What do you think?
Rate this book
Gateway to Atlantis: The Search for the Source of a Lost Civilization
Historian Andrew Collins, after years of travel and research, has gathered convincing evidence that may establish not only that Atlantis did indeed exist but also that remnants of it survive today. His journey into the past follows the clues left by Plato, and they take him far beyond Crete and the Mediterranean, where scholars in recent times have located Atlantis. So do mummies in Egypt, Roman wreckage in the West Atlantic, the African features of great stone heads in Mexico, and the explosion of a comet 10,500 years ago. For two millennia the fate of Atlantis has fascinated historians, philosophers, and explorers who have debated its reality and searched in vain for a kingdom shrouded in myth and legend. Collins's final destination will shock the experts and amaze all readers. "A bold and imaginative attempt to understand the destruction of the legendary city of Atlantis."—Kirkus Reviews "Probably the most substantial and well researched book on Atlantis since Ignatius Donnelly."—Colin Wilson, author of From Atlantis to the Sphinx
448 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2000
6 people are currently reading
489 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 14, 2013
A book with the word 'Atlantis' in the title makes me think it will probably be at least slightly ridiculous. The sheer number of theories and interpretations of Plato's legendary civilization and subsequent catastrophe are enough to make the whole subject a minefield of confusion. But this one surprised me. Collins argues that Atlantis existed in Cuba and the Bahamas, landmasses that were larger before the rise in sea levels at the end of the last Ice Age that split them up into many islands. (Here and in other areas, like Part IV and aspects of Part V, his work is compatible with Laura Knight-Jadczyk's in [[ASIN:1897244169 The Secret History of the World]], where she also argues for an American base for Atlantis.) In Part I, Collins demonstrates this meticulously, combing through Plato and other ancients' descriptions and matching them up with features known about these locations. Part II makes the idea plausible, demonstrating pre-Columbian contact between the region and other parts of the world (Collins argues for Phoenician transoceanic trade routes). Part III focuses on knowledge of early navigators and explorers (including Columbus) and their apparent knowledge of undiscovered Atlantic islands, as well as myths and stories of the Central American peoples hinting at Cuba's role in the Atlantis legend.
While these sections were all interesting and well argued, Part IV is what really hooked me. Here, Collins ties the various legends with actual history, linking the Carolina Bays impact sites with the cometary destruction that bombarded North America at the end of the last Ice Age. This event has been treated more recently by Firestone, West, and Warwick-Smith in their [[ASIN:1591430615 The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes: How a Stone-Age Comet Changed the Course of World Culture]]. Firestone et al.'s book covers much the same ground (including an exhaustive look the relevant myths and stories of tribes in the regions) but gives more solid science and dating. Collins's dates are usually too late (e.g. 8500 ybp vs. 12,900 ybp). They also show just how destructive this event was - more so than Collins - and make it clear how the event could have inspired the legend of Atlantis. Also, the airburst phenomenon that Collins describes as having caused the Carolina Bays has been discussed more recently by Dennis Cox. The fact that the known dating of this catastrophe matches up so well with Plato's account is possibly telling.
Unfortunately, Part V was the weakest for me. It starts out good, with evidence of ancient inhabitation of Cuba and the Bahamas, including evidence of human-built structures in various underwater locations (above water during the last Ice Age). But the last few chapters are a little too speculative for me. Here he writes about legends like Votan and the Feathered Serpents, linking them with the Phoenicians, the Watchers (from the Book of Enoch, also discussed by Knight and Lomas in their great book [[ASIN:B0072HDQZA Uriel's Machine]], which covers some similar ground), and the Nephilim. Some of the connections here are actually very interesting, including information on the mound-building cultures in the Americas, giants, and cranial deformation. But I don't think Collins establishes a solid dating (again, too late chronologically), or even direction for the source of the influence. Since he's discussing an ancient civilization, and makes his case (keeping in mind the work of many others here, too), he seems keen to look for a Mediterranean influence when it might be the other way around: i.e., from 'Atlantis' to the rest of the world.
That said, Gateway to Atlantis (****) is one of the best books on Atlantis I've come across: comprehensive, well-sourced, and carefully argued.
While these sections were all interesting and well argued, Part IV is what really hooked me. Here, Collins ties the various legends with actual history, linking the Carolina Bays impact sites with the cometary destruction that bombarded North America at the end of the last Ice Age. This event has been treated more recently by Firestone, West, and Warwick-Smith in their [[ASIN:1591430615 The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes: How a Stone-Age Comet Changed the Course of World Culture]]. Firestone et al.'s book covers much the same ground (including an exhaustive look the relevant myths and stories of tribes in the regions) but gives more solid science and dating. Collins's dates are usually too late (e.g. 8500 ybp vs. 12,900 ybp). They also show just how destructive this event was - more so than Collins - and make it clear how the event could have inspired the legend of Atlantis. Also, the airburst phenomenon that Collins describes as having caused the Carolina Bays has been discussed more recently by Dennis Cox. The fact that the known dating of this catastrophe matches up so well with Plato's account is possibly telling.
