Maps in the century following Columbus were sometimes peppered with islands that did not exist. It was circular, about fifteen miles in diameter. The descendants of these kings built the city of Atlantis. The land was marvelously productive, with minerals and elephants. They were to rule it as a confederacy of kings, and the eldest, Atlas, was to be head king. He begat ten sons, and divided the land amongst them. When the gods divided up the earth, Poseidón received Atlantis. In the next dialogue, Critias, there is more about Atlantis. The remainder of the dialogue has to do with the natural sciences. Hence the seas west of Gibraltar were unnavigable, because of the shoals which were all that was left of Atlantis. Then a great earthquake devastated Athens, swallowing the Athenian army and the whole of Atlantis. This power had tried to conquer the Eastern Mediterranean but had been defeated by the Athenians. There had also been a mighty empire of Atlantis, an island west of the Pillars of Hercules, larger than North Africa and Asia Minor combined. The state was ruled by a communistic military caste, and everybody was brave, handsome, and virtuous. The story is that 9000 years earlier there had been a great Athenian empire, organized along the lines that Plato had set forth in his Republic. In Timaeus, Critias explains that he got the story from his grandfather, who got it from his father, who got it from the statesman Solón, to whom it had been told by a priest of Saïs, in Egypt. Except for Platos tale and the commentaries on it by his successors, there is not another word about Atlantis in the Greco-Roman, Egyptian and Babylonian literature that has come down to us. he wrote two Socratic dialogues, Timaeus and Critias, in which is set forth the story of Atlantis. One of the most successful creators of ideal communities was the Greek philosopher Aristoklés the son of Aristón, better known as Plato. Now that most of the world has been explored and human history is fairly well known, they put them on other planets or in the future. Formerly they put them in the remote past or in unexplored places. Failing to make one in fact, they have consoled themselves by imagining Edens, Utopias, and Golden Ages. Men have always yearned for a land of beauty and plenty where peace and justice reigned. What about Atlantis, Lemuria, and other lost continents? Is there something to it? THE name ∺tlantis evokes a picture of a beautiful world with a high and colorful culture, now, alas, gone forever, but still celebrated in story and controversy. The rings of land surrounding the Acropolis and royal palace contained parks, temples, barracks, and a race track. This diagram shows Platos idea of the capital of the Empire of Atlantis, supposed to exist on a vanished island west of Gibraltar. Modern legends of lost continents have their roots in early Greek fantasy. Here is a scientific view of the question. Thriving civilizations once existed on huge islands that have since Natural History Magazine | Editors Pick From the PastĮver since the days of the Greeks, people have tried to prove that
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |