Robert
Sarmast's new book searches for new answers to old questions
concerning the lost island of Atlantis
When Plato first presented the story of Atlantis in two of his
most famous dialogues, he may have unwittingly launched one of the
greatest mysteries of all time - especially for those who have
refused to take his account literally.
Robert Sarmast's
new book shows that Plato's description of Atlantis was not a
figment of his imagination, not just a philosopher's allegory or
literary ornament, and can be taken at face value. Discovery of
Atlantis attempts to prove that Plato's richly detailed story
actually referenced something very real: a sunken landmass, a
majestic city, a great people, and a civilization of extreme
antiquity. And if Plato is to be taken literally, that
civilization existed on the island of Cyprus and especially on the
submerged land mass just south of Cyprus.
The basis for this bold claim are the nearly 50 physical clues
that Plato provides in his famous dialogues Critias and
Timaeus?the original accounts of the story of Atlantis. In
essence, Discovery of Atlantis shows that Cyprus and its vicinity
are a near - perfect match with all the factual clues in Plato's
account. Sarmast does this by going through each clue, one at a
time, and matching them with simple facts or logical inferences
about Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean region.
The high point of
the author-s argument are a series of proprietary 3-D bathymetric
maps, based on new scientific data, that show for the first time a
stretch of sunken land off of Cyprus. The general layout of the
landscape of Atlantis as described by Plato is easily discernible
on this underwater landmass, as well as the apparent location of
its capital - Atlantis City. This heretofore hidden landmass, when
taken together with related facts or inferences, is a far more
compelling match to Plato than the current theories pointing to
locations such as Bolivia, Antarctica, or other sites in the
Mediterranean.
In this book,
Sarmast offers a reasonable, testable hypothesis based on evidence
already at hand, as well as on straightforward evidence specially
produced for this work. Researchers and writers in decades past,
sincere people who have used Plato-s words to pinpoint a favored
location for Atlantis, have not had scientific maps of sufficient
detail to back up their suppositions; nor have their hypotheses
done justice to Plato-s original account. Sarmast-s hypothesis
offers both.
The bathymetric
maps and 3-D models presented in Discovery of Atlantis reveal that
Atlantis has been sitting right in our midst all along in the very
heart of the ancient world, almost a mile below the surface of the
Mediterranean Sea just off the island of Cyprus. If he is right,
present-day Cypriots will discover that their special legends were
based on fact all along; that Mt. Olympus, the fabled home of the
gods, was indeed at one time a part of their beautiful island.
The author
followed Plato's clues to isolate the Eastern Mediterranean as the
likely location of Atlantis, and was fortunate to find new
underwater data collected about a decade ago through scientific
surveys of Eastern Mediterranean, in the area of the so-called
Levantine basin and the Cyprus Arc. The use of this data, in
conjunction with specially adapted 3-D modeling and animation
software, permitted the author and his collaborators to chart the
area with a degree of topographic resolution far greater than
previously possible. The resulting bathymetric maps published
(among the 67 illustrations in this book) are being presented to
the world for the first time. In essence, the application of sonar
technology brought them to what they believe must be the location
of the archeological remains of the lost civilization of Atlantis,
sitting serenely on a sunken strip of land just off the south
coast of Cyprus, and matching Plato's account.
In this
revolutionary book Robert Sarmast has attempted to clearly present
the legend and legacy of Atlantis, acting as storyteller,
researcher, sleuth, and explorer. The fields of mythology,
history, and geology have all been tapped in order to fashion a
vivid and comprehensive image. Through this work, the authentic
story of Atlantis may move to captivate the world, with all of its
breathtaking beauty and profound implications. And a vindication
of Plato is also at hand.
When the practical
problems of continuing this investigation are considered,
researchers would seem to be facing quite favorable conditions.
With no sunlight, heat, oxygen, or wind to degrade its remains,
Atlantis would be mummified in the cold waters of the deep sea,
frozen in time. The stone walls of Atlantis as well as the
gigantic structures on the summit of the Acropolis hill would have
been preserved and should be easily accessible. Very little
sedimentation occurs in the deep-sea areas of the Mediterranean,
and with the target area resting far from shore in international
waters, a few inches of accumulated silt would fail to hide the
remains of an entire city. If Plato is to be believed, there are
colossal buildings, bridges, roads, canals, stone temples and
ancient artifacts to be found.
The argument
presented in Discovery of Atlantis is at least as compelling as
books that have led to the explorations of less plausible sites.
Thus, determining the final truth or falsity of the author's
claims now rests less with polemics among Atlantologists, and more
with the acquisition of more detailed maps, and the application of
deep-sea technologies. While certainly challenging, the task of
conducting partial excavations is relatively uncomplicated. If the
Titanic, a comparatively small target, could be found and explored
two miles below the icy Atlantic waters, then locating the remains
of a whole city at depths of less than one mile should be less
problematic. All that would be needed is simple film footage
showing megalithic stone structures on the seafloor, dozens of
miles from shore. Certainly, such a tantalizing discovery is too
much to resist given the relative simplicity of the job. It seems
inevitable that the follow-on to Discovery of Atlantis will be an
expedition to the site.
Meanwhile, the
readers of this first text by Robert Sarmast will get the very
first glimpse of a thoroughly original and plausible theory that,
we believe, will lead to the greatest archeological discovery of
this or any other time.
Publisher,
Origin Press