Odyssey of the Gods: The History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece

by Erich von Däniken, William Dufris (Narrator)

Legendary UFO expert Erich von Daniken stirs up another controversy with an imaginative What if the myths of ancient Greece were attempts to describe events that really happened? What if ancient peoples were visited, not by imaginary gods and goddesses, but by extraterrestrial beings who arrived on earth thousands of years ago? The author's research into both ancient mythology and current archaeological discoveries leads him to some explosive hypotheses. He suggests that the best explanation of such creatures as centaurs and Cyclops, as well as stories about the lost continent of Atlantis and wars among the deities, may be efforts by artists of the times to record never-before-seen phenomena. Dozens of ancient sculptures and temple decorations, von Daniken points out, look surprisingly similar to equipment used by today's astronauts. Could these be long-lost secrets, being rediscovered by scientists today?

Genres: Nonfiction, Aliens, Paranormal, History, Mythology, Conspiracy Theories, Greece

MP3 CD

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Greek: Έριχ φον Νταίνικεν

Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (1935–2026) was a Swiss author of several pseudoscientific books which made claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, including the best-selling Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968. Däniken was one of the main figures responsible for popularizing the "paleo-contact" and ancient astronauts hypotheses.

The ideas put forth in his books are rejected by virtually all scientists and academics, who categorize his work as pseudohistory, pseudoarchaeology, and pseudoscience. Early in his career, he was convicted and served time for several counts of fraud or embezzlement, and wrote one of his books in prison.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here’s the deal with my 1 star ratings:

There are some bad books that try really hard and I give them only a single star with a twinge of sadness. There are other books so loaded with suckness that they twist my knickers with the stench of their crappy and I feel the need to go-a-ranting to expunge the trauma they've inflicted upon my psyche, such as:


And THAN there are the chosen few putrid shame stains whose epic offensiveness feels like brain rape. Welcome to one of those reviews. This book soiled me and I feel violated. I also feel outraged and as a caring member of the GR flock, I want to speak out as a PSA to my fellow flockers, lest any of you be tempted to poke around this vile pile of yuck.

Let me tell you what bothered me so much about this ridiculous book. It’s not the Saturday morning cartoon science postulating the theory that aliens arrived on Earth thousands of years before recorded history began and remained here because the weather was nice. It’s not the claim that these beings and their highly advanced technology are true source of every ancient wonder and the wellspring from which sprung every religion and myth system known to humankind.

Hell, I love that kind of stuff and it’s one of the reasons I picked this book up. I get a huge throbbing happy reading about conspiracy theories, fringe sciences, bizarre explanations for why (i) the Moon is really made of non-fat yogurt, (ii) the Earth is actually flat and (iii) humans feel sad and miserable because they have alien souls in them.

Mind you, I…..don’t….. believe….ANY OF IT, but I get a serious smile from reading about stuff like that as it appeals to my SF/fantasy loving nature. BTW, have I mentioned that this book is intended to be non-fiction. Yep.

So it isn’t the Stargate-like origin of human existence that has me so miffed at Daniken. It’s not even that his theories are intentionally designed in such a way as to require zero proof beyond…well, “Daniken says so.” If that were all, I would simply laugh at it, give it 1 star and move on to the next book on my to read list.

THE PROBLEMO is that it appears to me that Daniken KNOWS he’s full of malodorous bullshit and is excreting this hokum to get rich off the segment of society he’s duped into thinking he’s some scientific messiah. He isn’t some eccentric whackjob who I could forgive and dismiss with a wink and a smile. I think he’s a calculating, duplicitous scumbag on the same level as money-whoring television evangelists like Robert Tilton:


People like this that prey on the weak and lost are in the same category as pimps and drug dealers and I think they should have their twig and berries sawed off with razor wire. Freedom of scientific expression is one thing and this is NOT that one thing.

A few little tidbits I culled from a brief Wikipedia search of the author:

…he has also knowingly put forward fraudulent evidence to advance his hypotheses, such as photographs of pottery "depicting UFOs", supposedly from an archaeological dig dating back to the biblical era. The PBS television series Nova determined that this was a fraud, and even located the potter who made them. When confronted with this evidence, von Däniken argued that the deception was justified because some people would only believe his ideas if they saw actual proof.

In The Gold of the Gods von Däniken claimed to have been guided through artificial tunnels in a cave under Ecuador, Cueva de los Tayos, containing gold, strange statues and a library with metal tablets, which he wrote was evidence of ancient space visitors. The man who he claimed showed him these tunnels, Juan Moricz, told Der Spiegel that all of von Däniken's descriptions came from a long conversation and that the photos in the book had been "fiddled". Von Däniken eventually told Playboy that although he had seen the library and other places he had described, he had also fabricated some of the events to add interest to his book.

Rant/PSA/Catharsis over…don’t buy the book. It will cause you pain, scar you, and make you feel bad about yourself.

[Maciej Pakulski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros:
- mentions a few Greek myths/books (Argonautica, Iliad, Odyssey, Schliemann's Troy, Atlantis)

Cons
- most of the conclusions of the author are naive
- 1/3 of the book focuces on Plato's dialogues (Critias, Timaeus), where the author tries to compare alread known candidates of Atlantis to the description provided in the dialogues. But at the end, the author concludes that in his opinion, Atlantis must have been located somewhere in Caribbean, without comparing his thesis to Plato's description.

[Μaria Vrisanaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Το διάβασα σχεδόν σε μια μέρα. Ενδιαφέρουσες απόψεις που σηκώνουν συζήτηση!

[Annie Slasher (Booked & Loaded) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thoughts on Reality and Truth – (as I think this needs to be said before the review)These things change constantly. When you were six it was your reality that Santa Clause existed. It was 100% true to you. This does not mean it was not real and it does not mean that it is real. Reality is always perception and it is subject to change. Our reality changes as we grow, age, and learn. This is the same for individuals and societies. What we are taught is not always reality. I could list 100 examples of things we believe are true, that are just not. However, this review and post is about a book intended to make you think about what your truths are. Not tell you that you are wrong. Can you think outside what you “know” and examine other possibilities?

It is so hard to think about 10,000 years ago. Even harder is to try to have an understanding of what it was like socially and culturally. Think about how little we know about other countries right NOW! Trying to break the cycle of giving everyone our same values, thoughts, and priorities is a challenge. Try it. One thing I always think of when trying to think outside the box about human development and origin is that we assume people have not changed in the last 100-200 years, when in fact we have! You can easily look up size and weight charts from that era. So what else could change in 1000 years? 5000 years?

I am passionate about folklore, fairy tales, anything paranormal and supernatural. Part of this passion began at a young age when I realized that there are bits of truth in everything. Odyssey of the Gods: A History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece touches on this and more. Erich von Däniken wants to make you think about your reality. What if many Greek Mythology stories were based in truth? That is where Erich von Däniken begins with Odyssey of the Gods: The History of Extraterrestrial Contract in Ancient Greece.

Erich von Däniken executed Odyssey of the Gods: The History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece in a very research oriented way. Odyssey of the Gods: A History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece made me think and think and think some more about “what if”. It was intended to do so and it worked. Odyssey of the Gods: A History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece is broken up into 6 parts.

1. Adventures of the Starship Enterprise in Long-Gone Millennia
2. In the Name of Zeus
3. The Network of the Gods
4. The Trojan Tangle
5. Atlantis: The Millennia-Old Whodunnit
6. Help For Plato

I want to touch on a few of my favorite parts:

This Odyssey of the Gods: A History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece starts out with an analysis of a very ancient science fiction type of story about the Argonauts. The name of this ancient story is Argonautica. It was crewed with many sons of gods and kings, and was captained by Jason. Jason and the Argonauts go on a journey to obtain a “Golden Fleece” that flies. The ship they travel on, the Argo, is unsinkable had has a “speaking beam”. Erich Von Däniken provided many different point of views on this journey. They met with gods, giants, and robots. Where did they really travel to? What was the Golden Fleece really? This ancient journey captured me and really had me thinking. Erich Von Däniken goes into great depth about his research and relays the information bluntly.

Plato is also discussed regarding an event that could be described as nuclear more than 10,000 years ago. Most of this section seemed to elaborate on ancient writings (all over) and how they are very clear about disasters being either natural or caused by the gods.

Pyramids – The Network of the Gods? Most of us only know of the Pyramids in Egypt. They are not the only ones. The Pyramids of Argolis are located in Greece. These are thought to be much older than the Egyptian pyramids.

Atlantis – Again with another fresh and brilliant theory on a subject that everyone knows about.

Erich von Däniken also goes into detail about the Machine of Articythera. What is left of The Machine of Articythera is currently on display at the Greek National Museum in Athens. This is a fascinating section about theories as to what the Machine of Articythera is and what it did. An ancient device with dials and intricate cogwheels! It was just fascinating to read about.

Odyssey of the Gods: The History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece by Erich von Däniken is packed full of more information than is possible to recap, well – without writing my own short novel. However, Erich von Däniken presents his theories and ideas in way that I think most readers will be able to process easily.

I enjoyed reading Odyssey of the Gods: The History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece as it contains many original theories and the information is presented in a way that you can understand. Erich von Dänikens writings are entertaining and he writes as if he is talking to you, and that is a compliment. All around Odyssey of the Gods: A History of Extraterrestrial Contact is a win. With new theories, information, and research it will keep you thinking and wanting to know more.

I give Odyssey of the Gods: The History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece by Erich von Däniken 4 out of 5 Bullets

[Gurudatt Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

An author who never disappoints in providing substantive linkage of humans to extraterrestrials. Another amazing book in the series. A must read for someone believing in space exploration, ancient aliens and life ahead.

[Radek Ok · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trudno tą książkę traktować inaczej niż z przymrożeniem oka.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

Very interesting. As a big fan of Ancient Aliens, I am really excited to read some of these books that started people thinking about these things.

[Andrés · Rating 3 out of 5]

A long time ago when I was in highschool, my history teacher would tell us that we should check our "facts" with at least three different sources to consider them facts. Or was it some other teacher? Anyway, the point was clear enough, don't take anything at face value until you've researched it thoroughly. The problem nowadays is that you can easily find three sources that will agree on something, only to find other three sources that will contradict that something, and then find yet another three sources that don't agree with any of those somethings.

See where I'm getting at? Who do we believe has gotten history right when everyone has its own theories and can support them by "evidence" we'll be hard pressed to study ourselves? Ancient history seems to be, to my mind, part science and part faith. We have tools at our disposal to help us discover the ancient history of our world but, ultimately, everything is filtered by the lens of the historian, or the archaeologist, or the linguist, etc. von Däniken is, by no means, the exception to the rule and seeks to convince the reader of the truth of his hypothesis, basically, that aliens visited our planet and created the human race, starting us on our technological evolution.

To his credit, he tells an interesting story that lures the reader in. After all, humanity has always been drawn into mysteries and puzzles. Truth be told, we sometimes find the puzzle more interesting than the solution itself. Who wouldn't rather believe that the "chariots of the gods" were actually spaceships than something conjured up in the mind of a very imaginative writer? Thus, while most historians dismiss the Greek myths as little more than fiction, von Däniken argues they're truer than most would admit. Among his many arguments, he suggests that some of them hold too many details to be considered fiction (Tolkien would probably disagree) and that they wouldn't have been put into writing unless they were true (he makes this argument in the case of those written on tablets due to the difficulty of the task involved). He also highlights things like the distances between the places of faith in ancient Greece, but he doesn't bother to include a map to better emphasize his point. Likewise, when he talks about Atlantis he claims many maps have been made out of Plato's description but he doesn't produce a single one. This is not to say his claims are invalid, but it was disappointing that he couldn't be bothered to be more graphic.

During his exposition he mentions things like the Antikythera mechanism, an impressive piece of technology in and of itself, that he claims could not have been made given the knowledge at the time. Considering the many technological geniuses humanity has spawned throughout history (Leonardo comes to mind), I'd say that's a bold statement to make. There have always been men throughout history ahead of their time and the Antikythera mechanism could simply be a product of these men and their ingenuity.

Throughout the book he denounces how historians and archaeologists alike dismiss any data that doesn't fit their theory or the "accepted view of history." This is true of people in general, we all see what we want to see, von Däniken included. There's one chapter in which he explains at length how this theory that Troy and Atlantis are one and the same is nothing more than wishful thinking and how the facts from Plato's tale are chosen and dismissed according to this view. His opinion is that, either Plato's tale of Atlantis is 100% fiction or 100% true, a persuasive enough logic if our minds could only think in binary terms.

This is, in essence, the basis of his arguments, that ancient civilizations recorded these myths not as tales of fiction but as statements of fact, describing them the best they could within the limits of their language and obscured somewhat by the passing of the ages. It's an alluring concept no doubt and the basis for my three-star rating. von Däniken knows how to tell a story, be it true or false, and as such it's pretty good. Does it prove his hypothesis right? Not by a long shot.

If anything, von Däniken's book should serve to remind us that the history of our planet is a constant source of wonder and that there are many mysteries waiting to be solved, whether aliens are involved or not.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars – A Thought-Provoking but Speculative Journey through Ancient Greece

Odyssey of the Gods by Erich von Däniken offers a provocative reimagining of ancient Greek myths through the lens of ancient astronaut theory. As with much of von Däniken’s work, the book blends archaeology, mythology, and speculative science in an attempt to challenge traditional understandings of history.

