Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2025 March 6

Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

March 6

Scientific reviews about the connection of Atlantis with Mount Ampere

Hello in the article https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/10/21/atlantis-gone-but-not-forgotten/79c200c3-7ae3-44a3-b9c2-73ac97fdd1ff/ It is mentioned that the alleged discovery of Atlantis on Mount Ampere caused a response in the journal Nature. But I cannot find the article itself in the journal Nature about the alleged discovery of Atlantis on Mount Ampere. Vyacheslav84 (talk) 16:25, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Some context; Ampère Seamount mentions what looked like cut blocks. Abductive (reasoning) 21:08, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Our article on Atlantis clearly states "Atlantis...is a fictional island." End of discussion. HiLo48 (talk) 22:08, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

The OP has not suggested otherwise; they merely want to know how Nature responded to this particular claim. One can be interested in the history of claims and conjectures about Atlantis (I collect books containing them, and very entertaining they are, too) without thinking for a moment that it actually existed.

(As it happens, I do think it existed, but not when Plato thought, not in the Atlantic, not on an island, and not called Atlantis. The story that Plato utilised was (I believe) very garbled in transmission, and his belated realisation of its true origin may be what caused him to abandon Critias midway and not write the next volume Hermocrates.) {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.2.64.108 (talk) 23:22, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Most any myth is likely to be based on, or inspired by, something real. The author so-inspired can then take it and run with it, often so far into the wild blue yonder that it bears little resemblance to its original inspiration piece. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:07, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

The linked article appears to require a subscription. :( ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:00, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

I do not know for certain how Nature responded, but I have seen video of Ampère Seamount - and similar structures - used in Forteana-style "documentary" programs. It's very likely that the response in Nature was to point out that rocks often crack into formations that superficially appear to be man-made structures. See Bimini Road for another prominent example. Matt Deres (talk) 03:09, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

The connection between Atlantis and Mount Ampere is like the connection between Treasure Island and some random island in the Caribbean. Whatever happens on Mount Ampere or on some random island in the Caribbean has nothing to do with the fictional place in a prose or novel, whether it's Atlantis Island or Treasure Island. Stanleykswong (talk) 17:18, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

F. T. Mott, fl. England, 1870s/1880s

I am trying to determine whether F. T. Mott FRGS, who wrote the article The Meaning of 'Science' in 1878 is the same F. T. Mott FRGS who wrote "Corona, the bright side of the universe, studies in optimism" (1888, e.g. [1], [2]). Several modern sources attribute the latter to "Ferdinand T. Mott", although that given name does not appear in the aforesaid scans. The author signs the foreword "F.T.M." from Birstal Hill in Leicestershire.

This site lists the author of that work as "Mott, Ferdinand T." as well as having two entries for "Mott, F. T. (Frederick Thompson), 1825-1908", who co-wrote an 1886 flora of Leicestershire. This poor quality scan of that flora shows the author, on the title page, as "F. T. Mott FRGS", and on page 20 as "Frederick T. Mott, Birstall Hill, Leicester".

There is more at [3], although that may conflate two identities (if there are two), but does include an entry showing "F. T. MOTT, Birstall Hill" as someone interested in natural history.

Are we looking at one author, or two? And if only one, what was their name? Is there any evidence dating from the 19th century of Ferdinand existing? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 19:02, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Frederick Thompson Mott, FRGS, twice president of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society, features prominently in Exchanging Ideas Dispassionately and without Animosity: The Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society 1835–2010. He sounds like a good fellow. Some more about him here. Ferdinand, on the other hand, only appears in ghits for Corona, which is VERY suggestive that he didn't exist and some librarian somewhere made a mistake. DuncanHill (talk) 19:24, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

The Catalogue of the Correspondence of Alfred Russel Wallace has an entry for "Frederick Thompson Mott. Birstal Hill, Leicester, Leicestershire, England. TO Alfred Russel. Wallace. 24 February 1881. • Letter (WCP2056.1946). 3 pp". DuncanHill (talk) 19:40, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

The Literary Yearbook 1908 has Mott, Frederick T., born 1825, of Birstall Hill, author of, amongst others, Corona: The Bright Side of the Universe. I think that should be the death-knell of poor Ferdinand. DuncanHill (talk) 22:43, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

And here he is, in a rather better scan in the 1907 edition of the same. DuncanHill (talk) 22:59, 6 March 2025 (UTC)

Leicester Chronicle - Saturday 21 March 1908 "MOTT.—On the 14th inst., at Birstall Hill House, Frederick Thompson Mott, F.R.G.S., aged 83 years. Friends please accept this, the only intimation." DuncanHill (talk) 09:13, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

Leicester Daily Post - Tuesday 17 March 1908 THE LATE MR. F. T. MOTT., obituary. DuncanHill (talk) 09:27, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

Cheltenham Examiner - Wednesday 25 March 1908 Obituary: Mr F. T. Mott, gives more detail of his life and family.DuncanHill (talk) 09:30, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

• No results in British Newspaper Archive for "Ferdinand Mott" or "Ferdinand T. Mott", or "Mott, Ferdinand". DuncanHill (talk) 09:56, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

@DuncanHill: All great stuff; thank you. He is Frederick Thompson Mott (Q21521792), where I have captured some of the above. I fear that Ferdinand, thanks to reprint spammers, will sadly be with us evermore. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:13, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

 This section is resolved and can be archived. If you disagree, replace this template with your comment. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:13, 7 March 2025 (UTC)