Nonprofits & Activism
“Aliens built the pyramids” and other absurdities of pseudo-archaeology | Sarah Kurnick
Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Aliens have invaded ancient history: they’ve cropped up in humanity’s past through popular television and movies, displacing facts with absurd yet commonplace beliefs like “aliens built the pyramids.” Archaeologist Sarah Kurnick illustrates why these misconceptions perpetuate racist and xenophobic…
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Bita Bishopp
March 18, 2021 at 9:46 pm
Leave Indiana Jones alone 😂
Earthbound Organics
March 18, 2021 at 9:49 pm
And also you might want to actually watch ancient aliens and listen to what they say before you start quoting them ignorantly. Ms fancy pants so called archaeologist.
Earthbound Organics
March 18, 2021 at 9:49 pm
Bye bye Ted. It’s getting a little cray cray in here. ✋
Alex Jones
March 18, 2021 at 9:51 pm
Horrible people writing nonsense and making money out of gullible people. Shame on them.
The Artistic Biker
March 18, 2021 at 10:27 pm
Prof. Kurnick didn’t mention the Stonehenge or the Super-Henge alien stories as being racist. While racism is always stupid and uneducated (not the same things), the uneducated and stupid are not always racist. MANY people have no concept of the time line of civilizations. In their minds the Mayan pyramids are contemporary to the Egyptian pyramids, especially with their similarities in design and pictographic writing. They associate the same mysteries of how the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids, to the South Americans. It had to be aliens, right? Because they didn’t have big machinery and COULDN’T document how it was done. Of course this is foolishness, but not racist. There are records of how the coliseum was built, and all of the western European things you mention because they were all done after common records were kept. There’s no mystery.
Sandra Hall
March 18, 2021 at 10:37 pm
I love how you clarified that non-europeans have plenty of constructive building history.
jama jamz
March 18, 2021 at 10:51 pm
We created aliens.it’s a cylcle of life that repeats itself so it’s hard to realize the truth
Nick Apuzzo
March 18, 2021 at 10:55 pm
There are thousands of these videos on YouTube. And while YouTube will flag a post claiming the Earth is flat or that someone else won an election, they don’t truth check these ridiculous conspiracy theories. And once again like so many things in this world this comes down to religion and racism
Omar Sabt
March 18, 2021 at 11:07 pm
The Ancient Egyptian Ahhh Aliens okay
Viennery
March 18, 2021 at 11:29 pm
She’s actually doing a huge disservice to archeology, here’s why:
There are megalithic structures found around the world(including Europe) that are unexplained and defy our known understanding of how they could have been built. This creates excitement and wonder and makes people interested in the past and contemplating varying ideas and hypophyses of how they could have been built.
Some of the answers that we currently have don’t hold up when tested, and some of our understanding is based on the theories of people centuries back that are only seen as legitimate because of how long people have shared those theories.
Not every ruin is a tomb, not every artifact has to have some religious reason for their existence. Yet, the moment an ancient ruin is found it is immediately classified as a temple or shrine or tomb without any evidence for making that conclusion. Finding pots of old food COULD suggest it was a place of sacrifice, or maybe it was just a larder where they kept food.
Its absolutely NOT racist to question these ancient sites, especially when they are also found in Europe. The reason we don’t question Rome is because we known exactly how they achieved what they built, but when you have stones bigger than a bus moved a continent away from where it was sourced carved with laser like precision without chisel marks from a people who supposedly hadn’t even discovered metal… well that raises some eyebrows.
Now, I don’t believe in ancient aliens, though there is something to be questioned about why every religion on earth talks about the sky people. Why do they all share similar stories despite never making contact with each other? Why did they build similar pyramid structures having never met?
I’m interested in the ancient advance civilization theory. We know an asteroid hit earth 12,000 years ago which caused oceans to rise globally lending to credibility of all cultures sharing flood stories, so you got to wonder what would happen if we got hit today and something similar happened? How long would it take for nature to completely erase any sign that we were here? Would there be anything left after 15,000 years? Especially with mankind reverting back to a survival species and losing all education, returning to a culture that shares information through oral tradition.
We barely have remnants of the giant stone monument of 2000-5000 years ago, so if you crash an asteroid into the earth and triple that length of time, what would be left?
People are asking questions because societies just started magically popping up and building megastructures the moment they discovered farming soon after worldwide devastation. It doesn’t make sense, and archeologists should be trying to answer those questions instead of dismissing them. I don’t care about what conclusion some historian came up with during a time before toilets when people were beholden to the church and thought the earth was flat. These questions need modern answers, and our current understanding needs re-evaluation.
Nelson Suarez
March 19, 2021 at 1:16 am
Good points. Completely agree. Sarah needs to broaden her mind.
amshen
March 18, 2021 at 11:30 pm
It would be very helpfull if you can add english subtitles to the movies
qNa
March 18, 2021 at 11:38 pm
Sadly education differs over the globe. I dont mind crackjack seeing angels, but when he calls it facts or write about it and use it as a source it escalates quickly.
loteq101
March 19, 2021 at 12:20 am
Would be great if she had some actual substance to her arguments other than useless “we’re harming the natives” arguments. The maya believe what they believe now and that won’t change because of a tv show. There is more interest in their culture than ever before because of these shows and more money flowing into their community’s. I don’t see the harm. The truth whatever it may be will take care of itself in its own good time. If you don’t like what these shows are saying then prove them wrong or show how they are stretching things. That would actually help.
Stegosaurus Checkmix
March 19, 2021 at 12:22 am
She dumm
C. Paquin
March 19, 2021 at 12:26 am
Was interesting until “racist, xenophobic…” it’s changing scientific nonsense for ideological nonsense and virtue signaling… just give us the achaeological proofs and facts.
