About the Atlantis Myth

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By Lesley Barker
eHow Contributing Writer

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Atlantis is the name of a mythical lost civilization, perhaps a continent, that disappeared in a sudden catastrophe in ancient history. No one knows where this land was and many legends and theories continue to be told about it. In fact, no one really knows whether there ever was such a civilization.

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Around 360 BC, the Greek philosopher Plato wrote about Atlantis in two of his works: "Critias" and "Timaeus." He described a continent that was inhabited by highly intelligent, gifted people. Overnight, according to Plato, the entire land mass fell into the ocean after a series of loud explosions.

History

The legends of Atlantis begin with the Greek gods. Poseidon, god of the sea, owned Atlantis. After he and his wife Cleito had five pairs of twin boys, Poseidon established a series of laws to govern the continent. However, when the people of Atlantis disregarded them, Zeus convened the gods on Mt. Olympus where they pronounced judgment against the land.

Significance

Atlantis was reputed to have been an incredibly wealthy military power with global ambitions. Its forces contained many elephants and domesticated horses. According to the Egyptian Solon, who told Plato about Atlantis, the Athenean Greek-led coalition army saved Egypt from being conquered by Atlantis. The army of Atlantis had been attacking lands in both Europe and Asia before it was turned back by the Greeks.

Geography

Nobody knows exactly where Atlantis was but Plato thought it was in the Atlantic Ocean west of the Rock of Gibraltar. Some researchers think that the Bermuda Triangle is the location of the original Atlantis. Legends about a lost civilization with names that are similar to Atlantis are native to an assortment of cultures including the Vikings, the Spanish, Africans, Aztecs and Native Americans.

Time Frame

There is historical evidence for large islands disappearing into the sea as Atlantis is reputed to have done. A city sank into the Bay of Naples in 1500 BC. The Island of Thira was destroyed by a volcano in 1470 BC, which ended the Minoan civilization. Other proposed causes for the disappearance of Atlantis include the biblical flood and a global ice age.

Considerations

Because the Mayan Indians of South America traditionally attempted to appease the spirits of the deep by throwing humans as sacrifices into a very deep well whenever there was a critical threat, some archeologists suspect that the Mayans are descendents of Atlantis. This theory was promoted by archeologist Edward Herbert Thompson in 1879. Other archeologists suspect that the large stone statues on Easter Island were constructed by the people of Atlantis.