The
ancient astronaut or
ancient alien hypothesis is a
pseudoscientific hypothesis that posits that intelligent
extraterrestrial beings have visited
Earth and made contact with humans in
antiquity and
prehistory. Proponents suggest that this contact influenced the development of human
cultures,
technologies, and
religions. A common claim is that
deities from most, if not all, religions are actually extraterrestrial in nature, and that such visitors' advanced technologies were interpreted by early humans as evidence of divine status.