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Unearthing Atlantis: An Archaeological Odyssey
In a synthesis of historical and literary, archaeological and paleontological detective work, Charles Pellegrino transfixes us with his exploration of the origins of Atlantis.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
325 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Charles Pellegrino
29 books185 followersCharles Pellegrino is a scientist working in paleobiology, astronomy, and various other areas; a designer for projects including rockets and nuclear devices (non-military propulsion systems), composite construction materials, and magnetically levitated transportation systems; and a writer. He has been affiliated with Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand National Observatory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island, NY; taught at institutions including Hofstra University and Adelphi University Center for Creative Arts; a member of Princeton Space Studies Institute. Cradle of Aviation Museum, space flight consultant; Challenger Center, founding member. After sailing with Robert Ballard to the Galapagos Rift in the immediate aftermath of the discovery of the Titanic (in 1985), Pellegrino expanded from the field of paleontology “into the shallows of archaeological time.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 11, 2014
A paleontologist by profession, Mr. Pellegrino has what few historians, much less writers, possess: the keen sense of bringing long-gone eras back to vibrant life again (a gift he shares with the great David Attenborough as well as John Romer); the ability to make history alive & interesting.
Ostensibly about the Theran explosion & the Minoan-Atlantean connection, it's so much more than that - it adroitly blends various scientific disciplines & fields to create an excellent & articulate book by a talented & engaging writer. Riveting (& highly recommended).
Ostensibly about the Theran explosion & the Minoan-Atlantean connection, it's so much more than that - it adroitly blends various scientific disciplines & fields to create an excellent & articulate book by a talented & engaging writer. Riveting (& highly recommended).
January 19, 2009
I don't know what to think of Pellegrino. Some of his ideas are very interesting, and he is a vivid and entertaining thinker and writer. However, I have no yardstick to judge his science by. He never appears (to my knowledge) in any respected journals. So, although, he gives me a lot to think about, and he presents some plausible ideas, I'm not sure I would classify him as science. I'd love comments on his validity. Anyway, I enjoyed this book, as I say it gave me a lot to think about, and that is the point of reading.
September 9, 2023
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK
May 23, 2015
I happen to love every Charles Pellegrino book I've read so far, and this was no exception. I read somewhere that he knew putting the word 'Atlantis' in the title would open him up to criticism, but if you actually read the book, it's a very well-argued theory that Atlantis was based upon what is modern day Santorini, backed up with plenty of research and first-hand experience at the site. Pellegrino also excels in drawing stories out of the dust of history, bringing a lost world to life.
A book I've read several times already, and will read again.
A book I've read several times already, and will read again.
August 16, 2009
All I can say is WOW!! I love reading Charles Pellegrino. I think I've read this about 7 times so far. All about the volcanic island Thera, what they've found, how it corresponds to Plato's description of Atlantis and the marvelous story that archaeology and geology tells.
September 19, 2007
I adored this book. It's a very different way to look at history and storytelling. I have studied Thera, Akrotiri and the Atlantis myth for several years, and thought this book quite inspired.
December 20, 2020
Well, one of he best books about Atlantis I've read so far. Charles Pellegrino takes us into Thera (Santorini) and Crete where around 3500 years ago existed a civilication called Minoans. Unfortunately, because of the eruption of Thera, the civilization partially vanished from Crete and Thera (or was replaced by other one, probably from mainland Greece). What we also learn from the excavations in various areas (Akrotiri, Knossos, Phaistos) is that the civilization was very developed for their time.
Doesn't it sound similar to the story that Plato tells us is his dialogues Timaeus and Critias ? Was Crete/Thera Atlantis ?
If you would like to know the answers, this book is for you :)
Doesn't it sound similar to the story that Plato tells us is his dialogues Timaeus and Critias ? Was Crete/Thera Atlantis ?
If you would like to know the answers, this book is for you :)
Read
November 26, 2020The companion piece to the Return to Sodom and Gomorrah volume and this work continued to add more archaeological information you won't get on the internet. It is a great read but keep in mind that the author does not pursue biblical content nor tries to support biblical facts.
this and the Return to S & G are his two best works
this and the Return to S & G are his two best works
November 22, 2017
Thoroughly entertaining and very informative. Here is pretty much all of the current info. about the Minoans. Wow your friends (or bore them) with your knowledge! Plus, anything by Charles Pellegrino is been great.
June 17, 2018
A little old at this point, but still a fascinating read.
