Voyage to Atlantis: The Discovery of a Legendary Land

by James W. Mavor Jr.

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[John Szalasny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The description on the back jacket really oversells the research part of this book. For most of it, it reads like a travel log to Thera/Santorini (with a fair amount of name dropping) instead of an archaeological dig. Dr Mavis spent too much time telling readers about the personality clashes instead of how the finds at Akroteri changed the outlook on history in what was considered at the time a sleepy backwater. We didn't even hear anything on how Dr Marinatos (the Greek Archaeological Director) affected Dr Mavis' career after he basically stole the dig from his stewardship.

The reading barely got to the three star rating only based on the subject matter. It did little to cement Dr Mavis' theory that Thera/Santorini was the religious center of Atlantis. But it would have been a more solid three star with more time at the Akroteri dig, an archaeological site comparable to Pompeii. For those who are looking for a treatise on the discovery of Atlantis, this is not the book.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject of Atlantis fascinates me. There's some interesting information in this book.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read, even though it is a bit dated.

[Wendy]

(found read date in diary)