Ancient aliens

The Abydos "helicopter"

c. 1290 BC · Egypt

DebunkedShown to be false, a hoax or a misreading.

The claim

"A temple carving shows a helicopter, a submarine and a jet."

Where the idea comes from

Photographs of a ceiling beam in the Temple of Seti I circulated widely from the 1990s.

The "helicopter" carving at Abydos, a re-carved royal title.
The "helicopter" carving at Abydos, a re-carved royal title. Photo: Hypnôs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What the evidence shows

  1. The carving is a palimpsest: Seti I's titles were filled with plaster and recarved with the titles of his son Ramesses II.
  2. As the plaster fell out, the two sets of hieroglyphs overlapped. The "helicopter" is a bow sign of Seti I combined with arm signs of Ramesses II.
  3. Both original inscriptions can be read separately, and similar recarvings appear elsewhere in Egypt.

What is still open

Nothing material; Egyptologists agree on the explanation.

Our verdict

Debunked Two layers of hieroglyphs, not aircraft.

Sources

Checked 31 October 2026. Spotted a newer source? Tell us.

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