September 7, 1966

Was Atlantis Real?

The recent earthquakes in Turkey which killed nearly 3,000 people set me to wondering about one of the great mysteries of history — did Atlantis really exist?

Atlantis was reported by the Greek philosopher Plato to be a sub-continent island nation in the At­lantic Ocean destroyed without a trace by a mighty earth quake about 9000 B.C.

Until recently, geologists doubted that earth forces — powerful as they were known to be — were sufficient to obliterate a land mass the size of Australia. However, the possibility of cataclys­mic events is not discounted so greatly in the last few years. Substantial evidence indicates the con­tinents once were joined and split to drift apart, and the earth poles at one time were located in tropical regions.

Plato wrote about 360 B.C. that his great-grandfather, Solon, had left him a half-finished manuscript of a history of Atlantis the facts for which had been obtained from very ancient Egyp­tian records.

It was supposed by Christian-era scholars that the tale of Atlantis was myth, Plato having em­ployed that literary device in his writings on oc­casion. However, the philosopher was meticulous about truth and went to particular pains to em­phasize that the Atlantis account was factual.

Plato starts the story in his essay "Timaeus" and con­tinues ' it in the essay "Critias" only to be interrupted there as abruptly as in his ancestor's manuscript. On these two brief accounts a vast amount of his­torical writing has been devot­ed during the succeeding centuries to either prove or disprove them, all with an equal lack of success.

Solon was told by Egyptian priests, "Many great and wonderful deeds are recorded of your State in our histories; but one of them exceeds all the rest in greatness and valor. These histories tell of a mighty power which was aggressing wantonly against the whole of Europe and Asia, and to which your city put an end. This power had landed on the Atlantic coast, for in those days the Atlantic was navigable from an island situated to the west of the_, straits which you call the Pillars of Hercules (straits of Gibraltar). The island was larger than Libya and Asia (Middle East) put to­gether, and from it could be reached other islands, and from the islands you might pass through to the opposite continent (America) which surround­ed the true ocean. Now, the island was called Atlan­tis and was the heart of a great and wonderful em­pire, which had rule over the whole island and several others, as well as over parts of the con­tinent; and, besides these, they subjected the parts of Libya as far as Egypt, and of Europe as far as Tyrrhenia (Sardinia-Corsica). The vast power thus gathered into one, endeavored to subdue .at one blow our country and yours, and the whole of the land which was within the straits; and then your country defeated and triumphed over the invaders. But afterward there occurred violent earthquakes and floods, and in a single day and night of rain all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disap­peared beneath the sea."

Still quoting Solon, Plato then recounts minute details of the physical appearance of Atlantis and its civilization. The people dwelt on a large plain surrounded by "lofty and precipitous" peaks.  On a smaller mountain in the center was located a palace begun by Atlas, the first king for whom the island, surrounding ocean and a mountain range in Libya was named. His five pairs of twin sons greatly elaborated upon the palace, canals, ports and other public works.

The Atlanteans had ah abundance of gold and silver which they used extensively for ornamentation. The most precious metal, however, was "orichal­cum" which may have been copper as it was red in color.

They had a system of writing which they used to record their laws on columns of gold and of orichalcum. All their measurements were in multipl­es of 10.

Every kind of grain and fruit were plentiful and grew with little cultivation, particularly "the fruits having a hard rind, affording drinks, and meats and ointments" (coconuts?).

We are told the Atlanteans were skilled navi­gators and warriors. An elaborate system of pro­vinces and villages, each headed by a noble in proper hierarchy, supported the fighting forces. Slaves performed the hard labor.

They worshipped many gods but principally Poseidon, a sea god, and Cleito, a sea nymph. Bulls and horses were revered - - - the bulls for sacrifice in the temples and the horses for their racing ability.

Since Plato's day, the lost cities of Atlantis have been sought in every quarter of the globe. Just this summer a French archeologist announced he had found the remains of Atlantis just off the coast of Greece. An expedition to explore the underwa­ter find is on the scene, but it is likely to drag up just another sunken coastal village of which there are many throughout the world. The seas are ris­ing slowly and some very old settlements in low level areas have been engulfed.

There is a common disposition of chroniclers to exaggerate,_, and undoubtedly Solon and Plato were no exceptions. However, matters of location do not lend themselves easily to this practice. Atlan­tis might not have been as wonderful as depicted, but if it existed at all then chances are that it was in the Atlantic Ocean.

A convincing case can be made for the West Indies and Central America as the site of Atlantis. Certainly there are startling similarities between the ancient Mayas and the Atlanteans as described by Plato.

The Phonecians, those most ancient sailors, claimed to have traded regularly with Atlantis in the earliest days. The Tuscans of pre-Roman days in Italy share many symbols with the Mayas. The May­ans, Phonecians and Tuscans are still largely mysteri­es to modern archeologists. As more of the secrets of these peoples are unlocked, perhaps we will obtain a clue about the reality of Atlantis.

Until that time, the possibility of Atlantis fur­nishes a convenient locale for many of the inventions of civilization that can not now be pin-pointed.

The banana, for example, has no seeds and can be propagated only by intentional transplantation of root pieces. Though the nutritious fruit is found throughout the tropical world, its original home cannot be found.

Man went through a stone age and a bronze age of considerable periods of time before entering the iron age. Missing is a critical copper age which had to be a vital link in the chain leading to bronze. The preparation of bronze requires a sophisticated technology involving discovery and use of both copper and tin before the development of their alloy.

The Phonecians are credited with giving us our alphabet but they acknowledged they had only bor­rowed it. From where?

Is the Atlantis account another report of the Biblical Deluge?

The questions are tantalizing, the theory of Atlantis tempting.

Author: Lindsey Williams