,833 NARRATOR: In 1995, 266 00:15:22,042 --> 00:15:24,667 scientists working at the Academy of Athens 267 00:15:24,833 --> 00:15:27,500 dated samples from the site using a new 268 00:15:27,667 --> 00:15:31,750 and experimental method called optical thermoluminescence. 269 00:15:31,917 --> 00:15:34,042 The results suggest that the pyramid 270 00:15:34,208 --> 00:15:37,375 was built around 2730 BC, 271 00:15:37,583 --> 00:15:42,417 roughly 2,000 years before the rise of the Greek Empire. 272 00:15:43,833 --> 00:15:47,667 This was a structure that is very mysterious. 273 00:15:49,042 --> 00:15:52,458 It was constructed by a completely unknown culture. 274 00:15:52,625 --> 00:15:54,917 We know almost nothing about it, 275 00:15:55,125 --> 00:15:57,958 and what we do know, though, 276 00:15:58,167 --> 00:16:01,375 is that there were several of these structures around. 277 00:16:01,500 --> 00:16:04,208 So, who built them? And what happened to them? 278 00:16:04,375 --> 00:16:08,042 NEWMAN: There were 15 other pyramids like this 279 00:16:08,208 --> 00:16:09,708 found in the area. 280 00:16:09,917 --> 00:16:12,000 Most of these are now completely destroyed. 281 00:16:12,208 --> 00:16:16,333 So, we have to question who really built this. 282 00:16:16,542 --> 00:16:20,042 When you think of pyramids, you think of Egypt. 283 00:16:20,208 --> 00:16:23,500 You think of Central America. You think of India. 284 00:16:23,667 --> 00:16:26,208 But pyramids in Greece? 285 00:16:27,667 --> 00:16:30,833 We have to ask the question, why has that shape 286 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,000 been with us for such a long time? 287 00:16:33,208 --> 00:16:37,208 And I think that the knowledge for building 288 00:16:37,375 --> 00:16:40,542 these megalithic structures was imparted 289 00:16:40,667 --> 00:16:43,333 by the so-called gods who were 290 00:16:43,458 --> 00:16:46,833 misinterpreted flesh-and-blood extraterrestrials 291 00:16:47,042 --> 00:16:49,625 who visited Earth a long time ago. 292 00:16:56,875 --> 00:16:57,833 We're nearly halfway through our countdown 293 00:16:58,458 --> 00:17:01,500 of the top ten pyramid sites featured on Ancient Aliens. 294 00:17:01,708 --> 00:17:04,458 In 2018, I traveled to Egypt 295 00:17:04,625 --> 00:17:07,000 and visited the next location on our list, 296 00:17:07,167 --> 00:17:10,125 which was designed by a remarkable individual 297 00:17:10,250 --> 00:17:14,958 who was said to have a profound connection to the stars. 298 00:17:15,125 --> 00:17:19,667 At number five: the Step Pyramid of Djoser. 299 00:17:23,875 --> 00:17:26,000 NARRATOR: Saqqara, Egypt. 300 00:17:26,208 --> 00:17:29,833 Located just 15 miles south of the Giza Plateau 301 00:17:30,042 --> 00:17:33,250 is an ancient burial ground of Egyptian royalty. 302 00:17:34,208 --> 00:17:36,042 Among the many tombs stands 303 00:17:36,208 --> 00:17:38,500 what mainstream archaeologists suggest 304 00:17:38,708 --> 00:17:40,833 is the oldest pyramid in Egypt: 305 00:17:41,042 --> 00:17:44,750 the Step Pyramid of King Djoser. 306 00:17:44,917 --> 00:17:46,500 The step pyramid at Saqqara 307 00:17:46,667 --> 00:17:48,375 is known as "The Stairway to Heaven." 308 00:17:49,375 --> 00:17:51,917 The complex is vast. It's about 40 acres, 309 00:17:52,083 --> 00:17:53,833 entirely walled in. 310 00:17:54,042 --> 00:17:56,375 There's a 30-foot wall with 13 false doors. 311 00:17:56,542 --> 00:17:59,542 You only get in if you know where the right door is. 312 00:17:59,708 --> 00:18:02,875 NARRATOR: Mainstream archaeologists suggest the pyramid was built 313 00:18:03,083 --> 00:18:05,250 as a tomb for King Djoser, 314 00:18:05,417 --> 00:18:07,792 but like all other Egyptian pyramids, 315 00:18:07,958 --> 00:18:09,833 there is no credible evidence 316 00:18:10,042 --> 00:18:12,167 that a body was ever entombed there. 317 00:18:13,375 --> 00:18:17,333 In April 2018, ancient astronaut theorist 318 00:18:17,542 --> 00:18:20,625 Giorgio Tsoukalos traveled to the Djoser Pyramid 319 00:18:20,833 --> 00:18:23,542 with Egyptologist Ramy Romany 320 00:18:23,708 --> 00:18:27,250 to get an up-close look at the mysterious site. 321 00:18:27,458 --> 00:18:30,708 Now, this pyramid is 5,000 years old. 322 00:18:30,875 --> 00:18:32,333 TSOUKALOS: That's amazing. 323 00:18:32,500 --> 00:18:34,333 Did they ever find a mummy in there? 324 00:18:34,500 --> 00:18:37,000 No, they never found an actual mummy in there, 325 00:18:37,208 --> 00:18:39,542 but they found statues. 326 00:18:39,708 --> 00:18:42,083 And there is a statue next to-- it's still there-- 327 00:18:42,208 --> 00:18:43,667 of King Djoser. 328 00:18:43,875 --> 00:18:45,667 It's a human life-size statue. 329 00:18:45,875 --> 00:18:49,833 TSOUKALOS: Okay, and how many chambers are inside this pyramid? 330 00:18:50,042 --> 00:18:53,333 ROMANY: There are a couple of chambers, but the pyramid is such a maze 331 00:18:53,542 --> 00:18:56,333 to go in and out from that they have not discovered 332 00:18:56,458 --> 00:18:58,042 everything inside yet 333 00:18:58,208 --> 00:19:01,750 because it's not the safest place to be now. 334 00:19:04,917 --> 00:19:08,208 NARRATOR: While the Djoser Pyramid has been weathered by time, 335 00:19:08,375 --> 00:19:10,333 mainstream archaeologists believe, 336 00:19:10,542 --> 00:19:13,333 when it was built in the 27th century BC, 337 00:19:13,542 --> 00:19:17,292 it was the most impressive structure in Egypt. 338 00:19:17,458 --> 00:19:21,500 The six-tier, four-sided structure originally stood 339 00:19:21,708 --> 00:19:23,542 205 feet tall, 340 00:19:23,667 --> 00:19:29,333 with a base measuring 358 feet by 397 feet. 341 00:19:29,458 --> 00:19:32,000 And unlike other buildings of the time 342 00:19:32,208 --> 00:19:34,625 that were constructed entirely from mud bricks, 343 00:19:34,833 --> 00:19:39,750 the Djoser Pyramid was built using 11.6 million 344 00:19:39,958 --> 00:19:42,250 cubic feet of stone and clay, 345 00:19:42,375 --> 00:19:45,292 and it was covered in polished limestone, 346 00:19:45,458 --> 00:19:47,792 most of which is gone today. 347 00:19:48,750 --> 00:19:51,792 In the text that we can read about Djoser, 348 00:19:51,958 --> 00:19:54,292 does he mention at all, uh, 349 00:19:54,500 --> 00:19:57,292 how he was inspired to build this? 350 00:19:57,458 --> 00:19:59,708 It was one brilliant man. 351 00:19:59,875 --> 00:20:02,625 That man was called Imhotep. 352 00:20:02,792 --> 00:20:05,833 -Okay. -Who, in history, came out of nowhere. 353 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,500 He was the designer and engineer of that pyramid. 354 00:20:09,583 --> 00:20:12,167 What does Imhotep actually mean? 355 00:20:12,375 --> 00:20:15,208 It means-- I know you're gonna like this-- 356 00:20:15,375 --> 00:20:18,000 but it means, "I come in peace." 357 00:20:18,167 --> 00:20:20,583 -Oh, really? That's very interesting. -Yes. 358 00:20:20,792 --> 00:20:23,000 So, the extraterrestrial greeting, so to speak. 359 00:20:23,167 --> 00:20:24,167 Yes. 360 00:20:24,375 --> 00:20:26,000 He showed up 361 00:20:26,208 --> 00:20:28,167 into the life of the king out of nowhere, 362 00:20:28,333 --> 00:20:31,667 and then ascended into position so quickly, 363 00:20:31,833 --> 00:20:33,833 which is very uncommon in ancient Egypt. 364 00:20:33,917 --> 00:20:36,167 What does that mean? What do you mean "out of nowhere"? 365 00:20:36,375 --> 00:20:39,542 -Did he drop from the sky, or did he come from another land? -(laughs) 366 00:20:39,708 --> 00:20:42,000 In Egyptian history, you can normally trace 367 00:20:42,167 --> 00:20:44,167 every position back to their parents. 368 00:20:44,333 --> 00:20:47,250 But Imhotep, nothing. 369 00:20:49,833 --> 00:20:52,333 HENRY: Imhotep rose to the incredible status 370 00:20:52,458 --> 00:20:55,333 as the vizier, or wizard, to the pharaoh. 371 00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:58,125 This is where we get that word wizard from, vizier. 372 00:20:58,292 --> 00:21:01,000 There are great mysteries about who Imhotep was, 373 00:21:01,167 --> 00:21:02,792 where he came from. 374 00:21:02,958 --> 00:21:07,375 COLLINS: He had an incredible knowledge of medicine. 375 00:21:07,542 --> 00:21:11,875 He had an understanding of blood circulation. 376 00:21:12,042 --> 00:21:14,000 He did the first dentistry. 377 00:21:14,208 --> 00:21:16,958 Uh, may even have performed operations. 378 00:21:17,042 --> 00:21:19,500 He was also an astronomer, 379 00:21:19,625 --> 00:21:22,500 had an incredible knowledge of the stars. 380 00:21:22,708 --> 00:21:26,417 But most incredible of all is the fact that it's said 381 00:21:26,583 --> 00:21:31,333 that the knowledge of how to create the earliest pyramids 382 00:21:31,458 --> 00:21:35,792 actually came from a text that fell from the sky 383 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:40,417 out of nowhere and came into the hands of Imhotep. 