During the summer of 2012 I visited the Aegean island of Santorini. Its awe inspiring topography, peculiar geology, volcanic nature and proximity to Athens caused me to think of Plato’s reference to Atlantis in his dialogues Timaios and Kritias which I had read more than once in the past. After spending many hours at the museum in Fira, the island’s capital, as well at Akrotiri, the uncovered bronze- age settlement on the island, and after seen all the impressive exhibits there, I decided that I should do a thorough research on the legend of Atlantis. The result of that research is the present book whose conclusions are based on Plato’s texts in conjunction with geographical, geological and archeological data. This book is devoted to all those who look for the discovery of truth through logical reasoning and tangible evidence.
Ever since Plato created the legend of the lost island of Atlantis, it has maintained a uniquely strong grip on the human imagination. For two and a half millennia, the story of the city and its catastrophic downfall has inspired people--from Francis Bacon to Jules Verne to Jacques Cousteau--to speculate on the island's origins, nature, and location, and sometimes even to search for its physical remains. It has endured as a part of the mythology of many different cultures, yet there is no indisputable evidence, let alone proof, that Atlantis ever existed. What, then, accounts for its seemingly inexhaustible appeal? Richard Ellis plunges into this rich topic, investigating the roots of the legend and following its various manifestations into the present. He begins with the story's origins. Did it arise from a common prehistorical myth? Was it a historical remnant of a lost city of pre-Columbians or ancient Egyptians? Was Atlantis an extraterrestrial colony? Ellis sifts through the "scientific" evidence marshaled to "prove" these theories, and describes the mystical and spiritual significance that has accrued to them over the centuries. He goes on to explore the possibility that the fable of Atlantis was inspired by a conflation of the high culture of Minoan Crete with the destruction wrought on the Aegean world by the cataclysmic eruption, around 1500 b.c., of the volcanic island of Thera (or Santorini). A fascinating historical and archaeological detective story, Imagining Atlantis is a valuable addition to the literature on this essential aspect of our mythohistory.
When the Greek island of Santorini, or Thera, erupted dramatically in the seventeenth or sixteenth century BC, it produced one of the largest explosions ever witnessed by humankind. The event covered Bronze Age settlements on the island with volcanic ash, and altered the course of civilisation in the region, possibly giving rise to the legend of Atlantis. Fire in the Sea blends the thrill of scientific discovery with a popular presentation of the geology, archaeology, history, peoples and environmental setting of Santorini. It is a case study of a natural disaster that will fire the imagination. Excellent colour photographs and illustrations along with easily understandable scientific and historic details make this book highly appealing to a wide audience. It will also be useful as a supplementary text for introductory courses in earth and atmospheric science, geology, volcanology, palaeoclimatology, as well as ancient history and archaeology.
Nearly 2,400 years ago, ancient philosopher Plato wrote the story of Atlantis, a compelling tale of an 11,000-year-old island civilization which has since captivated the imagination of poets, authors, and the minds of many scholars who over the centuries kept on searching for the legendary island. Today, numerous speculations place Atlantis in locations like the Azores Islands in the middle of the Atlantic, in Spain, somewhere off the coast of southeastern Cyprus, in Malta, or in more exotic locations like Indonesia, Antarctica, even in the "Bermuda Triangle" off the coast of the United States. Of course, while some past claims seemed more probable than others, never before has there been a discovery where all the physical characteristics matched Plato's description, until now! Author and researcher Christos A. Djonis, reveals a tangible find where not one or two, but every aspect of the proposed location matches Plato's physical description. The geography is identical, the volcanic geology is there, and the flora and fauna chronologically match the topography. If Plato's Atlantis was ever real, finally, there is a perfect match! This book does not end with the revelation of Atlantis though. Armed with DNA evidence and an array of other clues, it confirms the likelihood that Atlantians discovered North America more than 10,000 years ago. Other ancient civilizations followed later, including the Bronze-Age Minoans, a post-Atlantian culture which regularly mined copper out of the region of the Great Lakes. In a compelling way, the book further connects with several more controversial topics and puts forth thoughts and clues that could help explain some of the most contentious mysteries of our time. Is the Human Genome a real miracle or genetics? What is the meaning behind the Nazca Lines? Is there a secret chamber below the Great Sphinx? Is the Old Testament of the Bible a copy of a much older original? Be ready to open your mind, as history shall be revisited-in a way like never before.
In the Homeric Epics, important references to specific autonomous systems and mechanisms of very advanced technology, such as automata and artificial intelligence, as well as to almost modern methods of design and production are included. Even if those features of Homeric science were just poetic concepts (which on many occasions does not explain the astonishing details of design and manufacture, like the ones included in the present volume), they seem to prove that these achievements were well within human capability. In addition, the substantial development of machine theory during the early post-Homeric age shows that the Homeric descriptions were a kind of prophetic conception of these machines, and scientific research must be a quest for the fundamental principles of knowledge available during the Late Bronze Age and the dawn of the Iron Age. Such investigations must of necessity be strongly interdisciplinary and also proceed continuously in time, since, as science progresses, new elements of knowledge are discovered in the Homeric Epics, amenable to scientific analysis. This book brings together papers presented at the international symposium Science and Technology in Homeric Epics, which took place at Ancient Olympia in 2006. It includes a total of 41 contributions, mostly original research papers, covering diverse fields of science and technology, in the modern sense of these words.
Never before has there been a real discovery where all the physical characteristics of a proposed location matched Plato’s description of Atlantis. Not even the original Santorini hypothesis could sufficiently meet the given criteria. After years of extensive research, in conjunction with new archeological evidence, and with the aid of satellite technology, Christos A. Djonis credibly reveals that Plato based his story of Atlantis on a real prehistoric setting, now beneath 400 feet of water. We now have a real discovery where all the physical characteristics, along with Plato’s given chronology, flawlessly match, and they are precisely in the exact order as Plato depicted. Moreover, DNA and archaeological evidence of an advanced Neolithic civilization occupying the prehistoric submerged island, at around 9600 BC, further confirm a perfect case scenario. “Finally, a study that gives a logical and well-supported documentation for the existence of Plato’s Atlantis! I was totally enthralled with this exciting piece of history...” C.A Schultz, Schultz Studios
The New York Times Bestselling Travel Memoir! The author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu travels the globe in search of the world’s most famous lost city. “Adventurous, inquisitive and mirthful, Mark Adams gamely sifts through the eons of rumor, science, and lore to find a place that, in the end, seems startlingly real indeed.”—Hampton Sides A few years ago, Mark Adams made a strange discovery: Far from alien conspiracy theories and other pop culture myths, everything we know about the legendary lost city of Atlantis comes from the work of one man, the Greek philosopher Plato. Stranger still: Adams learned there is an entire global sub-culture of amateur explorers who are still actively and obsessively searching for this sunken city, based entirely on Plato’s detailed clues. What Adams didn’t realize was that Atlantis is kind of like a virus—and he’d been exposed. In Meet Me in Atlantis, Adams racks up frequent-flier miles tracking down these Atlantis obsessives, trying to determine why they believe it's possible to find the world's most famous lost city—and whether any of their theories could prove or disprove its existence. The result is a classic quest that takes readers to fascinating locations to meet irresistible characters; and a deep, often humorous look at the human longing to rediscover a lost world.
Time traveller Chloe Kingsley thinks she's returning from the splendour of ancient Egypt to her artist's life in Dallas. But she wakes up in ancient Crete as the seer of a sensual empire whose fall she foresees in visions of blood and fire.
