Rating: 
Summary: Tantilizing Possibilities
Review: Archaeologists have been pushing back the date of humanity's first attempts at agriculture and the civilization that follows it. An inexplicable commonality is seen in agriculture emerging in distant places at nearly the same time. Self-confessed - sorry, self-adulatory - Graham Hancock thinks there's an answer for that chronological similarity. He contends agriculture, and civilization reach even further back in time than evidence found in places like Iran or Turkey suggests. He thinks the legends and mythologies of India, Malta and South America point to a multitude of "Atlantis-like" urbanised cultures that have disappeared from view - under water."Underworld" is a collation of ancient legends, old maps, submerged evidence and innovative thinking that gives humanity much deeper roots than previously thought. Hancock dives into the world's offshore depths, trolls through a wealth of mythologies, views unusual and unexplained artefacts and comes up with a challenge to consensus archaeology. Was there a global sprinking of advanced civilizations at the end of the last Ice Age? Did the melting ice caps drown more than the various land bridges that connected the British Isles with Europe, Sri Lanka with India and Alaska with Siberia? If Hancock is correct, and he is not to be dismissed lightly, humanity achieved far greater social complexity during the glacial advances than just living in caves wrapped in bear skins. What appears to be a near simultaneous emergence of agriculture, he argues, is in reality what we see left over from much older societies. Hancock has made dives in many of the sites revealed by fishermen, archaeologists and others, recording finds on video and still camera and maps. The images are impressive, as are the numbers of potential sites. Utilising computer generated maps of the sea's rise after the Great Meltdown of the glaciers, he shows the logic of his thesis with compelling evidence. He's careful to note where the data seems firm as well as lacking. Where lacking, he urges more scientific attention to these places. Although he justifiably spends most of the account on locations in India, where in some places the sea has invaded over 700 kilometres since the last Last Glacial Maximum, his relation of Japanese sites makes the most compelling reading. There, some of the longest-lived legends indicate Japan's oldest settlers, the Jomon, preceded the West in the establishment of agriculture and settled communities. Where scholars once held these people were "simple hunter-gatherers", Hancock sees evidence of rice growing nearly twelve thousand years old. Temple styles found today are duplicated in undersea sites, in some places nearby as if the sea simply pushed the people and their culture inland. These people may have followed the "Black Current" across the Pacific to establish settlements along the western coast of South America. Hancock is careful to separate the known from the speculative, and not all of the speculations are his. Scholars in the places he visits are contributers to this innovative idea. So many sites and such commonality of legend add up to a highly plausible notion. Regrettably, even while crediting these researchers with empirical methods, Hancock is a bit too full of himself. Long passages of his problems, illness, fright from daring pilots cruising mountain passes permeate the book. By restricting himself to the scholars, their evidence coupled with his own and other researchers' ideas, he could have made this account less tedious while recounting adventures and exploration. Even the computer-generated maps are often repeated unnecessarily. He raises serious questions which deserve serious study. Hancock makes a compelling introduction, but we await a less self-indulgent approach. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Rating:
Summary: Challenging the consensus
Review: Archaeologists have been pushing back the date of humanity's first attempts at agriculture and the civilization that follows it. An inexplicable commonality is seen in agriculture emerging in distant places at nearly the same time. Self-confessed - sorry, self-adulatory - Graham Hancock thinks there's an answer for that chronological similarity. He contends agriculture, and civilization reach even further back in time than evidence found in places like Iran or Turkey suggests. He thinks the legends and mythologies of India, Malta and South America point to a multitude of "Atlantis-like" urbanised cultures that have disappeared from view - under water. "Underworld" is a collation of ancient legends, old maps, submerged evidence and innovative thinking that gives humanity much deeper roots than previously thought. Hancock dives into the world's offshore depths, trolls