Many scientists now believe that there was once life on Mars — and some even interpret a group of mysterious artifacts on the planet as evidence of a long-dead alien civilization.

Structures that resemble ancient Egyptian pyramids and a haunting humanoid Face that echoes the Sphinx lie close together in one area called Cydonia. Were they put there in a form that earthlings would recognize? Are they a warning that the same cataclysm that befell Mars is also on its way to planet Earth?

Graham Hancock, award-winning British journalist and author of the international bestsellers, The Sign And The Seal, Fingerprints Of The Gods, and Message Of The Sphinx has written a new book, The Mars Mystery (co-authored by Robert Bauval), analyzing the Martian enigma and its implications for us on Earth. The Eclectic Viewpoint is pleased to have Hancock return to the Dallas area to present his latest findings.

The majority of scientists believe that a single asteroid up to 600 miles in diameter, or a series of smaller ones, struck Mars billions of years ago — rocking its axis, virtually snuffing out its magnetic field, and drastically slowing its rate of spin.

Reminiscent of Sitchin's theories, two Americans, geographer Donald Patten and engineer Samuel Windsor, believe Mars was devastated in a collision with a hypothetical tenth planet they call Astra, which was itself destroyed. In a paper in Scientific American, William Hartman, senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute (Tucson, Arizona), also speaks of the possibility of a "large interplanetary body" entering the solar system, being torn apart by gravitational forces, and unleashing a catastrophic bombardment of Mars.

Flying in the face of conventional wisdom, Patten and Windsor assert that the timing of the Astra cataclysm was "thousands of years ago, not millions." They have narrowed down the window to a period "neither earlier than 15,000 B.C. nor later than 3,000 B.C."

Coincidentally, Hancock and co-author Robert Bauval suggest in The Message Of The Sphinx that the complex at the Giza Plateau was designed in the Egyptians' Zep Tepi or "first time" of 10,500 B.C. Did survivors of the Mars catastrophe visit Earth and leave their "fingerprints" in many of the colossal structures so puzzling to us today?

In his lecture, Hancock will point out many interesting parallels between Mars and the Sphinx located on the edge of Cairo. For example:

• Invading Arabs in the tenth century inexplicably referred to Cairo as El-Kahira, meaning ... "Mars."
• The name the ancient Egyptians gave to the planet Mars was Hor Dshr, literally, Horus The Red.
• For a long period of its history the Sphinx was painted red.
• Hindu myths depict the planet Mars as Nr Simha, the Man-Lion.
• The Sphinx is a composite creature with the head of a man and the body of a lion.

Ancient Egyptian scriptures speak of a remote golden age, many thousands of years in the past, when the gods, who looked like humans, came from the stars to civilize mankind. They lived on an island until a terrible storm and flood caused by a "great serpent" drowned most of the inhabitants. The scriptures say the survivors settled in Egypt and became known as the "Builder Gods." Did these gods leave us a message of warning? One researcher who believes this very strongly is physicist and author Dr. Paul LaViolette. He wrote Earth Under Fire detailing his deciphering of a code in the Zodiac which warns of cyclical cosmic disasters.

Hancock suggests the possibility that the object which wasted Mars was a giant comet and that a very large fragment also fell on the Earth causing the devastation and flooding referred to in the Egyptian scriptures.

Scientists say that the Earth is periodically visited by comets which greatly alter life on this planet. Sixty-five million years ago a "rock the size of Mount Everest" plunged into the Gulf of Mexico and caused a global cataclysm which wiped out the dinosaurs. It sent up an immense dust cloud which blotted out the sun for five years and created chaos for decades with aftershocks and volcanic eruptions. Mass extinctions occurred 94.5 million, 65 million and 36.9 million years ago.

Refined observations have led astronomers to a mind-boggling conclusion: there are at least 100 billion comets in the solar system at any one time stored in the Oort Cloud and the Kuiper Belt. Statistics indicate that we are long overdue for one of these comets to break away and find its way to Earth. Is this the significance of the message from Mars? Do we have time to take evasive action?

Hancock is voicing the concern of a small group of scientists who want to draw attention to the urgency of this problem. He says it would require a grand international project with unlimited funding bringing together the best minds in the world focusing on nothing else but the safety of the planet.

Join us for a fascinating slide presentation and book signing with Graham Hancock. He will also bring us detailed information about the Alaskan Cruise debate with Dr. Zahi Hawass, John Anthony West, Dannion Brinkley, Art Bell and others. One interesting disclosure is that a huge sarcophagus believed to be that of Osiris was recently discovered buried 90 feet under one of the pyramids.

Hancock will also discuss the latest NASA photographs of the Cydonia region of Mars. The new computer enhancements by Dr. Mark Carlotto have aroused much renewed interest in the Face and other structures. Leading astronomer and former NASA consultant Dr. Tom Van Flandern concluded: "In my considered opinion there is no longer room for reasonable doubt of the artificial origin of the Face and I've never concluded 'no room for reasonable doubt' about anything before in my 35-year scientific career."

For those who have heard Graham Hancock lecture previously or have seen one of his television specials, the word most often used to describe him is eloquent! Don't miss this opportunity to hear him!