Sample treatment for a theatrical documentary or doc-series
(public domain - available for production)
Synopsis
In 1873, after decades of research and field excavations in Turkey, amateur archeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered what many scholars believe to be the legendary city of Troy. Until then, most academic archeologists and historians were convinced the story was mere fiction, based on ancient myth.
How would it effect our civilization today, if another Greek mystery, possibly the greatest one, were suddenly declared a historic fact? Atlantis--larger than life lore, too fantastic to be true?
In search for tangible answers to a question of the ages, our team sets out to report from the global frontiers of prehistoric civilizations research.
Concept Motivation
New archeological discoveries are made almost daily. From small finds of cultural artifacts, to major excavations of ancient sites. The city of Caral, in Northwestern Peru, for example, has been accurately dated only a few years ago. And for the first time in recorded history, we obtained knowledge of a pyramid building civilization, that existed parallel to the well documented royal dynasties of Egypt. This was thought unlikely prior to the discovery. Yet, especially Egypt, which most of us assume to be fully explained historically, leaves much to be questioned.
Revelation never came without a price. A few centuries ago, scientific visionaries were persecuted as heretics and often murdered for challenging the status quo of their day. Similar practices continue today, in countries ruled by dogmatic political, corporate and/or religious criteria. But, by what lesser evil does intimidation among scholars, hinder scientific breakthroughs in countries we proudly uphold as free, progressive and democratic? Why is research in our academic institutions boxed into stringent criteria, making true progress virtually impossible in many sciences?
In an article for Time Magazine, AP Science Writer Joseph B. Verrengia wrote: “In 2005, universities around the world celebrated the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s “miracle year”. The scientific papers, published in 1905, fundamentally changed our grasp of time, space, light and matter. Only Einstein could top himself about a decade later with his theory of general relativity. Computers, satellites, telecommunication, lasers, television and nuclear power all owe their invention to ways in which Einstein peeled back the veneer of the observable world to expose a stranger and more complicated reality underneath.”
Why then did another scientific discovery, in the early 1990s, fail to awaken academic curiosity? Perhaps Hollywood’s fictitious exploitation of the subject lies at the root of our collective resistance toward the possibility of a much more compelling reality.
We began to engage the topic several years ago and still find its multi faceted potential almost overwhelming. Often exploited by tabloid media, it can be highly controversial, prone to sensationalized simplistic twists. Nevertheless it is the most intriguing quilt of material, anyone could dare to tackle. When approached with integrity, the unknowns of outcome lend dramatic suspense, deeply layered with philosophical and intercultural cohesion. Iconic figures like Plato, Hermes Trismegistus, Isaac Newton (to name but a few) add historic solidity to a credible inquiry.
Working with an array of contemporary researchers and scholars, bestselling authors and other renowned authorities in their respective fields of science, we refrain from promoting viewpoints and theories. Nor will we endorse assumptions. We merely wish to provide a platform that facilitates the pros and cons of their arguments, their reasoning and the evidence that sustains, or falls short of their claims.
Content Highlights
Our journey of exploration begins on the grand stage of recorded history, in epic Egypt and its extended territory, the Sinai Peninsula. From antiquity to the presence, no region in the world compares to the ancient deserts between the Nile Delta and the salt-crusted shores of the Dead Sea. As if predetermined by an obscure destiny, it is here where humanity’s struggle with itself has created a precedent for the world to witness. It is the soil where, symbolically, David slew Goliath more than once. It is also here, where current assumptions about the beginnings of human civilization, arrive at a crossroads.
Reflecting on a spectacular, yet little known geological assessment regarding an important icon of human heritage, our approach aims to stimulate the viewers’ deepest sense of possibility. We ‘flash back’ to scenes from an acclaimed 1993 NBC special about a challenge posed by a group of independent Egyptologists. Led by a faculty member of Boston University’s College of Geological Studies, the explorers dared to tread where non-archeologists have not ventured before. The investigative methods employed, validate their astounding claim. From the geological perspective there is more to Giza’s Great Sphinx than meets the history books. The assessment, however, is vehemently criticized and opposed by academic archeologists and historians alike.
