By: Sam Doak
November 8 2022
False: Reptilian aliens visited ancient Egypt and never left earth.
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
There is no evidence that ancient civilizations were visited by aliens. Scientists are yet to find life beyond earth.
Claim ID a5889623
Context
Conspiracy theorists have long held that aliens visited the earth in ancient times. While narratives vary, they usually state that such beings visited civilizations such as the Egyptians and Mayans and introduced them to technology or otherwise influenced historical events.
An iteration of this claim currently doing the rounds states that three alien species visited ancient Egypt. In this particular instance, it is stated that while the intergalactic federation ordered all three to leave, the purportedly malevolent reptilians remained.
This claim derives from an excerpt from a video made for Zohar Stargate TV, an outlet specializing in conspiratorial UFO and alien-themed content. Shared as a clip on TikTok, the video has been liked over 270,000 times and subsequently shared to other platforms, including Facebook.
In Fact
There is no evidence to support claims that intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited earth. The U.S. scientific body NASA has maintained that, “No life beyond Earth has ever been found; there is no evidence that alien life has ever visited our planet.” According to astrobiology.nasa.gov, the official website for NASA’s program studying the origin, evolution, distribution of life around the Universe, extraterrestrial presence “is all a story.”
Such claims were partially popularized by the long-running television series "Ancient Aliens," which was itself heavily inspired by the 1968 book "Chariot of The Gods?" Both the series and book are known for making outlandish claims about aliens and their influence on human societies throughout history. Crucially, the claims made in each have never been supported or accepted by mainstream historians or scientists. In 2012, science writer Riley Black went so far as to describe Ancient Aliens as “some of the most noxious sludge in television's bottomless chum bucket.”
While it is easy to dismiss claims of secret reptilian aliens walking among us, it is important to note that this conspiracy theory has well-documented antisemitic undertones. Influential fringe figures such as David Icke have frequently stated that such lizard-people secretly control world events, claims commonly interpreted as being antisemitic dogwhistles due to the commonalities they share with well-worn racist tropes. In a piece for NBC News, cultural historian Lynn Stuart Parramore noted that, “The notion of shape-shifting, blood-sucking reptilian humanoids invading Earth to control the human race is actually a very old trope with disturbing links to anti-immigrant and antisemitic hostilities dating to the 19th century.”
The Verdict
People have claimed that aliens visited ancient Egypt and other societies for decades. Despite the widespread interest such claims have attracted, no evidence has ever surfaced to support them. Narratives relating to secretive reptilian aliens have a well-documented connection to antisemitic conspiracy theories. This claim has therefore been marked false.