Watched all eight episodes of the U.S.A.'s 2022 Ancient Apocalypse, hosted by journalist Graham Hancock, who seeks evidence that a culture more advanced than the hunter-gatherers existed at the end of the last Ice Age, contrary to the traditional canon of human civilization according to trained archaeologists. The series warns us that a great cataclysm like that known as the Younger Dryas that occurred 12,800 years ago could occur once again and that we should not ignore its possibility. 

The series gives us a tour around the world--above ground, underwater, below ground, even into the skies--as Hancock inspects ancient sites in Indonesia, Peru, Mexico, Malta, Egypt, the Bahamas,. Turkey, and the U.S.A. It is impressive and convincing because Hancock is methodical, insightful, and eloquent, and he forwards his speculations minus extraterrestrial brouhaha. In its attempt to be thorough, however, there are times when the series is redundant. 

Hancock includes in his presentation Plato's description of Atlantis in 260 "B.C.", universal stories of the Great Flood, and the ancient gods Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl, Viracocha, Sansuna, Horus, Prometheus, Maui, Zoroaster, the Seven Sages, Oannes, and Ahura Mazda, whom he believes to have passed on the knowledge of astronomy, agriculture, and architecture to the survivors of the cataclysm. He gives emphasis to the universal symbol of serpents, frequently found in stone carvings, maintaining that they represented comets falling from the sky.

It is somewhat a relief to be aware that modern science continues developing mechanisms to deflect or shatter comets and meteors into fragments, but then again everything that is state-of-the-art can also be inadequate or have a very brief shelf life, so that we can never say that we are out of danger. That and, of course, our irresponsible treatment of Earth. Many times in the series, Hancock and his co-researchers ask aloud why archaeologists, historians, and scientists stick to their guns about the timeline they've established and remain close-minded regarding the revision of the history of human civilization. This question is never answered in the series.

My answer is that archaeologists, historians, and scientists are essentially fundamentalists. They fear that any change in history will change their religion, their faith, and whatever they believe to be their salvation. Indeed, religion is probably the worst invention of civilization. It always gets in the way of true progress, including spiritual progress, and it could very well be religion that will ultimately destroy this planet. Fundamentalists always practice their religion in isolation from everything else, and are always prepared to go to war for it. 

By the way, I found it disturbing that the series used "B.C." and "A.D." rather than "B.C.E." and "C.E."