Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (; ; born 14 April 1935) is a Swiss author of several books which make
pseudoscientific claims about
extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, including the best-selling
Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968. Däniken is one of the main figures responsible for popularizing the "paleo-contact" and
ancient astronauts hypotheses. The ideas put forth in his books are rejected by a majority of scientists and academics, who categorize his work as
pseudohistory and
pseudoarchaeology.