Above image shows possibly the first written account of a UFO. This is on a granite cave in Hunan Province, China and dates back at least 40,000 years ago.

Chapter 2: Ufos in ancient times.

     As far as History goes humanity has always looked to the stars for answers to the many questions we have. Thousands of years ago our ancestors had a very trying life, everyday was about surviving, that’s it, no play dates, no movies, no shopping or televisions, survival was all we knew. At night though things were a little different, sure there was still man eating lions, bears, eagles and other dangers but while sitting around the fire every night our ancestors truly bonded. It was around these fires that the elders would tell the stories of the ancient forefathers or tales of mighty heroes of long ago. The hunters would regale the rest of the tribe with stories of the hunt, the tribal chief would probably say some calming or assuring words every so often and then the Shaman would come in and tell the tales of the creators, the old Gods and the beginning of time. In almost all ancient civilizations whether they were nomadic tribes or cultured cities like Babylonia or Sumer, they all had tales of Gods or creators coming from the Sky to usher in humanity. Many have creation myths involving the Sun and the Moon, the male and the feminine, the two largest celestial orbs visible to the naked eye. It makes sense that our ancient ancestors would look to the sky for answers because back then, 20,000-40,000 years ago the night sky would have been lit up. With no light pollution, they would have had a wonderful view of the cosmos and they would have seen strange things up there for sure. With such a massive field of light and wonder to stare at all night, I’m certain they saw their share of UFOs, whether they were comets, meteorites or flying saucers, they saw stuff and after a while they started keeping track of all the weird things they saw.

I have gone through numerous books and websites and came up with a few sightings from ancient times that I felt were worth sharing, here they are in no particular order.

Perhaps the earliest depiction of cylindrical objects resembling spacecraft, with what might be their extraterrestrial occupants, are those carved on a granite mountain and on rocks on an island in Hunan Province, China. They have been assigned a tentative age of 47,000 years.

One of the first written accounts of a UFO sighting — a fleet of flying saucers, perhaps — is the following excerpt from an Egyptian papyrus — part of the annals of Thutmose III, who reigned around 1504-1450 B.C.:

“In the year 22 of the 3rd month of winter, sixth hour of the day… the scribes of the House of Life found it was a circle of fire that was coming in the sky… It had no head, the breath of its mouth had a foul odor. Its body one rod long and one rod wide. It had no voice. Their hearts became confused through it; then they laid themselves on their bellies… they went to the Pharaoh… to report it. His Majesty ordered…
[an examination of] all which is written in the papyrus rolls of the House of life. His majesty was meditating upon what happened. Now after some days had passed, these things became more numerous in the skies than ever. They shone more in the sky than the brightness of the sun, and extended to the limits of four supports of the heavens… Powerful was the position of the fire circles. The army of the Pharaoh looked on with him in their midst. It was after supper. Thereupon, these fire circles ascended higher in the sky towards the south… The Pharaoh caused incense to be brought to make peace on the hearth… and what happened was ordered by the Pharaoh to be written in the annals of the House of life… so that it be remembered for ever.”

[Brinsley Le Poer Trench, “The Flying Saucer Story”,
pp. 81-82.]

The roman author Julius Obsequens, believed to have lived in the fourth century A.D., drew on Livy as well as other sources of his time to compile his book “Prodigorium liber”, (most likely the first book to record UFOs) which describes many peculiar phenomena, some of which could be interpreted as UFO sightings. here are just a few examples:

“[216 B.C.] Things like ships were seen in the sky over Italy… At Arpi (180 Roman miles, east of Rome, in Apulia) a ’round shield’ was seen in the sky… At Capua, the sky was all on fire, and one saw figures like ships…
[99 B.C.] When C. Murius and L. Valerius were consuls, in Tarquinia, there fell in different places… a thing like a flaming torch, and it came suddenly from the sky. Towards sunset, a round object like a globe, or round or circular shield took its path in the sky, from west to east.
[90 B.C.] In the territory of Spoletium (65 Roman miles north of Rome, in Umbria) a globe of fire, of golden colour, fell to the earth, gyrating. It then seemed to increase in size, rose from the earth, and ascended into the sky, where it obscured the disc of the sun, with its brilliance. It revolved towards the eastern quadrant of the sky.

[Harold T. Wilkins, “Flying Saucers on the Attack”, pp. 164-69]

A rare typeset book from 1493, now preserved in a museum at Verdun, France, contains what may be the earliest pictorial representation of a UFO in Europe. Hartmann Schedel, author of the book “Liber Chronicarum” (I’m searching for this book as I write this blog) describes a strange fiery sphere — seen in 1034 —soaring through the sky in a straight course from south to east and then veering towards the setting sun. The illustration accompanying the account shows a cigar-shaped form haloed by flames, sailing through a blue sky over a green, rolling countryside. (Jacque Vallee, “UFO’s in Space: Anatomy of a Phenomenon”, p.9)

A term equivalent to our “flying saucer” was actually used by the Japanese approximately 700 years before it came into use in the West. Ancient documents describe an unusual shining object seen the night of October 27, 1180, as a flying “earthenware vessel.” After a while the object, which had been heading northeast from a mountain in Kii province, changed its direction and vanished below the horizon, leaving a luminous trail. (Jacques Vallee, “Passport to Magonia”, pp. 4-5)

These last few I found on Wikipedia so there will be no sources shown other than that, the others I found in various books, which I tried to reference.

150 A.D. On a road connecting Rome and Capua, a single witness, Hermas, brother of Pope Pius I, saw a "beast" like a piece of pottery about 100 feet in length, multicolored on top and shooting out fiery rays, landed in a dust cloud, accompanied by a "maiden" clad in white. (spacesuits are white)!

In 776 in France while a Saxon army was besieging the Sigiburg Castle, witnessed a craft bearing the likeness of two large flaming shields reddish in color floating overhead.

The Carolingian archbishop, Agobard of Lyons, described of a certain region called Magonia from whence come ships from the clouds and how he prevented the stoning deaths of three men and a woman who had fallen from these ships. (I am going to research this one more, those 4 could have been time travelers of aliens).

To finish off my UFOs in antiquity Chapter I am including the first case of Angel hair to be reported. For those not in the know angel Hair is often described as a white, stringy hair like substance often found near UFO sightings. Star Jelly is another common finding near UFO landings or sightings as well, with it being described ad gelatinous, fleshy, blob like material. Some newer Star Jelly has been tested in the last thirty years or so and it is thought to be an organic material of some kind but Star Jelly and angel Hair are for another post another day.

  In conclusion, I believe it’s fair to say our ancient ancestors did see strange and unusual things in the sky, whether they were alien space ships, meteors, comets or just natural phenomenon we may never know but it does show that we have been looking up and recording what we see for many thousands of years and we surely aren’t going to stop now.  Chapter 3 will focus on sightings during the Middle Ages and then we will start getting into modern sightings and some interesting theories about who or what may be flying in our friendly skies. I hope you continue to follow me as we explore the strange and unusual and I hope you all have a pleasant day and as always.   PEACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!