Science fiction discovery of an ancient civalization of humans

The book as I remember the story is as follows:

I read this book in the 80's and want to say the book was written between the 30's and 50's.

The book starts out with an expedition to one of the poles (cant remember N of S). During the drilling they discover a ancient city beneath the ice pack. Once they uncover the city they find that it holds many advanced useful technologies that can better human kind.

They locate a couple of cryo chambers and discover they are still working, one contains a female and the other a male.

The story progresses as they awaken the female who tells how mankind is 10's of thousands year old. They lived in a pristine society that had everything but ultimately was overcome by war (Nuclear). She tells of a scientist friend whom discovered cryo sleep chambers and during the climax of the war asked her to go with him.

She on the other hand was in love with someone else. story goes on about her love to another man. Her lover finds out about the chambers. the scientist takes her captive and the other male friend finds out. she is put in cryo sleep a battle between the two men erupt ultimately unknown to the female her friend is victorious and also goes into cryo sleep.

The female no woke in our time is unaware of who is in the other cryo chamber because he was not prepped for cryo sleep and is heavily bandaged. she agrees to giver her blood to him to help in curing the cryo burns but first she feeling sad and angry that the love of her life is now long dead, obviously she didn't know he beat the scientist and now was beside her greatly ill, she consumes a poison that will kill the subject whom she thinks is the scientist.

story ends with doctors knowing of the plot, telling her that the subject is her boyfriend at which time the are both put in cryo sleep again until a cure is found for the poison.

**I have been searching for the book for over a year and have not found it. Unfortunately I do not know the title or the author**

I think this might be The Ice People by Rene Barjavel. It's been a very long time since I read it, but your description matches up with what I remember.

I agree with DemetriosX.

Below is a link of a review of the book which should help in confirming this is the one you are seeking.

http://strakul.blogspot.com/2012/06/book-review-ice-people-la-nuit-des.html

Wow, your all very awesome. I thought I was going to have to travel 2k miles to look at a list of library books in my hometown library that may or may not have a book from my childhood.

That is the book. Incredible.