Lost Continents and Islands One of the things we have been finding is lost continents. It is starting to look like some of what we thought were tall tales about at least some of them could be true. We have been told the lost continents were mythical in the past but we have found at least a couple in the past decade. There was an announcement about the discovery of Zealandia. It was discovered southeast of Australia. Scientists think it was part of the supercontinent Gondwana. Gondwana was a big continent which originally contained South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia and Antarctica. It is hard to imagine a land mass this large on the earth. It is believed Zealandia broke off about 80 million years ago. When I hear or read about these ancient lands I have to wonder if there could have been more about them that was lost, such as an undetected ancient race and perhaps advanced technology which would account for some of the incredible things the ancients we know about were able to do? I think about the archaeologists who admit the earth is old enough to have supported and lost several intelligent races before us. How would we know? Traces of them would be buried in time. I can’t help but remember the story of a farmer in the 1800s digging a well and when he got down to about 130 feet, he found a doll which looked human. Was the doll from a previous race of humans and if not, how did the doll get down there? The story has been around a long time, but is there any proof? Probably not. That is the problem we face. People thought Zealandia was a myth and I believe there was no evidence and then it was found. A microcontinent was also found to exist and it was Greater Adria. 240 years ago, it was part of North Africa but then broke away. It is roughly the size of Greenland, which is the biggest island, so I would like to know why it is not called an island instead of a microcontinent? When it broke off, it found itself drifting under the continent of Europe. It turns out a piece of software name GPlates was used to peel back the layers of earth’s crust and this is how it was discovered. There is no doubt there is some amazing software out there. I guess no talk about missing continents and islands would be complete without talking about the most famous island or continent which is known as Atlantis. The first question is why is it being looked for when there was never proof it existed? It was only mentioned in a dialog by Plato. There were many other ancients who mentioned places which we never put the energy in to find as mankind did with Atlantis. On the other hand, when Homer talked about Troy it was believed the place was mythical and that lasted for over 2,000 years, but it was eventually discovered. I think this fact spurs on the searches for Atlantis. If it is ever found, will we find out what Plato meant by an advanced civilization? Was he just comparing Atlantis civilization, around his time to his own civilization? Advanced to him could have meant better boats and such. It could be Atlantis will never be found because it never existed or because there is not enough evidence of its location. There was a place in what is the American Southwest known as Aztlan. The Aztecs originally lived there before moving to Mexico. The city is called mythical by some, but others think it could be real and filled with gold the Aztecs hid from the Spanish. It was said when the Spanish invaded the tribe a group was sent out to transport the gold back to their original homeland to keep it safe. Not everyone thinks the city is in the United States however. Some think it could be in Mexico. One island which was thought to be a myth which was found was Delos. This was an important island to the ancient Greeks because they believed Apollo was born there. The island has become an archaeological site. So far, there are still continents missing which are considered mythical. Lemuria is one and another is Hyperborea. Taking the last first, Hyperborea was described by the ancient Greeks as existing far north of the Arctic Circle by both Herodotus and Pliny the Elder. It would be interesting to find out where they got their information from. Lemuria is sometimes called Mu. It has been said this continent was invented as an explanation for the existence and similarities between India, Madagascar and Australia. These similarities are their shared history of being part of the supercontinent Gondwana. They also share similar plant and animal life. All I can say about this is I don’t see any kangaroos hopping around India, but who am I to argue with the scientists. It is thought there could be many cities hiding under the ocean and if they are old enough, could be concealed by the growth and sand on the ocean bottom. Even when one is found there are sometimes debates on whether the structures are a city or not. Take for example a large structure off the coast of Japan. Archaeologists do not agree on whether it is man-made or not. It seems to have stairs leading up to the top but seems more like a temple than an ancient city. Some scientists are saying nature built this structure not man, but others claim there are carvings of a turtle, human faces and animals.
|
