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Summary: CONFUSION
Review: Interesting information, but not really related to Atlantis. His utilization of a catastrophe disturbing the Earth around 10,500 B.C. is fine, and there is merit to the coastal displacement theory, but trying to combine it with placing Plato's Atlantis in Antarctica leads to confusion. In the TIMAEUS Plato wrote that "In front of the mouth of the Pillars of Heracles (Straits of Gilbraltar) there lay an island.." and he goes on to say it was called Atlantis. Displacement of land wouldn't move an island all the way from the North Atlantis to where Antarctica is today. In the CRITIAS Plato says the island of Atlantis "now lies sunk by earthquakes and has created a barrier of impassable mud which prevents those who are sailing out from here to the ocean beyond from proceeding further." Antarctica isn't "sunk by earthquakes." At a later date, many others describe the mud, seaweed and shallow water in the same location. Even Charles Hapgood, the Flem-Aths source for the coastal displacement theory, believed Atlantis was on the North Atlantic Ridge when it was above the surface. More confusion arises from the Flem-Aths use of the fact that a learned man of the 17th century, who thought a map of Antarctica was Atlantis, led everyone to believe that was the shape of Atlantis. This is true - but it doesn't mean that therefore Antarctica was Atlantis...
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Summary: a follower on ancient events
Review: ive read many things abotu all kinds of ancient things, but when i bought this book, i wasnt sure what to expect. when i started reading the book i was facinated with every page. it had me think about everything all over again. i recommend this book to everyone, its very interesting
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Summary: WE MUST BELIEVE IT...
Review: Our present civilization after such cataclism will probably do the same thing; to build the grand monuments to sign with a help of the precession one specific epoch.
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Summary: For the gullible only
Review: Rand and Rose Flem-Ath cite Thomas Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions" early on in this book. This is a sure sign that what is to follow will be complete drivel. I don't mean to imply that Thomas Kuhn is a crank--on the contrary, his ideas are intriguing and insightful--but his description of the history of science as a series of major "paradigm shifts," interspersed among less interesting periods of incremental advances, has led far too many people on fruitless searches for the next paradigm, especially when they are not happy with the current one. It is a hallmark of works such as this one (to be lumped together with John Anthony West's "Serpent in the Sky," Robert Bauval's "Orion Mystery," and anything by Graham Hancock, to take a few recent examples) that what the authors believe they have accomplished (or that others who think like them have accomplished, see below) is nothing less than a major paradigm shift that will force us to "rethink" everything we thought we knew about human history, especially ancient history.What most of these hopeful theoreticians don't seem to appreciate, however, is that all of the paradigm "shifters" have worked from within--Einstein was a theoretical physicist, Darwin a naturalist, etc. etc. The Flem-Aths are librarians. This means that they are able to compile a large dossier of books and papers to support their central arguments--that an advanced civilization existed more than 12,000 years ago, and that a great cataclysm caused by a radical shifting of the earth's crust destroyed this civilization, leaving the scarred survivors to teach agriculture and pyramid-building to previously savage populations that survived in the mountains. Apparently, however, being a librarian does not mean that one has bothered to read everything pertaining to the subject of interest, or that one has gained the ability to critically evaluate any of the reading material. I am surprised that the Flem-Aths never stumbled across the fact that the radical geological theory that is a central feature of their thesis, namely "earth crust displacement," is an entirely baseless work of crankery that no modern geologist treats seriously. To be fair to the original crank who propsed it, Charles Hapgood, he formulated his ideas before plate tectonics was fully elucidated; to be fair to Einstein, quoted at length due to his favorable reviews of Hapgood's work, he was not a geologist and was also without the benefit of a modern understanding of the earth's crust. To be equally fair to the Flem-Aths, they should know better. All of the "evidence" cited for rapid crust movements has been dealt with in the decades since Hapgood first published his ideas; it takes nothing less than willful ignorance to miss this. In terms of scientific ideas or reasoning, "When the Sky Fell" presents nothing of value. As entertainment, this book possesses the virtue of brevity and a reading level that is fairly basic, but the writing is less than enthralling. If you want to read fun little yarns about Atlantis and ancient legacies, there's better stuff out there. If you want to gain some sense of the real wonder presented by modern archaeology, why are you even considering this?
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Summary: An alternate theory. Is Atlantis really "lost"?
