The Atlas Legacy by Colin Newton
A small group of archaeologists of questionable qualification investigate Plato’s account of the advanced island state of Atlantis and its disappearance under the waves. Their research trips take them to Bolzano in Italy, Cornwall, Crete and Malta. In each location they find mysteriously linked artefacts, but soon discover that a group of social reformers is desperately trying to thwart their efforts at explaining their findings.
Where did the famous stone-age Ice Man Ötzi get hold of a copper axe? How is it that Middle-Age maps show both the extent of the last ice age and also a detailed representation of an inhabited Antarctic land mass? What is the significance of the white circle, flanked by two lines, on a blue background, that crops up here and there? Who is behind the theft of valuable evidence from a museum in Crete? And, indeed, how do the researchers’ enemies find out their plans so quickly?
As associations are suggested between the characters of Greek mythology, and the warring encounters of ancient civilisations reviewed, a possible, though controversial interpretation of all their findings crystallises, based on biblical narratives. It seems to throw the generally accepted archeological chronology overboard, and emerges as the hidden message of the book.
The story is tense and racing. But the coincidental encounters, dramatic discoveries and hair-raising chases are too far-fetched to be credible. For that reason, I cannot recommend it.