through a wealth of mythologies, views unusual and unexplained artefacts and comes up with a challenge to consensus archaeology. Was there a global sprinking of advanced civilizations at the end of the last Ice Age? Did the melting ice caps drown more than the various land bridges that connected the British Isles with Europe, Sri Lanka with India and Alaska with Siberia? If Hancock is correct, and he is not to be dismissed lightly, humanity achieved far greater social complexity during the glacial advances than just living in caves wrapped in bear skins. What appears to be a near simultaneous emergence of agriculture, he argues, is in reality what we see left over from much older societies. Hancock has made dives in many of the sites revealed by fishermen, archaeologists and others, recording finds on video and still camera and maps. The images are impressive, as are the numbers of potential sites. Utilising computer generated maps of the sea's rise after the Great Meltdown of the glaciers, he shows the logic of his thesis with compelling evidence. He's careful to note where the data seems firm as well as lacking. Where lacking, he urges more scientific attention to these places. Although he justifiably spends most of the account on locations in India, where in some places the sea has invaded over 700 kilometres since the last Last Glacial Maximum, his relation of Japanese sites makes the most compelling reading. There, some of the longest-lived legends indicate Japan's oldest settlers, the Jomon, preceded the West in the establishment of agriculture and settled communities. Where scholars once held these people were "simple hunter-gatherers", Hancock sees evidence of rice growing nearly twelve thousand years old. Temple styles found today are duplicated in undersea sites, in some places nearby as if the sea simply pushed the people and their culture inland. These people may have followed the "Black Current" across the Pacific to establish settlements along the western coast of South America. Hancock is careful to separate the known from the speculative, and not all of the speculations are his. Scholars in the places he visits are contributers to this innovative idea. So many sites and such commonality of legend add up to a highly plausible notion. Regrettably, even while crediting these researchers with empirical methods, Hancock is a bit too full of himself. Long passages of his problems, illness, fright from daring pilots cruising mountain passes permeate the book. By restricting himself to the scholars, their evidence coupled with his own and other researchers' ideas, he could have made this account less tedious while recounting adventures and exploration. Even the computer-generated maps are often repeated unnecessarily. He raises serious questions which deserve serious study. Hancock makes a compelling introduction, but we await a less self-indulgent approach. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Rating: 
Summary: An addictive read
Review: Author and explorer Graham Hancock continues his pursuit of uncovering clues to the past, this time under the sea. Underworld is the narrative of a journey through the Mediterranean, the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, Bay of Bengal and the Pacific Ocean around Indonesia, Japan and Taiwan in which underwater structures of possible human origin are explored. The government of India has recently authenticated two of Hancock's discoveries off the coast of that country. In both cases, these structures are dated between 9000 and 11 000 years before the current era, which supports the theory of a great flood that submerged vast areas of land at that time. What I really like about Hancock is that he provides the orthodox view at the same time as his own theories. I cannot but agree with his statement, "There's something wrong with the underpinning of history." Hancock has indicated the most likely places for pre-flood civilizations with the help of Dr. Glen Milne of Durham University who is an expert on glaciation-induced changes in the sea level, and taking into account the plethora of flood-myths found amongst all cultures on all continents. Underworld is lavishly illustrated and well served by a thorough index and extensive bibliography. This gripping text will amply reward the reader who enjoyed Hancock's earlier titles like Keepers of Genesis and Fingerprints of the Gods. Hancock deserves credit for stimulating interest in history and archaeology. He was the writer that created interest in those little doors in the light shaft of the great pyramid that was recently in the news. Let's hope something will be revealed behind the second door! In the mean time, I thoroughly enjoy Hancock's speculations.
Rating:
Summary: Discover "Lost" Cities/Monuments (Natural Wonders?)