384 00:21:41,542 --> 00:21:44,250 HENRY: What's fascinating is the depictions of him. 385 00:21:44,375 --> 00:21:47,000 He looks like he's got this oversize head. 386 00:21:47,125 --> 00:21:50,833 He's got strange looking hands. He almost looks nonhuman. 387 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,958 Do we know how long he lived? 388 00:21:54,042 --> 00:21:55,792 That is also a mystery. 389 00:21:55,958 --> 00:21:58,542 We don't know how he died, but he was buried in a tomb. 390 00:21:58,708 --> 00:22:01,500 And that tomb was around here in Saqqara. 391 00:22:01,708 --> 00:22:04,042 The tomb of Imhotep has never been found. 392 00:22:04,208 --> 00:22:06,375 -So far, right? Yeah. -So far. 393 00:22:06,542 --> 00:22:08,542 But look around you, the desert is massive. 394 00:22:08,667 --> 00:22:10,750 When the tomb of Imhotep is discovered, 395 00:22:10,917 --> 00:22:13,333 it will be the discovery of the century. 396 00:22:15,625 --> 00:22:18,458 NARRATOR: Ancient astronaut theorists are hopeful that, 397 00:22:18,542 --> 00:22:21,500 if the tomb of Imhotep is ever discovered, 398 00:22:21,708 --> 00:22:24,000 it might be found to contain the remains 399 00:22:24,125 --> 00:22:26,167 of an otherworldly visitor. 400 00:22:26,292 --> 00:22:29,000 But perhaps even more compelling evidence 401 00:22:29,125 --> 00:22:32,458 of an extraterrestrial connection to ancient pyramids 402 00:22:32,667 --> 00:22:33,708 can be found with a series of hidden structures in China 403 00:22:34,083 --> 00:22:37,458 can be found with a series of hidden structures in China 404 00:22:37,625 --> 00:22:39,542 that, according to some researchers, 405 00:22:39,708 --> 00:22:43,875 may hold remnants of alien technology. 406 00:22:48,625 --> 00:22:51,333 China is a treasure trove for the ancient astronaut theory. 407 00:22:51,500 --> 00:22:55,542 Its mythology is rich in stories of otherworldly beings 408 00:22:55,708 --> 00:22:59,000 and is home to some truly incredible relics. 409 00:22:59,167 --> 00:23:03,000 But what many people don't know is that China is also home 410 00:23:03,167 --> 00:23:04,917 to dozens of pyramids, 411 00:23:05,083 --> 00:23:08,250 all of which were completely unknown to the outside world 412 00:23:08,375 --> 00:23:10,000 until the 1940s. 413 00:23:10,167 --> 00:23:16,500 At number four on our countdown: the hidden pyramids of China. 414 00:23:18,625 --> 00:23:21,083 NARRATOR: Shaanxi province, China. 415 00:23:21,208 --> 00:23:22,917 1945. 416 00:23:23,083 --> 00:23:27,583 U.S. Army Air Corps pilot James Gaussman is transporting 417 00:23:27,750 --> 00:23:30,375 military supplies from India. 418 00:23:30,542 --> 00:23:33,292 While flying over a rural valley, 419 00:23:33,458 --> 00:23:35,625 he spots a mysterious structure. 420 00:23:36,750 --> 00:23:39,250 One of the most unusual stories 421 00:23:39,375 --> 00:23:42,417 of pyramids came out of World War II. 422 00:23:43,583 --> 00:23:46,167 The story is of an American pilot who was 423 00:23:46,292 --> 00:23:48,250 flying the Burma Hump over 424 00:23:48,375 --> 00:23:51,458 to Chongqing in central China. 425 00:23:51,583 --> 00:23:56,667 And what he claimed he saw was a huge pyramid in the valley 426 00:23:56,833 --> 00:24:01,500 with a gigantic crystal capstone on the top of it. 427 00:24:01,708 --> 00:24:05,667 He was so amazed by this huge pyramid in this remote valley 428 00:24:05,792 --> 00:24:09,167 that he flew around it once with his plane. 429 00:24:09,375 --> 00:24:13,833 This pyramid has never ever been discovered since then. 430 00:24:15,042 --> 00:24:18,083 NARRATOR: Two years later, another U.S. aviator, 431 00:24:18,292 --> 00:24:19,833 Colonel Maurice Sheahan, 432 00:24:20,042 --> 00:24:25,333 spotted what appeared to be a second pyramid in the area. 433 00:24:25,500 --> 00:24:27,500 HENRY: Colonel Maurice Sheahan looks down, 434 00:24:27,667 --> 00:24:29,625 and he sees a giant pyramid 435 00:24:29,750 --> 00:24:33,583 that he says is larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza. 436 00:24:34,708 --> 00:24:36,583 He reports this to The New York Times 437 00:24:36,750 --> 00:24:39,208 and it causes a sensation. 438 00:24:39,375 --> 00:24:44,250 NARRATOR: Until then, no pyramids had ever been found in China. 