Thorwald C. Franke was born in 1971 in Konstanz. He studied computer science at the University of Karlsruhe and now works as a software developer. Since 1999 he has been promoting the idea of Atlantis having been located in Sicily. He has written a paper, which makes the case for identifying Atlas with king Italos of the Sicels who were one of the first tribes to inhabit Sicily, and gave their name to the island. He is of the opinion that the war with the Atlanteans was recorded by the Egyptians as the conflict with the Sea Peoples of whom the Sicilians are generally accepted to have been part.
Franke has a well presented website(a), in English and German, where he cogently outlines his views. He has also written a lengthy, 23-page paper on the need for a classification of Atlantis theories. Even though this item is in German, English readers may find it quite interesting using your browser’s translator. Franke has also compiled an extensive list of Atlantis related websites(d).
He has prepared a paper for the 2nd Atlantis Conference in Athens in 2008, which is available on the Internet(c) in which he expands on his Sicilian location or Atlantis.
Franke has also published a book, in German[300] that focuses on Herodotus’ contribution to the Atlantis question and a recent (2010) book[706] regarding Aristotle and Atlantis, in which he disputes the generally perceived view that Aristotle did not accept the existence of Atlantis.
He builds his case on an 1816 misinterpretation by a French mathematician, Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre, of a 1587 commentary on Strabo’s Geographica by Isaac Casaubon. Combined with other evidence he has presented a case which removes the only classical writer alleged to have dismissed the existence of Atlantis. It is unfortunate that as yet there is no English translation of his book.
There is also a video clip available of Franke discussing his library of Atlantis related books(e).
(a) http://www.thorwalds-internetseiten.de
(c) http://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlantis_sicily.htm
(d) http://www.atlantis-scout.de/atlanlinks.htm
(e) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r2yDLEYfjA
