Graham Bruce Hancock is a British journalist and author known for promoting pseudoscientific ideas about ancient civilizations and hypothetical lost lands. Hancock is perhaps best known for his theory that an advanced civilization with spiritual technology existed during the last Ice Age, which was destroyed following comet impacts around 12,900 years ago, at the onset of the Younger Dryas. He speculates that survivors of this cataclysm passed on their knowledge to primitive hunter-gatherers around the world, eventually leading to the rise of all the earliest known civilizations, such as ancient Egypt, Sumer, and Mesoamerica.

Born in Edinburgh, Hancock studied sociology at Durham University before embarking on a career in journalism, contributing to various British newspapers and magazines. His initial books focused on international development, including the acclaimed Lords of Poverty (1989), a critique of corruption in the aid system. From 1992 with The Sign and the Seal, he turned his attention to speculative accounts of human prehistory and ancient civilizations, with notable works like Fingerprints of the Gods and Magicians of the Gods.

Experts have critiqued Hancock's work as pseudoarchaeology and pseudohistory, noting a bias towards preconceived conclusions by ignoring context, misrepresenting sources, and cherry-picking evidence. Despite these criticisms, Hancock portrays himself as a culture hero combating academic "dogmatism," positioning his work as a pathway to understanding reality and spiritual elements often omitted by materialist science.

In addition to his nonfiction works, Hancock has written two fantasy novels and gave a controversial TEDx talk in 2013 promoting the use of the psychoactive drink ayahuasca. His work has inspired several films and the Netflix series Ancient Apocalypse (2022). He frequently appears on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast to discuss his theories.