439 00:24:44,417 --> 00:24:45,917 But in the years that followed, 440 00:24:46,083 --> 00:24:49,500 more than 30 pyramidal structures have been discovered 441 00:24:49,625 --> 00:24:51,542 throughout the region, many of which 442 00:24:51,708 --> 00:24:54,500 have become covered in vegetation. 443 00:24:54,667 --> 00:24:57,792 But perhaps the area's most mysterious 444 00:24:57,917 --> 00:25:01,583 pyramidal structure can be found in the city of Xi'an. 445 00:25:01,708 --> 00:25:07,458 Standing 26 feet tall and dating back 1,500 years, 446 00:25:07,625 --> 00:25:09,708 it is made from compressed earth 447 00:25:09,917 --> 00:25:13,500 and known as the "Altar of Heaven." 448 00:25:13,708 --> 00:25:18,000 From the beginning, Chinese mythology is linked 449 00:25:18,167 --> 00:25:20,625 to the universe and to the extraterrestrials. 450 00:25:20,792 --> 00:25:23,458 All the Chinese kings communicated 451 00:25:23,667 --> 00:25:26,125 with the so-called gods, which, in reality, 452 00:25:26,292 --> 00:25:31,958 were extraterrestrials on the so-called "Altar of Heaven." 453 00:25:32,958 --> 00:25:34,833 When we step aside from the standard theory that 454 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:36,833 the pyramids were used as tombs, 455 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,667 this pyramid is very interesting because of its shape. 456 00:25:40,875 --> 00:25:43,333 On the outside, there's a large ramp 457 00:25:43,458 --> 00:25:45,667 that leads up to a platform. 458 00:25:45,833 --> 00:25:48,458 It's very possible that this pyramid was actually 459 00:25:48,625 --> 00:25:52,000 some type of ancient landing source or a landing pad. 460 00:25:52,208 --> 00:25:54,917 The same stone structure, 461 00:25:55,042 --> 00:25:58,083 with different ring about the main altar, 462 00:25:58,208 --> 00:26:03,750 we find in Peru, over the city of Sacsayhuamán. 463 00:26:03,917 --> 00:26:06,917 And the rulers of the Inca were, of course again, 464 00:26:07,042 --> 00:26:11,583 the descendants from heaven, like in China. 465 00:26:11,708 --> 00:26:15,500 So, one has to ask the question, who was the architect? 466 00:26:15,708 --> 00:26:19,625 Could it be that the architect was none other than 467 00:26:19,792 --> 00:26:24,208 an extraterrestrial giving this knowledge to our ancestors? 468 00:26:26,708 --> 00:26:28,500 NARRATOR: Is it possible that the mysterious 469 00:26:28,667 --> 00:26:31,667 pyramidal structures recently found in China, 470 00:26:31,875 --> 00:26:34,417 were used by ancient rulers to connect 471 00:26:34,583 --> 00:26:37,833 with otherworldly beings? 472 00:26:38,042 --> 00:26:41,083 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes 473 00:26:41,208 --> 00:26:45,500 and suggest further evidence can be found at another pyramid site 474 00:26:45,708 --> 00:26:49,792 roughly 500 miles west in the province of Qinghai 475 00:26:49,958 --> 00:26:53,250 on a remote mountain called Mount Baigong. 476 00:26:54,292 --> 00:26:58,833 When you go to Mount Baigong, what you find is 477 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,000 a huge mountain with what appears to be 478 00:27:01,208 --> 00:27:06,333 an artificial pyramid with three triangular entrances 479 00:27:06,500 --> 00:27:10,000 going inside this mountain pyramid. 480 00:27:10,167 --> 00:27:13,542 And inside are all of these metallic pipes. 481 00:27:13,708 --> 00:27:16,625 The floor of these caves 482 00:27:16,792 --> 00:27:20,125 are littered with metallic parts. 483 00:27:20,250 --> 00:27:23,417 It's like this was some kind of base. 484 00:27:26,167 --> 00:27:28,917 NARRATOR: Could it be that the strange metallic pipes 485 00:27:29,042 --> 00:27:31,458 found within this pyramidal structure 486 00:27:31,667 --> 00:27:34,542 have served a technological function? 487 00:27:34,708 --> 00:27:37,750 Ancient astronaut theorists believe Mount Baigong 488 00:27:37,875 --> 00:27:40,875 could be connected to ancient Chinese stories 489 00:27:41,042 --> 00:27:44,042 of a magical place called Kunlun Mountain. 