Unfortunately, Part V was the weakest for me. It starts out good, with evidence of ancient inhabitation of Cuba and the Bahamas, including evidence of human-built structures in various underwater locations (above water during the last Ice Age). But the last few chapters are a little too speculative for me. Here he writes about legends like Votan and the Feathered Serpents, linking them with the Phoenicians, the Watchers (from the Book of Enoch, also discussed by Knight and Lomas in their great book [[ASIN:B0072HDQZA Uriel's Machine]], which covers some similar ground), and the Nephilim. Some of the connections here are actually very interesting, including information on the mound-building cultures in the Americas, giants, and cranial deformation. But I don't think Collins establishes a solid dating (again, too late chronologically), or even direction for the source of the influence. Since he's discussing an ancient civilization, and makes his case (keeping in mind the work of many others here, too), he seems keen to look for a Mediterranean influence when it might be the other way around: i.e., from 'Atlantis' to the rest of the world.
That said, Gateway to Atlantis (****) is one of the best books on Atlantis I've come across: comprehensive, well-sourced, and carefully argued.
September 29, 2013
When I first picked this book up I was expecting wild claims and crazy theories. Yet, the book is filled with a logically presented theory of a possible forgotten land matching Plato's 'Atlantis.' Step by step the author brings in classical and forgotten medieval works, overlooked renaissance and early modern accounts, all providing a long chain of potential evidence worthy of serious examination. The result is a concept that 'hangs together' as it blends legend, archaeology, history, and geology together. No collection purporting to cover the subject of the idea of a forgotten land, called Atlantis or not, is complete without this work.
December 11, 2017
Questo testo analizza più il mito e i testi antichi (senza la profondità di un Velikovsky) che non le prove tangibili. Laddove un Ivar Zapp si basa su una cultura marinara avanzata (nel delta del Diquis), Collins prende in esame Cuba, le grandi e piccole Antille.
Mi sembra inoltre che regni una gran confusione sulla datazione (rispetto ad Atlantide e alle date prese in considerazione da altri). Si parla di possibili commerci fenici e cartaginesi, di come hanno introdotto le foglie di coca e tabacco nella società egizia (studi sulle mummie della Babulova confermano tracce di tabacco e droga). Più che confusione, Collins sembra molto cauto nel fornire date nonostante sia ormai noto il "cataclisma ignorato" che ha fatto finire l'era glaciale (del resto, i grandi mastodonti americani e in siberia, ammucchiati come se fossero stati uccisi istantaneamente, sono la base di partenza anche di Worlds in Collision).
C'è molta cautela persino sulla collocazione esatta, a parte un discorso approssimativo sulle distanze descritte nel testo di Platone.
Inoltre, anche qui non trovo nemmeno da lontano il discorso tecnologico. Altri autori hanno parlato di opere megalitiche, Collins non si ferma nemmeno un istante a pensare a chi le abbia costruite e come.
Il punto interessante del testo è il popolo del serpente.
Ma appunto, mancando di una cronologia decisa ho la sensazione di un fuori scala di millenni. Si parla del popolo del serpente che insegnò le arti in tempi remoti, ma la sensazione è che non abbia nulla a che fare con la civiltà maya, egizia o tolteca, e sia un mito collocato in tempi ancora più remoti (nell'arco di migliaia di anni).
Mi sembra inoltre che regni una gran confusione sulla datazione (rispetto ad Atlantide e alle date prese in considerazione da altri). Si parla di possibili commerci fenici e cartaginesi, di come hanno introdotto le foglie di coca e tabacco nella società egizia (studi sulle mummie della Babulova confermano tracce di tabacco e droga). Più che confusione, Collins sembra molto cauto nel fornire date nonostante sia ormai noto il "cataclisma ignorato" che ha fatto finire l'era glaciale (del resto, i grandi mastodonti americani e in siberia, ammucchiati come se fossero stati uccisi istantaneamente, sono la base di partenza anche di Worlds in Collision).
C'è molta cautela persino sulla collocazione esatta, a parte un discorso approssimativo sulle distanze descritte nel testo di Platone.
Inoltre, anche qui non trovo nemmeno da lontano il discorso tecnologico. Altri autori hanno parlato di opere megalitiche, Collins non si ferma nemmeno un istante a pensare a chi le abbia costruite e come.
