Less than fifty thousand 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 "beforeandafter moment" and to discover the truth about the influences that gave birth to the modern human mind. His quest takes him on a detective journey from the stunningly beautiful painted caves of prehistoric France, Spain, and Italy to rock shelters in the mountains of South Africa, where he finds extraordinary Stone Age art. He uncovers clues that lead him to the depths of the Amazon rainforest to drink the powerful hallucinogen Ayahuasca with shamans, whose paintings contain images of "supernatural beings" identical to the animalhuman hybrids depicted in prehistoric caves. 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 be the ancient teachers of mankind? Could it be that human evolution is not just the "meaningless" process that Darwin identified, but something more purposive and intelligent that we have barely begun to understand?

Graham Hancock is the author of Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis, The Mars Mystery, Heaven's Mirror, and Underworld, all number one bestsellers. The Guardian has credited him with having "invented a new genre—an intellectual who-dunnit by a do-it-yourself sleuth."
Review
"Graham Hancock is no stranger to controversy. The former journalist, whose books have sold five million copies in the past 10 years, has repeatedly dared to challenge scientific shibboleths, taking a run at entrenched thinking in archaeology, geology and astronomy."
-The Globe and Mail

Reviewer: Guy Vincent
5.0 out of 5 stars, Verified Purchase
Pushing the boundaries of psychedelic science
This book was recommended to me by one of the most educated and interesting friends I know - also educated in Western medicine.
I would have been resistant to ideas of fairies, aliens and machine elves, had I not experienced similar beings myself, during ayahuasca ceremonies in Peru with Shipibo shamans.
This book pushes the boundaries of biophysics, neuroscience and ethnobotany, and opens new ideas for research in psychedelic science. The connections between DMT and DNA make this book worth reading alone.
Read this, if you have an open mind, or are curious about our place in the physical and non-physical universes.

Reviewer: The Diab0lus
5.0 out of 5 stars, Verified Purchase
If you've ever had doubts about the existence of the supernatural world, you wont after reading this
For all you book readers out there who want something good that will blow your mind, I would HIGHLY reccomend this gem. If you want a more in-depth understanding of the supernatural, how it applies to us as humans, and how it all works and functions from a practical and also a theoretical point of view, this is the book for you. Graham Hancock (the author) has always been a respectable and revolutionary archaeologist & investigator and is considered a pioneer in the realm of pre-history, archaeology, archaeoastronomy, anthropology, ancient religions & mythology and their origins, the occult, etc. All the hidden knowledge and information about human life on this planet and its origins can all be found in his books. I've always been a skeptical type of person, but all of his work is backed up with a solid foundation of evidence necessary to support it. Every single chapter of every one of his books that I've read was a mindblowing experience, I'll leave it at that.