490 00:27:44,250 --> 00:27:48,542 CHILDRESS: In Chinese mythology, the Kunlun Mountain 491 00:27:48,708 --> 00:27:51,958 was said to be the center of the Earth, 492 00:27:52,125 --> 00:27:55,083 and it was supposedly a huge pillar 493 00:27:55,250 --> 00:27:57,333 of jade and jasper 494 00:27:57,458 --> 00:27:59,583 and precious gems that 495 00:27:59,708 --> 00:28:01,875 reached up into the sky. 496 00:28:02,042 --> 00:28:05,208 DOMINIC STEAVU: Mount Kunlun is a mythical mountain 497 00:28:05,375 --> 00:28:10,000 that is an axis mundi, which is a central pillar 498 00:28:10,208 --> 00:28:13,542 around which the entire universe revolves. 499 00:28:13,708 --> 00:28:16,708 This is a connector between 500 00:28:16,875 --> 00:28:20,583 Earth and the rest of the universe. 501 00:28:20,708 --> 00:28:26,208 It's where celestial beings can communicate with earthly beings. 502 00:28:26,375 --> 00:28:30,625 You have to wonder, if Mount Baigong is not 503 00:28:30,792 --> 00:28:34,833 this mythical Kunlun Mountain that was 504 00:28:35,042 --> 00:28:37,583 some kind of extraterrestrial base 505 00:28:37,750 --> 00:28:41,833 that spanned Earth and the stars. 506 00:28:43,417 --> 00:28:46,583 NARRATOR: Could these pyramid sites in China 507 00:28:46,792 --> 00:28:48,167 serve a similar function 508 00:28:48,375 --> 00:28:51,375 to other pyramids found around the world 509 00:28:51,542 --> 00:28:53,833 and might they have been inspired 510 00:28:53,958 --> 00:28:57,625 by extraterrestrial encounters? 511 00:28:57,792 --> 00:29:01,833 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes and suggest 512 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,583 further evidence that the ancient pyramid builders 513 00:29:04,708 --> 00:29:07,667 were influenced by otherworldly beings 514 00:29:07,792 --> 00:29:11,667 can be found at a mysterious site in Indonesia 515 00:29:11,875 --> 00:29:16,750 that's hiding a massive prehistoric structure. 516 00:29:22,042 --> 00:29:22,792 High in the mountains of Indonesia, 517 00:29:23,167 --> 00:29:25,625 a pyramid has been discovered that is known 518 00:29:25,750 --> 00:29:29,333 for certain to be over 10,000 years old. 519 00:29:29,458 --> 00:29:31,792 Number three on our countdown 520 00:29:31,958 --> 00:29:35,417 of the top ten pyramid sites: Gunung Padang. 521 00:29:39,875 --> 00:29:44,333 NARRATOR: Western Java, Indonesia. 2013. 522 00:29:44,500 --> 00:29:48,250 The Indonesian government sponsors an excavation 523 00:29:48,417 --> 00:29:51,000 to explore what might be hidden beneath the layers 524 00:29:51,208 --> 00:29:53,750 of dirt and rubble at a site known as 525 00:29:53,875 --> 00:29:56,625 Gunung Padang, or "Mountain of Light." 526 00:29:56,750 --> 00:29:59,958 They uncover incredible evidence 527 00:30:00,125 --> 00:30:03,458 revealing a 300-foot-tall step pyramid 528 00:30:03,625 --> 00:30:07,125 dating back at least 10,000 years. 529 00:30:07,250 --> 00:30:10,500 CHILDRESS: Gunung Padang is made of millions 530 00:30:10,708 --> 00:30:15,167 of tons of basalt that has been piled up 531 00:30:15,375 --> 00:30:17,583 into a huge mountain, 532 00:30:17,750 --> 00:30:21,500 which is also riddled with strange chambers and tunnels. 533 00:30:21,708 --> 00:30:26,875 COLLINS: The people who constructed Gunung Padang built 534 00:30:27,042 --> 00:30:31,125 rectangular enclosures, rock mounds, stairways. 535 00:30:31,333 --> 00:30:34,583 And, although the outer monument that we see today 536 00:30:34,708 --> 00:30:37,583 probably only dates to about 600 BC, 537 00:30:37,750 --> 00:30:40,125 we now know that, beneath this, 538 00:30:40,292 --> 00:30:44,500 is further structures of a much earlier date. 539 00:30:44,667 --> 00:30:49,875 And indeed that has given dating evidence that suggests 540 00:30:50,042 --> 00:30:55,083 that there was human activity there as early as 25,000 BC. 541 00:30:56,208 --> 00:31:00,875 NARRATOR: According to geologists, 20,000 years ago, 542 00:31:01,042 --> 00:31:04,667 this area of Java was not an isolated island, 543 00:31:04,833 --> 00:31:07,500 but the southernmost part of a subcontinent 544 00:31:07,667 --> 00:31:10,125 known as Sundaland. 545 00:31:10,333 --> 00:31:13,917 This has led some researchers to speculate that Gunung Padang, 546 00:31:14,083 --> 00:31:17,625 with its high elevation, could have been at the pinnacle 547 00:31:17,708 --> 00:31:19,917 of a civilization that disappeared 548 00:31:20,042 --> 00:31:22,750 sometime around 10,000 BC, 549 00:31:22,875 --> 00:31:26,000 when melting ice caps flooded the region 550 00:31:26,167 --> 00:31:29,208 and turned it into the series of islands it is today. 