What Do We Really Know About Antarctica?
The sheer vastness of Antarctica is stunning. Despite it being the fifth-largest continent, containing 70 percent of the world’s fresh water in its glacier, it remains largely unexplored – not to mention what lies beneath the ice.
The documented discovery of Antarctica is somewhat ambiguous as far as crediting one particular person, but it has been generally accepted that it occurred around 1820. However, there have been alternative theories positing that the continent may have been discovered centuries earlier by ancient civilizations – possibly influenced by extraterrestrial technology.
1513 Piri Reis Map during the Ottoman Empire
The evidence of an earlier discovery of Antarctica is thought to be found in the Piri Reis Map, created by the Ottomans in 1513 shortly after Columbus’ discovery of the Americas. The map was drawn by a cartographer of the same name who claimed to have drawn the map, not from his own personal knowledge and expeditions, but from more than 20 source maps already available to him in Turkish libraries at the time. He also stated that these maps predated the reign of Alexander the Great (356 -323 BC).
The map was unexpectedly discovered in a library Constantinople in 1929. This map was drawn to such accuracy that it depicted the coastlines of South America and Antarctica within half a degree of longitude.
The extent of their mapping of the continent is seemingly more advanced than early cartographers were capable of creating.
A Warmer Continent
Dr. John Weihaupt, an emeritus professor of Geology at the University of Colorado Denver, was a proponent of the belief that Antarctica was discovered significantly earlier than we’ve been told, though the actual means of discovery, he claims are unknown.
According to some, the Piri Reis map appears to show the subglacial topography of Antarctica during a time of warm weather that harbored life. A study by scientists from LSU and Rice University found deposits of pollen fossilized in layers of sedimentary rock, showing signs of a tundra warm enough for plant growth as recently as 12 million years ago.
However, theories focusing on the Piri Reis Map would suggest a warmer Antarctic climate much more recently.
Pyramids and Odd Structures
The discovery of several four-sided pyramids has ignited another curiosity as to the mysticism surrounding Antarctica. Some claim that the pyramids could be the work of ancient or alien civilizations, while others say that they are simply nunataks —protruding peaks of mountains buried beneath the ice, shaped by erosion. However, the distinctly shaped sides of each face are what alternative theories see as evidence of the pyramids being man-made. An additional dome-shaped structure protruding from beneath the ice has raised further questions and perpetuated the belief of an ancient civilization buried beneath that the Ottomans may have been aware of or contacted.
Google Earth view of Antarctic pyramids
Dome appearing to have multiple cells protruding from ice in Antarctica
Underground Tunnels and Military Bases
An image showing what appears to be several tanks and a downed aircraft have added to the prospect of government military action or secret bases on Antarctica. During WWII there was evidence, some rumored and some confirmed, of Nazi military programs that established bases on the continent, supposedly researching extraterrestrial technology. Conversely, during a naval expedition dubbed, Operation Highjump, Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd is purported to have been exposed to extraterrestrial technology.
Some interpret Byrd’s claim of seeing aircraft that “are able to fly from one pole to the other with incredible speed,” as a UFO sighting, whereas others interpret it as a warning of the possibility of an attack from planes subversively flying over the poles to reach their targets without detection. However, both of these interpretations seem to hint at Nazi activity on Antarctica.
An image appearing to show tanks facing unknown craft
About the Author
The City of Eridu is the Oldest on Earth, It's Largely Unexplored
Over the past decade, there have been a number of archeological revelations pushing back the timeline of human evolution and our ancient ancestors’ various diasporas. Initially, these discoveries elicit some resistance as archeologists bemoan the daunting prospect of rewriting the history books, though once enough evidence is presented to established institutions, a new chronology becomes accepted.
But this really only pertains to the era of human development that predates civilization — the epochs of our past in which we were merely hunter-gatherers and nomads roaming the savannahs. Try challenging the consensus timeline of human civilization and it’s likely you’ll be met with derision and rigidity.
Conversely, someone of an alternative persuasion may profess stories of ancient civilizations, such as Atlantis or Lemuria, with speculative mythology recounting a lost, golden age in human history that was surely responsible for building the pyramids and other wonders of the world. They point to the writings of Solon and Plato as evidence for these ancestors’ existence, which is exciting but difficult to corroborate without physical proof.
Researcher Matt LaCroix seems to find himself somewhere in the middle of these two perspectives. While he says he’s fascinated by the Athenian clues detailing the destruction of Atlantis, he finds more compelling evidence in ancient Mesopotamia, or what academia already acknowledges as “the cradle of civilization.”
It’s here we find the ruins of the most ancient city on Earth that we have physical proof of — the city of Eridu. This archaic metropolis is well-documented in historical texts covering ancient Sumer and the Babylonian empire, but there’s also a mythological component to Eridu that may imply human civilization is far older than we believe — significant orders of magnitude older.
