Survivors of Atlantis by Frank Joseph © 2004

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Survivors of Atlantis   by  Frank Joseph   ©  2004   Bear and Company    ISBN  1-59143-040-2  262 pages  includes color insert and black-and-white illustrations    paperback  $16.00  (U.S.)     $22.95  (Canada)

I can do no better as a start to this review than to quote the author’s opening lines:  “Atlantis.  No name is so evocative for millions of people around the world after thousands of years.”  Atlantis has been written about by authors from around the world over millennia.  It has been approached from the perspectives of religion, science, myth, and interdisciplinary approaches.  The civilization of Atlantis has been credited with military (and/or commercial) world domination, technology far in advance of current (21^st century) levels, slavery, human sacrifice and more.  It has been described as having an obvious existence (denied by “The Establishment” for unspecified reasons); an obvious non-existence (there is no archeological evidence which can be absolutely attributed to it); and a confused partial existence (yes, it existed, but not in the location or level of sophistication attributed to it).

Mr. Joseph has written previously on the subject of Atlantis, although that work (The Destruction of Atlantis) concentrated on the physical downfall of Atlantis.  This work is dedicated to showing the effects of multiple waves of immigrants from a more advanced (although not massively more advanced) civilization fleeing the loss of their cultural homeland.

Unlike many of the authors who have chosen to write on the subject, Mr. Joseph cites sources which are both accessible and, at least in many cases, produced my members of the scientific community who are considered to be in the mainstream.  One could hardly accuse Dr. Thor Heyerdahl, E.A. Wallis Budge, James Breasted or Flinders Petrie of being fringe figures in the academic community.  While some of their conclusions have been challenged and/or modified, they are acknowledged as level-headed thinkers.

While I am not well enough informed on current thought in the archeological community in regards to cultural diffusionism to be able to comment on the similarities of the various cultures the author cites, he does present a fairly compelling argument, from a lay person’s point of view.  He lists similarities of words in various cultures, as well as cultural and mytho-historic correlations.  His presentation is well though out and reasonable.  It is easy to understand.  Is it the final word on the subject?  Not by any means, I am sure.

 

This is not the story of Atlantis and its downfall.  It is a view of the impact of Atlantean culture and civilization on the rest of the Bronze Age world.  It is an excellent addition to the library of anyone interested in the subject.

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