What makes this book interesting is its focus on Greece—a departure from the more frequently discussed Egyptian or South American civilizations in similar works. Von Däniken raises some genuinely fascinating questions about the gods of Olympus, mythological creatures, and ancient technologies, and he presents them in a way that encourages curiosity and open-mindedness.

However, readers looking for grounded historical analysis may find the book lacking in scholarly rigor. Many of the arguments lean heavily on conjecture and "what if" scenarios without solid evidence to support them. At times, the connections drawn between ancient texts and extraterrestrial involvement feel more imaginative than plausible.

Still, for fans of alternative history and those who enjoy having their perspectives challenged, Odyssey of the Gods is an entertaining and thought-provoking read. Just approach it with a critical eye and a healthy dose of skepticism.

[Emerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and loads of info from the ancients which has been complied in this book. Daniken goes into six tales of Ancient Greece and analyzes their technology of the ancients/gods. Plato's description of Atlantis and how this tale came to be which occurred at a symposium and festival, which according to Plato and his guests actually came from ancient Egypt, most likely from the lost library of Alexandra. Atlantis and Greece at war with each other? I've never heard this. A chapter on the golden fleece and Jason. A total of six chapters. I like to read this type of stuff. If Atlantis existed I've always wondered if it was a victim of an asteroid which caused a massive tsunami which washed over the massive island or struck within its sphere to cause it to be destroyed. Proof also of the oceans rising even back in antiquity. Ancient map of Antarctica not under ice. The 'what if' possibilities.

[Mark Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book that brings up well-researched challenges to the established historical narratives that unfortunately falls short in presenting much satisfying evidence or argument for its "aliens were the gods".

Does it create a great case for advanced civilizations during the Ice Age? Yes.
Does anything in it convince me that aliens led those civilizations? Not really.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed chariots of the Gods and am an avid watcher of ancient aliens, but as a classicist I found this unreadable because of the sheer number of errors in his mythology and etymology that is essential to his arguments. I love outside of the box hypotheses but unfortunately the quality of his research is very very poor.

[Monika Romanowska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book, looking at the completely new for me begging of the world.

[Sedef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yazarın her kitabı sizi daha fazla düşünmeye yönlendiriyor. Farklı bakış açıları ile yeni kaynak kitap bilgileri almak da en büyük artısı..

[Mauricio De La Torre · Rating 3 out of 5]

El autor dedica más tiempo a presentar los mitos griegos en lugar de su teoria.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of it was covered in other books wasn't until the end that he got into something new I wasn't aware of the Piri Reis map.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piri_...

[Dan Zarfati · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not his best work nor his worst, but it is an interesting work all the same, there are materila that has been re-used but some new material also, still, it is a book above average.

[Anthony Schorr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

[Bixi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilde Theorien zu den Mythen der alten Griechen - woher kommen diese phantastischen Geschichten, die auch in anderen Kulturkreisen zu finden sind. Übermenschliche Götter, die mit (technischen?) Wunderdingen fliegen, kämpfen usw, können - vielleicht doch eine höherentwikelte Spezies von vor Ewigkeiten?

[Dj · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my another in a long line of books where the author is trying to prove that the Gods of the old myths were actually Aliens that came to Earth and did any number of amazing things, of which there is little evidence to support.
While I don't think that his basic assumption that organized science needs to be more open minded or even more willing to look at theories that are less well established, I do think that he should stop leaping to conclusions.
He in fact does a lot of what he accuses others of doing. He determines his conclusion and then shoe horns the evidence into supporting that conclusion without considering other options. His blanket statement that there is no way that any of our ancient ancestors would have no way to imagine a dragon without every having seen one would be a prime example of this.
The Chinese found very large bones (dinosaur bones it is now known), their imagination worked out that these were large and often, flying beasts that they called Dragons. They even used the powder of these 'dragon' bones for medicinal remedies. And it is a fair assumption that they never actually saw a living 'dragon'.
In a rush to prove his theory he does much more to damage it than to support it. In this case he uses Greek Myth to push his agenda, but mostly fails in the attempt.
However it is a really good book to read for a possible source for a Science Fiction work.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have long thought about the theory that we have had visitors from another planet. Being a Star Trek fan from earliest days. I remember when I was in grade school, I told my science teacher that it looked like the two continents were at one time one. He told my many students think that but it is ridiculous. This was before scientific evidence of continent movement was ever proven. He said this in a way as to shut down all possibility that I would ever question this. Since grade school many years ago - continent movement is a reality and how things change with the passage of time.

