Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 56 (1991) Winner
Graham Hancock
グラハム・ハンコック
Graham Hancock
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1950-08-02 （Edinburgh, Scotland）
- Nationality
- British
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Moved to India with his parents as a child → Returned to and resided in the United Kingdom
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Journalist
- Active Years
- 1973-
- Influenced By
- Ignatius L. Donnelly (influential earlier author cited by Hancock), Robert Bauval (collaborator/co-author)
- Influenced
- Roland Emmerich (credited Fingerprints of the Gods as an influence on the film 2012), Popular pseudoarchaeology media and some writers/speakers in alternative history
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham University | Social sciences | Department of Sociology | BA（社会学） | 1969–1973 | United Kingdom |
Durham University
Social sciences
/ Department of Sociology
Degree:
BA（社会学）
Period:
1969–1973
Year of Graduation:
1973
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied sociology; graduated in 1973
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant
1992 Non-fiction (speculative history/archaeology)An investigation into the possible history and whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant, blending travel writing and speculative historical argument; received mixed and often critical academic response.
lost artifactsreligious historyspeculative archaeology
Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization
1995 Non-fiction (ancient history/alternative hypotheses)Argues for the existence of an advanced Ice Age civilization whose survivors transmitted knowledge to later cultures; criticized by scholars for selective use of evidence and lack of academic rigor.
lost civilizationscatastrophic floods/impactsastronomical/architectural correlations
Magicians of the Gods: The Forgotten Wisdom of Earth's Lost Civilization
2015 Non-fiction (hypothesis/popular)A follow-up to Fingerprints of the Gods that revisits the Ice Age civilization thesis and links it to Younger Dryas impact hypotheses; remains controversial and largely unsupported by mainstream academia.
ancient warnings/codesimpact hypothesestransmission of civilization
America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization
2019 Non-fiction (ancient history/alternative theory)Presents North American archaeological materials as part of an argument for a pre-Ice Age advanced civilization; incorporates ideas about spiritual technologies and visionary practices.
North American archaeologyhallucinatory rituals and religiosityIce Age civilization hypothesis
Bibliography
- Ethiopia: The Challenge of Hunger (1985)
- AIDS: The Deadly Epidemic (1986, co-authored)
- Lords of Poverty (1989)
- The Sign and the Seal (1992)
- Fingerprints of the Gods (1995)
- The Message of the Sphinx / Keeper of Genesis (1996, co-authored)
- The Mars Mystery (1998, co-authored)
- Heaven's Mirror (1998, co-authored)
- Underworld (2002)
- Talisman (2004, co-authored)
- Supernatural (2005)
- Entangled (2010, novel)
- War God: Nights of the Witch (2013, novel)
- Magicians of the Gods (2015)
- America Before (2019)
Adaptations
- Ancient Apocalypse (Netflix, 2022–)
- The Mysterious Origins of Man (documentary, 1996)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Popular non-fiction presented in a persuasive, accessible styleInvestigation/journalism-like structure but centered on speculative thesesElements of New Age and spiritual framing
- Recurring Motifs
- lost advanced civilizationscataclysmic floods/impactsancient astronomical knowledgecorrelating myths and monumentsspiritual technologies and visionary experiences
Legacy
While highly popular with general audiences and influential in media, Hancock's work is widely criticized by academics for insufficient evidence and selective citation; he is seen as a prominent figure in pseudoarchaeology and pseudohistory.
Archives
- Archives of official website and published works
In Popular Culture
- Brought broader public attention through the Netflix documentary series Ancient Apocalypse
- Filmmaker Roland Emmerich cited Fingerprints of the Gods as an inspiration for the film 2012
Quotes
-
...in my view the science of the lost civilization was primarily focused upon what we now call psi capacities that deployed the enhanced and focused power of human consciousness to channel energies and to manipulate matter.
Source: Graham Hancock, America Before (2019) (2019)
Trivia
- Moved to India with his parents at age three.
- Worked as a journalist for outlets including The Economist earlier in his career.
- His 2013 TEDx talk 'The War on Consciousness' was removed from the TEDx channel and relocated after recommendations from TED's Science Board.
- Has appeared several times on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
- The Netflix series Ancient Apocalypse drew widespread public attention and substantial criticism from scholars as pseudoscience.