Razor A
March 19, 2021 at 12:32 am
Pyramids are landing pads for Aliens – Daniel Jackson Stargate
KittyKat5090
March 19, 2021 at 12:36 am
this comment section scares me
Matthew Ong
March 19, 2021 at 12:44 am
The present is political too 😃😃😃
Stephen Secord
March 19, 2021 at 12:57 am
Waaaa… don’t listen to those people while I tell you we have no working solution….pft. cherry picking virtue signaling. If I believed aliens built Rome…. I’m not racist?.. What a double speak trap.
oledilep
March 19, 2021 at 12:57 am
I never thaught those shows were ment to be taken seriously, don’t they state they are speculatory in the beginning?
PeopleAre TooSerious
March 19, 2021 at 12:58 am
Well, it’s not impossible 😂
Maggie
March 19, 2021 at 12:59 am
Joe Rogan should have her on his podcast.
OdavidS
March 19, 2021 at 1:06 am
This woman is not woke is enough. 🤦
Seriously, why the F is she complaining about dumb people believing in Aliens? 🤣💀
Marty Bee
March 19, 2021 at 1:08 am
Work in white supremacy in archaeology- this woman is a repulsive liberal .
J H
March 19, 2021 at 1:28 am
So very true! Excellent video!
James Sheehy
March 19, 2021 at 11:55 am
Why she sound like she dubbed herself!?
V-Alfred
March 19, 2021 at 12:06 pm
Her voice sounds like wise elder in the village somewhere in fantasy world.. so cool!😎
Marco D
March 19, 2021 at 12:30 pm
Hold on. She seems like a nice person and there is merit to her point BUT – what she is not taking into account that one cannot compare any still-standing historic building with the insane engineering of the megalithic structures on this planet. Tell me again how the Colosseum and Parthenon compare to Kailasa Temple carved of one piece of mountain or the 1000+ ton blocks of Baalbek? You see, we can build things like Colosseum but WE CANNOT build megaliths like pyramid of “Kufu” in Giza! What does she make of this?!
Lastly, she laments that ‘aww aliens denigrate my science’, but makes no effort to address WHY for some people believe that the ‘alien hypothesis’ is actually reasonable when you consider the incredible astronomical precision and knowledge that the builders of these ancient sites had… some of which we only ‘discovered’ in the last few hundred years.
So ye, let her not discredit that many things were ‘pseudo’ before they became fact and that understanding why this idea persists in even every level of society is an important question to ask.
Burd Doneld
March 19, 2021 at 12:33 pm
It’s strange how people talk about all the profits, they’ve been making through trading of bitcoin, while am here not making any profit at all. Please can Someone put me through on the right path.
Maccann
March 19, 2021 at 12:36 pm
I just withdraw my profit last two days before now. am glad i did invest with them still reinvested and the trade is ongoing
Carol Rebecca
March 19, 2021 at 12:37 pm
Who is this professional broker everyone in talking about and how do I contact her directly?
Lisa Betty
March 19, 2021 at 12:37 pm
@Carol Rebecca if you’ve not heard about her then you are missing out…
Her availability is on Wtap
Carol Rebecca
March 19, 2021 at 12:38 pm
@Lisa Betty So how can i get in cont with her?
Lisa Betty
March 19, 2021 at 12:56 pm
@Carol Rebecca (Expert Abigail) tell her i referred you
Bruno Dugorepec
March 19, 2021 at 12:38 pm
I kinnda like Ancient Aliens series. The reason to this is that you get 15 seasons of history and archaeology. U just need to ignore the ALIENS parts 😀
chubscub
March 19, 2021 at 1:29 pm
Seems critical race theory gets everywhere.
C G
March 19, 2021 at 1:32 pm
So needed to be said! I’ve been a homebound disabled for years, I have trouble finding good content because I love science and history and real data. But I keep having to scroll so much just to get past all the fake, cryptic, glorified colonialism and anti-science vidoes all the time. Even after years, YouTube and Google don’t understand that I don’t want to see that cr$p. So I’m thinking they make lots of money of those or they wouldn’t keep recommending them?!?
MisterMaker
March 19, 2021 at 2:18 pm
I think she is an Alien trying to distract us finding the truth!
ashtree
March 19, 2021 at 2:39 pm
Injecting wokeism into archeology *theories* and suggesting it’s dangerous (and maybe should be punished?) is itself kind of violent. I’ve heard these theories for years and never was it suggested only colored people had outside help or etc. My ancestors were Maya, and these theories/ideas don’t erase their genius feats
Could someone link me to how we’ve figured out how the pyramids were made with all of our modern knowledge? I just haven’t seen it yet
Andy Mac
March 19, 2021 at 2:49 pm
I don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibilities that there was a previous civilisation, not Aliens, that had a higher level of technology than we currently possess . The massive cut stones at Baalbek is beyond our current ability to move. I think the Younger Dryas event would have been enough to put us back to the Stone Age .
Chris Carcio
March 19, 2021 at 3:01 pm
I was with her until about 2:25 seconds in when she uttered the SJW MANTRA about how these Ancient Alien GRIFTERS are peddling WASCISM & XENOPHOBIA, I’m sorry, but I’ll watch AA’s ALL DAY over her BIGGER LOAD OF BS that slings those DIVISIVE WORDS AROUND like they have ANY BASIS in reality.
For a SERIOUS refutation of all things AA related, start off with ANCIENT ALIENS DEBUNKED it’s here on ScrewTUBE, it’s about 3 hours long and NOT ONCE is the MARXIST SJW DOGMA ever even hinted at.
ShiftyMiser
March 19, 2021 at 3:16 pm
This woman is oblivious, among the nutty culture of seeking opportunity for victimhood at all times. The instant she said “claims like these are not just outrgaeous, they are offensive” I was ready to stop watching, but the instant I heard “racism” I knew her tone and cadence were encroaching victimhood and that was why I felt a light disgust about her speech. That confirmed and validated my disgust which then went full force. I stopped watching there at “racism”. No.
