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Text on the legendary lost continent of Atlantis
The Atlantis
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Often in "paranormal" circles, Atlantis is mentioned as
a mysterious, ancient continent that ruled the world many
millennia ago. It has been spoken of as an ancient base for
other worlds, a prehistory world power, or an undiscovered
continent that will arise in the future. The purpose of this
paper is to provide the reader with indisputable facts about
Atlantis, to show that it did in fact exist, but how it
existed.
The sources for this paper are mainly the sources of the
story (the ONLY real source of the story): the works of the
Greek Plato. It is found in two of Plato's dialogues, the
Timaeus and the Critias. Originally these were planned as a
trilogy, immediately following his work called The Republic.
These are the first two; the second one barely incomplete,
the third never written. Since the sole sources of the
history are from these articles, all knowledge and
explanation MUST be drawn from these alone.
The story of Atlantis was brought to Greece by Solon, a
Greek traveller and historian, from Egypt. (Note: many
references will be made to the works of Plato. Due to lack of
space and the interest of the reader, these works will not
included, but the reader is welcome to find a copy of them
anyway and compare to this paper.) In the Timaeus, it is said
that Solon stayed and communicated with Egyptian priests. He
took the story home, and gave his notes and recordings to his
son, who in turn gave them to Critias. These were related to
Plato from the original notes of Solon. The writings by Plato
are not fiction, but historical fact. Yes, it is true that he
himself believed the figures were impossible, but the
impossible figures will be discussed later.
I. Basic Ideas
Now some basic, realistic conclusions can be drawn from
the works. In the first place, the destruction of Atlantis
took place when it was contemplating a war of aggression with
Athens and Egypt simultaneously, and also an aggressive
Athenian army was destroyed by natural calamity during the
operations. Therefore Atlantis must have been an organized
military state, capable of mounting large scale seaborne
operations contemporary with an Athens and an Egypt which
were equally organized.
They were agricultural nation, and capable of drawing
medicinal liquids and gums from plants. They created many
canals to irrigate their plains. It had a monarchial and
class system, and specialized status for women. They knew
hydraulic engineering and bridge building. Many reservoirs
and buildings were built, but most of all, it was a very easy
and leisured society.
They were a literate and intelligent society. They had
written works and laws, and often covered their materials
with copper, bronze or gold, but not iron. Finally, they had
grand architecture. The metropolis was surrounded by 50
stadia in radius, or about 10,000 yards. The stone quarried
was black, red and white. This formation sound like ancient
Stonehenge-like formations.
From all of this, we can establish that Atlantis sounds
like a Bronze-Age civilization (2000- 1000 BC). (The anomaly
that makes Atlantis odd is that it is dated as 9000 years
before Plato, which is 9600 BC.) From this we have already
dispelled theories of great interplanetary nations or
extremely technological and enlightened people.
II. Geography of Atlantis
The major anomalies in Plato's writings were the extreme
size of Atlantis, and whether it were many islands or just
one. There are three references to communities. Plato says
that Atlantis was divided among 10 priest-kings, who were in
turn ruled by one high priest-king, who ruled from the Royal
City. There is also mentioned, usually associated with the
Royal City, the Ancient Metropolis. We will look at both
cities separately, first the metropolis.
It is said in the Critias:
"Bordering on the sea and extending through the center
of the whole island was a plain, which is said to have
been the fairest of all plains and highly fertile; and
moreover, near the plain, over against its center, at a
distance of about 50 stades [i.e. 10,000 yards] there
stood a mountain that was low on all sides... and to
{make the hill,} broke it off all round about; and he
made circular belts of sea and land enclosing one
another alternately, some greater, some smaller, two
being of land and three being of sea, which he carved as
if it were out of the midst of the island; and the belts
were at even distances at all sides so as to be
impassable by man."
The rest of the story describes the canals that
surrounded the temple to Poseidon in the center. There was a
canal " large enough to allow the largest ships of the time"
to come in one way. The city is described as being completely
surrounded by water (it was an island) and had a radius of
about six miles.
The next passage (which is too long to be put here)
describes THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, indicating that the
Ancient Metropolis and the rest of the country were two
separate islands. Although it is not crystal clear, an Plato
himself is not quite satisfied with it (he says "it seems
incredible that it should be so large at [Solon's] account
states"). Nevertheless, some points are clear. The plain
surrounding the Royal City is approx. rectangular with a
trench dug around enclosing the plain, being 10,000 stades
(1,136 miles) in length, and the greater side of the plain
3,000 stades (340 miles) long. Therefore the 2,000 stades
mentioned by Plato refer to the distance from the center of
the plain to the sea, as some writers maintain.
