Magicians of the Gods: The Forgotten Wisdom of Earth's Lost Civilisation is a 2015 book written by British author Graham Hancock. It was published by Thomas Dunne Books in the United States and by Coronet in the United Kingdom. In 2017, Macmillan Publishers released a revised and expanded paperback version of the book.

This book is a follow-up to Hancock’s earlier work, Fingerprints of the Gods (1995). It argues that a highly advanced ancient civilization existed before recorded history but was destroyed by a global disaster. Hancock suggests that this disaster was caused by the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis, a controversial theory that a large comet struck Earth around 10,800 BC. He claims this event led to widespread destruction, changes in climate, and rising sea levels. Hancock believes that survivors of this disaster, whom he calls the "Magicians," spread across the world to share their knowledge. He connects this idea to the construction of ancient monuments such as Göbekli Tepe, Baalbek, the Great Sphinx, and the Pyramids of Giza, which he claims are older than what most archaeologists believe.

Some literary reviewers found the book entertaining, though they called its ideas unrealistic. Skeptics and academic experts criticized Hancock for making many factual errors, using evidence selectively, and making logical mistakes. However, some critics became less skeptical after new evidence supporting the comet impact theory emerged. The book was listed on the New York Times Best Seller list in the "Religion, Spirituality and Faith" category in December 2015.

Synopsis

Hancock's argument is based on the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis, a theory that is not widely accepted and has been proven incorrect. This theory suggests that the Younger Dryas climate event, which occurred around 10,800 BC, was caused by one or more large comets hitting Earth. Hancock claims this event led to large-scale damage, temporarily returning Earth to Ice Age conditions, followed by huge floods that changed the land. He argues that coastal civilizations near the Atlantic Ocean, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean were flooded by rising sea levels. He also believes these floods inspired many flood stories found in different cultures worldwide. Hancock states that what people think of as human history only includes events that happened after this major global disaster.

To support his claims, Hancock refers to archaeological sites like Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, the Roman Heliopolis in Lebanon, and the Egyptian pyramids. He argues that parts of these sites were built more than 10,000 years ago, much earlier than mainstream historical beliefs suggest. He claims these structures were built using methods and tools that were not thought to exist at that time. Hancock suggests these sites were constructed by people from civilizations destroyed by the Younger Dryas impact event or by their descendants. In the latter case, he believes these people built the sites to preserve knowledge from the civilizations that existed before the disaster. The book's title refers to these people as "magicians of the gods" because they were thought to have special knowledge.

Reception

Literary reviewers have given the book mixed opinions. Michael Taube of The Washington Times said the book is not believable but could still be enjoyable for those who like fantasy. He wrote, "I don't believe in Mr. Hancock's creative fairytale, but if you enjoy stories with magic, this book might interest you." Kirkus Reviews called the book "laughable" and predicted it would be popular. However, Jason Colavito, a skeptic author, said the book fails to meet standards for both entertainment and science. He described it as similar to earlier works about pseudoarchaeology that claim disasters caused ancient events and noted that the book shows "Hancock at his worst: angry, impatient, and poorly written."