Archaeology & History

'Chariots of the Gods' author Erich von Daniken has died, aged 90

By T.K. Randall
January 12, 2026 ·  232 comments

Image: Erich von Daniken (file photo)
Credit: Michal Manas / CC BY 3.0 (adapted) Von Daniken originally rose to fame in 1968 following the publishing of his most celebrated work - Chariots of the Gods - a book detailing the idea that ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and Sumerians were gifted advanced technologies from extraterrestrial visitors thousands of years ago.

It was this, he argued, that enabled them to build ancient wonders such as the pyramids.

His book's success brought with it renewed interest in the ancient world, the possibilities of extraterrestrial intelligence and the unexplained in general.

Even so, he did have his critics - with some arguing that Von Daniken's work was more akin to pseudohistory, pseudoarchaeology and pseudoscience.Nonetheless, he went on to publish a whole string of books and traveled the world, visiting many of the locations that were the topic of his ancient astronaut theories.

Interest in his work waned by the 1980s, but his theories continued to influence popular culture for decades, appearing in TV shows such as Ancient Aliens, which ran for 277 episodes.

Even The X-Files picked up on some of the themes that he had first introduced.

His theories about ancient visitors from space were also the topic of some lengthy debates right here on our own discussion forum more than 20 years ago.

Von Daniken sadly died at a hospital in central Switzerland this week at the age of 90.

Source: Independent | Comments (232)

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