Atlantis : The Antediluvian World by Ignatius Donnelly

The author’s work was first published in 1882. He presents geological, cross-cultural, historical, linguistic, and biographical evidence. Primary points include: geological evidence of major land mass in the Atlantic Ocean which sank before our modern history due to volcanic eruption and underwater turbulence (tops of the Azores are a remnant); land mass includes extentions toward Africa and South American and a point of island near Ireland; plethora examples exist of similarities between American and European history (direction of origin; flood legend; 12 (or 10) tribes/families legends; stories of gods; architecture (pyramids, mounds, arches, etc.); language (Atlantis, Atlazl, Adhem, Adam; Baal, Bel, Baalz, god names, and common terms); last section ties specific details to Atlantean legends from Mississippi Valley, Ohio valley, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Ireland, Iberian Peninsula, Egypt, Greece, Italy, et al. The beginning section quotes Plato’s entire discourse on Atlantis, which scholars have debated as being either a moral example or an actual recounting of what other scholars told him. Atlantean society had 12 organized families/tribes; black, white, and red races; well-described laws (with legacies in Egypt, American, Judaism, Islam, etc); scientific discovery (gunpowder, major grains, compass, et al). The founders of Atlantis became “gods” in descendant cultures.

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