Trifariam, The Lost Codex (2012) (12 page)

Richard knew James was talking about the island of Santorini, also known as “Thera” or “Thira”, and the city of Helike, both of which were destroyed by terrible natural phenomena. Both men were fully aware of this.

Santorini is what remains of an enormous explosion which took place some 3500 years ago on the island of Thera. It destroyed it with a force similar to that of a hydrogen bomb, creating gigantic waves which caused part of it to become submerged. Researchers have found written evidence from other civilizations that an ash cloud blighted the sky from China to Egypt, with remains of ash even being found in modern day California and Greenland.

Just like Atlantis, Santorini was a peaceful civilization which reaped benefits from merchants because it was situated at the heart of trade routes across the eastern Mediterranean. It was only logical that they should have a great fleet of ships.

Excavations revealed wide streets with two-story houses and an ancient drainage system. Even now, the inner curve of the island is the same rounded shape as the center of Atlantis, which Plato describes as being surrounded by water.

The people were warned of the danger in advance but their attempts to escape were in vain. The island was split in two, with half of it sinking below the waves.

There are so many similarities which point to the fact that Atlantis was, in reality, the island of Thera. Everything coincides, except for the date of the explosion. The island was destroyed 3500 years ago, one thousand years before Plato was born. Atlantis was destroyed twelve thousand years ago, some 9500 years before the philosopher was born.

Working on the basis that this story was related by an Egyptian priest, and that at that time the Egyptians measured time in lunar months or solar years, it is possible that there was a small error in translation and that the 9500 years are, in fact, 9500 months, which would coincide with the cataclysm of Thera.

Meanwhile, Helike was one of the most important cities in Ancient Greece and very similar to Atlantean civilization. They even worshipped the same god, Poseidon. A great earthquake, together with a rare geologic process called liquefaction, caused it to sink into the ocean. This earthquake gripped the city and the pressure underground pushed water to the surface, giving rise to numerous fountains which expelled water from the ground and liquefied the earth as if it were quicksand. This is what is known as liquefaction. The most likely explanation is that a current of water coming from the Gulf of Corinth penetrated the area, which was suddenly lower than normal, and the city became a lake. With time, the rivers filled that lake with sediment, thus turning the submerged city into a buried city.

It would have been impossible for Plato not to have been aware of the incident because it happened during his lifetime and only a hundred miles away, in a famous city which rivaled Athens. Furthermore, Plato wrote his dialogues some years before the tragedy occurred - too early. It is possible that Plato used it to create his Atlantis and that it was an allegory for the story of Helike.

“I know what you’re getting at,” said Richard, slapping the table. “You think they could be stories or fables invented by Plato to fight against poverty - a way of making people aware of it and forcing them to see the more powerful cities were destroyed by the arrogance of their citizens. However, you know better than us that in certain cases legends can be true and that they can be used, by taking them word for word, to find archaeological remains. What would have happened if Heinrich Schliemann, discoverer of Troy, had paid attention to those people who asked him to stop and he had given up completely? Or if Johann Ludwig, the man who found Petra, hadn’t wanted to check if the story he was told was true? Or even worse, if the person who discovered Machu Picchu hadn’t given it the importance it deserved?”

Troy and Petra were two of the ancient cities that James had studied during the last three years. At first it was thought that Troy was a myth created by Homer in
The Iliad
, his epic poem about Ancient Greece. Many scoffed at those who still thought it existed and were squandering fortunes searching for it.

Petra is the capital of the ancient kingdom of Nabatene, situated in Jordan. The most famous remains of Petra are undoubtedly the structures which have been carved from the rock of the valley. The facade of the building is sculpted into the mountain rock itself with the resulting room lying inside, and it was used for trade purposes.

James’ favorite, Machu Picchu, was built in the Andes as a retreat for an Incan governor in the Andes.

“At least let me tell you something else I discovered and which Plato doesn’t mention in his book.”

James nodded as he finished off his coffee. Then he glanced sideways at Mary, who hadn’t stopped staring at the street outside without losing track of the conversation.

T
wo Italian police cars headed for Rome at top speed. Scarcely four hours had passed since the security guard in the Florentine station had been brutally struck, rendering him unconscious. He was admitted to a hospital straight away where the police officers had already taken a statement from him. From the way the security guard had been hit, the police knew they weren’t dealing with average criminals, but real professionals. However, events didn’t stop there. The station cleaning team had boarded one of the company’s trains, only to discover that a tramp had been murdered with a gunshot to the head. His body was covered in cuts, as if it had been used in a satanic ritual.

No sooner had they heard the news than the Italian police got to work and, within a couple of minutes, one of the most experienced inspectors in the force was making his way to the scene of the crime: Inspector Carlo Tardelli.

He was one of the most famous agents in the police force. Recently, he had successfully broken up a powerful mafia ring which had been covertly trying to control Florence.

Of average height, thin and always immaculately turned out, he had won the respect of his colleagues over the years. He was famed for his bravery and intuition earning him the nickname the “Warden” among his colleagues, thanks to his knack for getting the vast majority of criminals behind bars.

After analyzing the situation and questioning witnesses, he was able to ascertain what happened. Two very well-built men were chasing a couple who were last seen boarding one of the cars on the train heading for Rome. The witness was a sixteen-year-old boy who had caught them on camera with his cellphone before they got on the train. The faces of the two pursuers had been captured on the station’s security cameras. After analyzing the recording, they found a series of frames where the attackers were looking directly at the camera and, although they weren’t of the best quality, it was a start.

Tardelli immediately contacted the security personnel at the station in Rome, but it was too late. The train had already left the station for another destination. However, when one of the guards saw the photos, he recognized the man as the passenger who had asked him for a first-aid kit to take care of some cuts. He hadn’t thought anything of it at the time.

The search for those four suspects in Rome had gotten underway.

In a bar near the Trevi Fountain, Richard was still trying to convince his friends of the authenticity of the book. “As I’ve already told you, the book tells us the story of a city which sank below the waves, but, in this case, some of its inhabitants managed to survive, moving to other parts of the world where they formed new civilizations which inherited their customs. It is obvious that they never attained the same level of technology as their ancestors, because many of their discoveries were lost in the tragedy. However, the book claims that their archaeological remains still exist today.”

“Maybe it’s referring to the Mayans or the Egyptians?” asked Mary.

Richard was getting excited. “Precisely! Many hypotheses have persisted over the years which hint at an alleged encounter between Mayan and Egyptian civilizations in the past. They have too many things in common to be attributed to coincidence. It is even thought that they could have ancestors in common.

“But that’s impossible. It would have been madness to try and cross the Atlantic at that time,” replied James, expecting confirmation.

Judging by Richard’s face, he had been anticipating such a remark from his friend. “Not entirely, though that was also the first thing I asked myself. I was investigating it last night, looking for evidence to support the possibility of somebody crossing the Atlantic before Christopher Columbus. In the nineties, some pyramidal structures were discovered in Chacona, in the municipality of Guimar in Tenerife, Spain. They bore a strong resemblance to those in Mexico and Egypt, which were also aligned with the sun and the moon. After carrying out an in-depth study, they found that the latter were built prior to those in Spain. It is believed that the ancient Egyptians were able to settle there before leaving for the Americas. In fact, there is a tidal current which would have taken them directly there.”

James seemed a touch disappointed, he was expecting something a bit more airtight. “That is not undeniable evidence, so the possibility remains unproven. A similarity between traditions or structures does not provide indisputable proof that the two cultures knew about each other. There has to be something more.”

“I knew something so weak wouldn’t convince you, so I kept looking and I found something surprising. After carrying out tests on ancient Egyptian mummies, they found traces of nicotine and coca plant extracts in their bodies. James, you know only too well that it only grows in the Andes Mountains in Peru and Bolivia.”

James still looked doubtful. If that was true, then obviously both cultures came into contact and influenced one another. Perhaps the Egyptians crossed the Atlantic or the Pacific to South America. Another possibility is that an intermediary culture informed each of them about the existence of the other when they were engaged in trade, and curiosity led to the rest.

Richard took out a sheet of paper with notes scrawled on it from his pocket. He wanted to deliver the
coup de grace
. “A few years ago, some carvings were found in the Caves of the Navigators in New Guinea. They tell how in the year 230 BC, a fleet of six vessels set sail from the Red Sea, intending to reach America via the Pacific Ocean. In order to do so, when they reached Australia they had to rely on the East Australian and Southern Ocean currents to take them directly to the western coast of America. They then moved up the Pacific coast of South America with the Humboldt Current. This would explain why Egyptian carvings were found in Tiguiririca, Chile.”

“It would also explain all the similarities between the Mayans and Egyptians. They knew each other!” exclaimed Mary.

“I think so. It’s impossible for all these parallels to come down to pure coincidence.” He had them numbered on the back of his sheet, and started to go through each in turn.

“The first similarity is obviously the pyramids,” declared Richard. “Facing the sun and, like the Egyptians, used not only as tombs or shrines, but also to capture solar and cosmic energy. Both peoples uncovered deep mathematical and astronomical knowledge, with some of the Egyptian pyramids being built so that the apex was aligned with some stars. Similarly, some Mayan pyramids have been precisely positioned so that they reflect the cardinal points and location of certain stars.

Mary chipped in, supporting Richard. “Not to mention that in both cultures, the year was made up of twelve equal months of thirty days. The remaining five were then added to make three hundred and sixty five in total, with both cultures having twelve gods as their protectors.”

“Even their economies, art, religions and societies were similar,” added Richard. “Both civilizations worked the land, with poverty-stricken lower classes.

Richard looked up from the paper and saw the look of disbelief on James’ face. He had the feeling he was beginning to convince him, he just knew it. He pressed on. “Don’t you think it strange how even their hieroglyphic writing is similar? They made jewelry using
lost-wax casting
, or, in other words, molds to make metal figures. They even used snails to make Tyrian purple for their drawings; purple was a sacred color in both cultures.”

James kept quiet, aware that they could be right. Even he knew that were many more similarities. He had read many times that in both cultures, priests were the ones who were most powerful, with them strangely wearing false beards. Not to mention the use of royal umbrellas by some sections of the cultures, the presence of lotus flowers at funerals or the way of showing reverence by lifting the right hand to the left shoulder.

“Did you hear the story about the Mayan king, Pakal?” asked Mary, interrupting Richard. “After a series of investigations, they found that his tomb contained a mummy which was completely Egyptian in style.”

“And isn’t it curious that both civilizations faded out after being taken over by other peoples that were beginning to emerge and arrive on the scene?”

“Ok,” said James after a long silence. “Let’s suppose they did know each other. What do you intend to prove with all this? That the Egyptians and Mayans came from Atlantis? But Richard, be realistic. We still don’t know if Atlantis ever existed.”

“There’s something else in the book that I still haven’t told you and which is perhaps the most important thing.”

Both Mary and James were now indeed frowning and looking exasperated.

“Simone Di Benedetto ends the first chapter talking about a disaster which will occur on Earth and will destroy all life on our planet. It seems that this lost civilization was aware of this and for years tried to find a solution. According to him, they succeeded.

Nerves got the better of Mary and she suddenly thought of her family. “How? When?”

“Are you sure about what you’re telling us?” stammered James.

“I haven’t found anything yet. I only know that the book is a kind of map which will take us to the object which will save us, and in turn, lead to the city at the bottom of the sea. Although… yeah, there’s one more thing.” Richard took a deep breath, looked straight ahead and got it off his chest. “The book sets the date of the disaster at the beginning of the second millennium after our Lord. In other words… now.”