Discovery of Atlantis: The Startling Case for the Island of Cyprus

Robert Sarmast's new book searches for new answers to old questions concerning the lost island of Atlantis
When Plato first presented the story of Atlantis in two of his most famous dialogues, he may have unwittingly launched one of the greatest mysteries of all time - especially for those who have refused to take his account literally.

Robert Sarmast's new book shows that Plato's description of Atlantis was not a figment of his imagination, not just a philosopher's allegory or literary ornament, and can be taken at face value. Discovery of Atlantis attempts to prove that Plato's richly detailed story actually referenced something very real: a sunken landmass, a majestic city, a great people, and a civilization of extreme antiquity. And if Plato is to be taken literally, that civilization existed on the island of Cyprus and especially on the submerged land mass just south of Cyprus.
  
The basis for this bold claim are the nearly 50 physical clues that Plato provides in his famous dialogues Critias and Timaeus—the original accounts of the story of Atlantis. In essence, Discovery of Atlantis shows that Cyprus and its vicinity are a near - perfect match with all the factual clues in Plato's account. Sarmast does this by going through each clue, one at a time, and matching them with simple facts or logical inferences about Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean region.

The high point of the author’s argument are a series of proprietary 3-D bathymetric maps, based on new scientific data, that show for the first time a stretch of sunken land off of Cyprus. The general layout of the landscape of Atlantis as described by Plato is easily discernible on this underwater landmass, as well as the apparent location of its capital - Atlantis City. This heretofore hidden landmass, when taken together with related facts or inferences, is a far more compelling match to Plato than the current theories pointing to locations such as Bolivia, Antarctica, or other sites in the Mediterranean.

In this book, Sarmast offers a reasonable, testable hypothesis based on evidence already at hand, as well as on straightforward evidence specially produced for this work. Researchers and writers in decades past, sincere people who have used Plato’s words to pinpoint a favored location for Atlantis, have not had scientific maps of sufficient detail to back up their suppositions; nor have their hypotheses done justice to Plato’s original account. Sarmast’s hypothesis offers both.

The bathymetric maps and 3-D models presented in Discovery of Atlantis reveal that Atlantis has been sitting right in our midst all along in the very heart of the ancient world, almost a mile below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea just off the island of Cyprus. If he is right, present-day Cypriots will discover that their special legends were based on fact all along; that Mt. Olympus, the fabled home of the gods, was indeed at one time a part of their beautiful island.

The author followed Plato's clues to isolate the Eastern Mediterranean as the likely location of Atlantis, and was fortunate to find new underwater data collected about a decade ago through scientific surveys of Eastern Mediterranean, in the area of the so-called Levantinebasin and the Cyprus Arc. The use of this data, in conjunction with specially adapted 3-D modeling and animation software, permitted the author and his collaborators to chart the area with a degree of topographic resolution far greater than previously possible. The resulting bathymetric maps published (among the 67 illustrations in this book) are being presented to the world for the first time. In essence, the application of sonar technology brought them to what they believe must be the location of the archeological remains of the lost civilization of Atlantis, sitting serenely on a sunken strip of land just off the south coast of Cyprus, and matching Plato's account.

In this revolutionary book Robert Sarmast has attempted to clearly present the legend and legacy of Atlantis, acting as storyteller, researcher, sleuth, and explorer. The fields of mythology, history, and geology have all been tapped in order to fashion a vivid and comprehensive image. Through this work, the authentic story of Atlantis may move to captivate the world, with all of its breathtaking beauty and profound implications. And a vindication of Plato is also at hand.

When the practical problems of continuing this investigation are considered, researchers would seem to be facing quite favorable conditions. With no sunlight, heat, oxygen, or wind to degrade its remains, Atlantis would be mummified in the cold waters of the deep sea, frozen in time. The stone walls of Atlantis as well as the gigantic structures on the summit of the Acropolis hill would have been preserved and should be easily accessible. Very little sedimentation occurs in the deep-sea areas of the Mediterranean, and with the target area resting far from shore in international waters, a few inches of accumulated silt would fail to hide the remains of an entire city. If Plato is to be believed, there are colossal buildings, bridges, roads, canals, stone temples and ancient artifacts to be found. 

The argument presented in Discovery of Atlantis is at least as compelling as books that have led to the explorations of less plausible sites. Thus, determining the final truth or falsity of the author's claims now rests less with polemics among Atlantologists, and more with the acquisition of more detailed maps, and the application of deep-sea technologies. While certainly challenging, the task of conducting partial excavations is relatively uncomplicated. If the Titanic, a comparatively small target, could be found and explored two miles below the icy Atlantic waters, then locating the remains of a whole city at depths of less than one mile should be less problematic. All that would be needed is simple film footage showing megalithic stone structures on the seafloor, dozens of miles from shore. Certainly, such a tantalizing discovery is too much to resist given the relative simplicity of the job. It seems inevitable that the follow-on to Discovery of Atlantis will be an expedition to the site.

Meanwhile, the readers of this first text by Robert Sarmast will get the very first glimpse of a thoroughly original and plausible theory that, we believe, will lead to the greatest archeological discovery of this or any other time.

Publisher, Origin Press