Here is something for healthy readers: crazy humans love crazymaking; misery loves company. Keep this tool in mind to rapidly discern away Satan’s minions and encroachment. Wise people know not to trust a wounded demon begging “Come close. Poor me.” It will be “Got you!” immediately… and so many humans are tragically dumb enough to fall for these pitfalls of spirit. They perceive a human with a name speaking with a purpose, being fooled by the minion’s disguise of catered cadence and soft delivery of ideas that will corrupt and defile.
I mean mention of Satan, minions, demons, spirit half metaphorically, half literally. Consider the power of manifestation and thoughtforms.
This talk is actually a minion’s propaganda effort to recruit more minions. Crazymaking. Satan’s agenda comes to birth through weakness of spirit and mind.
There will undoubtedly be some “humans” with negative, facetious, condescending replies to this comment: the minions have been successfully recruited, their human weakness to great to withstand an ill idea’s weight of influence. Crazymaking.
Follow truth and never go wrong. Godspeed.
David Peters
March 19, 2021 at 3:18 pm
In the 70s L, Ron HUbbard (the founder of Scientology) wrote a script for a Sci-fi film about Aliens. He called his central character XENU ETRAWL. Xenu is now a Scientology “God”. As soon as I saw this name I thought:”That’s an anagram!” (Sci-fi writers often use anagrams). XENU ETRAWL anagrams to WE R LUNATEX … Hubbard was a bit of a joker. As he once said, before he founded Scientology: “One can only make so much money writings books … the way to make real money is to start a religion.” So …what about the mainstream religions? Christianity, for instance? IESOUS CHRISTOS anagrams to OSIRIS SET CHOUS (Chous is a Greek word meaning: “A measure of capacity equal to 12 cups”) … and there’s more anagrams in the NT. (Romans 1 … doesn’t say believe in Jesus Christ, his teachings … it says believe in his NAME).
There was a second century BC religious cult in Greece that worshipped anagrams.
The Osiris-Set myths are very ancient, brought to Egypt by people from further North who settled there. Osiris is the Summer, Set the Winter, Isis … Osiris’ wife, is the Spring, She reassembled Osiris after he was killed by Set and breathed life back into him. Nephthys … Set’s wife, is the Autumn … she seduced Osiris and provided Set with justification for the murder of his brother.
Jack Handy
March 19, 2021 at 3:28 pm
Yeah bring that show back(what in the world) I would love to watch that show!!!
Gord Desm
March 19, 2021 at 4:21 pm
Erich Von Däniken is legendary for studying ancient Egypt, but never mind all that.
Gord Desm
March 19, 2021 at 4:22 pm
Changing historical fact like what she’s doing right now in this TED talk ?
nolan412
March 19, 2021 at 5:15 pm
The alternative to aliens is that ancient humans had a greater understanding of math and physics and architecture than today.
nolan412
March 19, 2021 at 5:22 pm
“No. No. Your ancestors could not have done that. It would be racist to consider that.”
nolan412
March 19, 2021 at 5:28 pm
Remember when it was the evidence and conclusions that academics attacked?
McKenzie Warren
March 19, 2021 at 6:53 pm
Boy, is this woman in for a surprise…
ShippCaptian
March 19, 2021 at 7:42 pm
ancient aliens is hilarious in how many excuses they can make.
Casey Ray Harris. Esquire
March 19, 2021 at 8:40 pm
Only a fool is certain . A wise man once said that because what can anybody really prove other than what they’ve seen and seeing is believing, I have seen a UFO in broad daylight up close hovering silently and still for 10 minutes so clearly in undoubtably before I had never taken a sip of beer or ingested any sort of illicit substance that one might describe two hallucinations, hand I can clearly picture it when I close my eyes and this isn’t something that I have seen before or since. I’m no doctor but I’m not going to claim certainty about something for which I have no proof to ascribe with. accepting that’s that in furs the possibility of artifacts and other works of art from our ancestors containing depictions of the same hovering craft I saw for 10 minutes landing and speaking with people who have somehow figured out how to do things that with our modern construction methods and Engineering understanding are still unable to replicate like Stonehedge the pyramids. The artifact which I’m most interested in would be the one released by The Mexican government.
Marc Goecke
March 19, 2021 at 10:35 pm
Thank you Sarah Kurnick for pointing these aspects out.
Jon Dough
March 19, 2021 at 10:36 pm
Third eye spies not on ted talk huh?
Marcel Alex Jack-Ryan
March 20, 2021 at 12:44 am
Einstein, Nikola Tesla, and other great scientists and inventors were always open-minded about new ideas and sometimes they had to consider maybe bizarre ideas which were many times rejected by political or religious dogma. Think outside the box, be open-minded and keep questioning what/how/when and why it happened. There’s so much we don’t know yet so how can she be that sure? When science can’t explain something, should we just ingnore it? And what about all those “anomalies” which just don’t fit other scientific evidence…Those are just ideas and many times we invented or discovered something just because we used outside-the-box and big picture thinking. It doesn’t matter whether it’s archeology or physics, it’s okay to admit that we don’t know or we were wrong. Don’t say it’s absurd ridiculing some unorthodox ideas as you can’t prove them wrong. What about the lost city of Troy? Scientists believed it was just a legend and eventually they found it. It was supposed to be just a Homer’s epic tale! The Sumerians’ stories about Anunnaki and creation of our species are stories as well but it doesn’t mean they can’t be true.
War Jac
March 20, 2021 at 1:09 am
Okay so first. I don’t actuality think the ancient aliens theories are more than that. So I get her point that it’s discrediting and dismissive of various cultures.
I don’t think she has the right idea on why though. She seems to think that everyone who actually believes or allows the theories to put a lens on their view of history does so because they themselves are racist.
