History Channel program on Atlantis features Fla. Museum archaeologist

January 19, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The legend of Atlantis has captured the imagination of many. Go in search of the fabled continent with Florida Museum of Natural History archaeology curator William Keegan at 9 p.m., Jan. 22, on the History Channel. Keegan is featured on the program “Digging for the Truth: Atlantis, New Revelations.”

The show’s host, Josh Bernstein investigates the evidence for Atlantis in the Bahamas and the Mediterranean. Bernstein joins Keegan at the Clifton National Heritage Park on New Providence Island in the Bahamas, where Keegan explains exposed beach rock formations. They also excavate a test unit at the Lucayan archaeological site at Clifton to obtain a sample of beach rock for radiocarbon dating.

“Filming this program was a novel experience,” Keegan said. “Using one camera they did numerous takes of the same scene from different angles and perspectives. The hardest part was remembering exactly how I moved, exactly where I stood, and working without a written script. The production crew was fantastic and the product will undoubtedly be a very unbiased account of the legend of Atlantis.”

The History Channel also will air the episode at 1 a.m. on Jan. 23; 8 p.m. on Jan. 27; and midnight on Jan. 28.