Review: The author spins a very plausable tale that intertwines myth and legend from almost every culture. This theory resolves the age old question, "Where is the Lost Continent?" Perhaps, it is suggested, it is not lost at all, simply "hidden". A very good read, one I've mentally "played with" for the 3 months since I've read it.
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Summary: Concise and thought provoking. Highly recommended.
Review: The authors are to be congratulated for a very readable and scholarly assimilation of paleontological, geological, historical, and mythological data from a wide variety of sources. From this analysis, they develop a plausible theory for a lost advanced civilization. One does not have to stretch the imagination to follow the authors' line of reasoning. They present credible arguments. Whether or not you accept their proposition, the authors have put forth questions that can no longer be ignored by the orthodox scientific community. The book is relatively short...a good thing...I was unable to do little else until I had read it through.
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Summary: Bold but scientific theory that made me think.
Review: The authors have put a lot of research into a streamlined and beautifully written work that will make you see things in a different light. Even if you don't agree with all their conclusions it's an exciting trip.
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Summary: enjoyable and worthwhile exploration of an intriquing idea
Review: The authors present an idea that might at first glance appear to belong in the science fiction category. But their argument is carefully considered and bolstered by an unadmittedly unorthodox look at many unexplained mysteries of the past. It is refreshing (considering the subject matter) that there is no indulgence of Millenium Fever or even sensationalist warnings of catastrophism. This book provides a good read to anyone not wedded to the notion that academia has all the answers.
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Summary: Atlantis in Antarctica - a well-supported theory
Review: The authors' hypothesis, that the remains of Atlantis may be found beneath the ice of lesser Antarctica, is amazing but believable. They build on Charles H. Hapgood's work on earth crustal displacement and his study of ancient sea maps (which show the (ice-free) Antarctic coast long before its discovery in the eighteenth century); the amazing similarities in mythological accounts of floods and other disasters from around the world; the astonishing "outbreak" of agriculture in elevated areas; the account of Atlantis in Plato's Timaeus; and more. This book is an important accompaniment to the studies of Bauval, West et al on pre-pharoanic Egyptology, and those of Tompkins and Coe on the pre-Mayan civilisations. It is not a "new-age" or pseudo X-files book but a serious investigation of certain events and accounts. If you find a copy, buy it.
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Summary: See also their website!
Review: The crustal displacement idea originated with Charles Hapgood, author of "Path of the Pole" and "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings". It remains invalid, but the Flem-Aths attribute it to a supposed overburden of ice at the poles. I may have missed something, but it would appear that the periodicity of the supposed shift would be determined by whether the ice could accumulate on land at both poles. This would obviously be a rare event, given the large amount of the Earth's surface that is covered with water. The Flem-Aths attempt to make what is at its heart a catastrophic event into another uniformitarian fantasy. It is clear that they worked hard at this, but in that area the book is a failure. The book also fails to convince that Atlantis was located in Antarctica. This idea is basically ridiculous, although it probably drove the sales. What is interesting is the various pieces of evidence showing that Antarctica has been iced over for less than 3 million years, rather than the 50 million or so formerly claimed by Lyell's followers. Another mark against the Flem-Aths is their devotion to the idea that humans cause global warming. This is a failing found in other fringe researchers such as Art Bell, Whitney Strieber, Linda Moulton Howe, as well as alleged scientists operating on grants from governments around the world. Hapgood's claim that medieval maps -- there are no surviving ancient maps -- show Antarctica ice free is addressed by Robert Schoch ("Voices of the Rocks", pp 102-106). The best that can be expected from such maps is that they show Antarctica ice free much more recently than 12,000 years ago, an idea that none of these researchers would accept. There are runic writing systems found in Europe's caves and going back much further than this, and they remain mysterious and unread. To believe that 12,000 year old maps have been preserved through faithful transcriptions is just beyond credibility. This book is still worthwhile buying and reading for what it can inspire regarding a possible human presence in Antarctica and its submerged continental shelf, and the possible role it played in the peopling of the Americas. See "Voices of the Rocks" by Robert Schoch, "Plato Prehistorian" by Mary Settegast, "The Ancient Mariners" by Lionel Casson, "Noah's Flood" by Walter C. Pitman and William B. F. Ryan, "The Lost Civilizations of the Stone Age" by Richard Rudgley, "Catastrophe: A Quest for the Origins of the Modern World" by David Keys, and "Mysteries of the Sphinx" (VHS video).
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