Il punto interessante del testo è il popolo del serpente.
Ma appunto, mancando di una cronologia decisa ho la sensazione di un fuori scala di millenni. Si parla del popolo del serpente che insegnò le arti in tempi remoti, ma la sensazione è che non abbia nulla a che fare con la civiltà maya, egizia o tolteca, e sia un mito collocato in tempi ancora più remoti (nell'arco di migliaia di anni).
February 24, 2018
У книзі розглядається питання існування Атлантиди та її цивілізації. Автор досліджує різні версії місця знаходження Атлантиди, загадки давніх цивілізацій, висловлює свої думки з цього приводу.
July 30, 2024
I am a fan of Andrew Collins work usually and Collins usually presents his theories in viable fashion with evidence to back up his claims, whether it be the ancient world or the UFO phenomenon, Collins has his own style and usually explores the topic with an unconventional angle such as lightquest for example where he deviates from the common theories on what the phenomenon could be. So I was excited to delve into gateway to Atlantis and was somewhat disappointed not by the material put forward but rather in the way it's written, I just found it a slog to get through and found myself drifting away from the book which I tried desperately not to. As I've stated in this review, the material presented by Collins to validate the existence of the lost city of Atlantis is solid and it's a subject I am highly interested in but in closing it's a book which requires plenty of patience from the reader because it takes it's time in exploring such a fascinating premise and doesn't feel as if it really reached a satisfying conclusion. I have many books on Atlantis thankfully with a first edition Otto Muck secrets of Atlantis hardback I'm looking forward to reading but gateway to Atlantis just didn't hit it off for me unfortunately.
February 9, 2025
I am a fan of Andrew Collins work usually and Collins usually presents his theories in viable fashion with evidence to back up his claims, whether it be the ancient world or the UFO phenomenon, Collins has his own style and usually explores the topic with an unconventional angle such as lightquest for example where he deviates from the common theories on what the phenomenon could be. So I was excited to delve into gateway to Atlantis and was somewhat disappointed not by the material put forward but rather in the way it's written, I just found it a slog to get through and found myself drifting away from the book which I tried desperately not to. As I've stated in this review, the material presented by Collins to validate the existence of the lost city of Atlantis is solid and it's a subject I am highly interested in but in closing it's a book which requires plenty of patience from the reader because it takes it's time in exploring such a fascinating premise and doesn't feel as if it really reached a satisfying conclusion. I have many books on Atlantis thankfully with a first edition Otto Muck secrets of Atlantis hardback I'm looking forward to reading but gateway to Atlantis just didn't hit it off for me unfortunately.
March 28, 2023
Kind of a slog to read, and obsessed over the Caribbean while sleeping on the fact that there is a sunken land called Doggerland off the Netherlands. I was uncomfortable with the author’s “othering” of Native American people, recounting legends but never speaking directly to one.
The worst moment was when he recounts a legend from “the Yuchi tribe of Oklahoma”, and explains that they “migrated from the Gulf coast of Alabama to their present home in the 19th century.” This is the most rancid take on the Trail of Tears I’ve ever seen.
The worst moment was when he recounts a legend from “the Yuchi tribe of Oklahoma”, and explains that they “migrated from the Gulf coast of Alabama to their present home in the 19th century.” This is the most rancid take on the Trail of Tears I’ve ever seen.
July 10, 2021
Interesting book.
For sure, the author put a lof of energy and heart in the book. However, some parts of the book are more wishful thinking that the actual facts.
But yeah, who knows if Atlantis ever existed ...
For sure, the author put a lof of energy and heart in the book. However, some parts of the book are more wishful thinking that the actual facts.
But yeah, who knows if Atlantis ever existed ...
January 22, 2019
Great read even if I didn't agree with all the authors findings.
June 4, 2021
The author is very detailed in his presentation. Although I do not agree with all the evidence and findings in this book, I enjoyed reading it.
Read
July 19, 2022in Nederlandse vertaling
Toegang tot Atlantis - Op zoek naar het verdwenen werelddeel
is meer een doctoraatsthesis, interessant, maar voor minder geduldige lezers zou het korter mogen ...
Toegang tot Atlantis - Op zoek naar het verdwenen werelddeel
is meer een doctoraatsthesis, interessant, maar voor minder geduldige lezers zou het korter mogen ...
July 26, 2020
(Spoiler alert)
If Atlantis was in the Caribbean as the author theorizes, why is there no mention of Bermuda shorts in the ancient sources?
If Atlantis was in the Caribbean as the author theorizes, why is there no mention of Bermuda shorts in the ancient sources?
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews