Vittorio Calestani

Forscherportrait

Abb. 1 Der Beitrag über Vittorio Calestanis Atlantis-Theorie in der Uralla Times vom 25. Mai 1939

(red) Vittorio Calestani (* 1882 in Florenz; † 1949 in Pisa) war ein italienischer Lehrer, Naturwissenschaftler (Biologe), Ethnologe und Meteorologe, der sich als Privatforscher auch mit dem Atlantis-Problem befasste und Britannien mit Platons verschollenem Reich der Vorzeit gleichsetzte. Wissenschaftlich tätig war er vorwiegend am Botanischen Institut der Universität von Modena.

Über Calestanis Atlantis-Lokalisierung heißt es - unter Berufung auf den Christian Science Monitor au7 Boston (USA) - in der Ausgabe vom

ATLANTIS RULES THE WAVES Great Britsin, according to Prof. Vittorio Calestani, the Italian naturalist, is non« other than the fabled Atlantis, the lost island of which Plato wrote on more than one occasion. If Professor Calestani is right, the search of men through many apres is at last ended, and their prehistoric legends confirmed. Atlantis is said to be a renowned kingdom 9,000 years before the birth of the Greek philosopher Solon, and the ouestion of its existence was seriously debated even as late as the e'trhtf»nfh century. Montaigne, Buffon, and Voltaire all gave th« matter their sharpest attention.

The proofs which Professor Calestani advances are highly ingenious: Atlantis had a giant temple of Poseidon; that must be Stonehengre. Ths island was governed by philosophers — an obvious reference to the Druids, of course. It was flat, and j=urround*d by mountains — well, the Welsh mountain* border the central nlair of England. The fact that Atlantis is reputed to hsve sunk be neath the waves might be thought to introduce *». difficulty, but Professor C?l?s*»ni lightly brushes it aside, Alt' r all. he reflects, this part of the trtory was probably an exaggeration. An exaggeration, one may add, which - is only greater than that which fs sumes Britain itself will soon «£& out of sight— 'Christian Science Monitor,' Boston, VMJL.

Anmerkungen und Quellen

Fußnoten:

Bild-Quelle:

• Trove - National Library of Australia, unter: The Uralla Times (NSW : 1923 - 1954) - Do. 25 Mai 1939 - Page 4 - ATLANTIS RULES THE WAVES