atlantis.found-第62部分

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；　which　they　fashioned　into　jewelry。　And；　of　course；　obsidian；　which　was　almost　sacred　to　them。　Obsidian；　by　the　way；　is　still　used　in　open…heart　surgery；　because　it　has　a　sharper　edge　that　causes　less　tissue　damage　than　steel。〃
　　　　　〃Both　turquoise　and　black　opal　were　represented　on　the　mummies　we　found　in　the　burial　chamber；〃　added　Giordino。
　　　　　〃Which　demonstrates　the　extent　of　their　reach；〃　said　Pat。　〃The　rich　robin's…egg　blue　I　saw　in　the　chamber　could　only　have　e　from　the　American　Southwest　deserts。〃
　　　　　〃And　the　black　opal？〃　asked　Sandecker。
　　　　　〃Australia。〃
　　　　　〃If　nothing　else；〃　said　Pitt　thoughtfully；　〃it　confirms　that　the　Amenes　had　knowledge　of　nautical　science　and　learned　to　build　ships　capable　of　sailing　across　the　seas　thousands　of　years　ago。〃
　　　　　〃It　also　explains　why　their　munities　were　built　as　port　cities；〃　Pat　summed　up。　〃And　according　to　what　was　revealed　by　the　photographs　in　the　burial　chamber；　few　societies　in　the　history　of　man　were　so　farthing。　I've　located　over　twenty　of　their　port　cities　in　such　diverse　parts　of　the　world　as　Mexico；　Peru；　India；　China；　Japan；　and　Egypt。　Several　of　them　are　in　the　Indian　Ocean　and　a　few　on　islands　of　the　Pacific。〃
　　　　　〃I　can　back　up　Dr。　O'Connell's　findings　with　my　own　on　the　globes　from　the　skull；〃　said　Stevens。
　　　　　〃So　their　world　was　not　based　around　the　Mediterranean；　as　later　civilizations　were？〃　said　the　admiral。
　　　　　Stevens　gave　a　negative　shake　of　his　head。　〃The　Mediterranean　was　not　open　to　the　sea　during　the　Amenes'　era。　Nine　thousand　years　ago；　the　Med；　as　we　know　it；　was　made　up　of　fertile　valleys　and　lakes　fed　by　European　rivers　to　the　north　and　the　Nile　to　the　south；　which　merged　and　then　flowed　through　the　Straits　of　Gibraltar　into　the　Atlantic。　You　might　also　be　interested　in　knowing　that　the　North　Sea　was　a　dry　plain　and　the　British　Isles　were　part　of　Europe。　The　Baltic　Sea　was　also　a　broad　valley　above　sea　level。　The　Gobi　and　Sahara　deserts　were　lush　tropical　lands　that　supported　huge　herds　of　animals。　The　ancient　ones　lived　on　a　planet　very　different　from　the　one　we　live　on。〃
　　　　　〃What　happened　to　the　Amenes？〃　asked　Sandecker。　〃Why　hasn't　evidence　of　their　existence　e　down　to　us　before　now？〃
　　　　　〃Their　civilization　was　utterly　destroyed　when　a　et　struck　the　earth　around　7000　B。C。　and　caused　a　worldwide　cataclysmic　disaster。　That's　when　the　land　bridge　from　Gibraltar　to　Morocco　was　breached　and　the　Mediterranean　became　a　sea。　Shorelines　were　inundated　and　changed　forever。　Within　the　time　it　takes　for　a　raindrop　to　fall　from　a　cloud；　the　sea　people；　their　cities；　and　their　entire　culture　were　erased　from　the　earth　and　lost　until　now。〃
　　　　　〃You　deciphered　all　that　from　the　inscriptions？〃
　　　　　〃That　and　more；〃　Yaeger　answered　earnestly。　〃They　describe　the　horror　and　suffering　in　vivid　detail。　The　impact　of　the　et　was　gigantic；　sudden；　appalling；　and　deadly。　The　inscriptions　go　on　to　tell　of　mountains　shaking　like　willows　in　a　gale。　Earthquakes　shook　with　a　magnitude　that　would　be　inconceivable　today。　Volcanoes　exploded　with　the　bined　force　of　thousands　of　nuclear　bombs；　filling　the　sky　with　layers　of　ash　a　hundred　miles　thick。　Pumice　blanketed　the　seas　as　dense　as　ten　feet。　Rivers　of　lava　buried　most　of　what　we　call　the　Pacific　Northwest。　Fires　spread　under　hurricanelike　winds；　creating　towering　clouds　of　smoke　that　blanketed　the　sky。　Tidal　waves；　perhaps　as　much　as　three　miles　high；　swept　over　the　land。　Islands　vanished；　buried　under　water　for　all　time。　Most　of　the　people　and　all　but　a　handful　of　animals　and　sea　life　disappeared　in　a　time　span　of　twenty…four　hours。〃
　　　　　Giordino　put　his　hands　behind　his　head　and　looked　up　at　the　ceiling；　trying　to　picture　in　his　mind　the　terrible　devastation。　〃So　that　explains　it　the　sudden　extinction　in　the　Americas　of　the　saber…toothed　tiger；　the　humped…back　camel；　the　musk　oxen；　that　giant　bison　with　a　horn　spread　of　six　feet；　the　woolly　mammoth；　the　small　shaggy　horse　that　once　roamed　the　plains　of　North　America。　And　the　instant　turning　to　stone　of　clams；　soft　jellyfish；　oysters；　and　starfish　you　remember　we　discovered　them　during　projects　coring　under　the　sediments。　These　discrepancies　have　always　been　an　enigma　to　scientists。　Now　maybe　they　can　tie　it　to　the　et's　impact。〃
　　　　　Sandecker　stared　at　Giordino　with　an　appraising　look　in　his　eyes。　The　short　Etruscan　possessed　a　brilliant　mind；　but　worked　to　conceal　it　behind　a　sardonic　wit。
　　　　　Stevens　pulled　out　his　pipe　and　toyed　with　it。　〃It's　well　known　in　the　scientific　munity　that　mass　global　extinctions　of　animals　weighing　over　a　hundred　pounds　occurred　in　unison　with　the　end　of　the　last　ice　age；　about　the　same　time　as　the　et's　impact。　Mastodons　were　found　preserved　by　ice　in　Siberia；　the　food　undigested　in　their　stomach；　establishing　the　fact　that　they　died　quite　suddenly；　almost　as　if　sent　into　an　instant　deep　freeze。　The　same　with　trees　and　plants　that　were　found　frozen　while　in　leaf　and　in　bloom。〃
　　　　　The　degree　of　horror　could　not　be　pletely　imagined　by　anyone　sitting　at　the　table。　The　scope　was　simply　too　enormous　for　them　to　conceive。
　　　　　〃I'm　not　a　geophysicist；〃　said　Stevens　quietly；　〃but　I　cannot　believe　that　a　et　striking　the　earth；　even　a　large　one；　could　cause　such　tremendous　destruction　on　such　a　massive　scale。　It's　inconceivable。〃
　　　　　〃Sixty…five　million　years　ago；　a　et　or　asteroid　killed　off　the　dinosaurs；〃　Giordino　reminded　him。
　　　　　〃It　must　have　been　one　enormous　et；〃　said　Sandecker。
　　　　　〃ets　can't　be　measured　like　asteroids　or　meteors　that　have　a　solid　mass；〃　Yaeger　lectured。　〃ets　are　a　posite　of　ice；　gas；　and　rocks。〃
　　　　　Pat　continued　reciting　the　story　of　the　inscriptions　without　reading　from　her　notes。　〃Some　of　the　inhabitants　of　Earth　who　survived　lived；　farmed；　and　hunted　in　the　mountains　and　high　plains。　They　were　able　to　escape　the　aftermath　of　horror　by　going　underground　or　hiding　in　caves；　existing　on　whatever　pitiful　vegetation　and　flora　that　could　revive　and　grow　under　unhealthy　conditions；　along　with　the　few　animals　left　to　hunt。　Many　died　of　starvation　or　from　the　gaseous　clouds　smothering　the　atmosphere。　Only　a　scant　handful　of　the　Amenes　who　happened　to　be　on　high　ground　during　the　tidal　waves　survived。〃
　　　　　〃The　story　of　what　has　e　down　to　us　as　the　deluge；〃　clarified　Stevens；　〃has　been　recorded　by　Sumerian　tablets　dating　back　five　thousand　years　in　Mesopotamia　the　legend　of　Gilgamesh　and　the　flood　predates　the　biblical　story　of　Noah　and　the　ark。　Stone　records　of　the　Mayans；　written　records　by　Babylonian　priests；　legends　handed　down　by　every　cultural　race　of　the　world；　including　the　Indians　throughout　North　America；　all　tell　of　a　great　inundation。　So　there　is　little　doubt　the　event　actually　occurred。〃
　　　　　〃And　now；〃　said　Yaeger；　〃thanks　to　the　Amenes；　we　have　a　date　of　approximately　7100　B。C。〃
　　　　　〃History　tells　us　that　the　more　advanced　the　civilization；〃　Stevens　mented；　〃the　more　easily　it　will　die　and　leave　little　or　nothing　of　itself　behind。　At　least　ninety…nine　percent　of　the　grand　total　of　ancient　knowledge　has　been　lost　to　us　through　natural　disasters　and　man's　destruction。〃
　　　　　Pitt　nodded　in　agreement。　〃A　golden　age　of　ocean　navigation　seven　thousand　years　before　Christ；　but　nothing　to　show　for　it　but　inscriptions　in　rock。　A　pity　we　can't　have　more　to　inherit　from　them。〃
　　　　　Sandecker　exhaled　a　cloud　of　blue　smoke。　〃I　sincerely　hope　that　won't　be　our　fate。〃
　　　　　Pat　took　over　from　Yaeger。　〃Those　who　remained　of　the　Amenes　formed　a　small　cult　and　dedicated　themselves　to　educating　the　remaining　Stone　Age　inhabitants　in　arts　and　written　munication；　as　well　as　teaching　them　how　to　construct　substantial　buildings　and　ships　to　sail　the　seas。　They　tried　to　warn　future　generations　of　another　ing　cataclysm；　but　those　who　came　later　and　had　not　lived　during　the　et's　destruction　and　horrible　aftermath　could　not　bring　themselves　to　accept　that　such　a　traumatic　episode　from　the　past　would　repeat　itself。　The　Amenes　realized　the　awful　truth　would　soon　bee　lost　in　the　mists　of　time；　recalled　only　in　a　score　of　myths。　So　they　attempted　to　leave　a　legacy　by　building　great　monuments　of　stone　to　last　throughout　the　centuries；　engraved　with　their　message　of　the　past　a