So to start this mini-series, here is a look at UFOs, Unidentified Flying Objects. The term UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) was recently coined in an apparent attempt to distance any link with little green men. Which will look a bit silly if little green men show up.
Anyway, UAPs are not new. They have been recorded as long as written history and testimony has existed. Here are a few.
The Tulli Papyrus This document from the Egyptian Empire describes an event which allegedly took place between 1475 – 1429 BCE. It is said that a ‘circle of fire’ about 15 feet across descended from the sky. After several days, many more like objects joined it. They stretched across the sky until one day they moved off in unison beyond the horizon, never to return. The validity of the source document and the whole episode is thought dubious but of interest to scholars nevertheless.
Phantom Ships and Shields
Titus Livius (Livy) tells us in his History of Rome that, in 218 BCE, phantom ships were seen gleaming in the skies over Rome. The following year, round shields were seen in the sky over the city of Arpi. And in 173 BCE, a great fleet was seen in the sky near Lanuvium.
Plutarch’s Fireball
In 74 BCE a Roman army was marching on the army of Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus, in modern day Turkey. Plutarch tells us that a large body of flame shaped like a wine jar, fell from the sky between the armies. Taking this as an omen, the armies stood down and a bloody conflict was avoided.
Chariots
Titus Flavius (Josephus) writes of an entire scene taking place in the sky against the setting sun in 66 CE during the First Jewish-Roman War. Groups of soldiers and chariots charged around the sky in front of many baffled onlookers.
The Bible
There are those who take the words of the Bible literally. That’s fine, though there are many reasons why that is mistaken. There have been many versions and translations resulting in what you might read today. Little of it is thought or meant to be factual. Still, even today’s modern versions tell of heavenly visions and magical happenings, miracles etc. This at least shows that the writers and scribes down the years were well aware of phenomena outside the normal human experience. It didn’t all start with Roswell in 1947.
A 11-minute video describing five ancient encounters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PaQmnq_nAc
So I’ll start to bring us more up to date next time.
Back On The Rock 
Interesting write up, Roy.
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Interesting – in some ways you think ancient people were more credulous since they didn’t know what we know, but maybe they were also more open to the unexplained.
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I think the latter Andrea, they were probably much more receptive to odd happenings and not so conditioned as we are to dismissing things we don’t understand.
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I like to think I’m open to the ideas of other life forms. I think I’m just skeptical about the ones that are reported. In fact, I’d be more likely to trust the paranormal experience of someone from the past more than I would today. Today, everything seems to be explained away.
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Scepticism is fine, we need to question everything. It’s when the sceptics run out of logical arguments and they resort to “might be” and “could be” that you know there are things that remain unexplained. Of course there are those who close their eyes and refuse to consider anything not in their own realm of experience.
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