Graham Hancock

[[File:Graham-Hancock.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Graham Hancock]]{{pseudohistorynav}}{{pseudosciencenav}}
'''Graham Bruce Hancock''' {{lived|2 August 1950}} is a [[British]] [[Pseudoarchaeology|pseudoarchaeologist]] and [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscientist]], most noted for writing [[Bullshit|a number of books]] surrounding the [[Giza pyramids|Pyramids]] and [[Sphinx of Giza]], as well as other ancient monuments. He is most recently known for presenting his "ideas" (such as they are) on the Netflix series ''Ancient Apocalypse'' which plays him straight in much the same manner that [[Ancient Aliens]] does with [[Erich von Däniken]].

==Books==
His writing career started off with a book about [[AIDS]] and a follow-up, called ''Lords of Poverty''. He then set off to find the [[Ark of the Covenant]], which he believed to be tucked away in a little [[Ethiopia]]n backwater.

Then came his magnum opus — ''Fingerprints of the Gods''. In it, Hancock goes on about {{wpl|White gods||.}} For example, he asserts that the Triple Alliance (Aztec) [[god]] [[Quetzalcoatl]] was a bearded white man. He also claims that the Incan Viracocha was a bearded white man. And, while millions of people believe this to be true, the story was likely an apocryphal invention of the conquered Aztecs to recast their defeat as a result of religious mistaken identity, when in fact the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs was possible thanks largely to the Aztecs' oppression of subject peoples, who readily allied with Cortez.<ref>http://knowledgenuts.com/2014/02/14/the-aztecs-didnt-mistake-the-spanish-for-gods/</ref><ref>https://archive.org/details/memoirsofconquis01dauoft/</ref>

In this tome, he is amazed by the fact there exist maps of the world showing bits that hadn't been discovered at the time they were drawn. This is a pretty selective approach, since early maps frequently show areas of land that were [[Phantom island|not actually there]], due to mistakes or misidentification. That applies to the good cartographers — some early mapmakers put land in their maps because they suspected (for no good reason) that there might be land there, or possibly for aesthetic purposes — for example, to make the empty areas look prettier. In short, it is unwise to draw conclusions about what old maps show in unexplored regions without being very careful.

Hancock shows every sign of not showing such caution. He went off in search of the ancient civilization which had created these maps, basically calling it [[Atlantis]] and stating that the Atlantean ruins are now under the [[Antarctic]] ice, thanks to crustal displacement. On top of all this, he aligned the Giza complex to the constellation of Orion as it was some 10,000 years ago, although the [[BBC]] program ''Horizon'' thought otherwise. They claimed that Hancock had fiddled with the locations of some of the temples to fit in with his own theories, and had even ignored the texts carved on the temples themselves, which explained quite clearly why and when they had been built. Hancock cried foul to the Broadcasting Standards Commission, who politely told him to sod off. At least he never mentioned [[Extraterrestrial|aliens]], especially [[David Icke|shape-changing lizards]]. Hancock also told [[Joe Rogan]] that the Atlanteans were "deeply, deeply [[Spirituality|spiritual]] people". How Hancock would know that people who lived 12,000 years ago and left no written records were especially spiritual [[PIDOOMA|is anyone's guess.]]

After another turgid tome on Giza, this time written with Robert Bauval, Hancock released ''The Mars Mystery''. Although he puts forward some interesting theories on what happened to [[Mars]] way back when, he spoils it all by claiming the "[[Face on Mars]]" (and all the other "structures" in Cydonia) to be real and not a [[Pareidolia|happy circumstance of light and rocks]].

''Heaven's Mirror'' (basically a glorified picture book of his wife's photos) and ''Underworld'' followed. In the latter, he highlights numerous unusual underwater rock formations and claims these are the remains of civilizations that took to wading in a big way, after the end of the last [[ice age]] made the oceans rise. The response to this was a resounding "So?"

Finally, he confirmed what many had been thinking all along. In ''Supernatural'' he revealed that he had been indulging in large amounts of [[drugs|recreational pharmaceuticals]], which had opened the doors of perception to the so-called [[spirit]] world beyond. Hancock tried to explain that this was what cave paintings were all about &mdash; stoned cavemen &mdash; which, well, maybe, but hard to establish. However, when your manuscript keeps changing into a small, green possum, this is no easy feat. Luckily others have gone down that route too, and at least [[Aldous Huxley]] wrote a far better book about it.

