In search of Atlantis : Myth or Reality?

To this day, the same questions have occupied scholars, scientists and archaeologists through the centuries remain unanswered;

Is the existence of Atlantis is a myth or reality?
Where can it be?

History

The first who spoke of Atlantis was the great Greek philosopher, Plato (428-347BC). Specifically, in two of his works “Timaeus” and “Critias”. It is said that when the almighty Zeus bequeathed land to the gods, he offered the island of Atlantis to Poseidon who was in love with Cleito a native woman on this island.

How “Atlantis” got its name

Their eldest son, who was named “Atlas” became king. Thus, the island and Ocean (Atlantic) were named after him. They built ornate palaces and temples. In the center of the palace they built a magnificent temple, where they erected a golden statue of Poseidon driving six winged horses.

Atlantis had developed into a great civilization. Ten kings, all the descendants of Poseidon ruled over ten regions in perfect harmony and cohabitation. In time, Atlantis became a strong naval power, extremely wealthy and had reached a very advanced level of technology. Some argue that television, laser beams and even death rays were no secret for the inhabitants of Atlantis.

Start of the downfall

Unfortunately, great wealth and prosperity led to the corruption of its inhabitants and with it came their decline. Courtesy and innocence gave way to ambition and aggression. One of the states that Atlantis tried to conquer was Athens but without success. This created the wrath and anger of the gods who condemned Atlantis to an exemplary punishment and extinction.

Plato recounts the final annihilation of Atlantis as follows, “…terrible earthquakes and cataclysms occurred, and during one day and one night of destruction all the people and the entire island of Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the ocean”…

Some possible locations

Of all the unresolved mysteries of today’s world Atlantis still remains an enigma that has troubled and mystified mankind for many generations. It has inspired scientists and artists together for thousands of years. Hundreds of poems and over 6,000 books and articles have been written around the mystery of its disappearance and location.

Plato placed it to the west of the “Columns of Hercules” or today’s Gibraltar Straits.
His student Aristotle believed that it is just a fantasy creation of Plato to his fellow citizens as a warning against the creation of naval powers.
Strabos believed that Atlantis was Troy.
In his book “New Atlantis”, English philosopher, Francis Bacon (1561-1626), believed that Plato’s Atlantis was the recent discovery of America.
Swedish philosopher, Olof Rudbeck in 1675 tried to prove that Sweden was Atlantis.
The Germas Athanase Kircher wrote that the Canary Islands are the remnants of Atlantis.
The French astronomer and member of the Academy, Jean Bailly thought Spitzberg was Atlantis.
Another French philosopher, Thomas Henri Martin, rejects the existence of the Atlantis, arguing that the morphology of Europe, Asia and Africa do not show any signs of a seismic eruption.
Alan Olford suggested that Atlantis was Antarctica

More possible locations

The first major breakthrough theory came from the American Ignatius Donnelly (1831-1901) who, after extensive studies, concluded that there are 13 possible points on the earth which are probable locations of Atlantis. His book “Atlantis: The Antediluvian World” a masterpiece that attracted global attention, transformed the curiosity of Atlantis, which was limited to just a few intellectual scholars, to worldwide interest and constantly increasing.

The famous visionary Edgar Cayce in 1939 while in a state of sleeping trance talked about the last days of a lost civilization that was located exactly where Plato placed it “between the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean”. It was the size of an enormous continent and was inhabited for thousands of years.

He continued that this continent had three terrible volcanic eruptions, the last one being some 10,000 years and ago and was the cause of its disappearance. He added that the first findings of Atlantis would be around 1968-1969 in Bimini of the Bahamas and indeed in 1968 Dr. Ribkof and Dr. Manson Valentine discovered an underwater rock formation that resembles a road or a runway to the north of Bimini.

Possible locations in Greece

Santorini – was also a hypothetical site of Atlantis as supported the professor of seismology A. Galanopoulos and the archaeologist Spiros Marinatos.

Digging at Amnissos of Crete to find the cause of the sudden disappearance of the Minoan civilization they discovered the findings of an ancient harbor.

The remnants of lava made it clear that the sinking was caused by a volcanic eruption. The only possible cause was that of Santorini.

