Voyage to Atlantis: The Discovery of a Legendary Land [Paperback]

James W. Mavor Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1997

Since the time of Plato, the fabled land of Atlantis has fired the imagination of those who sought to discover if this "lost continent" belonged to myth or history. Did it exist and, if so, where? What was the cause of its disappearance? Here is the full, first-hand account by the man that led the scientific expedition that found Atlantis and revealed the cause of its destruction--the greatest single natural disaster witnessed and recorded by humankind, a cataclysm so great that it left its indelible impact on the myths and legends of numerous cultures.

Mavor's expeditions, drawing on ancient records and myth, verify Plato's recounting of lost Atlantis as well as the controversial theory of Greek seismologist Dr. Angelos Galanopoulus that the Minoan culture on the volcanic Aegean island of Thera was actually the Atlantis of ancient times. Mavor's discovery of Atlantis inspired still ongoing research into catastrophic events such as volcanic eruptions and floods. In his epilogue Mavor considers this research and the light it can shed on natural disasters and their possible origins in the wake of comets and asteroids passing the earth.

Demystifying the legend of Atlantis, Mavor deftly brings into the realm of objective analysis a phenomenon that has for centuries been a parable for the evolution of human consciousness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With new scientific evidence . . .Voyage to Atlantis is at once both a fascinating adventure and an intelligent study of myth, natural disasters, and the exploratory process."
(QPB, May '98 )

"One of the most fascinating archeological finds of this century."
(The Kirkus Reviews )

About the Author

James W. Mavor, Jr., was an oceanographic engineer at the Woods Hole Oceano-graphic Institution, and was one of the principal designers of ALVIN, the deep-diving research submarine. He was also the coauthor of Manitou: The Sacred Landscape of New England's Native Civilization.

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Park Street Press; Revised edition (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892816341
• ISBN-13: 978-0892816347
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,671,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will The Real Atlantis Please Stand Up, June 11, 2000

By 

Sheherazahde "Zahdé" (Ithaca, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyage to Atlantis: The Discovery of a Legendary Land (Paperback)

James W. Mavor, Jr. Has done for Atlantis what Heinrich Schliemann did for Troy, and nobody has noticed.

Like most rational people I have avoided Atlantis as a subject only fit for airheads and crackpots. But I wanted to know where all this Atlantis nonsense was coming from. Luckily when I went searching for real information I found "Voyage to Atlantis". Mayor is a real archaeologist and oceanographer.

In this book he tells us the source of the Atlantis myth (Plato in "Timaeus" and "Critias") and quotes Plato at length for reference. Plato was in turn quoting a story that Solon had read in Egypt. Mavor's thesis hinges on Solon making a error in translation such that every measurement that should read in the hundreds instead reads in the thousands, while smaller numbers are not changed. This holds true for dates as well as distances and population counts. If the measurements in the thousands in Plato's account are changed to hundreds his Atlantis accurately describes the Minoan civilization of Crete and the Island of Thera (also known as Santorini) in size, population, military strength, and time period (900 years before Solon rather than 9000).

With a valid theory to start with Mavor then did the real archeology necessary to back up his claims, using the latest technology in underwater research.

If you want a good scientific look at the legend of Atlantis read this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone even remotely inerested in Atlantis., February 22, 2002

By 

G. Kesler "rktect29" (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voyage to Atlantis: The Discovery of a Legendary Land (Paperback)

Excellent book. Well written and the facts seem to strongly support the author's theories. It is my belief that if Atlantis did indeed exist, that James Mavor's book provides the most compelling argment for it's whereabouts.
The premise that Plato's dates are off by multiplication of 10 is very interesting, and the author shows several examples of this discrepancy. This is the foundation of a theory that puts Atlantis in the Agean Sea on the volcanic island of Thera.
It seems that this IS the answer everyone is looking for, but all of the proof is not complete. It's unfortunate that the Greek government will not allow massive underwater exploration of this area. Hopefully someday someone will get the chance to further explore Mavor's theory and the legend of Atlantis will be solved.