I get it. I really do but I don’t think she understands that it’s a byproduct of modern depictions of ancient cultures. We know for a fact that many older cultures that erected the structures stil studied today built them within a close time frame. The thing is we aren’t taught that.
Modern education, the one I received and from observations made about the education of many younger and older people, has a tendency to skip over the build up of older civilizations and given we continue to learn more as science advances it’s only natural thst we can see how these kind of structures evolved.
For the longest time though it seemed as though they came from nowhere and where as now we can send information and people around globally that is a luxury compared to what many people had decades ago.
I would very much like her to understand that where as these unfounded theories are wrong and that they do discredit they are due to an information shortage that culminated into a pop culture phenomenon.
Is she going to say that Jurassic Park is dismissive of Dinosaurs due to us NOW knowing that many of them had feathers and vibrant pigmentation? I should hope not. I should hope she is mearly doing this to educate not chastise as her tone would imply.
Sword
March 20, 2021 at 1:19 am
Newsflash: the Egyptians were WHITE!
LOST iN THOUGHT
March 20, 2021 at 2:30 am
I don’t think most people realise just how powerful they really are, we have the spark of imagination and foresight potentially we can move mountains, carve river’s into the land to irrigate the dryest of desert’s terraform planets and the ability to nourish and care for not only ourselves but every other form of life on our blue jewel
Why is it that some of the most racist people seem to be those condemning racism? I guess they do not truly understand genetics there are hundreds of millions perhaps billions of different human ethnic groups and phenotypic variants each unique and individual. good way to combat bigotry and racism would be to stop simplifying and politicising people’s genetic backgrounds into political tribes like black and white when we are an infinitely complex rainbow of colours, all of us capable of what I mentioned above
“Divide et impera”
easy e
March 20, 2021 at 2:41 am
I’m sorry, but if you do know how the blocks at balbec got there and how the pyramids were really made, were all ears. We understand you feel it’s not, well then spend the time to tell us what it is please.
SimmonsPhilly
March 20, 2021 at 6:20 am
This lady is unbelievably boring
R2robot
March 20, 2021 at 6:42 am
The “History” channel really took the money and ran… and ruined a generation.
Amol Agnihotri
March 20, 2021 at 7:00 am
You’re absolutely right!!!
Garfield's evil twin
March 20, 2021 at 7:19 am
TV channels and Netflix should stop putting pseudo archaeology movies and mockumentaries. It’s giving space and time to quacks rather than actually qualified people.
RyanSkatesAllDay
March 20, 2021 at 9:36 am
Aliens = promoting racism
…interesting
Smi Co
March 20, 2021 at 9:59 am
It’s not racist, it’s just that a pyramid built of huge stones without modern machinery is a friggin’ huge thing to wrap your head around. You don’t have to make everything about racism…
Archibald Belanus
March 20, 2021 at 11:12 am
The number of dislikes scares me
BJH
March 20, 2021 at 11:23 am
Pseudo archaeology undermines the work that legit archaeologists do. This was an interesting & informative talk 👏
Chillychese
March 20, 2021 at 12:00 pm
I think equating racism to why people think aliens built the pyramids is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. It probably has more to do with how insane building the Egyptian pyramids would be, especially since we would have an incredibly difficult time building them ourselves.
Android Generic
March 20, 2021 at 12:25 pm
Sad attack on defenseless aliens.
Da Costa
March 20, 2021 at 12:30 pm
Why do we tend to be more invested in what has been rather than what’s before us? Looking for patterns in the past is never a good predictor of what’s to come and besides if we preoccupy ourselves with looking back all the time we may never see the path ahead.
Rick Laser
March 20, 2021 at 12:43 pm
Aliens… flat earth….. god…..tooth fairy, and so it goes….
Myrna Kirk
March 20, 2021 at 1:26 pm
Interesting talk. So can you refer us to some resources that definitively prove who built the pyramids and how exactly they constructed it? Would love to read the resources recommended by you. I am in the process of reading Graham Hancock’s book: Fingerprints of the Gods and am finding this perspective interesting indeed.
Shubhkarman Sandhu
March 20, 2021 at 3:01 pm
I used to watch Ancient Aliens, but then stopped. Once I stumbled upon the shows of Josh Gates, which really just countered the facts presented by the “Ancient Alien Theorist”, people who failed grade 2.
Funny Videos
March 20, 2021 at 3:32 pm
“Humans built the pyramids” and other absurdities of pseudo-archaeology
Me MyselfandI
March 20, 2021 at 3:53 pm
She cannot recreate one polygonal masonry wall, nor can she recreate one crop circle, nor can she find the source of the flood that covered eastern Washington state.
Trip shh
March 20, 2021 at 5:05 pm
This is absolutely amazing talk. Thank you. I’m using this to send to people that don’t understand these things.
credit back to the humans of old doing incredible things!
Ultimate 314
March 21, 2021 at 6:50 am
Are you kidding me?
