The Existence of Atlantis and Piri Reiss
There is a lot of fantastic information on Atlantis and a little hard archeological evidence
The Archaeological Evidence
Atlantis has been the focus of speculation for over a century since Donnelly rekindled and popularized interest in the US and Europe in the subject since the time of Plato over 2,000 years previously. Prior to this, ideas about Atlantis were largely confined to the intelligentsia. Francis Bacon's wrote on the subject in the 1627 essay. Within his essay, "The New Atlantis", describes a utopian society that he called Bensalem, located off the western coast of the Americas somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. His character in the narrative relates the history of Atlantis similar to the account given by Plato more than 2,000 years earlier. The famed astronomer and mathematician, Isaac Newton wrote a 1728 "Chronology of the Ancient Kingdoms". Several renowned Mesoamerican scholars got involved too, starting with Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, Edward Herbert Thompson and Augustus Le Plongeon who proposed that Atlantis was possibly related to Mayan and Aztec culture, which were considered as the following generations of Atlantians. The 1882 publication of "Atlantis: the Antediluvian World" by Ignatius L. Donnelly stimulated a lot of popular interest in Atlantis. Donnelly took Plato's account of Atlantis seriously, studied the account, following up leads where he could and attempted to establish that all known ancient civilizations were descendants from the advanced civilization of Atlantis.
Since then, more fuel has been added to the speculation. Here is a list of some of the new facts.
An acknowledged global meltdown that began in earnest about 12,900 to 12,500 years ago, evolved in discreet stages and ended about 6,000 years ago. It has recently sped up again. A major development occurred 12,600 years ago.
Maps of ancient land and sea areas made from calculations of the above sea level landmass 12,500 years ago and earlier.
The Peri Reiss maps allegedly handed down from ancient sea kings according to Charles Hapgood who had support from Einstein. The Muslims had possession of these while Europe lingered in the dark ages.
A sunken underwater city and temple complex just off the coast of Japan and cave structures that can form only above sea level.
Cities underwater off the coast of Bengal India.
An inundated village off the coast of Israel under 30 feet of water near Haifa.
An account in hieroglyphics in Egypt as described by Solon and that some confirm as existing in Heliopolis although this is disputed by others.
The fact that the Mediterranean was once a fertile plain east of the Pillars of Hercules as was the Black Sea, now both underwater. They flooded when global sea levels rose some 400 feet and natural barriers were breached. The first occurred 12,600 years ago and the second about 8,000 years ago.
Strange OOParts (Out Of Place Artifacts) around the world such as crystal skulls, sophisticated tools, clockwork orreys, hydraulics, batteries, fetishes that look like modern jets and the like.
Ancient alloys that we have only recently duplicated.
Current knowledge of a major global catastrophe dated to 12,600 years ago involving an impact, iridium, diamond traces, creation of the Niagara escarpment and flash melting at the end of the last ice age.
Buildings around the world that surpass our engineering skills to construct today such as the great pyramid, Nan Madol, Machu Picchu, Stonehenge and others, some underwater structures.
Clues concerning arcane astronomical facts only discovered in the 20th century, such as the companion neutron star to Sirius, Uranus and Neptune.
Complex clockwork mechanisms thought to be out of the reach of ancient peoples.
Ocean soundings off the coast of East Africa, suggesting an underwater metropolis aligned with the Pillars of Hercules as described by Plato and Solon.
Accounts in sacred and ancient literature like the Bible, the Vedas and the Epic of Gilgamesh, some of which detail a universal flood due to the wrath of God.
New facts about the dynamic earth.
These are some of the strange things that have surfaced over the last century that suggest the possible existence of an antediluvian civilization. Atlantis has been suggested to be located in North America, Iceland, Antarctica, The Pacific Ocean, Thera and Santorini and of course, the Atlantic Ocean.
