The leading international organization for archaeologists "dedicated to the research, interpretation, and protection of the archaeological heritage of the Americas," the Society for American Archaeology, recently wrote a letter to Netflix requesting that the "docuseries" Ancient Apocalypse be reclassified as "science fiction." SAA explains on its website:
The SAA's letter to Netflix and ITN Productions highlights our grave concerns with "Ancient Apocalypse," a show that disparages archaeology and archaeologists and aligns with racist ideologies.
We have requested Netflix and ITN remove any labels that state or imply that this series is a factual documentary or docuseries, reclassify the series as "science fiction," and to balance the deleterious content in the show with scientifically accurate information about our human past.
Here's an excerpt from the letter:
The assertions Hancock makes have a history of promoting dangerous racist thinking. His claim for an advanced, global civilization that existed during the Ice Age and was destroyed by comets is not new. This theory has been presented, debated, and refuted for at least 140 years. It dates to the publication of Atlantis: The Antediluvian World (1882) and Ragnarok: The Age of Ice and Gravel (1883) by Minnesota congressman Ignatius Donnelly. This theory steals credit for Indigenous accomplishments from Indigenous peoples and reinforces white supremacy. From Donnelly to Hancock, proponents of this theory have suggested that white survivors of this advanced civilization were responsible for the cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples in the Americas and around the world. However, the narratives on which claims of "white saviors" are based have been demonstrated to be ones modified by Spanish conquistadors and colonial authorities for their own benefit. These were subsequently used to promote violent white supremacy. Hancock's narrative emboldens extreme voices that misrepresent archaeological knowledge in order to spread false historical narratives that are overtly misogynistic, chauvinistic, racist, and anti-Semitic.
The whole letter is terrific and goes into a great detail regarding everything that's wrong with Ancient Apocalypse. It's worth a read if you're into archaeology or want to know more about why Ancient Apocalypse is so, so bad.
As of this writing, as far as I could find, Netflix hasn't addressed SAA's letter, and the show is still classified as a "Documentary" on its platform.