These ancient sites must have to be built by ET or we had help from them
You see, modern day, to lift rocks and such, we use these enormous cranes
My parents, recently, actually ordered a large decorative rock weighing 3k pounds
They actually required these huge vehicles, to lift them into place, powered by gas, which equals enormous amounts of plankton dying, for them to get trapped into rocks, get compressed from metaphoric activity, squeezing the fat out their bodies, and you get large amounts of energy from burning it
Humans are actually incredibly weak, nothing in comparison to hydraulic pistons, etc
The inner grand-gallery stones of the Great Pyramid of Giza weighs around 80 tons, 160k pounds, and were found to come from quarries in Aswan
Aswan is 400 miles miles away
Lets look at the so called “answers”
1. They floated them on rafts down the river
The rafts were made of out river reeds, or simple planks, drop a 160k pound rock on it, it would crumple like those stadiums that get blown up for easy demolition, not to mention, how are you even supposed to keep it afloat; rocks sink to the bottom, and so will the boat/raft, not even talking about how they managed to lift it into place, with perfect precision
2. They “carted” it across the desert on logs
The logs would splinter before you even step a foot to push it across the desert, only 400 miles away
even if it could hold the weight, the stress on it would be gargantuan, still would splinter as easily as whipping those dry decaying branches against a concrete wall
Imagine denying the involvement of some third party force
People claim that the pyramid was the tomb of Khufu
But
All they know is
They “think” the “tomb” was built during his reign, although they have a little bit of evidence to support that, but not enough to make a conclusion
In the pyramid, there is no depiction of who it was for, what it was built for, or who owned it
There’s just walls of text from books and such
They found a granite “sarcophagus”, looks more like a box to me, no bodies were ever found inside the pyramid
The stones are cut with laser precision, less than 1mm of difference
the gap between stones is 1/150th of an inch, that is so tiny, you can’t even slide a piece of paper in-between
The pyramid is only a shell of its former grandeur
It used to be sloped, not looking like steps
these stones on the outside were called “casing stones”
These stones were waxed, and had a perfect slope all around
for them to even accomplish this, they would have to known the Pythagorean Theorem, centuries before Pythagoras invented it himself
The dimensions of the pyramid is an exact scale model of the Earth, the length matches with the equator, and width with the prime meridian
The scale factor is exactly 43,200, which is not any old number, it has a very deep meaning within religions and other such matters
If you multiply the length and width of the base of the pyramid, you get the exact dimensions of the planet, WGS’72, before the pyramid got broken from weathering and the occasional disaster(World Grid Survey, 1972, they measured the planet using a grid of satellites)
And then you have clowns many, many millennia’s later, the Flat-Earther’s, in the 1500s, the only thing that they had to do was measure the Great Pyramid well, and then multiply by 43,200
The Great Pyramid is actually in a chain of 3 pyramids, that of which aligns precisely, with high accuracy, the belt stars of the Orion constellation
The Egyptians actually used a unit of measure, called the Cubit
what’s strange is that it is exactly 1/25,000,000 of the distance between the north and south poles
I could actually go on even further, but that would take too much time than necessary
Egypt is the most sus of them all, they know too much about math for their time, and the things they built, would be extremely difficult to pull off, even in modern times
Once you start learning more, it gets harder to dismiss everything simply a coincidence
Acidbonkers
March 20, 2021 at 7:25 pm
if you know history truth is that pyramids were built by egyptian slaves with help from Panoramix and his magic mixture
Schmetterling Productions
March 20, 2021 at 9:21 pm
Why were they built though?
Schmetterling Productions
March 20, 2021 at 9:21 pm
Is saying aliens built Stonehenge racist?
Adalberto Estevez
March 20, 2021 at 9:33 pm
Racists gonna get triggered.
Justin Banks
March 20, 2021 at 9:38 pm
Black people are aliens? You mean extra terrestrial.
Valera Boluchevsky
March 21, 2021 at 2:06 am
To be honest, she sounds like an alien who is trying to convince me that aliens don’t exist.
Raul Velez
March 21, 2021 at 4:43 am
Fake reptilian
Ultimate 314
March 21, 2021 at 6:54 am
Basically what the government is, except they’re human
Pierre Huguet
March 21, 2021 at 3:38 am
A number of Confederate monuments were erected in the early 1950s shortly after the Supreme Court ruling on Brown v. Board of Education which declared state-sanctioned segregation unconstitutional. They are not archeological monuments but more contemporary artifacts of racism, and the desecraction of those monuments is nothing less than a reaction to those mementos of segregation, to be noted in history but those monuments have no archeological value.
jay v
March 21, 2021 at 9:41 am
They made lots of mimic, smaller pyramids that were very impressive, but the reason people don’t think they built the big ones has more to do then because they weren’t European, it’s mathematical. I can’t believe people are listening to this woman.
We don’t know who built the pyramids because we couldn’t replicate them even today.
Michał Mikołajczak
March 21, 2021 at 1:10 pm
So i don’t think the political statements are true.
Past isn’t political, propaganda is.
I think people say that aliens built pyramids not to show that egyptians couldn’t but just because they can’t imagine how ancient civilisation could be able to do such thing.
There are no questions to how the coloseum was built because our culture comes from romans in straight line (im obviously oversimplifying here). We can Read their texts easier and we know their ways.
Also some may say that God helped Europeans built civilisation whitch they did (following the logic from the video it could also be seen as external help)
Another example: once i saw (while passing through a room) an ancient alien history channel movie about ancient Jews, a culture that also in straight line predicates ours (although we could argue about how it is seen today) so it isn’t only about stranger civilisations.
Also about monuments. Although i don’t exactly have an answer to what to do with this problem due to the lack of an expertise I think we should not apply today’s morality on doings of people living centuries ago. That’s often how things were done these days. (and im speaking generally not about any particular person from the past)
That’s how i see it.
I invite u to argue against my points below. Thank u for reading all my comment.
bounty1402
March 21, 2021 at 1:12 pm
This is pseudo-racism, not pseudo-archaeology.
Ezekiel 33:6
March 21, 2021 at 1:36 pm
Those who told you the story control you
martin masey
March 21, 2021 at 2:19 pm
How can you possibly conflate Megalithic and Roman buildings?
THUNDER CATT
March 21, 2021 at 2:37 pm
It’s offensive to me ,when you take credit for something you can’t begin to comprehend,you did not build the Sphinx or Stonehenge mankind
martin masey
March 21, 2021 at 2:47 pm
Seems to me that Mainstream Archaeology seeks to make everything fit a closed-minded Paradigm to the exclusion of multi-disciplined. highly qualified Scientists’ conclusions?. So, who are we to believe, when you all close ranks and just won’t entertain the thought that things may well be different to that which you want? Let’s have a multi-disciplinary, proper, non- Woked-up, debate!
