Antiquity

Date Name Location Description

c. 1450 BC Thutmose III Jebel Barkal Stele AF, Ancient Egypt; Jebel Barkal,
Lower Egypt After conquering the ancient Nubian city of Napata, Thutmose III had a
stele erected at the Temple of Amun, beneath the cobra-shaped Jebel Barkal
outcropping.[5] The stele describes how "a star came down" to set fire to
Thutmose's adversaries.[6][7] The incident has been cited by many ufologists via
the purported Tulli Papyrus, considered by Edward Condon to be a likely fraud.[8]
The alleged translation of the papyrus—published in issue 41 of the Fortean
Society's magazine Doubt—included such Fortean tropes as "circles of fire" and fish
that "fell down from the sky".[9]: 369–372
218 BC Ships in the sky EU, Roman Republic; Rome, Italia During the build-
up to the Second Punic War, Livy recorded prodigies in the winter sky, including
navium speciem de caelo adfulsisse ("phantom ships had been seen gleaming in the
sky").[10][11]
76 BC Spark from a falling star AS, Roman Republic; Asia According to Pliny
the Elder, a spark fell from a star and grew as it descended until it appeared to
be the size of the Moon. It then ascended back up to the heavens and was
transformed into a torch. Astronomer Richard Stothers interpreted the report as a
description of a bolide.[12][13]
7 BC Flame-like wine-jars from the sky AS, Roman Republic; Phrygia, Asia
According to Plutarch, a Roman army commanded by Lucullus was about to begin
a battle with Mithridates VI of Pontus when "the sky burst asunder, and a huge,
flame-like body was seen to fall between the two armies". Plutarch reports the
shape of the object as like a wine-jar (pithos).[14][11]
AD 65 Sky army AS, Roman Empire; Judaea Romano-Jewish historian Flavius
Josephus reported chariots "hurtling through the clouds" prior to the First Jewish–
Roman War.[11]
AD 196 Angel hair EU, Roman Empire; Rome, Italia Historian Cassius Dio
described "A fine rain resembling silver descended from a clear sky upon the Forum
of Augustus." He used some of the material to plate some of his bronze coins, but
by the fourth day afterwards, the silvery coating was gone.[11]
AD c. 740 Air ship of Clonmacnoise EU, Ireland; Teltown in County Meath, and
Clonmacnoise in County Offaly Several sets of Irish annals, those of Ulster,
Tigernach, Clonmacnoise, and the Four Masters, all have entries to the effect that
"ships with their crews were seen in the air".[15]
16th–17th centuries
Date Name Location Description

1561-4-14 1561 celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg EU, Holy Roman Empire;
Nuremberg, Bavaria Residents of Nuremberg described an aerial battle, followed
by the appearance of a large black triangular object, and then a crash outside of
the city. A broadsheet recorded that witnesses observed hundreds of spheres,
cylinders and other odd-shaped objects that moved erratically overhead.[16]
1566-8-7 1566 celestial phenomenon over Basel EU, Switzerland; Basel, Basel
A broadsheet published in 1566 depicted numerous spherical objects appearing
out of the sun.[16] The event was recorded and depicted by Samuel Coccius, "a
student of the Holy Scripture and of the free arts, at Basel".[17]
1609-9-22 Gwanghaegun period UFO Turmoil AS, Joseon (Korea); Gangwon
Province On September 22, 1609, multiple witnesses reported seeing UFOs in
Goseong, Wonju Gangneung at 사시 (9–11 am), Chuncheon County at 오시 (11 am – 1 pm)
and Yangyang County at 미시 (1–3 pm). They described a Halo or washbowl that was
divided in two.[18]
19th century
Date Name Location Description

1803-2-22 or 1803-3-24 Utsuro-bune at Haratono-hama AS, Japan; Hitachi Province

In 1803, local fishermen reportedly found a closed vessel with small windows
adrift. They said when they investigated it that "a beautiful young woman" with red
and white hair and dressed in strange clothes emerged, holding a square box "that
no one was allowed to touch" and that she spoke to them in a language they had
never heard before.[19]
1883-8-12 Bonilla observation NA, Mexico; Zacatecas Observatory, Zacatecas
On August 12, the astronomer José Bonilla counted over 400 dark, unidentified
objects crossing the sun while observing sunspot activity at Zacatecas Observatory
in Mexico. He was able to take photographs, exposing wet plates at 1/100 second. He
published an account of the event three years later in L'Astronomie, a French
astronomy journal.[20][21]
1896-11-17 to 1897-4-23 Mystery airships NA, United States Newspapers across
California, and later other states, printed reports of strange airships. Common
elements of the descriptions included flapping wings, a cigar-shaped body, and a
metal hull.[22]
1897-4-17 Aurora, Texas, UFO incident NA, United States; Aurora, Texas Local
correspondent S.E. Hayden reported the crash of an airship piloted by an alien.
According to Hayden, the spaceman was buried in the local cemetery. Residents of
Aurora embrace the story without taking it seriously.[23][24]