From Atlantis to the sphinx - recovering the lost wisdom of the ancient world

In this compelling book, Colin Wilson argues that thousands of years before ancient Egypt and Greece held sway, there was a great civilization whose ships traveled the world from China to Antarctica. Their advanced knowledge of science, mathematics, and astronomy was passed on to descendants who escaped to Egypt and South America.From Atlantis to the Sphinx bases this assertion on a true fact: that archaeologists and geologists are at odds over the age of the Sphinx. Archaeologists claim that the Sphinx dates to classical dynastic Egypt, around 2,400 b.c. But some geologists claim that it could have been built as early as 7,000 to 10,500 b.c. The geologists' claim is based on the curious fact that the erosion of the Sphinx is more characteristic of water erosion than that of wind and sand.Starting from the assumption that there was an advanced civilization in existence much earlier than previously thought, Wilson goes on to claim that it could very well be Atlantisnot a literal island that sank, but more of a great civilization that either declined naturally or experienced a great catastrophe, passing on only a fraction of its knowledge to other peoples. From Atlantis to the Sphinx delves into what might have been a completely different knowledge system from that of modern manone as alien to us as that of the Martians.The book sets out to reconstruct that ancient knowledge in a fascinating exploration of the remote depths of history, a groundbreaking attempt to understand how these longforgotten peoples thought, felt, and communicated with the universe. "In this compelling book, Colin Wilson argue that thousands of years before ancient Egypt and Greece held sway, there was a great civilisation whose ships travelled the world from China to the South Pole (which was the free of ice), and whose advanced knowledge of science, mathematics and astronomy was passed on to descendants who escaped to Egypt and South America." "Yet the most important fact to emerge from these new discoveries is that the 'old ones' possessed a completely different knowledge system from ours. Compared with modern man, they were as alien as Martians. It was this knowledge system, argues Colin Wilson, that enabled them to move stones weighing a thousand tons, to drill a granite coffin with an accuracy that still baffles modern engineers and to hollow out stone vases whose long necks will not admit even a child's finger." "From Atlantis to the Sphinx sets out to reconstruct that ancient knowledge. In a fascinating exploration of the remote depths of history, here is a groundbreaking attempt to understand how these long-forgotten people thought, felt and communicated with the universe."--Jacket Analytical Table of Contents 1 Egyptian Mysteries 11 2 The New Race 31 3 Inside the Pyramid 49 4 The Forbidden Word 81 5 The Realm of the White Gods 99 6 The Antiquity of Man 135 7 Forbidden Archaeology 163 8 More Forbidden Archaeology 183 9 Of Stars and Gods 211 10 The Third Force 239 Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Egyptian Mysteries 2 The New Race 3 Inside the Pyramid 4 The Forbidden Word 5 The Realm of the White Gods 6 The Antiquity of Man 7 Forbidden Archaeology 8 More Forbidden Archaeology 9 Of Stars and Gods 10 The Third Force Notes 1 EGYPTIAN MYSTERIES 2 THE NEW RACE 3 INSIDE THE PYRAMID 7 FORBIDDEN ARCHAEOLOGY 8 MORE FORBIDDEN ARCHAEOLOGY 9 OF STARS AND GODS 10 THE THIRD FORCE Bibliography Index This work argues that a highly advanced knowledge system, developed by a pre-Ice-Age civilization, was passed on to ancient Egyptians by survivors. The book attempts to reconstruct that knowledge system, and try to understand how these "old ones" thought and communicated.