In addition to all this, as with many other cranks, Graham Hancock [[Global warming denialism|does not believe in global warming]]. Is this any surprise considering how at odds he is with real intellectuals and academics?<ref>https://www.facebook.com/Author.GrahamHancock/posts/10153477529487354</ref>

Hancock once debated archaeologist Flint Dibble on Joe Rogan's podcast, which didn't go well for Hancock. Dibble is of the opinion that Hancock is part of a "doomsday cult". Originally Hancock joined the [[2012 Apocalypse]] bandwagon, but when that didn't pan out he pivoted to the Younger Dryas narrative.<ref>https://youtu.be/V0tMcWeOuFY</ref>

==''Ancient Apocalypse''==
The Netflix series ''Ancient Apocalypse'' has consisted of two episodes, both in 2022.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22807484/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 Ancient Apocalypse] ''IMDb''.</ref> The series features Hancock as host and lead promoter of pseudohistory. It's purportedly popular enough that Netflix decided to reboot it in 2024. The production company was to film in two [[US]] national parks in [[Arizona]], [[Grand Canyon]] and Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Some initial filming was conducted, but the plan was cancelled after the Park Service reversed course and did not issue the necessary permits following objections from several [[Native American]] groups. As of 2024, production may still occur elsewhere in the US.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/01/netflix-ancient-apocalypse-canceled Netflix’s Ancient Apocalypse scraps US filming plans after outcry from Native American groups: Hit show’s British host Graham Hancock has been criticized for promoting fringe beliefs about advanced lost civilization] by Annette McGivney and Oliver Milman (1 Jul 2024 10.00 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

==People influenced by Hancock==
[[UKIP]]'s former parliamentarian, [[Douglas Carswell]], is quite a fan of Hancock's thinking on foreign aid.<ref>https://twitter.com/DouglasCarswell/status/540106835014201346</ref>{{Dead link}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last1=Hancock |first1=Graham |last2=Carim |first2=Enver|title=AIDS: The Deadly Epidemic |publisher=Victor Gollancz |location= |year=1987 |isbn= 978-0575041622}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant |publisher=Touchstone |location= |year=1993 |isbn=978-0671865412}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=The Lords of Poverty: The Power, Prestige, and Corruption of the International Aid Business |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press |location= |year=1994 |isbn=978-0871134691}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization |publisher=Crown |location= |year=1995 |isbn=978-0517593486}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=Keeper of Genesis: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind |publisher= Arrow Books Ltd |location= |year=1997 |isbn=978-0099416364}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=The Mars Mystery: The Secret Connection Between Earth and the Red Planet |publisher=Crown |location= |year=1998 |isbn= 978-0609600863}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=Heaven's Mirror: Quest for the Lost Civilization |publisher=Three Rivers Press |location= |year=1999 |isbn=978-0609804773}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization |publisher=Crown |location= |year=2002 |isbn=978-1400046126}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind |publisher=Century |location= |year=2005 |isbn=978-0385662161}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=Entangled: The Eater of Souls |publisher=Century |location= |year=2010 |isbn=978-1846055539}}
*{{cite book |last1=Hancock |first=Graham |last2=Bauval |first2=Robert |title=The Master Game: Unmasking the Secret Rulers of the World |publisher=Disinformation Books |location= |year=2011 |isbn=978-1934708644}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=WAR GOD: Nights of the Witch |publisher=Coronet Books |location= |year=2013 |isbn=978-1444734379}}
*{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=Graham |title=War God: Return of the Plumed Serpent |publisher=Peach Publishing |location= |year=2014 |isbn=978-1780362496}}
*{{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Andrew |last2=Hancock |first2=Graham |title=Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods: The Temple of the Watchers and the Discovery of Eden |publisher=Bear & Company |location= |year=2014 |isbn=978-1591431428}}

==See also==
*[[Rand Flem-Ath]]

==External links==
*[http://www.grahamhancock.com Graham Hancock's website]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock, Graham}}
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:British people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Pseudoarchaeology]]
[[Category:Pseudohistory promoters]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Television programmes]]

Categories: Authors, British people, Living people, Pseudoarchaeology, Pseudohistory promoters, Pseudoscience promoters, Television programmes