Rating: Summary: Revealing Review: Atlantis In America reveals much more than just information on the probable location of Atlantis. It demonstrates scientifically how ancient cultures interacted through trade and migration. Its evidence that Chinese and African peoples were well established in Central America centuries before Columbus is particularly compelling!
Rating: Summary: First Scientific Proofs of Atlantis Review: ATLANTIS IN AMERICA was the first book to state that the nearly-perfect spheres of Costa Rica and the great astronomical structures at Tikahuanaco (Alto Peru), Teotihuacan (Pyramids of the Sun and Moon in the Valley of Mexico), and Chichen Itza ( Kukulcan Temple, Observatory in the Yucatan), were all just pieces of a puzzle that ran through all of the tropical and sub-tropical Americas. Since these sites (and many more) shared many similarities, and since they all left navigational clues, Erikson and Zapp predicted that the Americas would one day be known as Atlantis and that the heart of this ancient navigational culture would be found by underwater archaeology at depths of several hundred feet in the waters off tropical America. In a subsequent book, GATEWAY TO ATLANTIS, Andrew Collins predicted that the capital of Atlantis would be found on a plain in southwest Cuba.Both of these insightful books may very soon rise above controversy. In the past several months The Associated Press, Reuters, Discovery News and a host of other "hard news" publications have reported that Paulina Zelitsky and Paul Weinzweig have found definitive evidence of megalithic ruins in the waters off Cuba's western tip. These two geologists used high resolution sonar images to reveal "a huge land plateau with clear images of what appears to be manmade large-size architectural designs... From above the shapes resemble pyramids, roads and buildings." In December of 2001 Zelitsky and Weinzweig sent a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to a depth of over 2,200 feet where it photographed precisely carved large blocks of what appears to be granite. The blocks were arranged in a manner that could only be explained by articificial construction, not natural phenomena. In fact, many of the blocks appeared to be decorated with intersecting ovals -- a design found in underwater caves on Cuba. Work continues off western Cuba aboard a 360 foot trawler laden with scientific intruments. But enough is already known to warrant a "hats off" to Zapp, Erikson and Collins for their use of science to predict and to Velitsky and Weinzweig to implement the discovery of what many feel will prove to be a momentous find.
Rating: Summary: Great books. Brad has sour grapes. Review: Brad is only mad because the book speaks the truth about the greatness of the indigenous. Our civilizations were far greater than any in Europe before they were destroyed by the Europeans. Religion had a large part in the cover-up. Catholics, Christians, and Jesus himself can burn in Hell for all I care.
Rating: Summary: Surprisingly good Review: I picked this book up not expecting much. I have been reading all kinds of books on the subject of ancient civilizations. While I tend to agree that the authors tend to stick it to the establishment it bit too much, they fact is they probably deserve it and then some. After reading this book I'm convinced and I now almost find it hard to believe people consider any other location for the "mythical" Atlantis other than Central America. Of course, the authors explain why the other proposed locations of Atlantis are more popular. I, for one, thing that people don't want to find Atlantis. If you look in the wrong places, you won't find it and you can keep having fun looking for it. In any case, this book was uncommonly reasonable and well thought out. Forget the spelling errors and repeated stabs at that status quo--this book is an important read.
Rating: Summary: Flawed, Yet Serviceable Review: I'm a sucker for "Pre-Ice Age Civilizations" books, and have been ever since discovering Graham Hancock. I think the idea is just incredibly cool, especially since there's more and more evidence surfacing that the idea isn't just a glean in a madman's eye. And, so, when I found this book in a used bookstore, I figured I'd make up the difference in my trade-ins with it. Well, this is okay. Not great (like, say, Graham Hancock's Underworld), but okay. Why? The authors kind of turned me off with their railing at the Inquisition and how the Roman Catholic Church purposefully molded the views of Western Civilization. They write in such a way that I continually expect the next sentence to say "...and I believe the Church knew and surpressed this information!", but they don't, possibly because they'd have no way of proving that. Also, the authors are guilty of a crime of which they accuse mainstream archaeologists: Drawing conclusions on too little evidence. They state that the pre-Deluge Atlantis was a place of peace and contentment, and that the fact that the Mayan and Aztec cities weren't walled proved this. Actually, that just proves they didn't have walls; the Maya and (especially) the Aztec are known to have practiced limited and ritualistic warfare, and it'd be folly to assume that was just an invention of the Aztec. However, the authors state as much. Also, we know that violence is intrinsic to human nature, so unless Atlantis and its colonies *and* those cultures it came in contact with were all fabulously wealthy, someone would've been fighting someone. Finally, they get entirely too worked up about the supposed ancient Bronze Age trade routes across the Atlantic, and shipping tin and copper to the Mediterranean. Contrary to what they say, copper and tin are not THAT rare in the Mediterranean hinterlands. Were the Native Americans exporting copper and tin to the Phoenicians, SURELY they would have made tools out of it, as it's demonstrably superior to using stone tools in most cases. That they didn't suggests their trade theory is a bit overblown. Even if the Phoenicians were only trading for the raw materials, surely the Natives would've been suspicious of what these could be used for! Don't get me wrong; it's a nice fun book, and they do bring a lot of reasonably hard data (mostly in the form of stone navigational aids and archaeological dating), but they rely entirely too much on supposition to get more than 3 stars.
Rating: Summary: Flawed, Yet Serviceable Review: I'm a sucker for "Pre-Ice Age Civilizations" books, and have been ever since discovering Graham Hancock. I think the idea is just incredibly cool, especially since there's more and more evidence surfacing that the idea isn't just a glean in a madman's eye. And, so, when I found this book in a used bookstore, I figured I'd make up the difference in my trade-ins with it. Well, this is okay. Not great (like, say, Graham Hancock's Underworld), but okay. Why? The authors kind of turned me off with their railing at the Inquisition and how the Roman Catholic Church purposefully molded the views of Western Civilization. They write in such a way that I continually expect the next sentence to say "...and I believe the Church knew and surpressed this information!", but they don't, possibly because they'd have no way of proving that. Also, the authors are guilty of a crime of which they accuse mainstream archaeologists: Drawing conclusions on too little evidence. They state that the pre-Deluge Atlantis was a place of peace and contentment, and that the fact that the Mayan and Aztec cities weren't walled proved this. Actually, that just proves they didn't have walls; the Maya and (especially) the Aztec are known to have practiced limited and ritualistic warfare, and it'd be folly to assume that was just an invention of the Aztec. However, the authors state as much. Also, we know that violence is intrinsic to human nature, so unless Atlantis and its colonies *and* those cultures it came in contact with were all fabulously wealthy, someone would've been fighting someone. Finally, they get entirely too worked up about the supposed ancient Bronze Age trade routes across the Atlantic, and shipping tin and copper to the Mediterranean. Contrary to what they say, copper and tin are not THAT rare in the Mediterranean hinterlands. Were the Native Americans exporting copper and tin to the Phoenicians, SURELY they would have made tools out of it, as it's demonstrably superior to using stone tools in most cases. That they didn't suggests their trade theory is a bit overblown. Even if the Phoenicians were only trading for the raw materials, surely the Natives would've been suspicious of what these could be used for! Don't get me wrong; it's a nice fun book, and they do bring a lot of reasonably hard data (mostly in the form of stone navigational aids and archaeological dating), but they rely entirely too much on supposition to get more than 3 stars.
Rating: Summary: Provocative Review: Just how could (and how can) archaeologists have ignored or shrugged off perfect (or near perfect) stone spheres that weigh 30 tons? And why do most archaeologists continue to emphasize the concept that ancient Americns were obsessed with warfare and ritual sacrifice when the records of Cancuen (Guaemala) show that the huge Mayan city flourished for 1200 year without fighting a major war or being conquered. Zapp and Erikson provide missing insights into these and many other questions about ancient man in the Americas.
Rating: Summary: too much ranting Review: The authors kept on giving the same speech over and over again about the academic establishment. The constant ranting should have been handled once in the intro and then the authors should have gone on and made there point. It's to bad because when the authors actually focus on there interesting theory they have a potentually good book unfortunately they love to give there speech to much.
Rating: Summary: Provocative, but unnecessarily repetitive and full of typos Review: The authors make a convincing case for a pre-deluge, navigational civilization that had its base in tropical Central America. They do a great job of citing to well-published archeologists and demonstrating, like Graham Hancock does, the ethno-centrism and ego underlying their hypotheses and their myopic view of world history. I like this book for the boldness with which it challenges the academic establishment, and how it shows that an interdisciplinary study of ancient history debunks many of the commonly held assumptions about the origins of human civilization and culture. On the other hand, the authors tend to overstate their case by being very repetitive, and they don't need to. The material is so provocative, it doesn't need rehashing ad nauseum. Additionally, the countless typos are a huge distraction. Taken together, the repetitiveness and the typos undermined what could be a very open and shut case. Nonetheless, it's a well-conceived work, and solidly grounded in common sense. You won't find any fantastic, Von Daniken-esque intergalactic flights of fancy here. If ever there was a case for Occam's Razor in the case for, rather than against Atlantis, this would be it.
Rating: Summary: Atlantis in America: Navigators of the Ancient World Review: This is the best summer reading I've had in years. Forget the old stories about Atlantis, this book is an excellent resource for proof of transatlantic travel in ancient times. It is scholarly and meticulously researched. There is nothing sensational here, the authors do a fine job in connecting various ancient cultures. Great for research purposes.
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