The debate about whether the existence of Atlantis was a reality or a beautiful legend has not calmed down for many centuries. A large number of the most contradictory theories have been put forward on this subject, but all of them were based on information obtained from texts of ancient Greek authors, none of which personally saw this mysterious island, but transmitted only information obtained from earlier sources. So how true is the legend of Atlantis and where did it come from in our modern world?
Island sunk into the sea abyss
First of all, we clarify that the word "Atlantis" is understood to mean a certain fantastic (since there is no direct evidence of its existence) island, located in the Atlantic Ocean. His exact whereabouts are unknown. According to the most popular legend, Atlantis was located somewhere off the northwestern coast of Africa, bordered by a chain of Atlas mountains, and near the pillars of Hercules that framed the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar.
It was placed there in his dialogues (works written in the form of a conversation between historical or fictional persons) by the famous ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Based on his writings, a very popular legend about Atlantis was subsequently born. It says that around 9500 BC e. in the above region, a terrible earthquake occurred, as a result of which the island forever plunged into the depths of the ocean.
On that day, an ancient and highly developed civilization, created by the islanders, whom Plato calls the "Atlanteans," died. It should be noted right away that, in view of similar names, they are sometimes mistakenly identified with the characters of ancient Greek mythology - powerful titans holding the vault of heaven on their shoulders. This mistake is so widespread that when sculptures by the outstanding Russian sculptor A. I. Terebenev (photo see below) decorate the portico of the New Hermitage in St. Petersburg, many people associate with heroes who once sunk deep into the seas.
A riddle exciting people
During the Middle Ages, the works of Plato, as well as most other ancient historians and philosophers, were forgotten, but already in the XIV-XVI centuries, called the Renaissance, interest in them, and at the same time to Atlantis and the legend associated with its existence increased rapidly. It does not weaken to this day, giving rise to heated scientific discussions. Scientists all over the world are trying to find real evidence of the events described by Plato and a number of his followers, and to answer the question of what Atlantis really was - a legend or reality?
The island, inhabited by people who created the highest civilization at that time, and then absorbed by the ocean, is a mystery that excites people's minds and encourages them to seek answers outside the real world. It is known that even in Ancient Greece, the legend of Atlantis gave impetus to many mystical teachings, and in modern history it inspired theosophical thinkers. The most famous of them are E.P. Blavatsky and A.P. Sinnett. The authors of various kinds of pseudoscientific and simply fantastic works of various genres, also referring to the image of Atlantis, did not stand aside.
Where did the legend come from?
But let us return to the works of Plato, since it is they who are the primary source that aroused centuries-old disputes and discussions. As mentioned above, mention of Atlantis is contained in two of his dialogues, called "Timaeus" and "Critius." Both of them are devoted to the issue of state structure and are conducted on behalf of his contemporaries: the Athenian political figure Critius, as well as two philosophers - Socrates and Timaeus. We note right away that Plato makes the reservation that the primary source of all information about Atlantis is the story of the ancient Egyptian priests, which was transmitted orally from generation to generation and finally reached it.
The misfortunes that befell the Atlanteans
In the first of the dialogs, Critius reports on the war between Athens and Atlantis. According to him, the island, the army of which his compatriots had to face, was so large that its size exceeded the whole of Asia, which gives reason to rightfully call it the mainland. As for the state formed on it, it impressed everyone with its greatness and, being extremely powerful, conquered Libya, as well as a significant territory of Europe, stretching right up to Tyrrhenia (Western Italy).
In 9500 BC e. the Atlanteans, wanting to conquer Athens, brought down on them the full power of their previously invincible army, but, despite the obvious superiority of forces, they could not succeed. The Athenians repelled the invasion and, having defeated the enemy, returned freedom to the peoples who were until then in slavery of the islanders. However, the trouble did not depart from the prosperous and once prosperous Atlantis. The legend, or rather, the story of Critius, laid in its foundation, further narrates about the terrible natural disaster that completely destroyed the island and forced it to plunge into the depths of the ocean. Literally during the day, the raging elements wiped out a huge continent from the face of the earth and put an end to the highly developed culture created on it.
Commune of Athenian rulers
The continuation of this story is the second dialogue that has reached us, called “Critius”. In it, the same Athenian politician narrates in more detail about the two great states of antiquity, whose armies converged on the battlefield shortly before the fatal flood. Athens, according to him, was a highly developed and so pleasing to the gods state that, according to legend, the end of Atlantis was a foregone conclusion.
The description of the system of government that was established in it is very remarkable. According to Critius, on the Acropolis - a hill, and still rising in the center of the Greek capital - there was a certain commune, partly reminiscent of those that the founders of the communist movement painted in their imagination. Everything in it was equally divided and there was enough in excess. It’s only that it was inhabited not by ordinary people, but by rulers and warriors who ensured the maintenance of an order pleasing to them in the country. The laboring masses were only allowed reverently to look at their shining heights and to fulfill the plans descended from there.
The arrogant descendants of Poseidon
In the same treatise, the author contrasted the modest and virtuous Athenians with high-proud Atlanteans. Their ancestor, as appears from the writings of Plato, was the sea god Poseidon himself. Once, having witnessed how an earthly girl by the name of Kleito was undead in the waves of her youthful body, he inflamed with passion and, provoking reciprocal feelings in her, became the father of ten sons - demi-half-humans.
