Graham Hancock discusses the possibility of a lost advanced civilization, referencing Plato's story of Atlantis and its downfall due to societal corruption and natural disasters. He highlights recent scientific evidence supporting a catastrophic event around 12,800 years ago, which aligns with Plato's timeline for Atlantis' destruction. Hancock suggests this event could have led to the rapid development of agriculture and megalithic structures, as seen at Göbekli Tepe, potentially indicating knowledge transfer from the survivors of this lost civilization. He also touches on the Sphinx's erosion patterns, which may date it back to the same period, challenging conventional historical timelines.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Plato wrote about the story of Atlantis, a civilization that was advanced but became arrogant and materialistic before being destroyed in a cataclysmic event.
2. According to Plato, Atlantis was destroyed 9,000 years before his time, which would be around 9,600 BC.
3. Historians and archaeologists have traditionally believed that Plato made up the story of Atlantis.
4. Around 12,800 years ago, a massive comet or asteroid impact caused a global cataclysm, which led to a period of extreme cold known as the Younger Dryas.
5. The Younger Dryas period lasted from around 12,800 to 11,600 years ago.
6. The impact that caused the Younger Dryas is believed to have occurred on the North American ice cap, which was still two kilometers deep at the time.
7. The impact caused massive flooding and a dramatic cooling of the planet, which had a profound effect on human populations.
8. Around 11,600 years ago, the Younger Dryas period ended with a sudden and dramatic rise in temperatures, which caused the remaining ice caps to melt rapidly.
9. The melting of the ice caps caused a significant rise in sea levels, which is known as Meltwater Pulse 1B.
10. Archaeologists have found evidence of megalithic architecture and agriculture dating back to around 11,600 years ago at the site of Göbekli Tepe in Turkey.
11. The construction of Göbekli Tepe is believed to have been done by a lost civilization that already knew how to work with megaliths and understood agriculture.
12. The site of Göbekli Tepe was deliberately buried around 10,000 years ago, and it remained hidden until its discovery in the 1990s.
13. The German Archaeological Institute believes that Göbekli Tepe may have been a center of innovation from which knowledge of agriculture was distributed to other populations.
14. The site of Göbekli Tepe is believed to be around 7,000 years older than Stonehenge.
15. Ground-penetrating radar has revealed that hundreds of giant megalithic pillars still lie buried at Göbekli Tepe.
16. The Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt is believed by some to be much older than its traditionally accepted age of around 4,500 years.
17. The erosion pattern on the Sphinx suggests that it was subjected to heavy rainfall, which has not occurred in Egypt in the past 5,000 years.
18. The climatic disturbances of the Younger Dryas period, which occurred between 12,800 and 11,600 years ago, may have caused the erosion pattern on the Sphinx.
19. The discovery of Göbekli Tepe has challenged the traditional view of the origins of civilization, and it may be necessary to re-examine everything we thought we knew about human history.