Atlantis and the Silver City

by Peter Daughtrey

  There is, therefore, a strong case for reassessing the real origin of our alphabet. Could we even have found the form of writing used on Atlantis? It cannot, of course, be claimed conclusively to be so; more evidence will be needed, but it is an extraordinary set of coincidences:

  1. This book has, I hope, proved that southwest Iberia was where Plato indicated Atlantis once existed.

  2. Academics generally acknowledge that the script emanated from southwest Iberia.

  3. Ancient Greek records state that the region already had a script as far back as 6000 B.C., and samples of one exist that are at least six thousand years old.

  4. There is at least one verifiable, dated archaeological find proving that the script was in existence before the time given by Plato for the destruction of Atlantis in 9600 B.C. There are others, but, as they are controversial, I have not included them here.

  So, what do you think? There is a welter of more detail and evidence from Carlos Castelo and others who have investigated the subject, but I don’t think it necessary to bore you with it to make my point. I feel that I have laid out enough to prove that there was a very ancient script, that it emanated from southwest Iberia but eventually spread over a considerable area, and that it existed before the destruction of Atlantis. If you agree that I have made a case for Atlantis having existed in the same region of Iberia, then the script must be from Atlantis.

  Irrespective of Atlantis, there is also a watertight argument for rewriting the history of our Western alphabet.

  I rest the case and pass on to another of those fascinating questions hanging over those Atlanteans: What were they like? Could they be in your family tree?

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The Atlanteans … Are You Related?

  His long red hair and beard contrasted strikingly with the ankle-length white robe. He sat in the prow of the ship, his brilliant blue eyes fixed steadfastly ahead. There could be no looking back. His heart was heavy.

  So many years, so much work. The city behind him, disappearing around the river bend, was where his family had lived for generations. The recent disaster affecting mainly the southern part of the kingdom, in which a major part of the fertile land had been flooded, then swallowed by the sea, had been a demoralizing blow. Although the sea level had been rising very slowly for centuries, this sudden disaster had convinced him that he must locate elsewhere if the great experiment was to survive and prosper. The homeland was too unstable. This was not the first time it had been shaken and reshaped by a huge earthquake. The next one might destroy everything that was left. He had decided that he could not take that risk.

  He had lingered long enough to help his son rebuild and repair the major damage. Much had been achieved, and the remaining work could safely be left in the younger man’s hands.

  Now focus must be concentrated on the future, and on plans for a new life to the east at the far end of the great confined sea beyond Gades. The area had been carefully chosen. It was unlikely to be affected by the writhing that kept repeating itself in the tormented land of his forebears: it would be far removed from any new inundation from the great ocean.

  He was sure that they would be welcome there. The small indigenous population led a simple, hard life hunting and collecting natural vegetation. His little band had much to offer: seeds and cultivation, irrigation systems, animal husbandry, pottery and weaving skills, the ability to build stable homes and shelter. This was a chance to start afresh; a new challenge for him and his followers and a healthier, more contented life for the natives.

  What happened to them? Who were those Atlanteans, and what did they look like? Who now carries their genes? Could their blood be coursing through your veins? The questions and uncertainties tumble over themselves.

  If, as I hope it does, this book prompts archaeological work, particularly on the seabed, it should reveal some definitive answers. For now, though, we can only speculate and form hypotheses from the limited existing evidence, which, I must emphasize, is all that the following amounts to.

  Plato wrote: “They all of them by just apportionment obtained what they [the gods] wanted … and peopled their district” (clues 19 and 20).

  Also “He [Poseidon] begat children by a mortal woman and settled them in part of the island” (clue 22).

  Clue 22 also tells us about the five pairs of male twins that Poseidon sired with this mortal woman. We can assume that, as Plato informed us, these then became the elite, each ruling a different part of the kingdom; they would have intermarried with their own kind to preserve the purity of the line. However, from Plato’s chronology, it would appear that the ordinary people were installed first (clues 30 and 31) and, if this is what Plato meant, the population was, somehow, put in place remarkably quickly—certainly before all the original twins were ready to govern part of the kingdom and “rule over many men.” Logic dictates, however, that it would have taken a few hundred years to reach significant numbers, even if everyone produced large families. So what on earth was Plato alluding to?

  Poseidon did not organize mass immigration from elsewhere, as, toward the end of Critias, we are informed that the DNA of these subjects was a mixture of Poseidon’s and that of existing mortals.

  Plato wrote: “For many generations, as long as the divine nature lasted in them, they were obedient to the laws, and well-affectioned toward the god, whose seed they were; for they possessed true and in every way great spirits, uniting gentleness with wisdom in the various chances of life, and in their intercourse with one another. They despised everything but virtue, caring little for their present state of life, and thinking lightly of the possession of gold and other property, which seemed only a burden to them; neither were they intoxicated by luxury, nor did wealth deprive them of their self-control; but they were sober, and saw clearly that all these goods are increased by virtue and friendship with one another, whereas by too great regard and respect for them, they are lost and friendship with them. By such reflections, and by the continuance in them of a divine nature, the qualities which we have described grew and increased among them but when the divine portion began to fade away, and became diluted too often and too much with the mortal admixture, and the human nature got the upper hand, they then, being unable to bear their fortune, behaved unseemly, and to him who had an eye to see grew visibly debased, for they were losing the fairest of their precious gifts; but to those who had no eye to see the true happiness, they appeared glorious and blessed at the very time when they were full of avarice and unrighteous power.”

  That sounds ominously like a comment on today’s world with its maniacal pop and celebrity worship and magazines flaunting and publishing “richest-people lists” as though the amassing of wealth is blessed.

  Note the words “whose seed they were.” Plato is implying that parts of the gods’ genes were used. This is emphasized by the mention of “the continuance in them of a divine nature”—an unmistakable allusion to the better traits inherited from the gods. Note, too, “and became diluted too often and too much with the mortal admixture,” in this case referring to the traits of the humans they were partly created from. The people of Atlantis were, obviously, a combination of the two.

  You can draw your own conclusions as to just what he was implying. It does seem to reflect another familiar story—the creation account in Genesis. It may explain why a DNA helix ended up carved on a monumental stone egg.

  As to the original physical characteristics of these Atlanteans, we can only make assumptions from communities that may have resulted from Atlantean survivors, based on the premise that they fanned out from southwest Iberia.

  It would be logical that each different set of “gods” ensconced in their domains in different parts of the world had spawned their own individual recognizable races, with some physical characteristics unique to each: skin tone or hair color, for example.

  The “sleeping prophet,” Edgar Cayce, indicated in one of his trances that the world’s five races of man evolved in di
fferent parts of the globe: “The Yellow race in Mongolia and Gobi areas, the White race in the Caucasian mountains, the Brown race on the American Pacific coast and western Andes, the Black race in Africa and, finally, the Red race in Atlantis.”

  In another trance, Cayce said that Atlantis originally existed from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Bahamas. What he meant by the “Red race” is unclear. He could have been referring either to a combination of the ruddy complexion most red-haired and blond people have, or that caused by exposure of their skin to the sun. Blonds or people with straw-colored hair are found side by side with redheads.

  The scraps of information about the Atlanteans that can be gleaned from such places as the Canary Islands indicate tall red- or blond-haired individuals with blue, gray, or green eyes.

  Intriguingly, as well as remains of ancient blonds, those of red-haired individuals have been unearthed over a wide area. Along with the Canary Islands, pertinent examples have been found in Egypt and in South and North America, areas recorded to have received visitations from tall white strangers.

  Today, the places where a significant percentage of the population has red or blond hair are Scandinavia, Finland, Scotland, Ireland, and, to a lesser degree, Wales. Surprisingly, there are also substantial numbers in the Middle East. All shades of blond hair, from straw to almost white, are prevalent in Germany.

  Other evidential strands regarding the blond/red hair gene are:

  • The ancient Irish book Lebor Gabata Erre (“The book of the taking of Ireland”), compiled in the twelfth century A.D., describes a group of early invaders. They were called the Tuatha de D’anann, meaning “Tribe of Dan (or Danu),” and comprised people with long red hair and high foreheads who were tall and had blue eyes. There were two classes. Members of one, the elite, were adept in medicine, metalworking, and communication (presumably writing); in the other, ordinary, class were such basic occupations as farmers and shepherds.

  • The Book of Judges records that the people of the Goddess of Danu were a mighty seafaring tribe.

  • The Guanches on the Canary Islands were tall with red or blond hair and blue/gray/green eyes.

  • The same traits, particularly blond hair, can still be seen in some Berber tribes in the Atlas Mountains.

  • The ancient Thracians reputedly had red hair and blue eyes. This race was one of the most populous in Eastern Europe, but it failed to unite as one nation. It has never been conclusively established where they originated. I will discuss them further a little later.

  • There are red-haired people among the population in northern India. Early archaeologists who unearthed the first ancient cities in India and Pakistan reported that the rulers’ remains showed that they were tall with red hair.96

  • Naturally preserved red-haired giants with Western features have been unearthed in China. A step pyramid without precedent in that country exists in the same area, at Xian in the Qui Chan Province.97 Some historians maintain that these people, who were known as the Tocharians, were responsible for building the Silk Road and the cities along it. Although the odd mummy remains on display, others have been locked away in stores and the Chinese government has not encouraged further exploration.

  • Elena Wishaw referred to the facially distinctive tall blonds, quite unlike the indigenous Spaniards, still found in parts of Andalucía around 1920.

  • “Aztec” is the local Nahuatl word for “people of Aztlan,” indicating where they came from. Their ancestors were described as having red hair and were thought to have migrated south from northern Mexico. That is remarkably close to the Antilles Islands, part of what I suggest was the Atlantis Empire. They were also described as having very straight noses extending immediately down from their foreheads. Mrs. Wishaw gave exactly that description for the blond Spaniards in Andalucía.

