The Gold 'Aeroplanes' of Colombia
Small gold figures from ancient Colombia look so much like jets that people have built flying copies.
What was reported
Among the gold work of ancient Colombia are small pendants, a few centimetres long, with swept-back wings and an upright tail. They're usually linked with the Quimbaya and Tolima cultures, and some are held in the Museo del Oro in Bogotá.
In the 1990s enthusiasts built scale models based on them and showed that, with changes, they could fly. Ancient-astronaut writers took this as evidence of lost knowledge of flight.
Explanations offered
Archaeologists see them as stylised animals, such as flying fish, birds or insects, which are common subjects in the region's gold work. The flying models needed added engines or propellers and changes to the shape before they would fly.
- When
- Made over 1,000 years ago
- Where
- Quindío, Colombia
- Witnesses
- Archaeologists and museum visitors
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.