A 20,000 Mark writing prize provided the capital for an ambitious 1928 expedition to the Andean ruins of Tiwanaku. Led by Edmund Kiss, this journey aimed to prove the Welteislehre, a pseudo-scientific hypothesis asserting that Earth and cosmic bodies were formed of ice, which served as the foundation for his unconventional theories regarding global history and ancient migration.
Early Career and Literary Output
Born in 1886 within the German Empire, Kiss initially pursued training in architecture. Although he claimed an academic background in archaeology, no evidence supports this assertion. Following service as a soldier during the First World War, he transitioned into literature. He authored adventure fiction for the Der Gute Kamerad collection while simultaneously developing non-fiction works centered on mysticism and alternative archaeology, notably theorizing that Nordic peoples were the original architects of civilization.
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In 1927, Kiss initiated contact with Arthur Posnansky, an Austrian amateur archaeologist who had been documenting Tiwanaku for decades. He interpreted the Gateway of the Sun as a complex celestial calendar and maintained that the site’s carvings depicted Nordic men, viewing these findings as evidence of a prehistoric Aryan migration.
Political Connections and Military Service
The pseudo-scientific nature of his research appealed to the Völkisch movement and various right-wing political figures. His book, Das Sonnentor von Tihuanaku und Hörbiger's Welteislehre, garnered the attention of Heinrich Himmler, who gifted a copy to Adolf Hitler. By 1939, Kiss sought SS-Ahnenerbe funding for an extensive follow-up expedition, which the organization's director, Wolfram Sievers, estimated at 100,000 Reichsmarks. The project was eventually abandoned in 1941. Kiss served as a Hauptsturmführer in the Waffen-SS before being captured in 1945.
Fast facts
- Born: 1886, German Empire
- Died: 1960, Germany
- Occupations: writer, architect, archaeologist, anthropologist
- Membership: Schutzstaffel
- Key Theory: Welteislehre (World-Ice Theory)
- Primary Field Site: Tiwanaku, Bolivia
Questions readers ask
What was the basis of Kiss's archaeological theories?
He relied on the pseudo-scientific Welteislehre, claiming Earth’s history was shaped by ancient flooding and glacial activity resulting from the destruction of multiple moons.
Did Kiss successfully execute his planned 1939 expedition?
No. Although he secured support from the SS-Ahnenerbe, the project was cancelled in 1941 following the German invasion of Poland.
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