I can't let that chance pass by.

"Dr. Hawass is militantantly anti Atlantis since in his view it degrades appreciation of Egyptian creativity."

Presuming Dr. Hawass is a Muslim, Atlantis or "the first Ad" is mentioned in the Koran 14 times, described very similar to that of Plato. I know first hand that it is taught in the schools in Egypt, as I helped children in the interpretation in English. Since you mention the American Indians toward the end of your article, I just came back from Egypt, and in talking about "Ad", my friend talked with great admiration about "the spiritual Red Indians."

"The scientific view of the development of human life has been a generally continuous upward trend . . .", toward self-consciousness in our physical dimension. At the same time, one could call it a downward trend: from one race of spiritual, semi-physical form, evolving in a denser atmosphere as we have now, and when it cleared, the sun's "excessive heat scorched and tormented them" (Herodotus), to the next, needing "denser matter/cells and thicker skin" to shield them from the sun, and so on. So all of us are descendents from the Atlantians via hundreds of thousands, and in the more years we acquired, via the utter lack of understanding the "myth/story of Plato and so many other civilizations and cultures, thickest skin and densest heads.

"Since this view doesn't allow for catastrophies that are of such magnitude that human culture would effectively have to start over, this may account for the rejection of the
Atlantis story", the Floods, "asteroid hits", not to forget the pole shifts. catastrophic for the earth.

It is not a story, but an allegorical rendering of the development of successive races. To say that Plato "was certainly one of the great philosophers and not given to flights of fancy", is the greatest understatement of the last two and a half millennia. The "Divine Platon" was an Adept, read his account of Atlantis with penetration, who neither wrote "stories" nor "fiction" for our intertainment, hoping to teach us how to behave. And that Herodotus was initiated in the Egyptian mysteries is not very hard to discern.

"But if an unambiguous written record is required, then we'll just have to keep looking though since nobody among the receivers knew what was happening, success seems unlikely."

All anybody has to do is stop looking for a "city with rings" on the bottom of various oceans to find Atlantis, but rather investigate all streams flowing through the vast vast ocean of our past history, and interprete according to the evolution of Man.

"As Plato described it, Atlantis was the very epitome of a masculine culture . . ." No, in light of the above, and so much more, "as opposed to a more feminine one such as the pre Columbus North American Indians. I wonder if that was his intent and accounts for his inclusion of a war."

The war or wars are not dependent on a "masculine culture", and Plato's intent was to convey and preserve our evolution throughout untold ages.

I am glad you mention the American Indians. If you read the Myths "Creation of the four worlds", "Creation of Mankind", and "The Nature of Man" in "The Book of the Hopi" by Frnk Waters, you will find the "story" of Atlantis as described by Plato, though written in a way much more accessible to the understanding of our "current mind." My attemt to bring their account of their "Emergence", the "stepping stones" of their wanderings, destroyed one by one, "even the footprints of (their) Emergence", and now at the bottom of the ocean together with all the possessions of the wicked people, was vehemently dismissed and rediculed as new age and UFO nonesense by refusing to hear what I was saying.

"But", said Sotuknang to the people of the fourth race, "the day will come, if you preserve the memory and the meaning of your Emergence, when these stepping-stones will emerge again to prove the truth you speak."

Obviously, they are emerging, and it will take three more races to see them clearly.

Charlotte