(I've read another book by this author, but I don't remember that other one having a condescending tone that came across in certain parts of this book)
(I've read another book by this author, but I don't remember that other one having a condescending tone that came across in certain parts of this book)
October 12, 2025
3.5 stars - Who knew the myth of Atlantis is based off of an actual city on the island of Thera? This was a cool read! His writing meandered a bit about 1/3 of the way in and lost some steam, but overall still an interesting reflection on an ancient civilization I previously knew nothing about
June 4, 2017
He waxes poetic for a science book
Read
December 2, 2019I only got to page 53. It didn't hold my interest and I wasn't inclined to pick it back up again.
September 23, 2023
So much information was put that it made my head spin. This book has a copyright of 1991, I wonder how much has changed since then.
May 28, 2009
Unearthing Atlantis –
This book talks about the theory that the lost city of Atlantis that people have been searching for since Plato described it in one of his stories is actually a reference to the Minoan civilization that dominated the Mediterranean before the Greeks. In his story, Plato describes a place that had a great deal of power and very advanced technology. Since Plato, and especially in more modern times, people have come with several ideas about where and what Atlantis might have been. A good deal about what we “know” about Atlantis has come from people who allegedly “channeled” Atlanteans using psychic powers: this is where all the legends of magic powers, space craft and alien beings come from. I’ve never put much stock in channeling, but I’ve also never tried it, so maybe I’m not the right person to be judging it; the story that this book presents, however, seems much more credible.
This book isn’t about magical beings or mystical powers: it’s really just a book about archeology. It mostly focuses on a city from the Minoan civilization on an island called Thera that was covered when the Volcano on the island exploded a few thousand years ago. Because it was covered under the volcanic debris, the city was well preserved when the archeologists found in the middle of the twentieth-century. One of the most notable things about this city is that it had indoor plumbing with hot and cold running water. The author postulates that this, among other things, is an example of the advanced technology that Plato talks about when he is describing Atlantis over a thousand years later. So, there were no space ships or anything like that, but there were things that would have seemed quite advanced at the time: after the Minoan civilization was destroyed, humanity did not discover indoor plumbing again until thousands of years later.
Apparently, not much is known about the Minoan civilization except for they were advanced culturally and dominated the Mediterranean during their time. According to this book, it seems that it was a peaceful civilization, and that their art, culture and technology advanced so quickly at least partly because the island geography of the area caused a competition that was dominated by a need to progress in order to survive with the resources available rather than from a fear of conquest from neighboring peoples or corrupt rulers. The book goes into quite a bit of details on all of these points, but that’s sort of what I understood in a nutshell. The Minoans also had a language that is somewhat linguistically independent from other known languages, and although we have discovered various artifacts that include samples of this writing, we are still not capable of translating it.
The central hypothesis of this book was that after the volcano on Thera erupted in the biggest explosion that the earth had seen in a long period of geologic time, the aftermath (which included a false winter and the essential destruction of neighboring islands) was so damaging that the Minoan civilization that existed on the surrounding islands collapsed as a result. This weakened state created an opportunity for the Greeks to conquer these islands and wipe out the Minoan culture.
The legend of Atlantis then came to be over a thousand years later when Plato heard the story from a relative who had heard the story from some one, who had heard the story from some one else all the way back to the person who originally heard story several hundred years before. This person was a Greek politician that decided to take a vacation in Egypt during some heated political times. While there, he spent some time with an Egyptian librarian who told him the story of an ancient civilization that had existed a long time before. He said that the Greeks had forgotten about this civilization, but that the history found in the Egyptian libraries went back a long ways, so that’s how the Egyptians knew about. I guess that most of the Egyptian books and records were later destroyed when some bishop ordered the library of Alexandria burned to the ground during the dark ages; Alexander the Great had consolidated all of the Egyptian records there after he conquered Egypt back in the day (or something like that; remember, like Grandpa Simpson, I pieced most of what I know about history together from what I read on the back of sugar packets.) So, unfortunately we don’t have those ancient books anymore. The main effect this book had on me is I now want to learn more about the Minoans and the ancient Egyptians.
This book talks about the theory that the lost city of Atlantis that people have been searching for since Plato described it in one of his stories is actually a reference to the Minoan civilization that dominated the Mediterranean before the Greeks. In his story, Plato describes a place that had a great deal of power and very advanced technology. Since Plato, and especially in more modern times, people have come with several ideas about where and what Atlantis might have been. A good deal about what we “know” about Atlantis has come from people who allegedly “channeled” Atlanteans using psychic powers: this is where all the legends of magic powers, space craft and alien beings come from. I’ve never put much stock in channeling, but I’ve also never tried it, so maybe I’m not the right person to be judging it; the story that this book presents, however, seems much more credible.