Review: Graham Hancock got my undivided attention with "Fingerprints of the Gods". He has won my continued interest by writing and researching ancient and mysterious civilizations. The "new" location of his research is underwater, off shore in the Meditarranean, India, and Asia, i.e., Taiwan and Japan. He *does* includes some references to fascinating "finds" in the Caribbean, the Bahamas and a recent site discovered near Cuba. His writing style is most engaging and so is the subject matter. I enjoy his ability to include 1) solid scientific evidence to back up his theories, 2) diaries he kept while exploring underwater sites, 3) a photo journal of monuments and structures (whether natural or man-made is yet to be determined) by his wife, 4) descriptions of what he actually sees, 5) ancient maps of the "old world", and 6) "inundation" computerized maps (scietific but limited) of what the world would have been like *before* the flood which occured after the Ice Age. Graham Hancock does a phenomenal job of describing how he got started in this research and he does a superior investigative report supporting his main theory, that many civilizations/ancient cities were wiped out worldwide due to the floods that occurred approximately 11,000 years ago. He and his wife learned to dive just so they could view first hand, the objects of their theories and research. Initially, I was impressed that this was a 700+ page book. I found the first three parts of the book fascinating reading, fairly easy to get through. However, by part 4, I was tired and slowing down. When I got to part 5, I had to force myself to finish the book. I am glad I did *not* give up. It was very much worth learning about stone monuments found near islands owned by Japan. The monuments are either natural, man-made, or both - as of yet, the "experts" are uncertain. Most astonishing are Graham Hancock's use of "inundation maps", maps developed by computers, from scientific data fed into them, such as, how high the water levels rose after the ice melted, etc. Today's computerized maps are compared to existing ancient maps, such as, "the 1424 Pizzagano chart", the results that are quite similar. For this alone, Graham Hancock deserves recognition by the scientific community and serious consideration for his theories. This is a highly recommended book, although in all honesty, it becomes tedious reading about half-way through. However, it is well worth finishing once you get started. I hope the US Public Broadcasting System (PBS) buys the "Underwater" UK TV film series of Graham Hancock's dives and searches - to view them would be awesome. Erika Borsos (erikab93)
Rating:
Summary: Deserves Attention
Review: Graham Hancock has been producing various books speculating that an ancient and previously unknown civilization existed in the Paleolithic era for about ten years now. Periodically he changes the proposed location of the civilization, originally thought to be Antarctica in Fingerprints of the Gods and now under the sea in Underworld. Regardless of where Hancock thinks this civilization was to be found, he tells an entertaining story with much that bears thinking about. All of Hancock's books are part history, part travel guide. One of the more enjoyable aspects of Underworld are all the stories about his various travels and travails as he examines different areas of the world for evidence of ancient cities and buildings. He is always eager and excited to find out more, and lets nothing, not even the ubiquitousness of bureaucracy ( his stories of the red tape involved in getting permission to dive in places like the Persian Gulf are worthy of the old Yes Minister show ) get him down. Besides the travel stories, Hancock is worth reading because he has come up with an amazing amount of material which at least brings into question the accepted theories about the human past. I hope that his journalistic, rather than academic, credentials will not lead many to dismiss his theories, because they do deserve more study.
Rating:
Summary: Great Detective Work
Review: Graham Hancock has studied the subject of ancient cultures and their roots far more thoroughly than most archaeologists. Underworld is a huge undertaking as it is not bound to a particular dig or single marine area - but focuses on a number of intrigueing sites around the world that all converge to paint a picture of a vast and incredibly old civilization. Graham's use and analysis of myth and folklore as well as religion and linguistics - and willingness to look beyond traditional paradigms - all help to bring a refreshing new perspective to the archaeological record. His detective work is to be applauded. If one will take the time to read the complete book (700 pages!) and check out many of the footnotes you cannot but help arrive at the conclusion that there was once a very large and relatively advanced culture that goes back much farther in the archaeological record than heretofore accepted. This book has vast implications and is important piece of baseline research that will no doubt be increasingly appreciated as new terrestrial and offshore finds are made in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Some brilliant ideas, some wild digressions
Review: I am a fan of Graham Hancock, having fallen in love with his books on ancient civilizations. I was so eager to read UNDERWORLD that I sent away to Amazon.uk for it. What I received was an 800-page tome that stirred the mind as well as put me to sleep. To summarize, Hancock theorizes that the end of the Great Ice Age ended with vast areas of precious real estate innundated by seawater. These often were coastal cities settled by civilized members of the Indus, Japanese, Maya and other cultural groups. The theory makes a great deal of sense, especially in light of the amazing findings a Russian submarine research vehicle has been finding off the coast of Cuba. Surely, all combined, the vast, lost areas of Africa, South Ameerica, Asia and other continents could more than make up for a lost Atlantis. So, Hancock dives, searching for a lost civilization that all that traditional archeologists have ignored. This is fine work, until Hancock gets bogged down with incredible details. We slog through a boring discussion of whether molars on Malta were Neolithic or not. We meander around India, never quite getting to the bottom of what lay between Ceylon and the mainland. Hancock swims over the famous Bimini Road in the Bahamas only to leave undecided whether the formation is natural or man-made. To make matters worse, the usually fine photographs by Hancock's wife Santha Faiia are so murky and indistinct that it's impossible to make up one's own mind. Hancock's done an impressive bit of scholarship here. And I'm glad he's dropped his previous pet notion that Antarctica was Atlantis that somehow "slipped" to the bottom of the planet. I only wish the book weren't so mired in trivia and digression. A good editor could have trimmed this book by more than half and produced an exciting, revealing work of nonfiction.
