The Netflix original docuseriesAncient Apocalypsejust released its second season, titledAncient Apocalypse - The Americas. As wasAncient Apocalypseseason 1,Ancient Apocalypse - The Americasis hosted by journalist Graham Hancock. AlthoughAncient Apocalypseseason 1 has gained some popularity amongNetflix documentaries on the paranormal, the show has also received extensive criticism. Among the issues brought up regardingAncient Apocalypseseason 1, critics have most heavily voiced concerns about Hancock’s ‘pseudoarchaeological theories,’ suggesting that Hancock’s claims are unfounded.
Despite the controversy, Netflix pushed ahead with season 2, and the show shockingly incorporated beloved actor and star oftheJohn WickmoviesKeanu Reeves into the new season as well, although only minimally. Like in the first season, inAncient Apocalypse - The Americas,Hancock is arguing that there was an advanced human civilization that flourished during the Ice Age. InThe Americas, Hancock specifically uses the fossilized human footprints in White Sands, New Mexico, to further defend his theory.
The White Sands Footprints Are Mysterious Fossils Found In New Mexico In 2009
In 2009, fossilized human footprints were discovered in White Sands, New Mexico, in a dry lake bed. This was an incredible discovery, as, previously, many scientists believed human beings had only been in the region now known as North America for 16,000 years or less. These footprints meant a major update to that theory, though, with the estimate now being closer to 23,000 years ago, at least based on the carbon dating done in relation to these footprints.
It’s worth noting that even this estimate has grown controversial, however. Because the carbon dating process involved seeds, which could have taken in older carbon from water, some scientists remain skeptical about the accuracy of the dates provided. The human footprints were also found alongside footprints of what seemed to be a massive ground sloth, which has interesting implications regarding human interactions with creatures at the time.
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How Old The White Sands Footprints Are Estimated To Be
As mentioned, the age of the White Sands footprints was established via carbon dating. The prints themselves were not able to be carbon dated, though. Rather, grass seeds were found around the prints, and those were analyzed via radiocarbon dating.
Through that process, it was revealed thatthe seeds were between 21,000 and 23,000 years old. Based on that, the footprints themselves have also been estimated to be around 23,000 years old, although, as mentioned, there are a number of considerations when it comes to that conclusion. For one, these dates represent the results of the carbon dating done on the seeds, not the footprints themselves (as that’s not possible because they lack organic material).
It’s quite possible the footprints themselves are not 23,000 years old.
The aforementioned concern regarding the seeds' ability to take in groundwater containing older carbon also raises questions in this case. Given that, it’s quite possible the footprints themselves are not 23,000 years old, and there’s plenty of debate on the topic. Even so, this was a remarkable discovery that opened up a number of conversations about when human beings may have first appeared in the region. If these numbers were accurate, they would represent a truly revolutionary update to this timeline.
What Graham Hancock Has Theorized About The White Sands Footprints' Origins & Subjects
InAncient Apocalypse - The Americas, Graham Hancock argues that the existence of these footprints that may be 23,000 years old supports his claims about an advanced civilization of humans during this period. His argument seems to largely stem from the notion that plenty is still being learned about the humans of this era. He also believes that, based on the fairly recent discovery of these footprints, it’s plausible that the time and manner in which humans arrived in the North American region needs further examination.
Hancock is also of the belief that this 23,000-year estimate could just be the beginning. In his view, it’s possible that human beings were around for quite a bit longer, and the White Sands footprints have only gotten the ball rolling by revealing that previous perceptions about the earliest human presence in the North American region were wrong. It’s important to note, this is part of what has made Hancock’s opinion so controversial even among otherdocumentaries on the unexplained.
Given how much skepticism there already is around the 23,000-year-old date for the White Sands footprints, it makes sense that many would be opposed to the notion that human beings were in the North American region long before that. Hancock’s stance that such people were part of an advanced civilization is a much harder sell even than that. While the White Sands footprints are indeed fossilized human footprints found in North America that seem to predate the age previously thought possible, Graham Hancock’s theories about this revelation inAncient Apocalypse - The Americasremain controversial.
