Less than 50,000 years ago mankind had no art, no religion, no
sophisticated symbolism. Then, in a dramatic change, all the skills and
qualities appeared already fully formed. This work sets out to investigate this
mysterious "before-and-after moment" and to discover the truth about the
influences that gave birth to the modern human mind."Supernatural: of or relating to things that cannot be explained according
to natural laws." Less than 50,000 years ago mankind had no art, no religion,
no sophisticated symbolism, no innovative thinking. Then, in a dramatic and
electrifying change, described by scientists as "the greatest riddle in human
history", all the skills and qualities that we value most highly in ourselves
appeared already fully formed, as though bestowed on us by hidden powers. In
"Supernatural", Graham Hancock sets out to investigate this mysterious
"before-and-after moment" and to discover the truth about the influences that
gave birth to the modern human mind. His quest takes him on a journey of
adventure and detection from the stunningly beautiful painted caves of
prehistoric France, Spain and Italy to remote rock shelters in the mountains of
South Africa where he finds a treasure trove of extraordinary Stone Age
art.; He uncovers clues that lead him to travel to the depths of the Amazon
rainforest to drink the powerful plant hallucinogen Ayahuasca with Indian
shamans, whose paintings contain images of "supernatural beings" identical to
the animal-human hybrids depicted in prehistoric caves and rock shelters. And
hallucinogens such as mescaline, also produce visionary encounters with exactly
the same beings. Scientists at the cutting edge of consciousness research have
begun to consider the possibility that such hallucinations may be real
perceptions of other "dimensions". Could the "supernaturals" first depicted in
the painted caves and rock shelters be the ancient teachers of mankind? Could
it be that human evolution is not j