While I do not agree with fiddling with evidence to help people believe your point of view, and he should be more upfront about this, I have always loved the story of Jason and the Greek gods. There are so many -to my limited recollection - ancient religions that have the same types of gods, that a theory can be put forth on what caused this. Was it the same types of things that different cultures couldn't explain or some outside force ( visitors ) that caused this.

Since one cannot separate fact from fiction, read this a thought provoking and not fully factual.

I gave it 3 stars because I thought the change from Greece to Atlantis very abrupt. I didn't really see the connection at all but since I listened to a recording of the book - maybe I missed it.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Erich von Daeniken's books, because even if you do not believe in the ancient aliens theory (or hypothesis), it is very interesting to read about unexplained discoveries that make clear that our past was different than what some archeologists want us to believe.
However, I found this the weakest of his books so far. The reason is that in this book he mostly looks at ancient texts and not at "hard remains of the past". So if a reputable author writes down a story that he has heard someone retelling after that person heard it from his grandfather, does that make it fact or truth? Another thing I did not like was that von Daeniken writes down all these mysterious geometrical patterns that connect ancient greek sites, but he does not support these findings on any map. I tried to do some of it myself, but did not come to any good findings. So if this really is so unusal, then why not make it better understandable for the reader with some good graphics?
Overall, I found the book ok, but would not necessarily recommend it to other readers - there are far better books by him out there.

[CC. Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

To read Daniken's books, you have to be aware that Daniken not only believes in aliens but propounds that an ancient race of aliens created humans. According to Daniken, our history is alive with proof if only we can shrug off centuries of teaching and see things in a new light.

I have read many of Daniken's books and have been a fan of his for years, but this is one book I just didn't enjoy. Much of the book is devoted to very lengthy interpretations of various Greek myths, such as Minotaurs and other fabled creatures and Jason and the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece. Really lengthy interpretations--pages and pages and pages. I lost interest after that first 'pages'.

What's really different about this book is that Daniken just tells in this book without really showing. His connections were unconvincing and not the careful work of the meticulous researcher he usually is. It felt more like a rough draft of some thoughts rather than a careful, finished examination of evidence.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of the same from Von Däniken, but it is still interesting and entertaining.

Read by William Dufris
Duration: 7.5 hours
Published in October of 2011 by Tantor Audio

Erich Von Däniken’s bestselling 1968 book Chariots of the Gods? helped to popularize what is now known as the “ancient astronaut” theory. This theory was featured in the 1970s NBC documentary In Search Of Ancient Astronauts and has even made it to Hollywood with the X-Files and the latest installment of the Indiana Jones movies. In short, the theory is that humanity, thousands of years ago, was visited by aliens who built gigantic structures such as the pyramids and Stonehenge and were mistaken for gods by our ancestors. They are the inspiration behind much of the ancient mythology around the world and the fantastic beasts included in many of those myths are actually the result of genetic experimentation...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new way to interpret the past. Far too often people think their time is the farthest point civilization has evolved. Far too often they forget about cataclysms that wipe earlier civilizations off the map.

And with that vanquished civilization goes all of their accomplishments except for baffling megaliths inscribed with a language no one knows. The cycle of life no doubt reaches back beyond human recollection and is recalled in myths, legends, and holy texts- For the most part regarded with amusement from our lofty perspective.

Yet our culture will leave it's marks in the geologic strata. Perhaps a society which considers itself the apex of civilization will find the Washington Monument and will misinterpret it's purpose.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite of his Ancient Alien books. He spent most of the time reciting Jason and the Argonauts with very little connection to Ancient Aliens. And the few connections he did make were weak and flimsy at best. I was really excited about this one as I love ancient Mythology, from multiple cultures. I just feel like he let us down on this one. I probably wouldn't recommend this one to read.

[Blayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. Great logic and reasoning to arrive at a series of interpretations of old stories. I have not read Dan Brown, but I kept thinking it must be similar. I cannot speak to the truthfulness of the content, but it is very imaginative and creative.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

giants, Peru lost forgot methods of metallurgy, 18K years ago water level much 100’s lower, what is buried below mile of ice, 2028 asteroid, 81% view data different than erroneous data fed climate models, 11.4M years ago change, special metal Atlantis, return date unsure.

[JR Simons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Van Daaniken continues to tell a good story, but he's still short of providing real evidence that is irrefutable. I want to believe, but you gotta give me more than just speculation based on a lot of coincidence.

[Anne]

Didn't finish... Couldn't.