551 00:31:29,375 --> 00:31:33,625 But if true, just who was this mysterious culture 552 00:31:33,833 --> 00:31:38,417 capable of building a 300-foot-tall pyramid? 553 00:31:38,542 --> 00:31:40,958 In Indonesian star lore, 554 00:31:41,042 --> 00:31:43,500 there's a constellation of particular interest. 555 00:31:44,875 --> 00:31:48,458 They call it Vendum Viduk. We call Ursa Major. 556 00:31:48,583 --> 00:31:51,208 It is thought that it is the shape of a boat, 557 00:31:51,375 --> 00:31:55,583 and that the original craft, the original starship 558 00:31:55,750 --> 00:32:01,083 carrying the people came from this place to their land. 559 00:32:01,208 --> 00:32:05,042 Their houses, the long houses, the community structures 560 00:32:05,208 --> 00:32:07,583 are built in the shape of a boat, 561 00:32:07,708 --> 00:32:10,042 always facing northward 562 00:32:10,208 --> 00:32:13,083 in honor of the place of their origins. 563 00:32:13,250 --> 00:32:17,042 These star travelers are said to have started 564 00:32:17,208 --> 00:32:19,500 the original royal family. 565 00:32:19,625 --> 00:32:22,042 The name of the people, Toraja, 566 00:32:22,208 --> 00:32:25,125 means "those who come from the stars." 567 00:32:25,292 --> 00:32:28,833 NARRATOR: Might the builders of the massive pyramid 568 00:32:28,958 --> 00:32:32,958 at Gunung Padang have been the star travelers of local legend? 569 00:32:33,125 --> 00:32:35,750 For ancient astronaut theorists, 570 00:32:35,917 --> 00:32:38,417 the answer is a resounding yes. 571 00:32:38,542 --> 00:32:43,583 CHILDRESS: Indonesian archeologists have no idea who would have built this. 572 00:32:43,750 --> 00:32:48,917 How they could have built it. What its purpose was. 573 00:32:49,042 --> 00:32:52,417 And, in fact, many of them would say, "Yes, 574 00:32:52,583 --> 00:32:55,292 "this was built by the ancient gods 575 00:32:55,458 --> 00:32:58,250 for some purpose that we don't know." 576 00:32:59,958 --> 00:33:03,000 While the structure at Gunung Padang has been 577 00:33:03,083 --> 00:33:06,500 overcome by nature, just 300 miles east 578 00:33:06,708 --> 00:33:08,333 on the island of Java 579 00:33:08,542 --> 00:33:12,167 is an extraordinary pyramid that remains almost perfectly intact. 580 00:33:12,375 --> 00:33:15,500 The number two site on our countdown: 581 00:33:15,708 --> 00:33:18,375 the Temple of Borobudur. 582 00:33:20,708 --> 00:33:22,333 NARRATOR: Magelang, Indonesia. 583 00:33:22,542 --> 00:33:26,417 Located on the island of Java is the world's largest 584 00:33:26,583 --> 00:33:29,750 Buddhist monument, the Borobudur Temple. 585 00:33:29,958 --> 00:33:33,875 Built during the 8th and 9th centuries AD, 586 00:33:34,042 --> 00:33:36,042 this religious structure consists 587 00:33:36,208 --> 00:33:38,042 of six rectangular terraces 588 00:33:38,208 --> 00:33:41,208 topped by three concentric circular terraces 589 00:33:41,375 --> 00:33:44,625 creating a unique pyramid design. 590 00:33:44,792 --> 00:33:48,958 Borobudur is definitely not an obvious pyramid, but it is. 591 00:33:49,125 --> 00:33:50,875 It is a stacked pyramid on top of which 592 00:33:51,042 --> 00:33:52,667 have been built structures. 593 00:33:52,833 --> 00:33:55,958 MARTELL: The Borobudur Temple is known as a shrine, 594 00:33:56,125 --> 00:33:58,250 but also a place of pilgrimage where people 595 00:33:58,417 --> 00:34:00,625 start at the base and work their way up to the top, 596 00:34:00,792 --> 00:34:04,208 which they theorize is like reaching nirvana. 597 00:34:05,417 --> 00:34:08,000 DEEPAK SHIMKHADA: Many of the Buddhist temple architecture, 598 00:34:08,167 --> 00:34:10,000 you know, the steppe architecture, 599 00:34:10,125 --> 00:34:13,292 they're based on all these number formulas. 600 00:34:13,417 --> 00:34:17,667 For example, Borobudur was created based on mandala. 601 00:34:17,833 --> 00:34:21,500 Mandala is a pictorial representation of the universe, 602 00:34:21,708 --> 00:34:26,042 and the mandala is based on 72 numbers. 603 00:34:27,625 --> 00:34:31,917 NARRATOR: Borobudur's nine platforms combine to create a perfect 604 00:34:32,083 --> 00:34:35,208 Buddhist mandala when viewed directly overhead. 