Chapter XIII: Location Theories - Part 3 (East Indies and Cyprus)
V. Atlantis in East Indies
The following theory belongs to Arysio Nunes dos Santos. When I first read it, I was almost convinced that he was right and that my own search for Atlantis came to an end. The author claims that only his theory fulfils the details given by Plato on the location of Atlantis; however, at a closer look, he bends the original story himself.
Arysio Nunes dos Santos, like many others, tries to connect Atlantis with Eden and the Paradise mentioned by all ancient cultures and by the Bible itself.
The East Indies here refer to India and Indonesia. Dos Santos argues that the Atlantic Ocean was seen by the Greeks as all the water surrounding the continents, which is true. He claims that the Indian Ocean, on which his theory focuses, was the real "Ocean of the Atlanteans". It seems that Avienus placed the Hesperides and the island of Geryon, Erytheia, in this ocean. On the other hand, Avienus and other sources claimed that Erytheia was found in the Orient, thus the connection between the Indian and the 'original' Atlantic Ocean.
Troy, Thera, and the capital of the Incas were imitations, re-creations of the original capital of Atlantis. Since Atlantis was a group of islands, its location in the Indian Ocean is possible. The area is part of Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire (a chain of volcanoes), that is still active nowadays. The area is also prone to calamities such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis. In conclusion, Plato's diluvian world could have taken place here.
Another point of interest in Dos Santos' research is the Holy Mountain. Each culture seemed to have one - starting with Golgotha or Mount Calvary from the Bible, or Mount Qaf in Islamism, Mount Olympus in Greece, etc. The sacred mountain idea, just like the capital of Atlantis, points to Atlantis as the source.
The map on the right belongs to The Philadelphia Print Shop Ltd.
On his list, Dos Santos also checked the similarities in the climate of Atlantis and the Indies. Plato states that Atlanteans had two crops a year and a tropical climate, which matches again the Indian and Indonesian climate. It is also known that agriculture was started in the Far East over a ten thousand years ago, which proves the abundance of food needed to sustain a civilization large enough to create an army matched only by Plato's Atlantean army.
About the Pillars of Heracles - the 'attribute' in Plato's story that causes scholars to argue about its location - Dos Santos claims that the pillars of Europe (Strait of Gibraltar) were originally called Calpe and Habila, and that the original Pillars were actually the Sunda Strait. The Phoenicians created the confusion between the two different pillars in order to stop the Greeks from reaching the true Paradise.
Atlantis was supposed to lay in the middle of the sea, making the connection between this world and the true continent. The Malay Peninsula, Java, and Sumatra are between the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, breaking them in two. It can also be a resting spot for travelers from the continent to the Americas.
The last thing I will mention regarding Dos Santos' theory refers to the innavigable seas or the mud barrier. The Strait of Gibraltar always had deep waters, while the Indian Ocean around the islands and peninsulas have murky waters.
The theory doesn't seem to be as far reached as others. It is almost convincing. However, those little details of Plato's "Dialogues" that we try to accommodate when locating Atlantis, even if properly documented by Dos Santos, still break the connection between the two worlds. I am mainly referring to the Pillars' theory and the Ocean theory. There are other small things that don't hold together, but that's how it happened with the Thera or the Antarctica theory as well.
VI. Atlantis in Cyprus
Robert Sarmast is the author of the theory. He claims Atlantis is to be found in the waters between Cyprus and Syria. He claims that what he has discovered are man-made structures, and the dimensions of the underwater walls and canal are a perfect match for Plato's desciption.
Below you will find snips from an article by Kenneth J. McCormick. After you have finished reading you might as well scroll down to what I have to say about the Cyrpus theory.
"Well we definitely found Atlantis! This is according to Robert Sarmast. But who, exactly is Mr. Robert Sarmast? Mr. Sarmast was an architect who became fascinated with the search for lost civilizations and ancient history. For years he traveled, gathering facts in his pursuit of these ancient cultures. He was extremely interested in Atlantis. He published a book on the subject in 2003 entitled "Discovery of Atlantis" and has come to the conclusion that the island of Cyprus was where Atlantis existed.[...]"
Picture on the right belongs to
NASA.
"[...] Why Cyprus and not somewhere else? “It’s definitely Atlantis,”Mr Sarmast said, referring to Cyprus. Sarmast states that the clues were there in Plato's descriptions. He said that [he] received data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that fits perfectly. He went on to say that this data was gathered in 1987 when a scientific survey of the Mediterranean was taken. Then to further back up his claim, he stated that he had used sonar to find unnatural formations that were found at the center of the ancient city of Atlantis.
A remote viewer was called in by Psychognosia, an organization who had challenged the finding. The *remote viewer formerly used his talents while in the US military. When he was asked to tell what he saw both now and 10,000 years ago he stated, that going back in time he could see a predominant city with buildings but now it was only ruins that were buried.
*During the cold war, the US Government conducted experiments using individuals to 'see' targets anywhere in the world from the room they were in. The experiments were said to have meet with some success. This same people were said to be able to look into the past. The Soviet Union also employed these same type of people, they were called Remote Viewers.
Addendum:
Since I finished writing this story Mr. Sarmast has offered new evidence. He states that he has discovered Atlantis and is sure of the fact because he has an enormous body of evidence. He claims that ruins between Cyprus and Syria that are under the ocean fit the exact description that Plato gave. He said the dimensions and configuration of walls and a canal on a hillside above a rectangular plain that sit on the seabed match Plato's description perfectly. Experts eagerly await the imaging data that should be forth coming from a expedition there last week by Mr. Samast."
| About The Author Ken is the webmaster of About Facts Net. This is an interesting free
internet magazine. The articles are suitable for family viewing and often
contain photos, video and audio. |
While from some points of view Atlantis would be easier to be found in the Mediterranean Sea, I seriously doubt this theory. Of course, the pro's are that the area is placed in front of some other kind of pillars of Heracles - the ones linking the Med to the Red Sea - and in an area closed to Athens and Egypt; however, I don't think the evidence suffices. One can also consider Schliemann's story on Atlantis, about the Phoenician vase inscribed with "King of Atlantis". Phoenicians did live on the Asian shore opening to the Mediterranean Sea, close to Cyprus. One never knows. In any case, you might want to check Sarmast's site, Discovery of Atlantis, to find some 3D models and animation files depicting the flood.