Interest in Atlantis?

[jcdelatorre]

Hello my fellow Sci-Fi fanatics,

As the topic says, I’m curious – does anyone have interest in Atlantis? And no I’m not talking about the SG-1 spinoff (although I do enjoy the show a lot).

I’ve been intrigued by the possibilities of Atlantis – the lost civilization – since I was a kid. Now, I don’t believe they had flying machines and crazy powers like the say in the movies but it doesn’t mean there couldn’t have been an advanced society (up to the bronze age at least) that inhabited a doomed island continent.

There are too many stories of the lost paradise – every religion and culture seems to have one.

I read an intriguing book once by Herbie Brennan called the Atlantis Enigma that seemed to have some pretty far out ideas but was pretty entertaining.

I’ve heard there has been over 2,500 books written about Atlantis and its sister continent, Lemuria, but I wonder how many of those are fiction based – and would they be considered Science Fiction, Fantasy or a mishmash of the two?

 

[Tim]

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Tsunami clue to 'Atlantis' found check this out, keeping the legend alive with hard science, although i am very much against the idea.

after all, a wonderful and technological society surely would educate their fellow man to improve living conditions surely? you don't give your fellow man the atomic bomb but communications, arable farming techniques, transportation, languages, to sit back and not share knowledge would make the denizens of Atlantis less a shining civilization and more a predatory race like stargate SG1's G'auld.

 

[jcdelatorre]

Yes, I saw that article. Thanks!

Its interesting.

As for the Atlanteans being a predatory race, I think you're right. From accounts around the ancient world, there was a very war-like "sea people" who seemingly attempted to take over the world. While they didn't perpetuate being Gods, such as the G'auld, they did flex their superior technological muscle on their neighbors - becoming the preimenent power in the Ancient world. At least that's my belief anyway.

I'd add that science in and of it self is pompous in their belief that what is known is fact until proven otherwise. What is not known is fantasy.

Every day there are new discoveries that put traditional theories on their proverbial behinds, I mean, they're still trying to come up with an explanation for the Bagdad Battery.

While I don't believe in Atlantis have super advanced technology, flying machines and all the other fanciful stuff that movies and books have put out, I do believe it existed. I believe the culture WAS advanced in relatively speaking terms.

I also believe one day it will be found.

 

[Kevin]

Anybody else catch a show on The Discovery Channel the other day about some ancient Greek findings? Turns out that the ancient Greeks may have had a basic calculating machine some 2000 years before Babbage!

Around the same time Heron of Alexandria was working with a primitive steam engine.

Some fascinating stuff in history out there. Seeing shows like that always reminds of the sci-fi stories that involve civilizations that have come & gone without being aware of just how far advanced the prior civilization before the current one was.