Next, the plain surrounding the city does not appear to
be the same one close to the Ancient Metropolis since this
lay in the center of the island 50 stade (six miles) from the
sea. Whereas the plain surrounding the Royal City was 3,000
stades (340) long and 2,000 stades (227 miles) wide. Finally
the plain surrounding the City was enclosed by mountains
whose slopes reached the sea. These mountains were famous,
large, and many rich villages among them, and in consequence,
the dimensions given by Plato refer only to the plain
surrounding the City, and not the whole island.
The next passage in the Critias describes the manpower
and division of the land. There were nine other towns on the
main island, each being responsible for 10x10 stades (20,000
sq. yds.), and each a manpower allotment of 60,000 soldiers.
The Royal City, as described by Plato in the above passages,
was the capital of an area of 3000x2000 stades (340x227
miles). If the other nine cities were about the same size,
the whole of Atlantis would be about 30,000x20,000 stades
(3,400x2,300 miles). This is bigger than the Mediterranean
Basin!
The last major anomaly in location is... where? Critias'
accounts noted the Egyptian priests as saying Atlantis was
beyond the Pillars of Hercules (which are presently
identified as the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Med. meets
the Atlantic). Because of the sheer size of the island, it
could only be in the unknown ocean to the west. That meant to
Plato that the Pillars were at the Straits, and the ocean was
of ATLANTIC origin. That is why we call it the Atlantic.
Now the timing. Atlantis was said to have been destroyed
9,000 years before Solon, who lived in 600 BC (that means
Atlantis would have been in 9600 BC). Later, the priests are
quoted as saying, "But at a later time there occurred
portentous earthquakes and floods, and one grievous day and
night befell them, and the whole body of your warriors
(Athenians) were swallowed up by the earth and the island of
Atlantis was in like manner swallowed up by the sea and
vanished; wherefore now the ocean at that spot became
impassable and unsearchable, being blocked up by the shoal
mud which the island created as it settled down.
Summary: Atlantis consisted of TWO islands and possible
more, and that one of these was quite small and circular, and
the other rectangular and extremely large; Atlantis ended
in 9600 BC; it sank into the sea in a day and night.
III. The Date (9600 BC)
So far, the above has argued that Atlantis was a Bronze
Age nation, slightly more advanced and cultured than other
Bronze age nations, and that it was at war with Egypt and
Athens simultaneously.
The Bronze age started roughly in 2000 BC, 7600 years
after Atlantis. Also, Athens and Egypt were not
simultaneously "Bronzed" until the middle of the 2nd
millennium BC. In 9600 BC, there were no nations to fight,
unless Atlantis was not as ancient or advanced as supposed.
Occasionally a second ancient nation, MU, is mentioned, but
there is no historical, geological, natural or physical
evidence to back it up. So, the only conclusion that can be
drawn is that Atlantis did not exist at that time, and must
have existed between 2000 and 1000 BC, in order to war with
Athens and Egypt. The reason for this mistake in chronology
will be discussed later.
IV. Possible Locations
In this section we will look at geophysical
possibilities and theories involving Atlantis.
A. THE WORLD POWER THEORY
Some contend that Atlantis did not just control an
island, but all of the ancient world, including the Americas.
They base this theory on the similarities in speech,
architecture, mythology and beliefs of people on both sides
of the Ocean. This is easily defunct. #1, all speech and
thought originated on one side of the Atlantic, and when Man
first migrated east and crossed to America, he carried his
brains with him. #2, beliefs, such as great floods and
powerful gods, can be explained as... all Man (because they
are all equal) think close to the same way. I.G., how do you
explain a disease? Angry god has come to punish us. #3,
Architecture, such as the pyramids of Egypt and Mexico are
oddly similar in design and latitude on Earth. No, they
aren't machines or bases. They are possibly calendaric
temples, placed to be aligned with the stars (yes, even
ancient people looked up and saw stars). Again man thinks
alike. Also, the Indians of America are distinctly Mongolian
descendents. They are not of lost or misplaced origin. And
the pyramids are two designs thought up in two places... Its
happened before.
B. THE CARIBBEAN
The Caribbean is a set of islands of different shape and
could possibly be Atlantis. Some evidence has been shown,
such as the underwater walls and roads. Note these primitive
"roads" are 10,000 miles away from Egypt, and had no
connection whatsoever. How and why would a Bronze
civilization travel that far? Besides these "roads", there is
no evidence toward an ancient nation. A possible explanation
is these rocks are a layer of strata (rock) that was
originally volcanic, but has eroded away. Nevertheless,
whether explained or unexplained, these road aren't Atlantis.
C. UNDERWATER NATIONS
This is a Johnny West cartoon theory. Remember and keep
in mind, the known source is through Plato, and there was
nothing ever said about underwater bases or cities.
D. THE ATLANTIC RIDGE THEORY
Many believe that Atlantis occupied the Atlantic,
obviously drawing this conclusion from the name. Atlantis was
possibly on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, an underground mountain
range. But this is impossible, because this ridge is
spreading apart, and would have created a volcanic island,
especially not near the size of Atlantis.
It is also proposed that Atlantis in the east Atlantic,
and the Azores and Canary islands are the peaks of the
mountains, the only remains. Further evidence submitted says
that the Basques, the original inhabitants of Spain and
France, are the only survivors to escape Atlantis, and that
is why they have such a distinct tongue. This also is
impossible, because according to the geological evidence of
Atlantic strata, the ocean bottom has remained pretty close
to the same for at least a million years. No new mass has
appeared or changed in millions of years, save the isle of
Surtsey, created off the coast of Iceland. But these lands
could be it either, because they lack the great plains spoken
of by Plato.
E. ENGLAND
It has been proposed that England could possibly be one
of the Atlantic islands. No, because England is not volcanic,
and civilization could not have removed by earthquakes there
(For the extremists, no, there was no ancient atomic war,
because there would be geophysical evidence, or natural
growth evidence.)
F. INDIA AND PLANETARY COLLISION
India could not be Atlantis, because it again has been
close to the same geologically for a very long time. Also,
no planetoids could have removed Atlantis because it would
have done the same to us as it did to the dinosaurs.
Summary - So far all arguments for a lost continent
of Atlantis have failed the test. There are no realistic
locations for an island of Atlantis' caliber. This must mean
there was a flaw in the size consideration. But we'll get to
that later. For right now:
There Was no Atlantic continent; the Atlantic Ocean has
been in its present form for over a million years; it is
geophysically impossible for this island to have existed in
the Atlantic; Mankind in all locations are not related to
ancient Atlanteans. Keep in mind the disappearance of
Atlantis was a geologic one, not unnatural or irregular.
V. GEOLOGIC SPEED
The next anomaly to be discussed in Plato's writings is
the speed of the Atlantean destruction. It was written that
Atlantis was sucked into the sea and destroyed in a day and
night. It is also said that the Athenian army on Atlantis was
sucked into the earth. All of this was done by a horrible
geologic event. Now think to yourself of geological disaster.
What destroys? Well, it was said there were great
earthquakes, and the island collapsed into the sea. How does
land fall into the sea? Land can erode or collapse by force
of water, but that is slow and could not have taken out an
island in a day. The only possibility is a volcano. Volcanos
create earthquakes, floods, unusual weather, and intense
destruction. And they also collapse. This would explain how
at least one island of Atlantis was destroyed: that it was on
top of a volcano that collapsed. Now in order for a volcano
to cause great earthquakes on a separate island that must
be quite close (try 400 miles as a round number), but it must
be a powerful volcano. This has been demonstrated in the past
by volcanos such as Krakatoa an in Alaska. Also, this
volcano's explosion would have to effect Athens' water
supply and create tsunamis (these were mentioned in Timaeus).
VI. THE OTHER POSSIBILITY
There is one theory yet unmentioned. In the Mediterranean
Sea, there is a small collection of islands called Santorin:
Thera, Therasia, and Nea Kameni. These Greek islands are just
a couple hundred miles north of Crete and a little more from
the Greek mainland. Santorin is the remanance of a volcanic
island like Hawaii. This ancient island known as Stronghyle,
was an active volcano for thousands of years, until it
stopped in about 2500 BC. It then erupted again between 1500
and 1100 BC, becoming one of the most notable and destructive
volcanic earthquakes in history. The eruption, being three
times the size of Krakatoa, shook the whole Mediterranean,
affect weather patterns for years, sent tsunamis to destroy
all coastal towns, and caused red, white and black pumice to
fall everywhere, especially around the cone, causing the sea
to become impassable.
The relevance? On what is left of the island,
archaeologists have found the remains of a Bronze Age
civilization, actually showing traits such as boring and
other things that were slightly ahead of its time. This
civilization had a city on the island, and had colonized
Crete. The people on Stronghyle were killed immediately when
the volcano erupted and collapsed in from the lack of
underground support. The rest of their civilization was
devastated by this loss, PLUS the loss of all of their
coastal towns. All of their towns (numbering 10) on Crete
were destroyed by earthquake. Being surrounded by enemies on
all sides, they left their island and tried to invade Egypt,
but were defeated at sea by Pharaoh Ramses III. They became
known as the Sea Peoples, but today we know them as the
Minoans.
Now look at the Minoan position carefully. They were a
Bronze Age race, with a rich and laid back culture. They were
at the height of their power between 1500 and 1200 BC, but
were suddenly and immediate stopped dead, when one of their
islands blew up, becoming the strongest earthquake in human
history. One island, Crete, was rectangular. On Crete their
"Royal City" was at the marveled Knossos, where they built
great palaces. This city was surrounded by a great, fertile
plain (volcanic soil is the most fertile), and that surround
by mountains. They had nine other towns on the island, that
were also rich trading ports. Their main island, being twelve
miles in diameter, had a system of canals and harbors in the
interior, with a appears to have been a hollowed place in the
center. They were originally a peaceful nation, but then took
up aggression against the Mycean Greeks in Attica (Athens)
and their old trading partners, the Egyptians. Right before
the eruption, a Mycean army had landed on Crete, but they
died by the earthquake destructive power.
VII. CONCLUSION: WHERE WAS ATLANTIS?
We have come to the point where we can reasonable assume all
but one of the theories are false and untrue. We have enough
facts and will present more facts to support the remaining
theory. Our case will follow:
We accept that Plato's story was fact, rather than
fiction or parable. We show on internal evidence that the
events of this story MUST have taken place in the Bronze Age
(2100- 1200 BC). We have established that the ancient
metropolis and the Royal City are two distinct places, the
former being a small, round island about 5.75 miles in
radius, the latter an oblong area, much larger, and possibly
extremely large. We have shown that it is geophysically
impossible for Atlantis to have been in the Atlantic Ocean;
and proved that so far none of the theories so far advanced
to account for the sudden submersion are tenable. Because in
the writings Athenian water supply had been affected, and the
range for an earthquake to affect the water table is 675
miles, we assume that Atlantis MUST be in the Eastern
Mediterranean, and the identification with the Pillars of
Hercules and Gibraltar are false (mind you that all of
Hercules' quest took place in the Greek islands, and never
was he said to have gone to Gibraltar). Finally, we have
shown that volcanic activity on a really stupendous scale did
take place in the Eastern Mediterranean in the middle of the
Bronze Age, that this activity was centered on the island of
Stronghyle/Santorin, and that it resulted in, among other
things, the sudden disappearance of the whole center an
inhabited, small, round island.
The case, therefore, for the identification of Santorin
with the Ancient Metropolis of Atlantis is extremely strong,
being of the exact or near exact dimensions, showing advanced
bronze inhabitation, and having have been sucked into the
sea. Also, note it was previously stated that Atlantean
buildings were of black, red and white stone, and on
Santorin, volcanic rock is in that same color combination.
So, we have found one outpost of Atlantis. But what of
the continent, the great plains, and the Royal City? It has
become obvious through the readings that the Royal City and
the Ancient Metropolis are two different places.
Is there any area reasonably near Santorin which likewise
suffered a disastrous cataclysm at the same time in history?
Disregarding the enormous size of Plato's Atlantis, there is
one answer: Crete. From the description of the features and
the shape of the plane around the Royal City, it is evident
that it possessed the geologic conditions that are of Central
Crete. The mountains that surround this area match the
description exactly of Plato's Atlantis, save the size. This
problem is the main source of all other mysteries in
Atlantean history.
The dimensions of the central basin of Crete don't tally
with those of Plato's plain for the Royal City. The greatest
length of the basin is 34 miles and breadth of 23 miles - in
other words, almost exactly 300x200 stades. Plato's plain,
however, was exactly 3,000x2,000 stades, adding that it was
surrounded by a trench 10,000 stades in length. Plato went on
to say that even he doubted these numbers, but would record
them anyway, because the reliability of the source (Solon and
Egyptian priests). When we compare the dimensions of the
Royal City's plain and the central basin of Crete, we are
immediately aware that the Atlantean dimensions are exactly
10 times too large. The same mistake happens in many extreme
numbers, such as the length of the trench, the number of men
and chariots given to each king, and the date.
Now understand that when Solon was travelling in Egypt,
it was about 600 BC. The priests maintained that Atlantis
sunk 9000 years before, or 9600 BC. But if you said it sunk
900 years instead, the date is now 1500 BC, smack dab in the
middle of the Bronze Age, when Santorin blew its top. This
leads us to the conclusion that all of these mistakes are
systematic and not accidental.
The dimensions Plato gives for the Ancient Metropolis
are, however, in agreement with the dimensions of Stronghyle-
Santorin; but this shows that when dimensions are given in
tens, they are quite correct. But when numbers are given in
thousands, they are ten times too great. This seems to
indicate that when Solon was transcribing the Egyptian
writings the word or symbol representing 100 was mistaken for
that of 1,000. This happens even today in English, where in
America billion means a thousand millions but a million
millions in Britain.
Even the cultures are similar. They both had the same
pottery stiles, the same enemies, the same interests (bull
riding), the same gods and statues ("the bull was held high
among them")(Posiedon was the main god of the sea-going
Minoans), and they both gave a great deal of power to women.
Thus we have concluded that Atlantis was not
some supernatural nation, but is just the mistaken identity
of the Minoan Empire of Crete. There aren't any aliens,
ancient races, or underground beings. Just simple history.
The End
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