The Atlantean Ice Sheet Theory, first proposed by Charles Hapgood in 1958 and championed by no less than Albert Einstein, states that the collective product of mankind, it’s art, music and culture, originated from one root, a single Proto-Culture which originated on the continent of Antarctica.
Just as it is a scientifically accepted fact by linguists that the languages men speak originated from one original tongue and that all human DNA originates from a singular set of ancestors, The Atlantean Ice Sheet Theory theorizes that all seemingly separate “cultures” are merely branches from a single root of a Proto-Culture, which thereby fundamentally rejects that art and culture evolved separately in different parts of the world.
Research has identified archeological sites in places like ancient Petra and Egypt that support this theory of the origin of language and art. I have conducted on the ground research in places like the Gebel el Silsila quarry, and have uncovered historical artifacts proving the existence of the Proto-Culture that flowered into the multiplicity of cultures and styles of art around the world.
Art criticism must be radically rethought, because classifying art as “Western,” “Asian,” “African,” and the like is fundamentally unscientific. There is no evidence that art traditions around the world evolved separately from each other.
Instead, the further researchers go back in the traditions of Rome, Greece, Egypt, China and Mesoamerican, the more similarities are discovered, in color, pattern, themes and even language. Scientific research demonstrates that a Proto-Culture existed on Earth many millennia ago located where Antarctica is today, and that from that ancient “Babylon” the people of the world populated all of the continents, hence proving the Southern African origin of Egyptian civilization.
However, at the same time, humans also traveled to Mesoamerican, building pyramids, writing in hieroglyphics and creating remarkably similar art to that of the Egyptians. Further East, early humans also dispersed to the South Pacific, eventually making their way to Asia and building pyramids throughout China. There is no single origin point between Africa, South America and the South Pacific other than Antarctica. The origin point of this Proto-Culture was then covered over in more than a mile thick ice sheet, concealing humanities great progenitors.
The Atlantean Ice Sheet Theory is the single most important catalyst for a radically new view of art. It is possible now to discuss a truly shared vision, an expression of humanity that is deeper and broader than any one cultures’ experiences. The European Renaissance occurred when the ancient texts of Greece and Rome were rediscovered, thanks to the preservation of knowledge in the Arabic world. Imagine what can arise as artists, scientists and scholars piece back together the original Proto-Culture that gave rise to all of our visions of the world.