THE ‘Ancient Astroanut Theory’ has been a topic for many a debate and discussion for decades if not centuries. Numerous books have been written on it and quite a few age-old and unique artefacts that have been unearthed by archaeologists and scientists have been presumed to be of extraterrestrial origin. Many of them have been written about by yours truly.

But then there is the other side to the ET saga. That man did in fact build extremely complex and advanced civilisations that thrived for centuries. And sceptics of the theory that alien intelligence had a part in all the advanced technological skills that some ancient societies possessed, say that it was not ET but people from planet Earth itself that had knowledge far greater than ours and were able to use their intelligence to build great colonies for their people.

The debate is never-ending. While we constantly hear reports of ET playing peek-a-boo with its flying machines of all sorts on Earthlings, there is also the belief that aliens from far off worlds are not recent visitors to our blue-green world. That they came here in our planet’s ancient past, taught some pretty cool stuff to the people of our world and either stayed a bit or took off to come back yet another day, or perhaps have been paying visits now and then to see how we are coming along!

Though you may find humour in this passage, please be rest assured that alien visitation is a much-accepted fact by some of the most intelligent and serious-minded people. While quite a few artefacts or extraterrestrial-related stuff has been refuted, mysteries have been piling up over decades and centuries as to the origin of many archaeological finds. One of them is The Tulli Manuscript.

It so happened that a director of the Egyptian section of the Vatican Museum was paying a visit to Cairo in 1933. While visiting an antique shop he found a most interesting looking papyrus that seemed pretty ancient. Since the price of the document was too high, he made a copy of the text. Now the strange document had hieratic script instead of hieroglyphic, which is found on most of the ancient Egyptian ruins and artefacts as their typical language. Both the types of writing were used in ancient Egypt but the hieratic was associated more with priestly and sacred writings. It is also a form of cursive writing and was easier for the priests of that time to translate.

Coming back to our document of mystery here, Alberto Tulli, the man who found it, first copied the original and then had it translated to the more popular hieroglyphic text. Then it is said that an Italian nobleman Prince Boris de Rachewiltz, alleged that he had found the original manuscript in Tulli’s papers after he had died and showed them to Doubt magazine in 1953. He had it studied by Egyptologists who also thought the papyrus was ancient, its contents were quite confusing and unique to say the least. It seems like a report of an event. A most baffling event if the translation is to be believed as read by many renowned scholars. Though it does not exactly state the period of when it was written but Rachewiltz, himself a noted scholar and author, believed it was from the time of pharaoh Thutmosis III.

Translation of one of the most enigmatic and debated ancient documents reads as:

“In the year 22, of the third month of winter, sixth hour of the day [...] among the scribes of the House of Life it was found that a strange Fiery Disk was coming in the sky. It had no head. The breath of its mouth emitted a foul odour. Its body was one rod in length and one rod in width. It had no voice. It came toward His Majesty’s house. Their heart became confused through it, and they fell upon their bellies. They [went] to the king, to report it. His Majesty [ordered that] the scrolls [located] in the House of Life be consulted. His Majesty meditated on all these events which were now going on.

“After several days had passed, they became more numerous in the sky than ever. They shone in the sky more than the brightness of the sun, and extended to the limits of the four supports of heaven [...] Powerful was the position of the Fiery Disks.

“The army of the King looked on, with His Majesty in their midst. It was after the evening meal when the Disks ascended even higher in the sky to the south. Fish and other volatiles rained down from the sky: a marvel never before known since the foundation of the country. And His Majesty caused incense to be brought to appease the heart of Amun-Re, the god of the Two Lands. And it was [ordered] that the event [be recorded for] His Majesty in the Annals of the House of Life [to be remembered] forever.”

The reason for my copying the original translation is only for you, dear friends to make what you think of the Tulli Manuscript. It is alleged to be an account of flying saucers referred to as ‘circles of fire’ and a description of their landing. Moreover, also saying that the pharaohs of ancient Egypt were either related or had outer-worldly friends. On the other hand, there are also allegations that the entire thing is a hoax with the original language copied from several ancient manuscripts from Egypt. What you want to believe is entirely your choice, but as for Ufologists, ET has been around for some time.