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Informationen zum Autor Emma Carlson Berne has written over 120 books for young readers. Klappentext "First described by Plato, the idea of Atlantis has existed since 360 BC! Learn about the history of the Greek god Poseidon's relationship with the kingdom and the real research that's been done by historians and scientists who are trying to locate Atlantis. Featured in plenty of movies, books, and comics, Atlantis is still relevant in popular culture today...but does it really exist? Find out all the facts we do know about it in this exciting book"-- Leseprobe What Do We Know About Atlantis? The hot sun blazed down on Spyridon’s head. He pulled his pith helmet farther down his brow and ignored the sweat trickling down his neck. He sat back on his heels and gazed into the excavated pit in front of him. Spyridon Marinatos had been an archeologist for forty years. By 1967, he was a professor. He was the inspector general of the Greek Antiquities Service. He’d excavated too many artifacts in his career to count. But this— this— was the most exciting dig he’d ever led. They’d only been digging for a few weeks on the Greek Island of Santorini, but already, they’d found a stone doorway, the base of a column, and piles of old pottery. People had lived here—lots of people. Now, the forty miners helping the team were carefully scraping away the hard, chalky dirt. Most of the nearby villagers were busy harvesting their tomato crop, but a few wandered away from their fields to watch. Then, a shout went up. One of the diggers had found flakes of plaster—white. Spyridon ran over to him. Frescoes! The plaster was from painted murals that had once decorated the walls of ancient buildings and homes. The excitement spread. The team kept digging. The artifacts were everywhere, all around them—more painted frescoes: black, pink, green, red. Walls reinforced by wooden poles, huge limestone blocks that must have supported giant buildings, cooking pots, wine jugs, looms for weaving, paved streets, plumbing systems! This ancient civilization had running water ! The weeks went by and the dig went on. More and more treasures were unearthed. There were huge murals of flowers, women, and bulls. One showed three ladies in a field full of crocus blossoms. Another showed a group of monkeys climbing rocks beside a river. The team found three-story buildings with elaborate staircases. They found paved roads and huge storage rooms filled with containers of wine and oil. There were artifacts from other places in the world. These ancient people traveled, which meant they must have had ships. Somewhere under there, Spyridon suspected, there could be a palace. An ancient city, full of beautiful art and graceful buildings. A wealthy city with many ships. A city and its people buried forever in a sudden explosion of molten lava and ash. An island vanished overnight. Could this be it ? The lost city of Atlantis? No, Spyridon insisted. He was a professional scientist and a respected professor, not a storyteller. He was certain the story of Atlantis was a myth. It was only a legend, wasn’t it? Chapter 1: The Lost City The story of Atlantis begins in about 360 BCE, during the time of the ancient Greeks. It is the story of a paradise described by a philosopher named Plato. The people in Plato’s beautiful city were wealthy and powerful. But they weren’t just people. They were half-god and half-human (called demigods). This place wasn’t ruled by a president or a king. Instead, its ruler was Poseidon, the Greek god of the seas. In this gorgeous city, flowers bloomed, tree branches waved in the sun, and fruit and grain of every type grew tall under the blue sky. Elephants wandered the land. People made jewelry and decorations from precious metals more valuable than gold. They had plenty of stone f...
