Lost Cities of Atlantis, Ancient Europe & the Mediterranean (Lost Cities Series) (Paperback)

by David Hatcher Childress (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Atlantis! The legendary lost continent comes under the close scrutiny of archaeologist David Hatcher Childress. From Ireland to Turkey, Morocco to Eastern Europe, or remote islands of the Mediterranean and Atlantic, Childress takes the reader on an astonishing quest for mankind's past. Ancient technology, cataclysms, megalithic construction, lost civilisations, and devastating wars of the past are all explored in this amazing book. Childress challenges the sceptics and proves that great civilisations not only existed in the past but that the modern world and its problems are reflections of the ancient world of Atlantis.

Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: Adventures Unlimited Press; illustrated edition edition (November 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932813259
• ISBN-13: 978-0932813251
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #611,310 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive overview of Ancient European sites, January 18, 2000

By	Ranney H. Moss "A.R. Moss" (Arizona, U.S.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book actually covers more than the mediterranean area. It talks about prehistoric ruins throughout Europe and parts of the mid east. Many sites are familiar, but many more are ones the reader may not have heard of; the author has apparently visited them all. He writes with an easy readable style and includes the history, the legends and other pertinent information. Anyone going to Europe who wants to visit ancient sites should have this book, since it will tell you about ruins you may not know about. The author discusses the various theories about Atlantis with impartiality and ultimately gives his own views. But this book is much more than a treatise on Atlantis and the reader will find much food for thought. Childress also includes in the back of the book an extensive bibliography for further reading. All in all, a highly readable and well researched book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Side of the Old World You Never Knew, May 20, 2006

By	Zekeriyah (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Before I start this review, I have to reiterate what others have already said; Childress is not an archaeologist in any sense of the word. He's an explorer, and his works are essentially travel narratives that weave together conjecture, pseudo-science, history and paranormal phenomena. They make for entertaining, and sometimes even though-provoking narratives. But they are not legitimate archaeology in any sense of the word, and I should know since it's my Major (mind you, I'm fairly open minded and I like his books; I'm simply stating that the material in these books isn't going to help you pass any Archaeology courses you might take).

That said, his quest for lost civilizations, Atlantis in particular, make for a good read if nothing else. This book is only part of the series, but it makes for a good starting point since he covers many well-known sites here. Starting in the Mediterranean, he conjectures the idea of a globe-spanning Atlantean empire, going on to mention lost continents in Babylonian lore, the Sea People, Hittite artifacts in the Americas, secret societies in Rhodes, the Phaistos disk, Thera, the Etruscans, Carthage, ancient Maltese megaliths, Mycenean ruins, the lost city of Tartessos, the origins of the Basque and Berber peoples, the now dead Guanches of the Canary islands, Phoenician exploration of the New World and much more.

He continues roaming onward, relating stories, myth and outright speculation as he travels through continental Europe. We are treated to the obligatory mention of the Knights Templar, the Merovignians and the Holy Grail, the Priory of Zion, the Frisian Atland and the Orea Linda manuscript, Stonehenge, Arthurian legend, the Druids, winged cats, ley lines, lost continents off the coast of Lyonesse, Celtic faerie lore, vitrified forts in Scotland, Loch Ness, the Picts and stranger things still. Divided up into chapters based around countries or regions, each section includes several pages of photos, maps, illustrations and runes. Most don't really give a great deal of information, but theres so much that it at least gets you thinking, perhaps doing more research by yourself. Heck, as I've said before, you could read the chapters by themselves without needing to worry about continuity or such.

Overall, DHC's works are well worth the read. Again, I have to emphasize that he is not a trained archaeologist as far as I know, nor does he conudct research in a scientific way. But hey, it's still interesting. It is speculation after all, but at the very least it makes for a thought-provoking read. Check this and his other books out, especially if you plan on travelling to any of the regions he mentions. The books practically read like and occult or paranormal travel guide at times.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mysterious World Recommended Book, September 14, 2003

By	Doug Elwell "Publisher, Mysterious World" (http://www.mysteriousworld.com) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One of Childress' popular "Lost Cities" series, Lost Cities of Atlantis Ancient Europe & the Mediterranean covers the region in and around the Mediterranean Sea, with a special emphasis on cities and mysteries submerged beneath the waters of this vast inland sea. Calling himself a "maverick archaeologist", Childress is more of a researcher, historian, travel writer, and general raconteur rather than a a true academic archaeologist, making general observations based upon library research, study of local myths, legends, and personal anecdotes, as well as actual experiences visiting these sites. Childress is part of a growing trend in historical and archaeological studies towards the rise of independent researchers. These independents are men and women who have developed a distrust for "mainstream" academic archaeology, due to the fact that there is increasing evidence that the academic community is dismissing, ignoring, or even suppressing archaeological evidence that does not fit in with their preset theories. As a result, these independents have dismissed academe as largely irrelevant, and have gone out on their own to examine the evidence for themselves, usually at their own time and expense. It was this kind of passionate search for the truth about history and our origins that motivated similar men of the 19th century to develop the science of archaeology, a passion that motivated people of the 20th century like Childress, unsatisfied by the condescending, pat answers of academics, to take matters into their own hands. Now, in the 21st century, a growing chorus of discontentment with the academic archaeological establishment continues to erode their viselike grip on the truth of our origins, and the independents stand poised to wrest the sword of truth from the hands of those who seem only to be concerned about personal power, privilege, and social status. Lost Cities of Atlantis, Ancient Europe & the Mediterranean is a fascinating read, and a good addition to the Lost Cities series. It should make a great traveling companion for anyone traveling in the Mediterranean region, as well as a great read for the armchair archaeologist, or just someone who enjoys ancient history and mysteries.

Doug Elwell, Publisher
Mysterious World
http://www.mysteriousworld.com