David Senteno
March 21, 2021 at 3:59 pm
It doesn’t help that the “Alien” shows are on the Discovery Channel. A channel most people believe is showing you facts not fantasy.
Dany Targaerys
March 21, 2021 at 4:38 pm
Maybe “aliens” is not the answer. But, don’t tell me the archaeologists and egyptologists know the answer either. Their explanations of how the great pyramids were build are absolutely ridiculous. Even more comical than “aliens”. Our current tech level can’t explain any of it.
martin masey
March 21, 2021 at 4:50 pm
What I find remarkable is that actually asking the locals, something us dumb folks would start with, as an act of pure brilliance! Hello! A perfect example of up yourselves- ness.
Cephalic Miasma
March 21, 2021 at 6:18 pm
Excellent talk! Now, let’s turn to the comment section to see what the experts think…
Eli McJones
March 21, 2021 at 7:34 pm
Wow, never realized, aliens were also white supremacists. Ha ha ha, but seriously thats messed up how racist these alien theories are
Dean Vassos
March 21, 2021 at 7:51 pm
Another “archaeologist” giving an opinion from personal beliefs. This one chooses to ignore myths, legends, and stories of peoples from the past because it doesn’t fit her views. Is that not based on racism?
Dex 223
March 21, 2021 at 11:03 pm
My ancestors built the pyramids, the fact that white people are the newest species to this planet why are we following their teachings??
Y’all can’t accept that African people weren’t just in African but all over the globe should show you ..we built everything up until this very day and still is .. blueprint were stolen from slaves .. y’all took all our technology but the good thing is our ancestors knew how to stash the tech so that y’all don’t take it and use it for your own agenda…. we know the tech cause we are the tech nature beats tech .. man made tech nature is.. god nature wins
SpartanF8
March 22, 2021 at 1:01 am
Just another person accusing people of racism for things that aren’t at all for that purpose
Toaster Bryant
March 22, 2021 at 2:27 am
What a propaganda puppet.
Jeff Wahlund
March 22, 2021 at 5:13 am
Humans built the pyramids but not the Egyptians. They were built farther in the past. Explain the 80 ton granite blocks 230 feet up. How did the craftsmen, with bronze tools, cut them?
Maelthas Divine
March 22, 2021 at 6:09 am
Once she said racism… im out.. sick of these liberals
Xavi& Natalie X
March 22, 2021 at 7:48 am
IM AN ALIEN AND ALL YOU ARE WRONG
Corey Conners
March 22, 2021 at 8:31 am
I think this is a reach tbh 💯
Don Emigholz Jr.
March 22, 2021 at 9:14 am
TED would be great and not a waste of time if the world did not have major and pressing problems that may erase mankind or at least as we now know it. Fukushima disaster is not getting better for one and under just a few plausible probabilities could become a planet killing disaster.
Then of course there is the relentless and never ending quest for tax free profit using USA’s military might and USA trained Mercenaries/PMC. Mercenaries start the unrest, turn it into Anarchy and then instigate Civil war all for CEO profit.
TED Talk is a distraction not any kind of solution.
Paal Sandmo
March 22, 2021 at 9:59 am
Leftist political crap.
Stop spreading lies about racism
Cruel John
March 22, 2021 at 10:18 am
it is found that aliens are the new topic which is in the ielts exams for the next years
Knastvogel
March 22, 2021 at 12:30 pm
This is exactly the talk a modest alien species would have had.
You’re not fooing us, Sarah Kurnick. Or should I say… “Crank Air Husk”!
Ha, got you there. Your name is an anagram.
Nice try, alien. (And thanks for building the Coliseum.)
Phaggot Sigil Occult Status
March 22, 2021 at 2:40 pm
The mention of the removal of 1st Nations ppl to reservations as “American History”…
Doom Food
March 22, 2021 at 3:16 pm
Yeah. The egyptians didn’t build the Sphinx. They graffitied their royalty on it.
Tri-Lambda Delta
March 22, 2021 at 4:10 pm
Earth’s history is Xenophobic by country, so uncovering a dislke of other planetary races should not be frowned upon.
Justin Greywolf
March 22, 2021 at 4:48 pm
I do like hearing some of the alternative interpretations – if only to keep an open mind on things not even traditional archeologists can prove or disprove.
But not aliens. Never aliens. Never the “white man” who came to these areas in earlier times and taught the primitive people there how to do stuff.
And not the whole: ‘these people couldn’t have done this without X’. These people were awesome builders, astronomers, mathematicians, etc – not because someone else taught them, but because they worked these systems out themselves.
But NEVER aliens. Or white people.
But especially, NOT ALIENS
SAMCA San Andreas
March 22, 2021 at 6:15 pm
Aliens may not have built the pyramids; but slaves using simple tools isn’t the answer either.
SilentmageLvX
March 24, 2021 at 9:11 pm
You’d be surprised what can be accomplished when your people belive you are a god
SAMCA San Andreas
March 22, 2021 at 6:19 pm
They’re not saying they had outside help because they weren’t white. They are claiming they had outside help because we can’t recreate their methods today using much more advanced technology.
Michelangelo
March 22, 2021 at 6:42 pm
Yeah she just projecting her racists views, the two aren’t even comparable.
SilentmageLvX
March 24, 2021 at 9:12 pm
Have any of you doofuses heard of Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX? We can buildem, they’re just not practical to build or worth the expense
The UFO Depot
March 24, 2021 at 9:31 pm
@Z0mByZ What do you base that opinion on? Multiple attempts have been made to recreate the pyramids on much smaller scale and failed. That is with modern equipment and technology.
The UFO Depot
March 24, 2021 at 9:43 pm
@SilentmageLvX The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the most accurately built structures on the surface of the planet: its orientation is 3’6” off true north.
