Graham Hancock's "America Before" is a thought-provoking exploration of the possibility that an advanced civilization existed in the Americas long before conventional wisdom suggests. This book challenges the established narrative of human history in the Americas and proposes a radical reimagining of our past.
Introduction
For decades, the academic consensus has held that humans first arrived in America around 13,000 years ago, crossing a land bridge from Asia during the last ice age. However, Graham Hancock argues that this view is far too limited and that evidence points to a much earlier and more sophisticated human presence in the Americas.
Hancock takes readers on a journey through time, exploring archaeological sites, examining DNA evidence, and drawing connections between ancient cultures across the globe. His theory suggests that a highly advanced civilization existed in America tens of thousands of years ago, possessing seafaring capabilities, advanced astronomical knowledge, and possibly even spiritual or psychic abilities that we can barely comprehend today.
While Hancock's ideas may seem controversial, he encourages readers to approach the evidence with an open mind and consider the possibility that our understanding of human history may be due for a significant revision.
The Flaws in Academic Consensus
Hancock begins by highlighting how the archaeological establishment has often been wrong about the timing of human arrival in North America. He points out that for many years, the prevailing view was that humans had only been present in North America for about 4,000 years. This belief was largely due to the influence of Aleš Hrdlička, a prominent scholar who made it difficult for anyone to challenge this idea.
However, in the 1920s and 1930s, evidence emerged that pushed back the date of human presence in America to at least 12,000 years ago. The discovery of distinctive projectile points near Clovis, New Mexico, alongside extinct megafauna, provided compelling proof of human activity during this earlier period.
Unfortunately, rather than seeing this as a starting point for further investigation, the academic community treated it as an immutable truth. The "Clovis First" theory became entrenched, and those who suggested even earlier dates for human presence in America faced ridicule and dismissal.
Hancock argues that this pattern of resistance to new ideas has been a recurring problem in archaeology. He cites examples of researchers being laughed at for presenting evidence of human activity in America dating back 24,000 years or more. This closed-mindedness, he suggests, has hindered our understanding of the true history of the Americas.
The San Diego Mastodon: A Game-Changing Discovery
One of the most significant pieces of evidence challenging the conventional timeline comes from an unexpected source: a mastodon skeleton found near San Diego in 1992. Initially, this discovery didn't seem particularly groundbreaking. However, a detailed examination revealed something extraordinary.
The mastodon's bones showed clear signs of human manipulation. They had been broken using stone tools, likely to extract marrow. This in itself wasn't surprising, as it fit within the accepted timeline of human presence in America. However, when the bones were subjected to radiometric dating analysis in 2014, the results were shocking.
The mastodon remains were dated to approximately 130,000 years ago – ten times older than the Clovis culture and far beyond any previously accepted date for human presence in the Americas. This single discovery, if confirmed, would completely upend our understanding of when and how humans first reached the American continents.
Naturally, this finding was met with skepticism and outright dismissal from many in the academic community. However, Hancock argues that we must be willing to consider the implications of such evidence, even if it challenges our preconceived notions about human history.
The Australasian DNA Mystery
Another piece of evidence that Hancock finds compelling is the presence of Australasian DNA in some Native American populations, particularly in the Amazon region. In 2015, geneticists discovered an unexpected similarity between the DNA of some Amazonian indigenous people and that of Aboriginal Australians and Melanesians.
This finding is puzzling because it doesn't fit with the conventional theory of how the Americas were populated. If all Native Americans descended from people who crossed the Bering land bridge from Asia, how did this Australasian genetic signal end up in South America?
Hancock suggests that the simplest explanation would be that there was an earlier migration to the Americas by sea, possibly from Australasia. While this idea is controversial, even some mainstream researchers admit that it's difficult to explain the genetic evidence any other way.
This genetic puzzle raises intriguing questions about the capabilities of ancient humans. If people from Australasia did indeed reach South America tens of thousands of years ago, it would imply a level of seafaring skill that most archaeologists don't believe existed at that time.
