h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

just as a side note. Recent discoveries have shown that the pyramids were built or at least
started around 12000 BC. The pyramids, along with the sphinx, the valley temple, and various
other momuments may have been planned by some ancient forgotten civilization that may have
originated on present day Antartica.

This land in current day Antartica was mapped on the Piri Rees (sp?) map which was estimated to be at least 3000 years old (when the levels of mathematics were not deemed powerful enough to acurately plot maps). This is used by many as an argument in the case for the fact that there was an intelligent race of beings before the last Ice Age, and that they passed down their knowledge to the Incas and Egyptians. This theory also goes some way to explaining how such disparate communities (Central America and Egypt are a long way apart) should advance in quite similar ways.

"Fingerprints of the Gods" by Graham Hancock is an extrodinary book that really looks into these ancient
civilizations. The first couple pages introduce those ancient maps you spoke of. Maps of Antartica made betweenn
10000 and 3000 years ago that map the coastline of Antartica nearly as accurate as modern ultra-sound
techniques. He goes into depths about mayan, incan, and egyptian cultures; exploring their similarities and
the mysteries surrounding them. The book is filled with scientific fact ( with a tiny bit of speculation thrown in) and
is very interesting to anyone who has read about these civilizations and wonders about this mysterious "lost"
very advanced civilization