  • “Aztlan” is reputed to have meant “the place of herons” or “whiteness.” One of the most common birds in the Algarve is the white egret heron. This description also sounds remarkably similar to that of Atala, the homeland of a race recorded in ancient Vedic literature as the great enemy of India. It is described as being a “white island” in the great western ocean on the other side of the world that eventually disappeared below the sea. Not surprisingly, it has often been associated with Atlantis. The Berbers have a similar legend.

  • A red-haired mummy was recovered from Nevado Ampato in Peru, near the famous mountaintop remains of Machu Picchu. Other finds of mummies in South America have included a mixture of those with the stiff, black hair of the indigenous Indians, and others with long, silky, wavy red hair; tall bodies; and long skulls (Thor Heyerdahl).

  • An ancient and sadly desecrated cemetery near Nazca in Peru, famous for the “Nazca lines,” had dozens of partly exposed red-haired corpses.

  • Spaniards reported seeing red-haired Incas in South America. Francisco Pizarro, the famous Spanish conquistador, was told by locals that the remaining tall white men with beards and red or blond hair were the last survivors of the Viracochas, who had suddenly appeared from the eastern ocean and taught them so much. Heyerdahl is also reported as saying that the Inca rulers were tall with much lighter skin than the small, dark locals.

  • In his book Aku-Aku: The Secret of Easter Island,98 Heyerdahl recounted how the leading family largely comprised fair-skinned redheads with long, thin noses—quite unlike the rest of the islanders, who were darker-skinned and had black hair and flat noses. These redheads were the remnants of the earlier ruling class who had arrived on the island by boat a long time before. Significantly, the Viracochas had eventually left South America from the west coast by boat. Could they have reached Easter Island? These rulers were almost totally obliterated in a rebellion by the indigenous locals. Heyerdahl also found red-haired people on the Marquesas Islands, close to Easter Island. The famous statues on the island originally had red hairpieces, made from a separate red stone, on the tops of their heads.

  • Remains of red-haired people have even been discovered in New Zealand. One theory is that these, too, were remnants of the same Viracochas who had eventually left South America from the west coast.

  • Many Egyptian mummies have been found to have red hair. The very early ruling demigods were installed in Egypt by the original gods who came from the west.

  None of these offers firm evidence that the original Atlanteans had the same characteristics, but the likelihood is that people with such distinctive features would have evolved in one place. The dispersal of people with these characteristics around the world is often associated with civilizers appearing in foreign lands and imparting their knowledge. Their point of departure appears to have been someplace in the center. They appeared in South America from the east, in Egypt from the west, and in northern Europe from Iberia.

  The most well-known and often trumpeted dispersal relates to those tall, bearded, long-haired white people who visited South America. They arrived by boat, and in one legend the boat is described as shining, as though covered in fish scales. It sounds like metal.

  Similar accounts existed all over that continent. Although the names vary, the most well known were Viracocha and Quetzalcoatl. The former was said to have started his own civilizing mission immediately after the great flood, and he was linked to the mysterious city of Tiahuanaco on the Bolivian Altiplano, for which the locals claim immense age. He came in a time of chaos to set the world right. A great scientist and architect, he was noted for constructing irrigation channels so that agriculture could flourish. That sounds remarkably like duplicating Plato’s account of Atlantis.

  The story of Quetzalcoatl follows an identical pattern. He arrived in Mexico after it had been overwhelmed by a deluge, bringing agriculture to the area together with seeds for crops, and teaching the arts of mathematics, astronomy, and how to build a refined culture.

  Graves containing tall people with extended skulls have also been found in the northern part of Egypt—a race quite different from the later Egyptians.<
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  Osiris was revered as being one of the first gods and is said to have ruled in Egypt for a long period, initially having to contend with banishing cannibalism among the primitive natives. You will recall a mention that Thoth, who appeared on the scene afterward, was said to have come from a distant land, which he had ruled, in the west. He was credited by the ancient Egyptians as having invented mathematics and astronomy, as well as schooling them in land surveying, medicine, reading, and writing. There are extraordinary similarities here with the South American accounts.

  At what period these gods appeared in Egypt is mired in controversy and conflicting views. Preserved in Turin’s Egizio museum, however, is what is considered to be the oldest map of topographic interest surviving from the ancient world. It was drawn by an Egyptian scribe in 1160 B.C. for Rameses IV, to help in a quarrying expedition. Apart from the map of the area, it shows geological information and includes numerous annotations. It states that the first demigods in Egypt were installed by the original gods to rule on their behalf around 9850 B.C. That is remarkably close to the time given by Plato for the demise of Atlantis. The fact that they were called “demigods” (i.e., literally half gods) presumably meant they were not from the pure lineage of the original gods, but offspring from mating with the native population, so they retained some of the “divine nature” and physical characteristics of the gods that set them apart.

  If any of these people came from Atlantis, it would explain how the Egyptians knew about the tragic lost civilization—another piece in the jigsaw puzzle.