This book isn’t about magical beings or mystical powers: it’s really just a book about archeology. It mostly focuses on a city from the Minoan civilization on an island called Thera that was covered when the Volcano on the island exploded a few thousand years ago. Because it was covered under the volcanic debris, the city was well preserved when the archeologists found in the middle of the twentieth-century. One of the most notable things about this city is that it had indoor plumbing with hot and cold running water. The author postulates that this, among other things, is an example of the advanced technology that Plato talks about when he is describing Atlantis over a thousand years later. So, there were no space ships or anything like that, but there were things that would have seemed quite advanced at the time: after the Minoan civilization was destroyed, humanity did not discover indoor plumbing again until thousands of years later.
Apparently, not much is known about the Minoan civilization except for they were advanced culturally and dominated the Mediterranean during their time. According to this book, it seems that it was a peaceful civilization, and that their art, culture and technology advanced so quickly at least partly because the island geography of the area caused a competition that was dominated by a need to progress in order to survive with the resources available rather than from a fear of conquest from neighboring peoples or corrupt rulers. The book goes into quite a bit of details on all of these points, but that’s sort of what I understood in a nutshell. The Minoans also had a language that is somewhat linguistically independent from other known languages, and although we have discovered various artifacts that include samples of this writing, we are still not capable of translating it.
The central hypothesis of this book was that after the volcano on Thera erupted in the biggest explosion that the earth had seen in a long period of geologic time, the aftermath (which included a false winter and the essential destruction of neighboring islands) was so damaging that the Minoan civilization that existed on the surrounding islands collapsed as a result. This weakened state created an opportunity for the Greeks to conquer these islands and wipe out the Minoan culture.
The legend of Atlantis then came to be over a thousand years later when Plato heard the story from a relative who had heard the story from some one, who had heard the story from some one else all the way back to the person who originally heard story several hundred years before. This person was a Greek politician that decided to take a vacation in Egypt during some heated political times. While there, he spent some time with an Egyptian librarian who told him the story of an ancient civilization that had existed a long time before. He said that the Greeks had forgotten about this civilization, but that the history found in the Egyptian libraries went back a long ways, so that’s how the Egyptians knew about. I guess that most of the Egyptian books and records were later destroyed when some bishop ordered the library of Alexandria burned to the ground during the dark ages; Alexander the Great had consolidated all of the Egyptian records there after he conquered Egypt back in the day (or something like that; remember, like Grandpa Simpson, I pieced most of what I know about history together from what I read on the back of sugar packets.) So, unfortunately we don’t have those ancient books anymore. The main effect this book had on me is I now want to learn more about the Minoans and the ancient Egyptians.
March 13, 2017
Public Reviews Written by You
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Unearthing Atlantis: An Archaeological Odyssey to the Fabled Lost CivilizationPrice: £3.59
I ordered this because I am fascinated by the Thera/Atlantis connection that has been made in so many documentaries I have recently encountered, the beauty tha tis apparent in Minoan art. The Minoans cannot now speak for themselves, but their city/palace ruins can.
To my mind the Minoans are fascinating because whilst undoubtedly possessing the special genius that produced the beautiful frescoes, to say nothing of the pottery and so on, plus the fact that they had running hot and cold water and luxuries not seen again until centuries later, the Neolithic roots of that world view are also unmistakeable (the writer makes the point that the archeological and technological achievements of this culture would still be modest by today's standards). This writer also draws comparisons to the Catal Huyuk ctyt ruins, not just in the looks of the frescoes in that ancient Neolithic city, but in the bull worship and imagery that appears in Knossos and on Thera too. To say nothing of the description of Atlantis mentioned in Plato's works.
Another detail, this time not encountered anywhere else: it seems that Crete did have a species of pygmy elephant, as mentioned in Plato's account as handed down from Egypt too,
There are also plenty of details of the volcanology of the Theran eruption too, with comparisons made inevitably with Pompeii and Vesuvius and with Krakatoa, where the island there also sunk under the waves. Pelligreno suggests that the outer caldera ring is what remains of the original mountain island though: there is no room in this idea that it was an earlier island within this caldera that might have blown, accounting for more concentric rings, some created by Nature, others via Minoan-made canals. Either way, the VEI index of the eruption would have been enough to make make waves on a near-supervolcano scale.......
