1974 12 00 SAGA - John Keel - Ancient Astronauts Modern Mysteries

Magazine Overview

Title: Ancient Astronauts Modern Mysteries
Issue: SAGA, Vol. 14
Date: Undetermined, but content references 8,000 years ago, late 1700s, and pre-Egyptian civilizations.
Publisher: SAGA
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue explores a range of unexplained archaeological and historical mysteries, suggesting the presence of advanced ancient cultures in the Americas that predate known civilizations. It posits that these cultures possessed sophisticated knowledge and craftsmanship, leaving behind enigmatic artifacts and structures that challenge conventional scientific theories.

Moonstone Mystery

The article begins by describing a mysterious ancient culture in North America that thrived thousands of years before the indigenous Indians. This culture was characterized by industrious people who mined various metals, dug canals, built roads, and erected circular stone astronomical calculators. They also carved artifacts from mastodon tusks and left depictions of animals and dragon-like creatures, often with a disk in front. The most puzzling artifacts are thousands of small stone disks, some less than 6 inches in diameter, meticulously carved and sometimes notched with precision, earning them the name 'Moonstones.' A significant find in Bolsa Chica, California, yielded these disks in an 8,000-year-old strata. Similar disks have been found in Ohio and Mississippi Valley mounds. Scientists have failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for their purpose, with suggestions ranging from game pieces to currency. The discovery of disks with holes bored by steel drills in a New York mound, dated to before the arrival of Europeans, adds to the mystery, as indigenous peoples did not possess steel drills.

Stone Spheres

Moving to Central America, the article highlights the discovery of hundreds of perfectly formed stone spheres scattered throughout the jungles, particularly in Costa Rica. These spheres range in size from a few inches to 8 feet in diameter and can weigh over 16 tons. The identity of their carvers, the time of their creation, and their purpose are unknown. Some spheres are arranged in geometric patterns or aligned with magnetic north, leading to speculation about the carvers' knowledge of navigation. Colonel Fawcett, an explorer who vanished in Brazil, reportedly studied native legends of stone spheres that glowed brightly at night, serving as street lights. Some spheres in Costa Rica are mounted on pedestals, suggesting a deliberate placement and possibly a function related to their mysterious luminescence.

Morehemoodus (Place of Noises)

The article recounts a strange luminous rock story from East Haddam, Connecticut, in the late 1700s. Reverend Henry Chapman reported that a European named Steele claimed to have found a 'carbuncle,' a white substance that became remarkably luminous in the dark. Steele stored it in a windowless cellar, but its glow was so intense it made the house appear to be on fire. Steele then enclosed the object in lead and departed for Europe, never to be heard from again. The area itself, originally known as Morehemoodus, is associated with strange explosions and noises, referred to as the Moodus Sounds, which scientists have been unable to explain. Fortean researcher William R. Corliss has documented modern reports of this phenomenon.

Stone Workers and Ancient Builders

The text broadens its scope to discuss mysterious stone masons working worldwide. It mentions the Plain of Jars in Cambodia, featuring over 1,000 large stone jars of unknown origin and purpose. The article also notes the presence of Menhirs and Stonehenge-like constructions on the Barren Islands off Scotland, similar structures in the Sahara Desert and the Andes Mountains, and even on isolated Pacific islands, built from stones not found locally. Upon the arrival of Europeans in North America, they encountered numerous man-made mounds, carefully constructed stone walls, and stone towers, with indigenous peoples disavowing knowledge of their builders. These structures, often laid out with geometric precision, were sometimes patterned after similar constructions in the Middle East. Many were destroyed by early settlers and treasure hunters.

The Pyramid Builders of Mexico

Archaeologists have found that the lower layers of the step pyramid at Cuicuilco, Mexico, were covered with volcanic ash dated to at least 8,500 years ago, indicating an advanced pyramid-building culture existed in the Americas thousands of years before the Egyptian civilization. This challenges the prevailing theory that Indians migrated from Asia across the Bering Straits, as indigenous peoples like the Cherokees and Hopis have their own origin stories involving migration from the east or from Central/South America.

The Wanderers and Atlantis

The article suggests that the pyramid builders were succeeded by a different group of people after the Ice Age, who fought mastodons and built cultures influenced by ancient Chaldea, Babylonia, and Druidic practices. It references the Egyptian expeditions that sought a fabled continent across the sea, only to return reporting it had been swallowed by the ocean, hinting at the possibility of Atlantis. The 'moonstones' with holes bored by steel drills are presented as fragments of this lost history, stored away in museums because they do not fit accepted theories.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around unexplained ancient artifacts, advanced ancient technologies, and the existence of sophisticated pre-Columbian civilizations that challenge mainstream archaeological and historical narratives. The editorial stance appears to favor the 'ancient astronaut' theory or similar hypotheses that suggest external or unknown advanced influences on early human history, particularly in the Americas. The article emphasizes the enigmatic nature of these discoveries and the failure of conventional science to provide adequate explanations, implying a deliberate suppression or misunderstanding of evidence that points to a more complex and ancient human past.