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Atlantis
According to ancient myth, the name of a
vast island continent, and the many civilizations which flourished on it,
before being destroyed in a cataclysm.
The tale of Atlantis has captivated people for
thousands of years. According to the so-called Atlantists, it vanished from
the face of the earth in a day and a night, and so complete was this
devastation that Atlantis sunk beneath the ocean, taking with it every trace
of its existence.
Is it just a fairy story? Of all the
mysteries that shimmer in the realm of the unknown, just outside the grasp
of scientific proof, few can claim the continuing fascination of lost lands
and vanished civilizations, especially those that are said to have slipped
beneath the dark waters of the sea.
Legends of sunken lands, islands and continents abound in ancient peoples mythology. Celtic lore is rife with
these stories, such as the tales of Lyonesse,
of Avalon from
Arthurian legend, of the lost French city of Ys, the disappearing low-lying island of Lomea,
and of Ireland's Tir-fo-Thuin, the "Land Under Wave."
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Atlantis: Secret Star Mappers of a Lost World
~ DVD ~
Lost Human History! Submerged Megalithic Sites! Ancient Advanced Technology! Discover the hidden secrets of a timeless mystery in this fascinating film about the origins of Atlantis. Scientists are now discovering at the bottom of the earth's oceans stunning evidence of Atlantis that pre-dates the last ice age. Submerged megalithic sites have been discovered that may be the remains of this lost ancient civilization. Packed with bonus features and expert analysis. Filmed and Produced in HD.
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Germanic peoples also
have their share of sunken lands legends, in particular the one about the
pre-historic island-kingdom of Atland, which supposedly sunk beneath the
North Sea. In the Americas as well, native folklore tells of
sunken lands, from which infinitely wise mentors to their civilizations —
specifically the Aztecs, Mayans and
Incas —
escaped from impending doom. And we must also not forget
Mu,
the
lost continent supposed to have been situated in the Pacific, Lemuria,
the
legendary vanished continent allegedly located in the Indian
Ocean, and the universal flood myths.
In the numerous legends regarding Atlanteans
more often than not they were portrayed as an ideal society that enjoyed an
abundance of natural resources, great military power, splendid building and
engineering feats, and intellectual achievements far advanced over those of
other lands and peoples — and how eventually their superior civilization was destroyed by either their misuse of
power or as punishment for moral decay.
In the Middle Ages few doubted that Atlantis had existed. Many theories
suggesting the exact location of the lost island have been advanced (most
focusing in the area currently occupied by the Atlantic Ocean), and the
nature of its utopian political system has been discussed extensively.
Explorers have traveled thousands of miles looking for traces of its culture
and over
forty locations for the site have been identified around the globe, but no
real evidence of its existence has ever been discovered.
Plato
gave the first account of Atlantis in various dialogues around 350 BC,
describing the Atlanteans as a wealthy, successful, politically advanced and
militarily powerful society that overrun Europe with their armies, being
only defeated and repulsed by the Greeks.
Shortly afterwards an earthquake
caused Atlantis to sink beneath the ocean. Plato recounts the story of
Egyptian priests who 200 years earlier had portrayed Atlantis as
a powerful island empire seeking to dominate the Mediterranean world more
than 9,000 years before Plato's time. The island was supposed to be larger than
Libya and Asia Minor combined and
to have been located in the Atlantic Ocean,
west of the
Pillars of Hercules.
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