Digging for the Truth: "Atlantis"

[Jennifer O'Dell]

2 hour season primiere starring Josh Bernstein airing on January 22nd, on the History Channel.

Digging For The Truth : Atlantis: New Revelations
Airs on Monday January 22 09:00 PM

Digging For The Truth : Atlantis: New Revelations
Airs on Tuesday January 23 01:00 AM

Digging For The Truth : Atlantis: New Revelations
Airs on Saturday January 27 08:00 PM

Digging For The Truth : Atlantis: New Revelations
Airs on Sunday January 28 12:00 AM


Is Atlantis, the story of the fabled continent, a myth or based in fact? One of the most enduring legends of all time, Atlantis was described as a perfect society--peaceful, artistic, and technologically advanced--but it was destroyed in a cataclysm that literally drowned the continent. Could Atlantis still be waiting to be discovered? Join host Josh Bernstein as he heads to the Mediterranean Sea in search of Atlantis. Walk in the footsteps of Plato in Greece, and dive the blue waters of the Mediterranean to discover a mysterious sunken city. Equipped with state of the art technology, Josh leads an exclusive boat expedition off the coast of Crete in search of the "true" Atlantis.

[Brooke]

Rats!  I forgot this was on and only caught part of it, looks like I will have to catch the next showing!

[Brooke]

"Digging for the Truth: "Atlantis"

[Mark of Australia]

Dang ,, i would have liked to see that ,, we never get anything about Atlantis  Down Under,, it's the third world down here !   ...sigh...

[Desiree]

You actually didn't miss much with this one, Mark.  The Josh Bernstein "Digging for the Truth" specials are known for raising people's expectations on things, riding the train on whatever is popular and then knocking all the old myths down in support of the skeptics arguments. 

The highlight of this one was a visit to Cyprus to prove Robert Sarmast's theory wrong.  I'm sure they cut his footage to make his entire expedition look inept.

An early episode in the year was based on the Da Vinci Code where they took a blood sample from a Merovingian queen and compared it to people of Middle Easter descent.  When they found there wasn't a match, they loudly declared that the Da Vinci Code assumptions were full of it. It never occurred to them that a Merovingian king (like most people) would marry outside their family.

[Bianca]

Oh, Desiree:

I'm ROTFLMAO!!!!

I've been thinking the exact same for awhile, now.   But, even at my age, I'm a
sucker for A GOOD LOOKING GUY.........

Love and Peace,
Bianca

[Bianca]

About the Merovingian Queen:

What a BLUNDER!!!


e.g. One of my ancestors was Mona Lisa's husband (no kidding, documented)

Does that make me blood-related to her?


Love and Peace,
Bianca

[Brooke]

That's pretty cool, Bianca, were you born in Italy or the U.S.?

There are different schools of thought on the Mona Lisa.  As you said, she was an actual person, but scholars seem to think that the Mona Lisa was actually a feminine portrait of Da Vinci himself.  We know he was very protective of it, up until he died, and that he owned it during his lifetime,

As for the Merovingian bloodline, it has been my understanding that most of the older Meronvingian kings have already crumbled into dust, and that this queen was the oldest that they could find - though finding her didn't seem to do a lot of good! 

[Bianca]

Hi, Brooke:

According to the geneaology of my family, she was married to a Florentine
merchant by the last name of Zenobi/Girolami - the names are interchangeable.
The names can be found in the book "The Agony and the Ecstasy", by the way.

We are supposedly discendants of of Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra,  who was
finally overwhelmed by the Romans after valiantly fighting their armies for a
few years, after her husband's death.  Out of respect for her valour, legend
goes, Marcus Aurelius brought her to Rome in 'golden chains' and ensconced
her in the villa outside of Rome, known today as the one that has the outdoor
water organ - I forget the name right  now, but it is a famous site......

Getting back to the Mona Lisa, It seems that my ancestor commissioned the
portrait of his wife.  By the way,   recent studies (sorry, no link) that X-rays
show that she was originally wearing some white gauzy 'dress' that supposedly
was typical of women 'in the family way'.......

To make a long story short, this man was not happy with the results, so poor
Leonardo was stuck with it.  And a good thing too!!!  Let's face it, what do
'merchants' know about art, especially then?  If he had accepted it, there is
a good chance that it would have ended up in the trash.  Much to my disgust,
that's what my young mother did when her parents died (back in the 30's).

She dumped all our ancestors' portraits.  She wasn't about to have all that
'old stuff' in her home..........


Yes, I was born and raised in Italy.  I and my parents went to Canada when
I was almost 14.  I have been in the USA since 1970.

I had the good fortune of going to school in both Italy and Canada.

Love and Peace,

Bianca

[Brooke]

Bianca,

We are so lucky that Da Vinci got to keep the Mona Lisa.

You are so lucky to have been born in Italy and have all that history attached to your family!!

I would love to have that kind of heritage.  My fiancee Jason and I plan to go visit Europe once we graduate college, provided we can get the money.  I want to make it a long trip and see England, France, Italy, Greece, and (if I'm lucky) Egypt, too.

I love Europe!!

Canada is pretty cool, too.

Brooke

[Bianca]

Yes, Brooke:

I do consider myself lucky, as I am very conscious of my roots.  Many are not.

I have always been interested in History, even the only fiction I ever read,
when I was younger and had more time, were historical novels.  Now I only
make room for fiction when I feel I must - like my curiosity got the better of
me and I ended up buying the DaVinci Code because I could not get it from the
library........

Well, heritage is all well and good, but if you believe in Reincarnation like I do,
the heritage really only comes in in physical matters (inherited medical matters
and the like).  So, one's lineage is a small part of one's journey.


I do so hope that you and Jason will realize your dream to visit Europe!!!
Let's face, in spite of the 'propaganda',the USA is not the Center of the
World and most of us trace our roots to a nation in 'The Old World", as some
like to call it........

Plan your trip carefully, remember that English is spoken widely and (if time per-
mits), you can get temporary employment in several places.  Also, old convents,
monasteries and farmhouses have been converted in very affordable accomoda-
tions.   Let's see if I can help when you are ready.  After all, I am 'retired' and I
have the time.

Love and Peace,
Bianca

[Bianca]

Oh, Brooke,

One more thing: In Italy the MonaLisa is almost never referred to as such,
but as LA GIOCONDA (the Merry One) and DaVinci is almost always called
by his first name, LEONARDO.  We consider him to be the greatest, all-around
genius of all Ages, so he needs no last name.

Love and Peace,
Bianca

[BlueHue]

That's pretty cool, Bianca, were you born in Italy or the U.S.?

As for the Merovingian bloodline,  it has been my understanding that most of the older Meronvingian kings have already crumbled into dust, and that this queen was the oldest that they could find - though finding her didn't seem to do a lot of good! 

The Meroviangians started their Dynasty( 521-814 ad.) from one of the Four sons named: Merovech; of Early French-Saxon  King( actually"Comes-)Bellorum" of Emp. Justinian-2:)Chlodovig/ Clovic( 466-521 ad.) Maybe King Clovis,  even served briefly as ambassador (=Legatus-)'Angusti-clavIus' of the East-Roman Empire, in West-Europe.

However he carved a NATIONAL INSTEAD OF CONFEDERATE-kingdom, out of the Roman Empire in the West for himself, by killing his immediate superior the"King"(=actually Dux-Bellorum.)Syagrius who's territrory was in North-France/Belgium the socalled Germania -Superior!)

It is highly unlikely that anyone today could be a descendant from Clovis, because he had every relative that could rivel his new Kingdom, killed except his (4)sons ofcourse but they died without issue and were mainly succeded by nephews.

When Pippin-the'- short', Prime-minister of Austrasia/ Neustria, deposed the last Merovingian King: Childeric-3 he effectively ended the Merovingian Reign opf fRANCE, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME SORTS OF DESCENDANTS THAT RULEd THE pROVENCE AS VASSAL-kINGS AROUND 1000-1200, ( DAMN cAPSLOCK!) but they were a jewish branche.  The Dan Brown's Book 'The Da-Vinci-Code' tells of the family of Jesus Christ, settling around Marseille and being the precursors of the Merovingian Dynasty, but that could only be a party of freed ex-veteran Soldiers that were alotted meadows for their upkeep.

The Motte-Valois Line of Frenche kings were reigning before the Bourbons took over Comtesse the Moptte Valois hated Austrian Queen of Protocol marie-Antoinette for not allowing her to be a Courtlady. But Marie-Antoinette could have hardly known about other pretenders to the French Crown, as an Austrian French would be her second Language and Royal bloodlines are very intrecate!  But for the Merovingian Kings there were at least 3 simultanious because the meroringian and Carolingian Kingdoms were subdivided in 3 Petty Kingdoms:

France: Aquitania; Saxony/ Burgondy and Thüringa/Germany ann they regulary made civil BWar-Battles in which the Kingdom-titleholder was assasinatedand his widow and sons set to Cloisters!  So much for posterity!    ("BlueHue".)

[luigiusai]

Atlantis has been found
Atlantis is the Sardo Corso Graben Horst underwater continental block submerged by the Meltwater Pulses and destroyed by a subduction zone, Capital is Sulcis Iglesiente