This documentary is about Graham Hancock investigating his theory that humans are ‘species with amnesia’ that have forgotten about a lost advanced civilisation dating back to the Ice Age’ (11,000 BC), which many mainstream archaeologists disagree with.
What I find interesting about the documentary’s productions/editing is the introduction showing the controversy surrounding Graham Hancock and his work such as the line, ‘you’ve been described as a pseudo-archaeologist’.
Graham Hancock believes that humans are ‘species with amnesia’, that have forgotten incredible things. I think that it’s an interesting idea an in fact, there are many sources I’ve consumed that discuss this idea such as;
I find it really interesting how he describes the divide between his theories and archaeologists. For example, how they aren’t usually open to new evidence especially surrounding the uncertainty of myths even though science should really be about discovering evidence for new things.
Another interesting thing that I’ve learnt in this documentary is the fact that he takes myth into account and looks at a spectrum of cultures to see which contain similar legends to discover the history, such as the ‘great flood’ which overwhelmed the world and sent many into despair. It’s evident in many ancient cultures such as the Chinese, Indians, Sumerians, the Batak people in Indonesia, Babaloynians, Ancient Greeks & the Bible story of Noah’s Ark. The Pyramid of Cholula also references this myth which is said to be built by giants in Mexico who had experienced the effects of a great flood at the expense of the anger of the rain god Tlaloc. The 7 that survived built it with the help of the locals fearing another wave.
I’d recommend this documentary because it’s interesting to discover new theories surrounding the history of the world and humanity even if they’re controversial amongst archaeologists and academics. Learning about legends and myths in other cultures from this documentary has also allowed me to be a bit more culturally aware and interested in learning more about other cultures which I think we all should do as a society.