605 00:34:35,375 --> 00:34:39,500 Researchers question why and how the builders 606 00:34:39,625 --> 00:34:42,167 would create such an intricate religious symbol 607 00:34:42,292 --> 00:34:44,500 that can only be viewed from the air. 608 00:34:44,625 --> 00:34:48,000 But according to ancient astronaut theorists, 609 00:34:48,208 --> 00:34:51,292 the answer can be found on top of the pyramid, 610 00:34:51,458 --> 00:34:56,250 where there are 72 bell-shaped structures known as stupas, 611 00:34:56,375 --> 00:35:00,000 each housing a seated statue of Buddha. 612 00:35:00,125 --> 00:35:04,583 CHILDRESS: Buddha is depicted as sitting inside of these small stupas. 613 00:35:04,792 --> 00:35:06,625 But it looks like Buddha 614 00:35:06,750 --> 00:35:10,625 is flying a flying saucer at Borobudur. 615 00:35:10,750 --> 00:35:15,042 That's the obvious thing you think of when you see this. 616 00:35:15,208 --> 00:35:19,125 And so, is this really how the Buddhists even think 617 00:35:19,333 --> 00:35:22,542 of Buddha themselves, as someone who arrives 618 00:35:22,667 --> 00:35:26,750 in a disc-shaped craft, like an extraterrestrial? 619 00:35:26,875 --> 00:35:29,458 Each stupa, in my opinion, 620 00:35:29,625 --> 00:35:32,500 represents a type of flying craft. 621 00:35:32,667 --> 00:35:37,500 Because stupa actually means celestial chariot, 622 00:35:37,667 --> 00:35:41,458 a way with which to reach the celestial realm. 623 00:35:41,625 --> 00:35:43,750 The journey didn't happen in their heads. 624 00:35:43,917 --> 00:35:47,667 It wasn't something ethereal. It wasn't something spiritual. 625 00:35:47,833 --> 00:35:49,167 It happened. 626 00:35:49,333 --> 00:35:52,417 Extraterrestrial contact took place 627 00:35:52,583 --> 00:35:52,667 in Indonesia thousands of years ago. 628 00:35:53,542 --> 00:35:55,625 in Indonesia thousands of years ago. 629 00:36:01,875 --> 00:36:03,375 We've finally reached number one on our countdown 630 00:36:03,542 --> 00:36:05,500 of the top ten pyramid sites. 631 00:36:05,667 --> 00:36:07,417 And if you're a fan of Ancient Aliens, 632 00:36:07,542 --> 00:36:10,292 I'm sure you guessed this one right from the start. 633 00:36:10,458 --> 00:36:14,833 Number one on our list: the Giza Plateau. 634 00:36:18,042 --> 00:36:21,292 NARRATOR: On the western coast of the Nile River in Egypt 635 00:36:21,417 --> 00:36:24,167 is a limestone plateau called Giza. 636 00:36:24,333 --> 00:36:27,417 Here stand the three most mysterious 637 00:36:27,583 --> 00:36:31,583 and sophisticated pyramids ever constructed on Earth. 638 00:36:31,750 --> 00:36:36,208 The massive structures are engineered to near perfection 639 00:36:36,375 --> 00:36:39,125 and are believed by many to have been intentionally 640 00:36:39,292 --> 00:36:41,875 placed to align with the three belt stars 641 00:36:42,042 --> 00:36:43,833 of the Orion constellation. 642 00:36:44,042 --> 00:36:48,167 But of greatest significance to ancient astronaut theorists 643 00:36:48,375 --> 00:36:52,042 is the largest of the three: the Great Pyramid. 644 00:36:52,250 --> 00:36:56,917 This enormous structure stands 480 feet tall 645 00:36:57,125 --> 00:36:59,125 and was built from more than 2 million 646 00:36:59,292 --> 00:37:03,167 limestone blocks, each weighing thousands of pounds. 647 00:37:03,333 --> 00:37:05,917 The construction of the Great Pyramid 648 00:37:06,042 --> 00:37:10,500 was an engineering feat that remains unmatched to this day. 649 00:37:11,792 --> 00:37:15,417 CHRIS DUNN: The Great Pyramid of Giza covers 13 acres. 650 00:37:15,625 --> 00:37:17,833 The precision of this building, uh, 651 00:37:17,917 --> 00:37:21,500 exceeds anything that we require of builders today. 652 00:37:22,708 --> 00:37:26,500 For instance, the area of the 13 acres was leveled 653 00:37:26,667 --> 00:37:28,708 within seven-eighths of an inch. 654 00:37:28,875 --> 00:37:31,333 That's about the thickness of a thumbnail. 655 00:37:31,500 --> 00:37:34,375 But that's not all. The casing stones 656 00:37:34,542 --> 00:37:38,917 are filled with some kind of mysterious cement 657 00:37:39,083 --> 00:37:42,417 that nobody's been able to figure out what the formula is. 658 00:37:42,583 --> 00:37:45,625 This is not the work of primitive people. 659 00:37:46,708 --> 00:37:49,833 TSOUKALOS: Oftentimes, we throw around the words 660 00:37:50,042 --> 00:37:52,083 "awesome" or "monumental," 661 00:37:52,250 --> 00:37:54,708 and we don't really think about these words, 662 00:37:54,875 --> 00:37:58,125 but when you stand in front of the Great Pyramid, 663 00:37:58,292 --> 00:38:02,292 the word "awesome" is in fact true. 664 00:38:03,917 --> 00:38:09,042 ROMANY: It's the most marvelous ancient structure in the world. 665 00:38:09,208 --> 00:38:11,500 What's inside the Great Pyramid of Giza 666 00:38:11,625 --> 00:38:14,208 is absolutely mind-boggling. 667 00:38:14,375 --> 00:38:18,417 You look at the beautiful, perfect tunnel, 668 00:38:18,583 --> 00:38:22,292 with perfectly smooth walls, 669 00:38:22,458 --> 00:38:26,917 and a vaulted ceiling that rises all the way up. 670 00:38:27,083 --> 00:38:29,375 And there are shafts, tunnels, 671 00:38:29,542 --> 00:38:32,458 and the architecture, and the way it was built 672 00:38:32,667 --> 00:38:35,167 is a mystery till today. 673 00:38:35,333 --> 00:38:38,167 NARRATOR: According to most Egyptologists, 674 00:38:38,333 --> 00:38:40,542 this miracle of engineering 675 00:38:40,708 --> 00:38:43,167 was constructed during a 20-year period 676 00:38:43,333 --> 00:38:45,375 by order of the pharaoh Khufu, 677 00:38:45,542 --> 00:38:48,375 sometime around 2500 BC. 678 00:38:48,542 --> 00:38:51,833 But many experts claim this dating is based 679 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,333 on highly questionable data, 680 00:38:54,542 --> 00:38:57,208 and ancient astronaut theorists suggest 681 00:38:57,375 --> 00:38:59,375 the origins of the three pyramids at Giza 682 00:38:59,500 --> 00:39:01,750 are far more profound. 683 00:39:01,958 --> 00:39:04,417 Archaeologists and Egyptologists claim that they were 684 00:39:04,583 --> 00:39:08,167 tombs for the pharaohs, and yet no Egyptian pharaoh 685 00:39:08,333 --> 00:39:11,250 was ever found in a pyramid in Egypt. 686 00:39:11,417 --> 00:39:14,792 We have found the mummies of many Egyptian pharaohs, 687 00:39:14,958 --> 00:39:18,250 but they're found in vaults deep underground 688 00:39:18,417 --> 00:39:20,750 at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, 689 00:39:20,917 --> 00:39:23,125 hundreds of miles away from the pyramids. 690 00:39:23,292 --> 00:39:25,542 The pyramids have no real explanation 691 00:39:25,708 --> 00:39:27,750 of what their purpose was. 692 00:39:29,833 --> 00:39:33,250 DUNN: When you look at the Great Pyramid as a schematic, 693 00:39:33,417 --> 00:39:35,000 for me, it looks like a machine. 694 00:39:35,208 --> 00:39:38,708 Well, if that's the case, what did this machine do? 695 00:39:38,875 --> 00:39:42,833 I propose that the Egyptians built the Great Pyramid 696 00:39:43,042 --> 00:39:46,500 to be a power plant and that the pyramids 697 00:39:46,708 --> 00:39:49,917 were actually geomechanical devices. 698 00:39:50,042 --> 00:39:53,333 In other words, they were attached to the Earth. 699 00:39:53,500 --> 00:39:56,542 They were tuned to vibrate with the frequencies 700 00:39:56,750 --> 00:39:59,167 of the Earth, and they converted the energies 701 00:39:59,333 --> 00:40:02,667 of the Earth into electromagnetic energy. 702 00:40:04,917 --> 00:40:06,792 NARRATOR: Was the pyramid site at Giza 703 00:40:06,958 --> 00:40:09,583 designed as an ancient powerplant? 704 00:40:09,750 --> 00:40:14,167 Perhaps advances in technology will soon shed new light 705 00:40:14,375 --> 00:40:17,625 on the origins of these mysterious structures. 706 00:40:17,708 --> 00:40:22,542 TSOUKALOS: Archaeology is rooted in interpretation, 707 00:40:22,708 --> 00:40:25,000 just like the ancient astronaut theory. 708 00:40:25,208 --> 00:40:28,333 I'm still of the personal opinion 709 00:40:28,458 --> 00:40:32,500 that the Great Pyramid complex dates to a time 710 00:40:32,667 --> 00:40:37,500 when the gods walked among humans. 711 00:40:37,625 --> 00:40:43,458 Something extraordinary happened right here in ancient Egypt. 712 00:40:43,667 --> 00:40:48,792 Perhaps under the tutelage of extraterrestrials, 713 00:40:48,917 --> 00:40:51,708 teachers from another star system. 714 00:40:54,292 --> 00:40:56,583 The pyramids of the Giza Plateau 715 00:40:56,708 --> 00:40:59,583 will never cease to amaze and inspire. 716 00:40:59,708 --> 00:41:03,125 But at each pyramidal site we've investigated, 717 00:41:03,292 --> 00:41:08,375 we've found clues that point to otherworldly visitations. 718 00:41:08,542 --> 00:41:10,667 Could these extraordinary structures 719 00:41:10,833 --> 00:41:13,667 hold the keys to unlocking the truth 720 00:41:13,875 --> 00:41:16,292 about our extraterrestrial origins? 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