If we examine all in detail, we can immediately eliminate Iceland, Antarctica and Thera/Santorini. None of these fit Plato's description and two would have been under a few miles of ice during the height of the last ice age. This leaves North America, The Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Although there are many convincing ideas about North, Central and South America by way of intriguing finds, these are found the world over. According to Plato, Atlantis was a seafaring power and projected its imperialist designs around the world much in the same way that the British Empire did in the period of the 18th through to the early 20th century. Traces were left all over the place by both, hence the artifacts and constructions of Atlantis world wide and the left over artifacts and effects of the once global British Empire, upon which the sun never set.
12,900 to 12,500 years ago, the world was a much different place. Sea levels were some 400 feet lower than in modern times and the continents extended to the edges of the modern continental shelves. Large Island nations like Japan were once part of the mainland of a super continent. The north of the American and European continents was covered in vast ice fields that were a mile deep or more, much like the Antarctic interior is now. What is now the Sahara Desert was once a lush and vast temperate forest and plain that was suitable for agriculture on a scale more vast than the North American bread basket is today. This is evidenced by what was later uncovered from under the sands in the depths of the Sahara Desert. Naturally dried mummies abound as do sites with primitive hieroglyphics and evidence of agriculture. This is also further evidenced with the expansion of the modern desert engulfing modern cities and growing areas. Coastal lowlands the world over in temperate and tropical regions were also suitable for agriculture.
Although we imagine that the shape of the continents was similar then as now, this in fact is not exactly true when we take into consideration the changes going on within the Earth. With current understanding of tectonics, we have come to appreciate those events like the growth of the Himalayas is a substantiated fact. Africa is slowly being rent in two. Other regions show signs of rising and sinking. We know that the mid Atlantic ridge runs from Iceland, south matching the curves of North and South America on the west and Europe and Africa on the east and extending to the south toward Antarctica. It is possible that some other parts of the mid Atlantic ridge extended above sea level at one time, as it now does at Iceland and the South Atlantic. We do know that Earth changes can occur in a flash such as the great undersea collapse off the coast of Malaysia on Boxing Day 2004 that resulted in a tsunami directly affecting a sixth of the globe with destructive results. The same tsunami was measured at every place on the globe and circulated several times around the globe. Close to this underwater volcanic mountain chain lies the underwater grid off the coast of East Africa and the Pillars of Hercules. It fits the descriptions of Plato concerning Atlantis. It can be located by using Google Earth within the following coordinates. There is a large almost perfectly square formation bounded by the coordinates of 30 degrees 55 minutes N and 25 degrees 18 minutes W at the south west corner; 32 degrees N, 25 degrees, 6 minutes W at the north west corner; 30 degree, 39 minutes N; 23 degrees, 38 minutes W at the southeast and 31 degrees; 49 minutes N and 23 degrees, 24 minutes at the north east corner (approx).
It is argued that this is noise from sonar soundings of the ocean floor mapping created by ships criss-crossing this area. However, since ships sounded the whole region, this criss-cross pattern should be pervasive across the entire ocean map and it is not. The lines are also two to three miles wide. The criss-cross pattern exists only in this small region. Another argument is that noise like this can be removed by software; or conversely, added. It is true that there are a lot of people and groups in the world that have an axe to grind, so tampering with information by fraudulent means for political ends is definitely a possibility. The whole debate can be resolved with an impartial approach by using camera equipped mini subs to explore this underwater region. Perhaps we might see similar things such as off the coast of Japan, India, Israel or Bimini. Regardless of whether or not such a site exists, there is enough evidence by story and strange finds to suggest that Atlantis had a global imperialist power as a sea faring society as did the British empire at the height of its glory as a sea faring imperialist power. The story goes that the ancient Greeks defeated Atlantis and that Atlantis collapsed from natural disaster shortly thereafter. A recent parallel exists where India "defeated" the British imperial power and peacefully had them withdraw under the leadership of M. K. Gandhi. The once mighty British sea faring power was in turn replaced by the US, an air faring imperialist power.
Evidence for a antideluvian civilization.
- Yonaguni - the mysterious underwater pyramid structure at Yonaguni Jima, Japan
Off the coast of Yonaguni Island of Japan is an underwater structure that is reminiscent of a temple, or a city complex. This was built prior to the great inundation that swallowed it in the sea.