Rating:
Summary: Great research, too many digressions
Review: I did write a review before, but it seems to have gone into a black hole. So here goes again: UNDERWORLD is amazing and exhausting. Hancock doesn't make his point as well as he did in "Fingerprints of the Gods" and he gets mired in incredible detail. However, the essential points were well made and the diving stories were quite good. There's a nifty part where he takes skeptical geologist Wolf Wichmann down to the Yoganumi site and the two have a debate. It's quite well balanced. I'd say this book is great reading for those who don't buy the Antarctica theory of Atlantis. Hancock figures that "Atlantis" was all the miles of shoreline swallowed by the end of the last Ice Age. A thrilling theory and one that really hasn't been explored. But the details! One could get mired in the minutea. I read on his web site the reasons *why* he spent so much time on minute details. (He goes on for about 20 pages on the carbon dating of teeth in Malta. Unbelievable.) He said that "Fingerprints" was written as an book of advocacy, and he immediately was trounced for being one-sided. So this time, he's going to extremes to present the other side. If you ask me, he overdid it. But his critics are pretty vicious, so maybe he's protecting himself this way. The photos by Santha Faiia are good, but I don't understand why the publisher didn't use the ones that are on his web site. The Yoganumi photos in the book are blurry and indistinct, whereas the photos online are brilliant and clear.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit drab, but informative
Review: I find it interesting that Hancock, Bauval, West and Schoch are both admired and despised. Those who deplore the ideas of new thinking on our past history, should consider the bias that flows through academic circles. Why some people feel that in order for a society to be technologically advanced, it must have planes, trains, automobiles and PC's is beyond me.
I have been following both sides of this controversy for years and as one professor of archaeology told me: 'It's best not to stray too far outside the mainstream...', tells me that new ideas are dangerous ideas in academic circles. I think archaeologists should take lessons from the Japanese, they are a bit more flexible about revising old theories.
Scholars, in my view at any rate, should be aware of making value judgemnets based on today's norms and take into account sociological and cultural factors. This, in my opinion, causes the dogma in history and archaeology.
At what point in time are archaeologists going to go underwater? New discoveries off the coast of Cuba might yield something not yet known, maybe even having to revise some age old theories. Or is this the problem? Don't get me wrong they have made many great strides to bring us our past. However, don't get offensive when someone comes up with a new idea, even though it may radical.
Does anyone ever consider that they might wrong in any of their theories about our ancient past? Sometimes I feel that they sell the ancients too short. The ancient Egyptians for example were clever enough to build the pyramids, but too stupid to understand advanced mathematics, yet it is everywhere in the Great Pyramid. You can't have it both ways. Little do people know that Pythagoras was an Egyptian priest for 22 years and told everyone that what he learned was from them.
Lastly there is Robert Schoch. His redating the Sphinx that caused such a firestorm was more like making a mountain out of a molehill. All he did was present his data and let the Egyptologists decide what to do with it, and we seen what they done with it, he did nothing more. I could go on and on, but I only have a 1,000 words.
As for Underworld, I am a bit disapointed. Not because what was written, but how it was written.
Rating:
Summary: Hancock Strikes Again!
Review: In this latest work of renowned author, Graham Hancock, he now embarks on a series of underwater exploration dives around the world to find proof that the ruins of previous human civilizations lie beneath the surface of the world's oceans and seas.
Like all of Hancock's prior texts, this one is no exception to being well researched and full of footnotes. The reader will be treated to over >700 pages of text and notes which provide vivid descriptions of the underwater archaeology that Hancock and wife Santha doggedly pursue. Most of the underwater photographs are blurred and do not offer the clear example of being recognized for what Hancock purports that they are, but in his defense, I'm sure it was the best he and Santha could do.
Regardless, as with his other texts, I rate the book as five stars for his seemingly lone attempt to shatter the paradigms and traditional notions of archaeologly and the history of our collective human past. Good for him and good for us! Well done.
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