The pyramid was built with an estimated total volume of 2,583,283 cubic meters (91,227,778 cu ft). With an estimated total weight of 6.5 million tons, it is one of the heaviest manmade structures on Earth.
The builders used more than 2.3 million blocks of stone to build the Great Pyramid.
To build the pyramid, the ancient Egyptians used 5.5 million tons of limestone, 8,000 tons of granite (imported from Aswan, located around 800 kilometers away), and 500,000 tons of mortar.
The Moody Gardens pyramids are made of steel and glass. If you can’t grasp the difference, who is the doofus?
SAMCA San Andreas
March 24, 2021 at 11:49 pm
@SilentmageLvX they’re not the same. Close but not the same.
SAMCA San Andreas
March 24, 2021 at 11:53 pm
@Z0mByZ no we can’t make one that is identical. Very very close. Not the same.
ece derin
March 22, 2021 at 9:36 pm
What kind of Ted Talk is this? It can’t be more close minded and why this womans voice sounds like about to cry?
SilentmageLvX
March 24, 2021 at 9:10 pm
Why does it matter that she’s a woman? She’s speaking truth
Gleb
March 23, 2021 at 12:47 am
As absurd it is to believe that aliens built pyramids, it is even more absurd to link those fanciful fantasies with racism and xenophobia. Making archeology accessible and popular is a noble thing to do, but not through populism.
Christian Tan
March 23, 2021 at 4:54 am
This to me sounds like a catch 22. Don’t believe in aliens cause it’s fictional but follow proof evidence. Proceeds to follow proof evidence in calligraphy, then story goes to after life stories with fictional mythical characters!! The world is just crazy
chris ace
March 23, 2021 at 5:59 am
Fallen angels built them aka demons read the Bible it says how the Egyptians worship false gods aka deities
TheRabidCabbage
March 23, 2021 at 7:45 am
I’m sure they’d love to credit aliens for the roman colosseum, if it’s construction wasn’t fully documented. People like you, trying to find racism in everything is the problem. Even the minorities you deem too pathetic to speak for themselves are sick of it and want nothing to do with you. It’s your mindset that leads to the defacing/tearing-down of every statue regardless of whether or not the person they depict did anything wrong. “It’s a white guy, and that’s all that matters.” Many of which were true opponents of racism. but sure, let’s ponder the complex subject of whether or not the clueless vandals should be praised. F this world. seriously.
TheRabidCabbage
March 23, 2021 at 7:54 am
I’d like to propose another theory. That humans have a natural tendency to imagine fantastical theories about the mysteries of the unknown, and that You are the only one thinking racist thoughts.
SilentmageLvX
March 24, 2021 at 9:18 pm
The historical record proves you wrong. Take a look at how Nazis used archeology to justify their genetic superiority as a master race
Alper
March 23, 2021 at 10:18 am
We all like sci fictions stuff accept it karen
Read my ABOUT section PLEASE
March 23, 2021 at 10:35 am
Oh, they didn’t… 👽
Noah Aubrey Linus Sorensen
March 23, 2021 at 12:59 pm
not everything is racism
Max Heidcase
March 23, 2021 at 3:32 pm
Aliens DID build the pyramids. It’s obvious to anyone who examines the scale of the achievement for just a few seconds
Robert Moulds
March 23, 2021 at 6:24 pm
Of course Europe is home while Africa is the dark continent.
sky
March 23, 2021 at 7:18 pm
Be quite
Dave
March 23, 2021 at 7:51 pm
So archaeologists have subscribed to Critical Theory? This lady is using Critical Theory ( specifically postcolonialism and race theory) to target the audiences empathy and lack of understanding in order to push the narrative that she believes. Keep politics out of science, and don’t try to limit speech to decrease competition in your field.
joecoffee968
March 24, 2021 at 12:25 am
This woman is an idiot. “…People never suggest aliens helped the Romans or the Greeks or The Europeans?” What do you think they are always saying about Stonehenge? It is always being inferred that that ancient Celtics had alien help. Not long ago in a mediterranean shipwreck an ancient device was discovered That incorporates intricate gears. Clearly it was Not made by the Mayans or the Egyptians. The device is believed to be purposed for computing celestial events. It has been suggested That the creators of this device had help from aliens. It was not Egyptians or Myans that created it. Some people are so full of hate for anyone who disagrees with them that all they can see is their narrow hate. Their pathetic hatred blinds them to any other possibility or reality besides the one they seem to be enslaved to.
iioreoyzii oreo gang!
March 24, 2021 at 9:10 am
Is this the SIRI women ?
Δημήτρης Αγγελίδης
March 24, 2021 at 10:29 am
That woman has really a huge problem in her mind. She sees everywhere racists or whatever she thinks.
Shayne
March 25, 2021 at 4:29 pm
Lol but it is racist. They literally discredit what ancient civilizations accomplish and say that they must have needed outside help because there’s no way these people could be smart enough. Ancient aliens is probably one of the most racist shows. It makes the accomplishments of these people water downed because they can’t wrap their heads around anyone other than white people can make these great feats.
Michelangelo
March 25, 2021 at 5:40 pm
@Shayne lol no it’s not racists her comparison was terrible. She actually doing more harm than good
Dan H.
March 27, 2021 at 12:59 pm
@Shayne really? So you can’t think of some other thing built or written by non-whites that is popular around the world and is not questionable about where it came from??? How about the bible? How about the Arabic Numbering System. How about the Mount that’s the most sacred site for muslims? You see, when all you do is pick a few items such as the pyramids of Giza to justify the position that European (let’s be honest white) culture just happened to be so racist that they couldn’t imagine that other races could possibly create these things, you are seeing the world through race lenses. Having race lenses means that everything you read, hear, or see you think always of how race plays a part in it. People are perplexed by the pyramids of Giza simply because they are perplexing and there are no written documents or stories depicting how they were made. It is not racist at all.
