Excellent book, very though provoking. Huge amounts of data and research as one takes a voyage with G. Hancock through his global research voyage hunting to discover the truth.
The sheer volume of data presented in this book will either be something you appreciate [because it makes his case very strong:] or make you shy away.
There are many things to discuss about this book, but the conclusions seem to be that:
1. There was an advanced civilization living prior to the last ending iceage in 11,000BC+ most likely in Antartica [which then was warmer and not under ice:].
2. Major floods, combined with a polar shift, and probably also tectonic movements which moved antartica into the polar region [and canada/wisconsin-usa out of it:] occurred, sea levels rise 400 feet in less than 200 years, and left the earth devastated for at least 1000 if not 2000 years.
3. Major myth stories of "the flood" permeate the world. It is the most common ancient myth story on earth, shared in more than 130+ cultures and 80+ countries.
4. Those who survived the upheaval were often reduced to barbarism, and cannibalism spread around the world. Forcing everyone back into "the stone age"
5. Some of the people from the advanced civilization managed to educate, teach and share their knowledge of science, calendars, long-term celestial cycles, medicine and astronomy with various peoples across the world. The laps of time between devastation and these civilisers actually being able to carry out their work is likely to have been in the order of several thousand years.
6. Given the gap of time between devastation, barabrisim and survial, and their re-encounter with the "civilisers" these people were often viewed as Gods; and are described in all north, central, north American, Egyptian and Sumerian cultures in a similar manner: White men, with long bears; often symbolized by the snake [either as a crown, and/or as their boats:], and with a cross [This is pre-Christianity, and these crosses are more like upright "X"s:]
7. In many areas these cilizers are killed or fail, or their methods are taken but corruption or power thwarts their efforts. However a few areas take on the ideas well, especially Egypt.
8. Egypt was in 11,000BC a tropical location, with lush lands and rainfall. It was the "age of Leo", and a Sphinx was built that would face the rising sun in Leo perfectly (in 10,450 BC).
9. Three pyramids were built, with stones so big it defies logic, in a pattern that aligns it perfectly with the belt of Orion, the river Nile as the Milky-way and Drakonis [back then the North Star:]. This new alignment will only re-occurre again in some 25,920 years
10. The pyramids use the π and phi ratio, numbers that relate to the processional spin of the earth [how fast it "wobbles" and the 25,920 years required to return to where it was:].
11. The grand pyramid is an exact-to-scale model of the earth, where if one multiples the ratio of precession to the sphere the pyramid makes, it is in exact proportion to the round-earth itself.
12. One theory has it that the Pyramids were built as important markers for a future civilization. The exact correlation of their position with the movements of the stars would give future generations knowledge as to when they were built [10,450 BC:]
14. The Olecs adopt the calendar system "from the gods" which later the Mayan adapt from the Olecs, known as "The Mayan calendar". This calendar employs similar mathematics and information about earth's precession, as well as the inevitability of the earth undergoing total devastation again in the future.
15. Many large stones are found, like those at Giza, Egypt in many south/central American sites; including cities at the top of mountain lakes and Machu Pichu, Peru. These stones also show the same techniques for fitting, cutting and cementing in every site. Along with the same large 80 to 200 ton blocks; often raised in confines which are not logically possible.
16. Ancient folk lore speaks in both the Americas and in Egypt of Magicians/Gods who could move large stones with "sound" or "words of command". And both also speak of Dwarves who were builders.
17. After the Giza pyramids every following pyramid was built in inferior methods, probably some 6 to 8,000 years later. Then, near the end of the Egyptian rule, one pyramid is built with all its walls covered with texts that describe foreign words, machines, implements and things which Egyptologists can't translate, or more air ships in a sort of historification of their knowledge.
18. The next two small pyramids they built, no one has been able to enter, since Egypt has placed a military base around them. No one, no scientist, Egyptologist, historian or the like has ever been able to visit them.
19. People from 10AD to 1500AD find various maps of Antartica, which show it without ice and correct place the mountains and rivers at where they would be if there wasn't 2-miles of ice over them today.
20. The Sphinx erodes from 6000-8000 years of rainfall between 11 millennium BC and 4,000 BC, until eventually Egypt turns into a desert.
21. All the old texts and cultures [Egyptian, Mayan, north/south/central USA, India:] all speak of celestial ages being in relation to where the sun rises [we are in the age of Pisces still now:], and of there being a risk of total-global destruction between the passing of one age to the next. The Mayan calendar, possibly the oldest calendar system we know [and the most accurate, more so than our Gregorian:] seems to pin this date to two days before Christmas 2012.
and another 20 or so more points I could write... it just goes on and on, there is so much information here, well founded on research, that it really is a thick 500 page read that will bustle your mind.
Nearly all of the data is referenced between many cultures and many texts, with different quotes coming from all places [the Bible, Islamic faiths, Chinese ancient texts, mathematics, geology, astronomy, cultures all across the Americas, India and so forth:] -- that it makes it actually very hard to not believe Graham's Conclusions on the data he has so carefully collected.
If his Ideas are right, then it would mean that Civilisation has been completely destroyed in the past, and it can likely happen again; but this time around, what would be different? Would we loose everything? If we did, would those few who held their knowledge in their heads become "Gods"? Could we bridge spans of 2,000 years of time between one devastation and the coast of a new stable "drier" world to start off where we left off, or would all our ancient knowledge become "myth" once more?
Other questions that come up, it is clear from the history of many cited cultures, that who ever these "gods" were that gave them the gifts of civilization, that this knowledge also represented "power"; power which could be wielded over others; as it has been, since the time of Babylon [slaves, sacrifices etc:]. The question is: if all of mankind were stripped of all their tools, knowledge and technology, is it better to let them learn it all over themselves? Or to teach them what you knew, even if that means that they may not know how to handle or appreciate it, and thus get lost in a cycle of corruption, abuse and power?
Who knows, maybe the last civilization was "smarter" than this one. Looking at the state of the world, one has to wonder...