Among the adversaries, Dr. Zahi Hawass, Director General of the Egyptian Government’s ‘Council of Antiquities’. An archeologist from the orthodox and dominant school of thought, he is a staunch ‘Atlantis theory’ opponent. We listen to viewpoints and logic behind his critical opinion regarding the challengers.
A natural point of entry, the first episode of the series reflects on events leading up to John Anthony West’s ‘Sphinx Project’. We’ll assess how an independent researcher, author and self-proclaimed “Rogue Egyptologist” arrived at his theories. Why did they attract support from accredited scientists and practicing scholars, such as fellow author and Boston University Professor Robert Schoch - to effectively reopen the case and explore the topic further?
How did West and Schoch’s combined efforts lead to the production of a nationally televised documentary, hosted by Charleton Heston (“The Mystery of the Sphinx” premiered on NBC in 1993)? And, why did their notable success of proving the official archeological interpretation largely insufficient, if not invalid, fail to spark a concise and all-inclusive academic follow up?
Could it be true? And if it were, what would it mean? If indeed the Sphinx provided a link to a ‘new history’, how would current paradigms regarding our origins be effected? How would the discovery of a ‘different past’ impact contemporary civilization, where tradition, religion, commerce and politics strike a fragile balance within the vast spectrum of human consciousness? When theory gives way to evidence, arguments become unnecessary and while scientific evidence must prevail against scrutiny from every relevant academic body, the Sphinx case appears classified per decree. But, if so, what exactly is at stake and who’s standing guard?
Delving into the colorful world of contemporary Atlantis research, we feature authors of published and unpublished material, as well as explorers in the field. We ‘streamline’ the subject, peeling off the ‘far fetched’, to arrive at the ‘viable’. All the while we compare opposing viewpoints, held by mainstream scholars and scientists from the conventional camps of thought.
We discuss why Atlantis theorists view Egypt as a likely link to the prospect of an advanced civilization having existed far earlier: After all, the tale originated, when Solon, a Greek philosopher, politician and explorer, traveled to Egypt, where the ‘Legend of the Golden Pillars’, was revealed to him by members of the ruling clergy. Six centuries later, Plato picked up where Solon’s account left incomplete. Yet Plato too, left the work unfinished.
Theories of the physical location of Atlantis abound worldwide. They range from beneath the ant-arctic icecap, to the densest tropical rainforests and from extreme oceanic depths to the remotest deserts and alpine heights. In our effort to help explorers solve the ancient enigma, we’ll ‘leave no stone unturned’. The search includes unprecedented dives as deep as 6000 Meters (or 19,000 feet), to the ocean floors (per calculated coordinates in select world locations), using the same type of submarines James Cameron’s camera team rigged for filming the Titanic.
Land based efforts include investigations into compelling lore, such as the African ‘star wisdom’, orally preserved by two tribal groups that live thousands of miles apart. While no cultural interaction is known to have existed between them, both tribes claim ancient Egyptian ancestry and share virtually identical accounts about catastrophic events, claimed to have occurred long before our current cycle of recorded history.
As pre-historic mysteries continue to permeate our imagination, we’ll investigate the ‘Brotherhood of the White Temple’. A reclusive and semi-secretive community, nestled in the mountains of Colorado, where followers study and adhere by the ancient teachings, chronicled in ‘The Emerald Tablets’, a spiritual doctrine, allegedly authored by an ancient political leader and high priest, named ‘Thoth the Atlantian’. The original edition of ‘The Emerald Tablets’ is said to have been studied and deciphered by the likes of Leonardo Da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton and other renowned historical personalities, even religious orders, including the Knights Templar. Newton, among others, interpreted the hieroglyphic original and published his translation in English.
In autumn, 20--, our production crew sets out on the first of several global expeditions, to report on contemporary scientific investigations into the great unsolved mystery we call Atlantis. History perhaps, may not be doomed to repetition.