The eldest of them, named Atlant, was set to rule the island, divided into nine parts, each of which was under the command of one of his brothers. Subsequently, his name was inherited not only by the island, but even by the ocean on which he was. All his brothers became the ancestors of the dynasties, for many centuries living and reigning on this fertile land. This is how the birth of Atlantis as a powerful and sovereign state is described in the legend.
Island of abundance and wealth
In his work, Plato also cites the dimensions of this legendary mainland island known to him. According to him, in length it reached 540 km, and in width was not less than 360 km. The highest point of this vast territory was a hill, the height of which the author does not specify, but writes that it was located about 9-10 km from the sea.
It was on it that the ruler’s palace was built, which Poseidon himself surrounded with three land and two water defensive rings. Later, his descendants, the Atlanteans, threw bridges over them and dug additional channels through which ships could freely approach the moorings located at the very walls of the palace. They also erected on the central hill many temples richly decorated with gold and decorated with statues of celestials and earthly rulers of Atlantis.
Myths and legends born from the writings of Plato are full of descriptions of treasures owned by the descendants of the sea god, as well as the wealth of nature and fertility of the island. In the dialogues of the ancient Greek philosopher it is mentioned, in particular, that, despite the densely populated Atlantis, wild animals lived quite freely on its territory, among which there were even untamed and not domesticated elephants. At the same time, Plato does not ignore many of the negative aspects of the life of the islanders, which caused the wrath of the gods and served as the cause of the disaster.
The end of Atlantis and the beginning of the legend
The peace and prosperity that reigned on it for many centuries collapsed overnight through the fault of the Atlanteans themselves. The author writes that as long as the inhabitants of the island put virtue above wealth and honors, the celestials were favorable to them, but turned away from them as soon as the brilliance of gold overshadowed their spiritual values. Despite the fact that people who had lost their divine essence were overwhelmed with pride, greed and anger, Zeus did not want to restrain his anger and, collecting other gods, granted them the right to pronounce his sentence. On this, the manuscript of the ancient Greek philosopher ends, but judging by the catastrophe that soon hit the evil pride, they were considered unworthy of mercy, which ultimately led to such a sad outcome.
The legends of Atlantis (or information about events that actually happened - this remains unknown) attracted the attention of many ancient Greek historians and writers. In particular, the Athenian Gellanic, who lived in the V century BC. e., also describes this island in one of his writings, however, calling it somewhat differently - Atlantiad - and not mentioning his death. However, modern scholars, for several reasons, believe that his story is not related to the lost Atlantis, but to Crete, who survived the centuries, whose story also includes the sea god Poseidon, who conceived a son from an earthly virgin.
It is curious that the name "Atlanta" was used by ancient Greek and Roman authors not only to the islanders, but also to the inhabitants of continental Africa. In particular, Herodotus, Pliny the Younger, as well as the equally famous historian Diodorus of Sicily, so-called a certain tribe that lived in the Atlas Mountains near the coast of the ocean. These African Atlanteans were very militant and, being at a low stage of development, waged constant wars with foreigners, among whom were legendary Amazons.
As a result, they were completely exterminated by their neighbors troglodytes, who, although they were in a semi-animal state, still managed to win. There is an opinion that Aristotle on this occasion said that it was not the savage superiority of the savages that led to the death of the Atlantean tribe, but the creator of the world Zeus himself who killed them for perfect lawlessness.
Century-Fantasy
The attitude of modern scholars to the information presented in the dialogues of Plato and in the works of a number of other authors is extremely skeptical. Most of them consider Atlantis a legend that does not have any real justification. Their position is primarily due to the fact that over many centuries no material evidence of its existence has been discovered. It really is. There are completely no archaeological data on the existence at the end of the ice age, as well as the next millennia of such a developed civilization in West Africa or Greece.
It is also perplexing that the story, allegedly told to the world by the ancient Greek priests and then reached Plato in an oral retelling, was not reflected in any of the written monuments found on the banks of the Nile. This unwittingly leads to the idea that the ancient Greek philosopher himself composed the tragic history of Atlantis.
He could borrow the beginning of a legend from rich Russian mythology, in which the gods often became the founders of entire peoples and continents. As for the tragic denouement of the plot, he needed it. The fictional island should have been destroyed to give the story an external credibility. Otherwise, how could he explain to his contemporaries (and, of course, descendants) the absence of traces of his existence.
Researchers of antiquity draw attention to the fact that, speaking about the mysterious continent located near the western coast of Africa, and about its inhabitants, the author gives exclusively Greek names and geographical names. This is very strange and suggests that he himself invented them.
Tragic mistake
To conclude this article, we give some very interesting statements made by zealous advocates of the historicity of Atlantis today. As mentioned above, today it was raised to the shield by many supporters of occult currents and all kinds of mystics who do not want to reckon with the absurdity of their own theories. They are not inferior to them and pseudo-scientists, trying to pass off their fabrications for the allegedly made discoveries.
For example, in recent years, articles on the press and on the Internet have repeatedly published articles stating that the Atlanteans (whose existence the authors did not question) achieved such high progress that they conducted extensive research in the field of nuclear physics. Even the traceless disappearance of the continent itself is explained by the tragedy that occurred as a result of their unsuccessful nuclear test.