The book is infused with the sense of loss of what could have been certainly - along with the recognition that we too could be felled just as easily by a similar natural disaster, at any time should Yellowstone, for example, blow its top. Arthur C CLarke wrote the introduction to this book and his agenda is that sooner or later, humans will need to ready themselves to reach for the stars. For that matter too, we are infinitely more like Plato's fabled Atlanteans, where we are far more likely to bring mass and global destruction on ourselves, whereas the Minoans simply experienced massive bad luck.
The book does tend to go off in tangents about the nature of dating objects and in how an awareness of paleontological time brings its own perspectives. It is still a feast of a read on a fascinating topic.
Show: Most recent reviews Most recent comments Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-12
Unearthing Atlantis: An Archaeological Odyssey to the Fabled Lost CivilizationPrice: £3.59
I ordered this because I am fascinated by the Thera/Atlantis connection that has been made in so many documentaries I have recently encountered, the beauty tha tis apparent in Minoan art. The Minoans cannot now speak for themselves, but their city/palace ruins can.
To my mind the Minoans are fascinating because whilst undoubtedly possessing the special genius that produced the beautiful frescoes, to say nothing of the pottery and so on, plus the fact that they had running hot and cold water and luxuries not seen again until centuries later, the Neolithic roots of that world view are also unmistakeable (the writer makes the point that the archeological and technological achievements of this culture would still be modest by today's standards). This writer also draws comparisons to the Catal Huyuk ctyt ruins, not just in the looks of the frescoes in that ancient Neolithic city, but in the bull worship and imagery that appears in Knossos and on Thera too. To say nothing of the description of Atlantis mentioned in Plato's works.
Another detail, this time not encountered anywhere else: it seems that Crete did have a species of pygmy elephant, as mentioned in Plato's account as handed down from Egypt too,
There are also plenty of details of the volcanology of the Theran eruption too, with comparisons made inevitably with Pompeii and Vesuvius and with Krakatoa, where the island there also sunk under the waves. Pelligreno suggests that the outer caldera ring is what remains of the original mountain island though: there is no room in this idea that it was an earlier island within this caldera that might have blown, accounting for more concentric rings, some created by Nature, others via Minoan-made canals. Either way, the VEI index of the eruption would have been enough to make make waves on a near-supervolcano scale.......
The book is infused with the sense of loss of what could have been certainly - along with the recognition that we too could be felled just as easily by a similar natural disaster, at any time should Yellowstone, for example, blow its top. Arthur C CLarke wrote the introduction to this book and his agenda is that sooner or later, humans will need to ready themselves to reach for the stars. For that matter too, we are infinitely more like Plato's fabled Atlanteans, where we are far more likely to bring mass and global destruction on ourselves, whereas the Minoans simply experienced massive bad luck.
The book does tend to go off in tangents about the nature of dating objects and in how an awareness of paleontological time brings its own perspectives. It is still a feast of a read on a fascinating topic.
January 2, 2013
The Lost Continent of Atlantis is the stuff of legend, not only that, it has become a mythological place, like Mount Olympus or Avalon. Plato wrote about it in his works, scholars, archaeologist, oceanographers, treasure hunters, and common people have all searched for it for so long. There is compelling evidence that it was there at one point and this novel by Charles Pellegrino does an excellent job at convincing the reader that this place was not myth but real.
The book reads much like an Indiana Jones adventure. The author takes us around the globe to Egypt, Greece, Crete, Minoa, the Mediterranean Sea, and other places in search of clues of this lost civilization. Piecing together artifacts, customs, and even the migratory patterns of certain animals he concludes that something large once existed near Greece that would fit the description of Atlantis.
In one section of the book the author takes an entirely unique approach and delves into the history and creation of Atlantis, at one point taking the reader to just after the Big Bang...I've never seen writing like that before and it was astounding!
Atlantis is synonymous with mystery and wonder.Plato wrote that after a deluge, a day and a night and Atlantis was gone. Pellegrino takes the reader on that journey and brings the truth of this legend to life. For anyone with a penchant for archaeology or history this book is a great find.
The book reads much like an Indiana Jones adventure. The author takes us around the globe to Egypt, Greece, Crete, Minoa, the Mediterranean Sea, and other places in search of clues of this lost civilization. Piecing together artifacts, customs, and even the migratory patterns of certain animals he concludes that something large once existed near Greece that would fit the description of Atlantis.
In one section of the book the author takes an entirely unique approach and delves into the history and creation of Atlantis, at one point taking the reader to just after the Big Bang...I've never seen writing like that before and it was astounding!
Atlantis is synonymous with mystery and wonder.Plato wrote that after a deluge, a day and a night and Atlantis was gone. Pellegrino takes the reader on that journey and brings the truth of this legend to life. For anyone with a penchant for archaeology or history this book is a great find.
