A Presentation on

ATLANTIS: The Lost City

Orichalcum Symbol of Atlantis"Aurichillikem"

ATLANTIS•Was Atlantis real? We'll probably never be able to prove such a rich and powerful land that suddenly went belly up in the Atlantic Ocean never existed. •The story of Atlantis is usually referred to as a parable and as such is not intended to be taken literally, but there is nothing in the story that proves it's made up.• Even serious geologists can't entirely debunk it.

•The story of Atlantis comes to us from Timaeus, a Socratic dialogue, written in about 360 B.C. by Plato. •There are four people at this meeting who had met the previous day to hear Socrates describes the ideal state. 

•Socrates wants Timaeus of Locri, Hermocrates, and Critias to tell him stories about Athens interacting with other states.

•The first is Critias, who talks about his grandfather's meeting with Solon, one of the 7 sages, an Athenian poet and famous lawgiver.

•Solon had been to Egypt where priests had compared Egypt and Athens and talked about the gods and legends of both lands.

•One such Egyptian story is about Atlantis.

•Solon (638 BC–558 BC) was a famous Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and Lyric poet who allegedly heard the story of Atlantis from Egyptian priests that he was visiting that claimed that the Athenians had forgotten their true history because from time-to-time their civilization had been largely destroyed by catastrophes.

•The Egyptian priests referred to the “Declamation of Heavenly Bodies”, meaning meteorites, which cause devastation on the planet.

•-----The Egyptian priests understood that from time-to-time there were serious natural catastrophes that involved fire and water (from which they had been largely immune). 

•They attributed these to the actions of the Gods

Atlantis: The IslandThe Island of Atlantis, as described by Plato, is often perceived to be huge, the size of Asia and Libya (North Africa) combined.  Published satellite imaging of the underwater regions of the world clearly indicates that no such land mass ever existed. (Still, this is not a perfected science and as recently as 2004, new underwater mountain ranges were being discovered)  More relevant is the fact that any earthquake powerful enough to completely destroy all evidence of this Island, one at least the size of modern Australia, would have effectively ended 95% of all life on earth. (If not through the quake itself then through the ensuing volcanic activity.)

The Island has a small central mountain (cone) surrounded by ripples or water filled depressions.  There are many fissures, not manmade, in the ground. There are lakes surrounding this cone.  Hot and cold springs are evident. The lands surrounding this central mountain are very fertile. There are cliffs at the edge of the sea.

This is a very clear, consistent and accurate description of a volcanic island.  The central cone could be an ancient (dormant) volcano.  Hot springs are definite indications of geothermal activity. Lands surrounding volcanoes are often very fertile - just look at the fields surrounding Naples and Mount Vesuvius.  Finally, volcanic islands, particularly those of the Atlantic often have steep cliffs where they meet the sea.The critical aspect of this description of Atlantis is not just what it describes – rather it is the fact that the components are consistent with each other.  In other words, it sounds like the depiction of a real place rather than one conjured from the imagination.  More importantly, Plato did not have easy access to the Internet or the Encyclopedia Britannica to check his facts – he wrote them as he understood them.  This makes this description even more remarkable.

ATLANTIS: Real or Myth?

To find Atlantis it is sensible to use a system that cross references what we know from the original source. An island (or part of one) that was near Gibraltar, sunken in the sea, was warm and had had access to rough gold.

The only way to assess the validity of the story of Atlantis is through Literary Forensics.  This is a process that examines each key point and determines how well it stands up to historical record (proof) and scientific evidence.  The best place to begin is also the most startling and often overlooked.  Plato refers to the following text: 

“Thereupon one of the (Egyptian) priests, who was of a very great age, said: O Solon, Solon, you Hellenes are never anything but children, and there is not an old man among you. Solon in return asked him what he meant. I mean to say, he replied, that in mind you are all young; there is no old opinion handed down among you by ancient tradition, nor any science which is hoary with age. And I will tell you why. There have been, and will be again, many destructions of mankind arising out of many causes; the greatest have been brought about by the agencies of fire and water, and other lesser ones by innumerable other causes.”  (Plato - 360 BC -Translated by Benjamin Jowett)

According to Graham Hancock, author of Underworld; (since the last ice age) “More than 15 million square miles of habitable land were submerged underwater, resulting in a radical change to the Earth’s shape and the conditions in which people could live.”

Another reference:“To coordinate the explorations of his skin-diving friends, Gargallo has organized the Mediterranean Institute of Underwater Archaeology. In his apartment off Rome's Piazza, di Spagna, he has a map of Italy and Sicily with coloured pins indicating the site of 20 to 30 ruins known to his skin-divers. There is a big underwater city near Venice. Another, off Mondragone, north of Naples, runs along the bottom for nearly three miles.” (Time Magazine -1959)

Many experts believe we are actually living in an ice age and this pleasant enough climate we enjoy is just a warm interglacial period. Geological evidence has confirmed that the last Ice Age completely finished only 10,000 years ago. 

So again, Plato is accurate in his statements.So, let’s for the moment, assume that the description of Atlantis is both literal and accurate.    If so, then Atlantis existed 11,500 to 9,300 years ago towards the later period of the last ice age.  This is highly significant because sea levels would have been dramatically different than they are today.

According to geological studies, sea levels have risen 130 meters or 400ft in since the last Ice age.  Also, it rules out any northern locations for the city as they would certainly not had the temperate climate described by Plato. (However, places that are extremely hot today would have been just pleasantly warm.)

Plato wrote that the sea god Poseidon (Neptune) was given Atlantis and on a hill in the middle of the island the god built his mortal wife a large home. This palace was surrounded by five rings of water and land connected only by tunnels large enough for ships to pass through.

Atlanteans were amazing engineers. They built palaces, temples, harbors, docks and a complicated water system - all about 12,000 years ago. Farmers grew the food on a field not much larger than Oklahoma State. Behind this massive field there where mountains touching the sky where many of the wealthy villagers lived. Plato described spectacular buildings, fountains that had both hot and cold water, stone walls covered with precious metals and huge statues made of gold. The wife of Poseidon had 10 sons (five sets of twins.) Each son ruled a part of Atlantis. For generations Atlantis was peaceful and all was well. As time passed each succeeding king tried to outdo the other and built a greater kingdom. Eventually Atlanteans became greedy and corrupt. Zeus decided to teach them a lesson so he called all the gods together. Plato ended his story here so we never really know what happened.

LOCATION"Beyond the Pillars of

Hercules and within the Ocean of Atlas there lies Atlantis - rich in wisdom, power and wealth.”

All the evidence based on the original texts indicate that the Canary Islands are the location for Atlantis. There is evidence that they may have been very much larger in the past. Also - before the end of the last ice age the sea levels would have been much lower.

It was an island, probably smaller than Southern Italy. It was somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean but close enough for its ships to pass the Straits of Gibraltar and enter the Mediterranean.It’s civilisation originated towards the end of the last Ice Age. Later, it had significant trade with other nations. There were elephants (imported?) and chestnut trees. It was close enough to Africa to be able to dominate the lands of Libya. Orichalcum could be mined on the island. It was probably volcanic. It was destroyed by an earthquake (volcanism).It must be close enough to North Africa for it to have been able to control the coastal lands of Libya up to the borders of Egypt. One location is The Canary Island. It matches Plato’s descriptions.

“He (Juba II) said that in this island there are traces of buildings; that while they all have an abundant supply of fruit and of birds of every kind, Canaria also abounds in palm-groves bearing dates and in conifers; that in addition to this there is a large supply of honey, and also papyrus grows in the rivers,”Even so, where is the conclusive evidence? Well it may well be on the bottom of the sea between (and to the south) of the islands that may be all that remain of the northern mountains described by Plato.One theory regarding Atlantis that has been put forward is that as recently as 10,000 years ago some of the Canary Islands, as we know them today, were actually linked together (or more likely surrounded) by an unstable plateau or rim of volcanic rock (basalts) and soil that had built up over the 60,000 years of the previous ice age.

Satellite image of the islands of Santorini. This location is one of many sites purported to have been the location of Atlantis

Atlas (king of Atlantis), in the Greek mythology, one of the sons of Poseidon the god of the Sea, appointed by his father as supreme sovereign of Atlantis. Atlas is the elder brother of the ten sons of Poseidon and Clito, a girl living in the mythical island of Atlantis, domain of the god of the Sea. Poseidon cut Atlantis in ten parts, one for each of his sons. Atlas, who receives the central mountain, is also appointed by Poseidon as the supreme sovereign of the island. Legend tells us that he was a good king, and makes his territory prosperous, among the richest in the world.

Atlas

Fast Facts About Atlantis•A war once took place between the Athenians and the Atlanteans The Athenians apparently came from Athens.•The Atlanteans apparently came from an island beyond the pillars of Hercules (Straights of Gibraltar)•The war took place 9,000 years before the time of writing which was approximately 2,500 years before today – so in effect 11,500 years ago.•Atlantis was allegedly an island greater in size than Libya and Asia combined.•Atlantis was eventually destroyed by an earthquake.•The Athenian Gods were at peace with each other.•The story had been forgotten by the Athenians because of a great deluge whereby only the illiterate people of the mountains had survived.•Solon inferred that the event took place before the time of Theseus.•At the time the Athenians ruled a land from the Isthmus (of Corinth) to the heights of the Cithaeron (a mountain range in what is today central Greece) and Parnes. Oropus was the boundary on the right and the river Asopus the boundary on the left.• Poseidon was patron and God of Atlantis. (God of the sea and earthquakes)•Atlantis was an Island with a small mountain at its centre with fertile plains surrounding it.•The central mountain had rings of water surrounding it.•Water flowed from underground - some hot, some cold.•Crops flourished in the fertile soil.•Poseidon’s first child (born on Atlantis) was named Atlas and the ocean around the Island was named Atlantic.•From beyond the Pillars of Hercules the lost city of Atlantis controlled islands and lands as far as Egypt.•They had extensive trade with other countries.•Orichalcum (an unknown red colored metal or alloy possible a mixture of copper and gold) was common on the Island. The Island was well forested.There were a great number of elephants on the Island.The Island had chestnut trees.The City / island existed long enough for many rulers / kings to develop it.

•The lost city of Atlantis had a canal from the sea to an inner lagoon.•Three kinds of stone, one red, one black and one white were quarried on the Island of Atlantis.•They used brass to cover their dwellings and brass, tin and orichalcum to cover the outer walls of their cities.•Poseidon’s temple at the centre had a barbaric appearance and the roof (interior) was made of Ivory.•In the temple there was a statue of the god in a chariot.•The lost city of Atlantis made use of private and public baths and then saved the water for use on their fields.•The later docks had Triremes and many naval supplies.•The Island had cliffs on most sides but was otherwise a plateau with a small mountain at its centre and mountains to the North.•The North of the Island had high and beautiful mountains.•The plain featured a circular ditch (canyon) of such size (a 100 ft in depth) that it could not have been manmade.•The military had war chariots.They benefited from winter rains.Their shields were small.•The land was divided into ten kingdoms each with its own city.•No King was to ever make war on another Atlantean King.•This rule lasted for a great time but in the end the Kings became victim to mortal desires and sins.

PLATO