The Amazon: A Lost World of Civilization
Hancock then turns his attention to the Amazon rainforest, which he believes may hold secrets of an advanced ancient civilization. He points to historical accounts, such as that of Brother Gaspar de Carvajal in 1541, which described encountering large, sophisticated cities deep in the Amazon jungle.
For many years, such accounts were dismissed as fantasy or exaggeration. The prevailing view was that the Amazon was too harsh an environment to support large-scale civilization. However, recent discoveries are challenging this assumption.
One key piece of evidence is the presence of terra preta, or "black earth," throughout the Amazon. This incredibly fertile, man-made soil suggests a level of agricultural sophistication that was previously thought impossible for the region. The complex process required to create terra preta implies a deep understanding of soil management and long-term planning.
Furthermore, aerial and satellite surveys have revealed the existence of vast geometric earthworks hidden beneath the jungle canopy. These geoglyphs, as they're called, show precise geometric shapes and alignments that suggest a high level of mathematical and astronomical knowledge.
Hancock argues that these discoveries point to the existence of a much more advanced and populous Amazonian civilization than has been previously recognized. He suggests that this lost Amazonian culture may have been part of a broader, more sophisticated civilization that once spanned much of the Americas.
Earthworks and Astronomy: A Common Thread
One of the most intriguing aspects of Hancock's theory is the apparent similarity between ancient earthworks found in different parts of the Americas. He draws parallels between the geometric structures found in the Amazon and those in the Mississippi Valley, thousands of miles away.
For example, the Newark Earthworks in Ohio feature a perfectly circular structure 321.3 meters in diameter, connected to an octagon via a causeway. These structures are aligned with precision to other earthworks 60 miles away, suggesting a sophisticated understanding of geometry and surveying.
What's more, many of these earthworks seem to have astronomical significance. The geometry of sites like High Bank and Newark in Ohio aligns with rare celestial events such as lunar standstills. Similar alignments with solstices and equinoxes can be found at sites like Poverty Point in Louisiana.
Hancock points out that this deep interest in astronomy and its integration into monumental architecture is a common thread found in ancient cultures around the world, from Stonehenge in England to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. He suggests that this shared characteristic might point to a common origin – perhaps a lost civilization that spread its knowledge globally before being lost to history.
Parallel Afterlife Beliefs: Egypt and Native America
In one of the book's most fascinating sections, Hancock explores the striking similarities between Ancient Egyptian and Native American beliefs about the afterlife. Despite these cultures being separated by vast distances and having no known contact, their ideas about the soul's journey after death are remarkably alike.
Both cultures associated the constellation Orion with the afterlife. In Egyptian mythology, a shaft in the Great Pyramid points directly at Orion's belt, believed to be a portal to the realm of the dead. Similarly, some Native American tribes believed that the dead traveled to the afterlife through an opening marked by Orion's belt, which they saw as part of a celestial hand.
The parallels go even deeper. Both cultures spoke of the soul having to ascend to reach Orion, whether by a ladder (in Egyptian tradition) or by walking the Milky Way (in Native American lore). Both believed that the final transition could only happen when Orion's stars were setting low on the western horizon.
Even some of the more gruesome details align. Egyptian art depicts a goddess opening a dead person's head with a hatchet, while Native American myths speak of a fearsome "brain-smasher" figure encountered on the journey to the afterlife.
Hancock argues that these similarities are too specific and numerous to be mere coincidence. Yet, given that these cultures never had direct contact, how can we explain these parallel beliefs? Hancock suggests that they might have inherited these ideas from a common source – a lost civilization that influenced cultures around the world before its own disappearance.
The Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis
A crucial part of Hancock's theory revolves around a catastrophic event that occurred approximately 12,800 years ago: the Younger Dryas impact event. According to this hypothesis, Earth was struck by fragments of a disintegrating comet, causing widespread destruction and triggering a period of global cooling known as the Younger Dryas.
Recent research suggests that this event was truly cataclysmic. Studies indicate that around 9% of the Earth's land surface burned, equivalent to the entire area of North America. The resulting smoke and dust would have blocked out sunlight, leading to a rapid cooling of the planet and the onset of a mini ice age that lasted over a thousand years.
