BC Cook
ATLANTIS, the Seven Cities of Cibola, the Lost Continent of Mu, Terra Incognito, Shangri-La, El Dorado. Nearly every culture in the world shares stories of far-away places that are populated by people who are superior. The stories are passed down, mixed up, retold, and embellished, but with so much similarity in the accounts it makes us wonder if there was some common bond that linked the stories together back in the mists of time. Was there ever such a place that was better than anything we have now? What do all the stories of lost civilizations have in common? Let’s take a quick look.
Atlantis. As told by the ancient Greeks, it was an island somewhere in the Atlantic or Mediterranean. They were technologically advanced, never went to war, and enjoyed political harmony. It was destroyed by a natural disaster that caused the island to sink into the sea. No survivors remained.
Seven Cities. Perhaps the most globally diverse of the legendary places, the Seven Cities could have been in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere off the coast of Spain, on an island in the Caribbean Sea, in the Rocky Mountains of North America, or somewhere in the Pacific. The cities were populated by refugees from a previous civilization, like the Spanish or Aztecs, who relocated to avoid catastrophe but were finally overcome by a natural disaster.
Mu. Many believe that the islands of the Pacific Ocean are actually the mountain tops of a massive continent that sank as the earth’s crust collapsed. This lost continent was peopled by the ancestors of the Polynesians, Micronesians, and Melanesians. They possessed advanced technology, were peaceful, and lived in harmony with nature until the epic disaster that sent their civilization to the bottom of the sea. The Pacific islanders are the scattered remnants of this once proud people.
El Dorado. This was thought to be a city made of pure gold nestled in a valley somewhere in the mountains of South America or North America, populated by an advanced race of people who were likely the ancestors of the Aztecs, Incas, Mayans, or Toltecs. They were peaceful and prosperous but their isolation left them vulnerable to natural or self-made disaster, since no help could come from the outside.
What similarities do we see in these various accounts from all corners of the world? The people of the lost civilizations always seemed to have advanced technology, were always more peaceful than we are, and usually lived longer lives. They were isolated from the rest of humanity, either on an island or in the mountains, which helps explain why they developed much faster than the rest of us. Finally, nearly all of them were destroyed by natural disasters, in other words, problems not of their own making. If it had not been for some catastrophe beyond their control they would still be here.
What do you make of this? Could all these stories reach back to the same original account, where details have varied with each telling but the kernel of truth remains? Do the stories teach us something about ourselves, that we have a longing for some better life that we can never reach?
Dr. BC Cook taught history for 30 years and is a director and Pacific historian at Sealark Exploration (sealarkexploration.org). He currently lives in Hawaii.