FG CHANNEL
March 24, 2021 at 11:48 am
If this phenomenon happened in Europe this will not be the issue
TheFifty5ive
March 24, 2021 at 4:06 pm
I love TEDx talks. This one went south really quickly. Rarely one sees one speaker claim something in one sentence and almost in the same breath effectively debunk it right away. These people are then nothing but clowns – to be laughed at. To support a claim that “aliens helped build the pyramids” with the all-male all-white TV show, that needs real cohones! Well done, Mrs. Kurnick. And just so you know, archeology is connected with history. And history comes equipped with a very powerfull tool – DATES. Get them straight before you start accusing people of being racist. Oh, and one more thing – look up the word “racism” in the dictionary. You seem to have completely different idea of what it means.
tom builder
March 28, 2021 at 11:25 am
wow serious ignorance! try learning the history of pseudoscience and the influence the Nazi’s had on it! SMH
Sharon Petitto
March 24, 2021 at 6:14 pm
Where are her FACTS?
Z0mByZ
March 24, 2021 at 8:47 pm
I dont get why some ppl dont get why she says its racist. Its engrained in so many ppl minds that anything non European is super archaic and borderline barbaric. This notion of other cultures influences their perception of acheology, leading to these ridiculous hypothesis. Racism isnt always conscious, it can influence our thinking insidiously
lucassmarker
March 24, 2021 at 11:01 pm
Theres great ancient alien stuff on the parthenon. Even if its silly, she should have looked into her argument before calling everybody racist.
tom builder
March 28, 2021 at 11:15 am
greeks need aliens like you need an education!
lucassmarker
March 28, 2021 at 4:46 pm
tom builder thanks for your feedback
Kevin Yang
March 25, 2021 at 12:00 am
” Every statement about the past is a powerful statement about the present”
beans oof
March 25, 2021 at 11:19 pm
Okay?
Mista Pepe Onziema
March 25, 2021 at 3:37 am
but the ancient astronaut theorists say YES
Abdo
March 25, 2021 at 3:37 am
but the ancient astronaut theorists say YES
Fap Stoner
March 25, 2021 at 9:59 am
Well, this is dumber than Ancient Aliens lol…
Conor Mills
March 25, 2021 at 11:05 am
Claims like the world just blew up and we are now suddenly here from nothing to something seems more bollocks than the annunaki story but I’m not here to debate believe what you wish
Carbon C60
March 25, 2021 at 12:20 pm
She lost me at 2:05 when she said, “racist” and “xenophobic.”
Mike O
March 25, 2021 at 9:43 pm
Oh ffs another woke “white supremisists are the problem” academic, what is wrong with you? Nutty people are just nutty, tehy are not white supremesists. What harms all of us is this woke ideology on EVERYTHING!
George Drazenovich
March 26, 2021 at 3:36 am
Well said, well delivered! Enjoyed the talk greatly!
Maria L
March 26, 2021 at 5:27 am
that’s cool and all sarah but were you there though
The Horse Outside
March 28, 2021 at 3:04 pm
Last Thursdayism won’t get you anywhere
Jack Silva08
March 26, 2021 at 12:56 pm
Worst ted tal ever
Shafique
March 26, 2021 at 1:54 pm
People don’t understand how complex the world really is. People choose simple narratives, i.e. aliens, in order to give it meaning to themselves without the original context.
sultanipanj
March 27, 2021 at 1:03 am
Yes the Aliens gave mddle eastern people Algebra and Algorithm too, which they then gave to the westerners to make computers😂😂😂
Angel Garcia
March 27, 2021 at 2:20 am
Man Ancient Aliens is RACIST!
Notsonice !
March 27, 2021 at 5:24 pm
I’m whit and proud of my european heritage
New 2Reality
March 27, 2021 at 5:28 pm
Lol white supremacy 🤣🤣, I’ve been to Africa, Peru, mexico and have seen unexplained architecture, if you think we are more advanced YOU are ignorant. Until we can build Saqsahaman we know nothing
Delia King
March 28, 2021 at 12:49 am
White lady is excited to talk with a Mayan man about his ancestors, is dismayed he doesn’t share her version of his culture. …but pseudo archeologists are racist?
Steve A. B.
March 28, 2021 at 11:02 am
Aliens are unnecessary nonsense but we must fight xenophobia. She needs Ayahuasca
user 15481
March 28, 2021 at 1:44 pm
I agree. Enough of the aliens.
Michal Zelenka
March 28, 2021 at 2:54 pm
Why everything this days has to be racist? Ancient aliens pseudosicentist just preying on lack of written record, translated sources, and most of all lack of basic knowledge and understanding amongst their fan. They just cynnically use what is available to them, to sell their books and other overpriced toilet paper..
The main reason why Colloseum, Parthenon or Notre-dame is not posterchild of their pseudoscience is wide availability of sources how exactly they, or very similar structures, were built..
The Horse Outside
March 28, 2021 at 3:02 pm
Dude you are NOT ready to hear about the Great Zimbabwe and how the British army tried to rationalise their clakm
Tomasz Tomasz
March 28, 2021 at 3:25 pm
Comparing the great structure of pyramids with the colosseum is ridiculous. There is great physics behind pyramids, they have been researching pyramids for years and did not get to any conclusions. The ancient people used a lot of plants to achieve a transcendental state of mind, where you can meet other entities, you can call them aliens if you want. She should open her consciousness because she may be educated but she is not aware and intelligent at all closing herself to this truth. Of course, she had to include racism in it. Wrong approach
Derek Markle
March 28, 2021 at 6:58 pm
To disregard ANYONE’S theory on a subject with no written record would be ignorant and ignorance is a leading cause for racism, IMO