Want to Read
April 6, 2012Having been to the Greek Island of Santorini (classically Thera), and having had the chance to walk around the volcano that did so much damage(and actually swim at its base, which was incredible) I'm very interested in reading this to see how the author links the tangible island of Thera with the supposedly mythical Atlantis. As I understand it, the inhabitants of Thera were all able to evacuate the island before the eruption occured, which blanketed the island in volcanic ash in a Pompei like manner, while I'd always heard the story of Atlantis told as a tragedy, whith everyone perishing as it was swallowed by the sea. It'll be interesting to hear how he ties Plato's theories into his own. Looking forward to it!
April 10, 2007
I wasn't as thrilled with this book as with 'Ghosts of the Titanic'. It was still interesting, but I never really got into it. It's a scientific exploration of the theory that the lost island of Atlantis is modern day Thera (Greek Island in the Aegean Sea), which 'submerged' due to an immense eruption of the volcano on it, around c1640 b.c. It's as detailed as the current archaelogical excavations of the island allow it to be (allowing for the fact that the book was written in 1991), and it also details some other huge volcanic eruptions in modern times, including Mount St Helens and St. Pierre.
November 10, 2007
Based on the number of times I've read a book cover-to-cover, Unearthing Atlantis would pretty much have to be my favorite, or my desert-island book, or whatever. Pellegrino writes well about forces that shape our world and our Earth, how slowly they can progress, how suddenly and catastrophically they change. Ultimately the book is about locating ourselves as humans between these nanoseconds of massive upheaval and our own conceptions of historical, geological, and astronomical time. In other words, volcanoes r cool.
August 20, 2013
I LOVED this book. While it is most certainly not a quick read, it is fascinating and well worth the time. This is really more an archaeological exploration of a society than it is a lot of speculation on the idea of Atlantis. It delves, not only through ancient civilizations, but goes into religious ideals and even dips into prehistoric, climatological and big band theories. It makes for a thought provoking read, I would, however, take Pellegrino's theories with a grain of salt due to his lower standing in the academic community. All in all, I highly recommend it.
March 7, 2019
This is VERY much a scientific read. I love the concept and I’m fascinated by volcanoes. However, I did feel like the second half was a lot of repeated information and a lot of circling of points - which is (I assume) a much more scientific paper type approach to writing. For me it was hard to get through. There were some sections that I couldn’t put down and were fascinated by and others I just skimmed because it was either repeated information or just seemed like it was unnecessary. Did make me want to go check it out!
August 21, 2007
One of the more interesting books I've ever read (although there's a section in the middle about pottery that drags a bit). About a volcanic eruption that destroyed a small Greek island that, according to Pellegrino, seems to have been the inspiration for the Atlantis legend. The accounts of the eruption and others are fascinating, as are the stories of what happened as a result of this particular, Biblical-class disaster.
June 7, 2020
The sections of the book that actually cover the eruptions of Thera and the archeological excavations are good and interesting. However, quite a lot of the book strays into religious/theological topics, such as suggesting that the events described in Exodus were actually a garbled version of the Thera eruption. The end of the book even accuses Judaism and Christianity of being pure inventions and of stealing ideas from pagan religions.
January 23, 2008
With the publication of Unearthing Atlantis I feel as if the author has summerized half of the books on my shelves plus more I haven't read yet and don't need to now that I have this one.
I consider Unearthing Atlantis a "must read" for all who have even the slightest interest in this ancient civilization.
I consider Unearthing Atlantis a "must read" for all who have even the slightest interest in this ancient civilization.
January 28, 2022
Unnecessarily graphic descriptions of the horrific sufferings of volcanic explosion victims made me mistrust this author for any future books I might have been willing to read. Certainly not going anywhere near his book on Hiroshima. Consider yourself warned and skip ahead when you see it coming. The subject matter is none the less fascinating.
February 27, 2007
This is an amazingly in-depth and convincing look at Atlantis and it's possible origins. Charles Pellegrino makes a strong case for modern day Santorini being the site of Atlantis. This book started my interested in Minoan culture and the general Mediterranean culture of that time.
August 20, 2010
Currently the best book I have read about the Thera volcanic explosion with resulting Tsunamis in 1628 B.C.E. This book explains the basics of the volcanic eruption and the archeology of the excavation of the buried city on Thera.
May 11, 2009
satisfyingly nerdy.
December 31, 2009
Archaeology not really my thing. This book taught me that fact.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews