Atlantis: the Lost City
Atlantis: The Lost City
"Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire which had rule over the whole island and several others, and over parts of the continent . . . But, there occurred violent earthquakes and floods, and in a single day and night of misfortune. . . the island of Atlantis . . .disappeared in the depths of the sea." (Plato: Timaeus, 360 B.C.)
One of the oldest and most intriguing mysteries of this world is the Legend of Atlantis. Where was this lost city? How was it destroyed? How technologically advanced were these people really? Will historians ever know what truly happened? Many believe the story of Atlantis but no one truly knows where it disappeared to. The earliest reports of Atlantis come to us from Plato. In two of his dialogues, he wrote of a utopian society named Atlantis. In his dialogues “Kritias” and “Timaeus” he describes a flourishing continent outside, what is believed to be, the present day Strait of Gibraltar. Atlantis was wealthy beyond compare, and the people soon grew greedy. This was one major contribution to its downfall. He describes a war lasting nine-thousand years between the Atlanteans and the Athenians. He then describes Atlantis, the size of Asia and Libya put together, approximately five to ten million square feet, to have been hit by an earthquake and sent to the bottom of the ocean. Plato then describes Atlantis to be the shape of a bull’s-eye. One central island with rotating rings of land and water extending the central point. This empire was said to have been founded by the god of the sea Poseidon. He had five children whom he divided the continent up and made them rulers over. The continent itself he named Atlantis after his oldest son Atlas. “…And Poseidon receiving for his lot the island Atlantis, begat children by a mortal woman…and he named them all; the eldest, who was the first king, he named Atlas, and after him the whole island and the ocean were named Atlantic…”
"Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire which had rule over the whole island and several others, and over parts of the continent . . . But, there occurred violent earthquakes and floods, and in a single day and night of misfortune. . . the island of Atlantis . . .disappeared in the depths of the sea." (Plato: Timaeus, 360 B.C.)
One of the oldest and most intriguing mysteries of this world is the Legend of Atlantis. Where was this lost city? How was it destroyed? How technologically advanced were these people really? Will historians ever know what truly happened? Many believe the story of Atlantis but no one truly knows where it disappeared to. The earliest reports of Atlantis come to us from Plato. In two of his dialogues, he wrote of a utopian society named Atlantis. In his dialogues “Kritias” and “Timaeus” he describes a flourishing continent outside, what is believed to be, the present day Strait of Gibraltar. Atlantis was wealthy beyond compare, and the people soon grew greedy. This was one major contribution to its downfall. He describes a war lasting nine-thousand years between the Atlanteans and the Athenians. He then describes Atlantis, the size of Asia and Libya put together, approximately five to ten million square feet, to have been hit by an earthquake and sent to the bottom of the ocean. Plato then describes Atlantis to be the shape of a bull’s-eye. One central island with rotating rings of land and water extending the central point. This empire was said to have been founded by the god of the sea Poseidon. He had five children whom he divided the continent up and made them rulers over. The continent itself he named Atlantis after his oldest son Atlas. “…And Poseidon receiving for his lot the island Atlantis, begat children by a mortal woman…and he named them all; the eldest, who was the first king, he named Atlas, and after him the whole island and the ocean were named Atlantic…”
Cited: “Atlantis” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis, November 30, 2009). “Atlantis the lost continent” (http://theshadowlands.net/atlantis/index.html, November 30, 2009). “Bermuda Triangle” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Triangle, November 30, 2009). “Extracts from Plato 's dialogues Kritias and Timaeus” (http://www.decadevolcano.net/santorini/atlantis.htm, November 30, 2009). “Krakatoa” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa), November 30, 2009. “Kritias” (Plato: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/critias.html, November 30, 2009). “Santorini and the Legend of Atlantis” (http://www.decadevolcano.net/santorini/atlantis.htm, November 30, 2009). “Thera Geology” (http://www.uri.edu/endeavor/thera/therageo.html), November 30, 2009.