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This article first appeared in ancient-code.com and is written by Ivan Petricevic
The dream of every researcher and archeologist is to find an ancient civilization unknown to history books. Advanced ancient civilization are the dream of every archeologist as they explore the vast yet unknown areas on planet Earth, hoping to come across incredible monuments, structures, and artifacts that will earn them a place in the hall-of-fame of archeology.
Every single year, we come across new discoveries which lead us to question everything we know about the origins of man and countless ancient civilizations that inhabited the planet before us. Some discoveries even point towards a time –omitted by mainstream scholars—where highly advanced civilization roamed the Earth, advanced ancient civilizations who had in their possession incredibly advanced technology which today seems to be lost forever.
The Lost city (continent) of Atlantis is perhaps one of the most controversial subjects you can talk mention to archaeologists and researchers, and many believe that the ‘mythical’ lost city is just that a myth created by Plato thousands of years ago, and that there is no evidence whatsoever to support that this once great kingdom ever existed.
However, Atlantis was researched by the Smithsonian institute, as emphasized by their Annual Report of the Board of Regents of The Smithsonian Institution for the year ending June 30th, 1915, indicating that someone thought it would be of great importance to look into the possibility that this great empire once existed on Earth.
According to the report, in 1915, author M. Pierre Termeir, member of the Academy of Sciences and Director of Service of the Geologic Chart of France provides numerous details about the Atlantean Civilization, making a compelled case for the future study of the existence of Atlantis:
After a long period of disdainful indifference, observe how in the last few years science is returning to the study of Atlantis. How many naturalists, geologists, zoologists, or botanists are asking one another today whether Plato has not transmitted to us, with slight amplification, a page from the actual history of mankind. No affirmation is yet permissible; but it seems more and more evident that a vast region, continental or made up of great islands, has collapsed west of the Pillars of Hercules, otherwise called the Straight of Gibraltar, and that its collapse occurred in the not far distant past. In any event, the question of Atlantis is placed anew before men of science; and since I do not believe that it can ever be solved without the aid of oceanography, I have thought it natural to discuss it here, in this temple of maritime science, and to call to such a problem, long scorned but now being revived, the attention of oceanographers, as well as the attention of those who, though immersed in the tumult of cities, lend an ear to the distant murmur of the sea.
In the report, Termeir present zoological, geographic and geologic data which firmly supports the existence of the lost continent of Atlantis, and its once great civilization.
But, if such a great empire did in fact exist, where is the evidence?
Let’s go back and take a look at Plato’s descriptions of Atlantis.
Atlantis has been the topic of debate for over 2,500 years among philosophers, historians, and archeologists; It was described as a powerful and highly advanced kingdom that sank in one day and one night, never to be seen or heard from again, somewhere around 9600 B.C. according to Plato.
“Through violent earthquakes and floods, in a single day and night of misfortune … [the whole race] … was swallowed up by the Earth and the island of Atlantis … disappeared into the depths of the sea.” – Plato.
The first writings about Atlantis come from the famous book “Dialogues” written by the Greek philosopher Plato in the fourth century BC. According to Plato, the stories of Atlantis were passed to him by his grandfather, who had heard the story about ancient Atlantis from an Athenian statesman called Solon who learned about the existence of Atlantis from an Egyptian priest who claimed that Atlantis existed nine thousand years ago before that.
According to The Secret Teachings of All Ages written by Manly P. Halls we learn the following:
According to Plato’s accounts, the Atlantean empire was inhabited by ‘earth-born’ and ‘primitive’ human beings, one of them was wooed by Poseidon, one of the many gods who interbred with mortals. Eventually, five children were born. Gods interbreeding with humans is a common trait seen in many historical texts from different cultures around the globe.
White, black and red stones were used in the construction of public buildings. “They circumscribed each of the land zones with a wall, the outer wall being covered with brass, the middle with tin, and the inner, which encompassed the citadel, with orichalch. The citadel, on the central island, contained the palaces, temples, and other public buildings. In its center, surrounded by a wall of gold, was a sanctuary dedicated to Cleito and Poseidon.” (source)
According to geographical descriptions, the land of Atlantis was divided into concentric zones of land and water. Two zones of land and three zones of water surrounded the central island, which had warm springs of water and cold springs of water.
Atlantis become a well-established empire, consisting of a central government and advanced industry that allowed them to achieve never-before-seen technological heights, even possibly superior to what we have today.
“The part of Atlantis facing the sea was described as lofty and precipitous, but about the central city was a plain sheltered by mountains renowned for their size, number, and beauty. The plain yielded two crops each year, in the winter being watered by rains and in the summer by immense irrigation canals, which were also used for transportation. The plain was divided into sections and in the time of war each section supplied its quota of fighting men and chariots.” (source)
However, despite their incredible advancements in numerous fields, the Atlantean civilization ended abruptly as the love for ego driven desires among the rulers of Atlantean kinds, “lured” them from “the pathway of wisdom and virtue.”
Ken Feder, professor of archeology provides interesting details about the Atlantean empire in his book “Frauds, Myths and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology.”
“A technologically sophisticated but morally bankrupt evil empire – Atlantis – attempts world domination by force. The only thing standing it its way is a relatively small group of spiritually pure, morally principled and incorruptible people – the ancient Athenians. Overcoming overwhelming odds . . . the Athenians are able to defeat their far more powerful adversary simply through the force of their spirit. Sound familiar? Plato’s Atlantean dialogues are essentially an ancient greek version of ‘Star Wars.’ ” – Kenneth Feder
However, many researchers believe that while Atlantis might have existed and disappeared, its entire population didn’t vanish with the city-continent. According to Manly P. Hall, it is very likely that before the great cataclysm that destroyed the Atlantean Empire, a portion of the inhabitants of Atlantis left and did not succumb to the egoistic tendencies which are believed to have been one of the causes of the downfall of Atlantis. This is why, it is believed that the philosophic, religious, and scientific knowledge was passed on to numerous cultures that came into existence after Atlantis, and many people point towards the mysterious Olmec civilization in Mexico and their connection to the Atlantean empire.
“The world received not only the heritage of arts and crafts, philosophies, and sciences, ethics and religions, but also the heritage of hate, strife, and perversion. The Atlantean’s instigated the first war, and it has been said that all subsequent wars were fought in a fruitless effort to justify the first one and right the wrong which it caused.” – Manly P. Hall
There are several places proposed throughout the years as the original Atlantis; Azores, Sahara, Malta, Bolivia, Peru, Antarctica, There, Crete, the Middle East. These are just some of the locations that have been proposed by researchers, and are according to them, somehow connected with Atlantis. However, the truth is that no one has been able to provide firm clues which could lead to the discovery of the lost Atlantean civilization and their long-lost land. Maybe, after all, Atlantis was just Plato’s imagination going wild… what do you think?
Ivan is a freelance writer, editor-in-chief of ancient-code.com, he also writes for EWAO, Share Knowledge, Svemir Online and Ancient Origins.