The consequences for life on Earth were dire. Many species of megafauna, including mammoths and saber-toothed cats, went extinct. The advanced Clovis culture in North America disappeared, never to return. Sea levels rose dramatically due to melting ice sheets, potentially flooding coastal settlements.
Hancock argues that this catastrophe could explain the sudden disappearance of the advanced civilization he proposes existed in America. However, he suggests that some elements of this civilization might have survived, passing on their knowledge to other cultures around the world.
The Lost Civilization Hypothesis
Drawing together all these threads of evidence, Hancock proposes his central thesis: that a sophisticated civilization existed in the Americas long before conventional history suggests, perhaps as far back as 130,000 years ago. This civilization, he argues, was likely seafaring and technologically advanced, with a deep understanding of astronomy and geometry.
Hancock suggests that this civilization might have foreseen the coming catastrophe of the Younger Dryas impact through their astronomical observations. Realizing that their way of life was doomed, they may have made efforts to pass on their knowledge to hunter-gatherer societies, knowing that these hardier groups would be more likely to survive the coming disaster.
This theory, Hancock argues, could explain many of the mysteries we've encountered: the sudden appearance of advanced technologies like Clovis points, the shared astronomical knowledge found in diverse cultures, and the parallels in afterlife beliefs between geographically separated peoples.
Interestingly, Hancock points out that the idea of a lost, advanced civilization is not entirely foreign to ancient cultures. He cites Egyptian texts from the temple at Edfu, which speak of a primordial age of gods who came from a holy island in a great ocean. These texts describe a catastrophe that destroyed this land, after which the survivors roamed the Earth, settling among other peoples and attempting to recreate their lost world.
Advanced Technology and Alternative Science
One of the most speculative aspects of Hancock's theory is his suggestion that this lost civilization might have possessed forms of technology or understanding that we can't easily recognize or comprehend today. He points to examples like the massive stone blocks at Baalbek in Lebanon, which seem to defy conventional explanations for how they could have been moved and placed with such precision.
Hancock proposes that instead of focusing solely on material technology, this ancient civilization might have developed what we would now call "psi" capabilities – abilities like telepathy or telekinesis that harness the power of human consciousness. While these ideas may seem far-fetched to many, Hancock argues that our modern, materialist worldview might be blinding us to possibilities that ancient cultures understood better.
He draws parallels with shamanic traditions, particularly the use of hallucinogenic plants like ayahuasca in Amazonian cultures. Hancock, who claims personal experience with ayahuasca, suggests that these practices might offer glimpses into forms of perception and understanding that our lost civilization might have mastered.
While these ideas venture into territory that many would consider pseudoscience, Hancock presents them as possibilities worth considering, especially in light of the many mysteries surrounding ancient achievements that we struggle to explain with our current understanding.
Conclusion: Reimagining Human History
In concluding his exploration, Hancock acknowledges that his theories are speculative and controversial. However, he argues that the evidence he has presented – from the San Diego mastodon to the Australasian DNA in the Amazon, from the sophisticated earthworks to the parallel afterlife beliefs – demands explanation.
The conventional narrative of human history in the Americas, he contends, simply cannot account for all these anomalies and mysteries. While Hancock's lost civilization hypothesis may seem far-fetched to many, he challenges readers to consider whether it might actually provide a more comprehensive explanation for the evidence than the current academic consensus.
Hancock's work invites us to reimagine human history on a grander scale. He suggests that our species' past might be far more complex, sophisticated, and mysterious than we have previously believed. Whether or not one fully accepts Hancock's theories, "America Before" certainly succeeds in encouraging readers to question assumptions, think critically about evidence, and remain open to new possibilities in our understanding of the human story.
The book serves as a reminder that our knowledge of the past is always evolving, and that what seems impossible or unlikely today might become accepted fact tomorrow. As we continue to uncover new evidence and develop new technologies for investigating the past, we may yet discover that the history of humanity in the Americas – and indeed, around the world – is far more ancient and wondrous than we ever imagined.