Was the volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini the inspiration of Plato’s legend? Or was it another event such as the Trojan War, the failed invasion of Sicily in 415 BC, or even the destruction of Ellikis in 373 BC. Many scholars believe that it is just a fable to explain his political theories.

Pavlopetri -an ancient submerged city between the island of Elafonisos and Punta beach in the Laconia region of the Peloponnese. Some say that this city dating from the Bronze age may have been the inspiration for Plato.

To sum it up:

To date we are unable to solve the mystery of Atlantis despite the plethora of possible locations. If it does in fact exist, and is not just a figment of Plato’s imagination, is it likely to be somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean?

At the pace that science is advancing today, with more sophisticated technological means in place, Perhaps we are not too far away from solving the mystery of the Atlantis.

Some notable Artistic Inspirations:

Poems:

“L’Atlàntida” poem in Catalan by Jacint Verdaguer (1877)
“Atlantida” Olegario Victor Andrade (1881),

Books:

New Atlantis is an incomplete utopian novel by Sir Francis Bacon, published in 1627.

Atlantis-The-Lost-Empire

Milo’s Return

Painting and sculpture:

The last of Atlantis by Nicholas Roerich (1928)

“The fall of Atlantis”, Francois de Nome (17th century)

“Ancient Terror”, Leon Bakst (1908)

“The king of Atlantis”, Einar Jonsson (1912-1922)

“The man of Atlantis” Luk van Soom (2003)

“Hypothetical Continent” (Map of broken clear glass, Atlantis), Robert Smithson, (1969)

Music:

The Spanish composer Manuel de Falla worked on a dramatic cantata based on Verdaguer’s L’Atlántida, during the last 20 years of his life.^[132] The name has been affixed to symphonies by Janis Ivanovs (1941),^[133] Richard Nanes,^[134] and Vaclav Buzek (2009).^[135] There was also the symphonic celebration of Alan Hovhaness: “Fanfare for the New Atlantis” (Op. 281, 1975).^[136]
The Bohemian-American composer and arranger Vincent Frank Safranek wrote Atlantis (The Lost Continent) Suite in Four Parts; I. Nocturne and Morning Hymn of Praise, II. A Court Function, III. ″I Love Thee″ (The Prince and Aana), IV. The Destruction of Atlantis, for military (concert) band in 1913.^[137]
ATLANTIS sung by Donovan (Lyrics below)

The continent of Atlantis was an island
which lay before the great flood
in the area we now call the Atlantic Ocean.
So great an area of land, that from her western shores
those beautiful sailors journeyed
to the South and the North Americas with ease,
in their ships with painted sails.

To the East Africa was a neighbour, across a short strait of sea miles.
The great Egyptian age is but a remnant of the Atlantian culture.
The antediluvian kings colonised the world
All the Gods who play in the mythological dramas
In all legends from all lands were from fair Atlantis.

Knowing her fate, Atlantis sent out ships to all corners of the Earth.
On board were the Twelve:
The poet, the physician, the farmer, the scientist,
The magician and the other so-called Gods of our legends.
Though Gods they were –
And as the elders of our time choose to remain blind
Let us rejoice and let us sing and dance and ring in the new
Hail Atlantis!

Way down below the ocean where I want to be she may be,
Way down below the ocean where I want to be she may be,
Way down below the ocean where I want to be she may be.
Way down below the ocean where I want to be she may be,
Way down below the ocean where I want to be she may be.
My antediluvian baby, oh yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah,
I want to see you some day

My antediluvian baby, oh yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah,
My antediluvian baby,
My antediluvian baby, I love you, girl,
Girl, I want to see you some day.
My antediluvian baby, oh yeah
I want to see you some day, oh
My antediluvian baby.

My antediluvian baby, I want to see you
My antediluvian baby, gotta tell me where she gone
I want to see you some day
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, oh yeah
Oh glub glub, down down, yeah
My antediluvian baby, oh yeah yeah yeah yeah

Resources:

I wrote this article in 2000 while working for the Consulate of Greece in Grenoble, France. (I was the editor in chief of the bi-monthly bulletin L’ Echo de la Grece”). Since then I have revised it following the newest findings.
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