Atlantis: Part Two: Inspired by Ancient Egypt?

Today we're going to look at the potential connections between Plato's Atlantis and the Ancient Egyptians.

The Temple of Edfu and the Edfu Building Texts

Located in the town of Edfu is the Temple of Horus, also known as the Temple of Edfu.  Dating to between 237 and 57BC, it is considered to be the best-preserved temple in Egypt and, inscribed upon its walls, are the Edfu Building Texts.  These texts mostly concern the history of the building of the temple.  However, they also 'hints at the existence of certain mythological events.'  While the Edfu Temple is by no means the oldest, the inscriptions show us beliefs which are believed to be much more ancient.

 The Temple of Edfu

According to Egyptologist E.A.E Reymond, '...there are enshrined fragments of the oldest conception of the origin of the earth...  In spite of the lack of other relevant documents, we are inclined to conclude that the Edfu accounts of the origin of the primaeval island, and of its function in the creation of the physical world of gods and men, disclose genuine thoughts and beliefs of a remote date.'   Here I will post an except summary of the events which are described on the walls of the temple of Edfu.  If you want to read the entire interpretation of the Edfu inscriptions, Ian Driscoll and Matthew Kurtz Atlantis: Egyptian Genesis is well worth a look.

The Sanctuary of the Temple of Edfu

     In the beginning, there was only water and nothing more.  There wasn't even darkness because there was no light to compare the darkness to... there was only the all, and the all simply was.
     Then, within the all, something stirred and the first company of gods, the Primeval Ones emerged.  These would be the gods of creation... formless, shapeless, incorporeal beings.  These gods were the Fathers and the Mothers who created the egg; they planted the seed of the earth within the waters of creation and the primeval ocean became mother to the first landmass, the foundation ground of all creation upon which the gods descended.

 Edfu temple relief by John Campana

     The Primeval Ones made the new landmass, an island, larger and made a mountain, a High Hill at the centre of the island and this was the centre of creation.  Here the Primeval Ones lived and were led by the god of Earth, known in the texts only as 'This One'.  The Earth god is accompanied by two protective beings.  This group of gods gather around a tall pillar made of reeds, at the edge of a reed pool,in the centre of the island hill which serves as the seat of the power of the gods.
     There is a break in the text then the light is gone and there is darkness.  The island lies beneath the water and its divine inhabitants are gone.  And there is only water.  Some terrible catastrophe has occurred - the island had been attacked by a great serpent and a storm which has descended upon the island soon after.  Unable to defend themselves, those divine beings were destroyed and the island has been almost totally submerged by frothing waters.

Fall of Atlantis by xx-Lethal-xx

Egyptian Genesis and Plato's Atlantis: A Comparison

So how does the Egyptian Genesis compare to Plato's Atlantis.  When both are read, side by side, it's difficult to argue that these two stories are strikingly similar and the themes of both stories are essentially the same.

In both texts there is an island was led by a god - the god of the Earth 'This One' in the Egyptian Genesis and Poseidon, god of the sea and 'The Earthshaker' in Plato's Atlantis.  In the Egyptian Genesis the land is new, a creation of the gods from the primeval waters, where in Plato's Atlantis the island is assigned to Poseidon after the gods  'distributed the whole earth into portions'.  It has been claimed that, 'In stating that the land had yet to be divided amongst the gods, Plato makes it clear that the reader is entering in upon a scene which must have taken place not long after the creation of the earth itself...'

 Relief of Geb, the Egyptian God of the Earth, and Horus

Plato's Criteas tells us that the holy temple of Poseidon was built on top of the mountain which lay at the centre of the island.  In the Egyptian Genesis the Primeval Ones had a reed pillar which marked the centre of the island and the god's seat of power.  This pillar bears similarities to the 'pillar of orichalcum, which was situated in the middle of the temple of Poseidon...' where the kings would take their sacrifice, the bull - it is, essentially, the god's seat of power.

In the Egyptian Genesis the 'Primeval Ones are several times equated with the Ogdoad of Hermopolis, a city of Upper Egypt sacred to the god Thoth.'  Hermopolis, meaning 'the city of Hermes' in Greek, was known as Khmunu, or the City of the Eight, in Egypt.  The Ogdoad were eight deities, four pairs of gods with each pair representing the four sources, or creative powers.  These 'twins'  could be considered our comparison with Poseidon's 'five pairs of twin male children'

Ogdoad depicted on relief at Dendera Temple, Egypt by Olaf Tausch

And, finally, we have the destruction, where the Atlantians were defeated by the Athenians, with the submergence of Atlantis occurring shortly after.

Atlantis, 'gathering its whole power together, attempted to enslave, at a single stroke, your country and ours and all the territory within the strait.  It was then, Solon, that the power and courage and strength of your city became clear for all men to see... she over came the invaders and celebrated a victory; she rescued those not yet enslaved from the slavery threatening them, and she generously freed all overs living within the Pillars of Heracules.  At a later time there were earthquakes and floods of extraordinary violence, and in a single dreadful day and night all your fighting men were swallowed up by the earth, and the island of Atlantis was similarly swallowed up by the sea and vanished; this is why the sea in that area is to this day impassable to navigation, which is hindered by mud just below the surface, the remains of the sunken island.' 

Destructions of Atlantis by Mishelangello

In the Egyptian Genesis were discover that  'the island came under attack from an enemy serpent' and  once the inhabitants had perished 'their dwellings [were] destroyed and their primordial home [was] almost entirely enveloped by the lashing water.'  It has been suggested that the serpent is one of the serpent gods of the  Ogdoad and can be loosely compared to Zeus in Plato's Atlantis.

So, in comparing the legend of Atlantis with the mythology of Edfu we have unmistakably similar themes - the creation of the central hill or mountain, the ruling divine twins, the central pillar, the temple of the god and the destruction of the island and its inhabitants through battle and an inundation of violent waters.

 The Fall of Atlantis by Gaius31duke

Plato's Atlantis can be dated to around 9,600 BC and it is believed the Edfu Building Texts are 'the oldest conception of the origin of the earth'.  Egypt's temple records were believed to date back 10,000 years, with Herodotus stating that 'from the first king of Egypt to the last, there had elapsed 11,340 years' and Manetho, writing n 250 BC, stating that Egypt's history 'goes back at least 24,900.'  This means that the Edfu inscription could easily be old enough to account for the dating of Atlantis.   This presents a plausible case for the Edfu Temple inscriptions providing an inspiration in the legend of Plato's Atlantis. 

Heredotus' Account of Egypt and Atlantis

Interestingly, when looking for accounts similar to those of Atlantis, Heredotus, in An Account of Egypt, written in around 440 BC, tells us of an Egyptian dynasty which is not only strikingly similar to the inhabitants of Atlantis but also gives us a firmer theory for Ancient Egypt providing the inspiration for the Plato's legend of Atlantis.

statue of the Egyptian god Ptah in the Turin Museum, Italy

'Being set free after the reign of the priest of Hephaistos (Ptah in Egypt), the Egyptians, since they could not live any time without a king, set up over them twelve kings, having divided all Egypt into twelve parts. These made intermarriages with one another and reigned, making agreement that they would not put down one another by force, nor seek to get an advantage over one another, but would live in perfect friendship: and the reason why they made these agreements, guarding them very strongly from violation, was this, namely that an oracle had been given to them at first when they began to exercise their rule, that he of them who should pour a libation with a bronze cup in the temple of Hephaistos, should be king of all Egypt (for they used to assemble together in all the temples).'


In comparing this except with Plato's Critias, we can see what similarities there are between this Egyptian dynasty and Plato's Atlantis:

'He [Poseidon] also begat and brought up five pairs of twin male children; and dividing the island of Atlantis into ten portions, he gave to the first-born of the eldest pair his mother's dwelling and the surrounding allotment, which was the largest and best, and made him king over the rest; the others he made princes, and gave them rule over many men, and a large territory... Each of the ten kings in his own division and in his own city had the absolute control of the citizens, and, in most cases, of the laws, punishing and slaying whomsoever he would. Now the order of precedence among them and their mutual relations were regulated by the commands of Poseidon which the law had handed down. These were inscribed by the first kings on a pillar of orichalcum, which was situated in the middle of the island, at the temple of Poseidon,.. Now on the pillar, besides the laws, there was inscribed an oath invoking mighty curses on the disobedient.'

Inside Poseidon's Temple by MercuriusTJ

During their meetings at the temple, the Plato's kings would take part in religious rituals, 'including pouring libations for the god and sharing a sacred cup':

'...whither the kings were gathered together every fifth and every sixth year alternately, thus giving equal honour to the odd and to the even number. And when they were gathered together they consulted about their common interests, and enquired if any one had transgressed in anything and passed judgement...Then they drew from the bowl in golden cups and pouring a libation on the fire, they swore that they would judge according to the laws on the pillar, and would punish him who in any point had already transgressed them, and that for the future they would not, if they could help, offend against the writing on the pillar, and would neither command others, nor obey any ruler who commanded them, to act otherwise than according to the laws of their father Poseidon.'

Hephaestus by annewipf

While it's easy to see the similarities between the Egyptian dynasty mentioned in the except with the Atlantians, it's also important to know how old this Egyptian dynasty was.  Our first clue is presented when we are told that the Egyptians have been 'set free after the reign of the priest of Hephaistos'. 
The 3rd century BC historian Mantheo, in his History of Egypt, tells us that Hephaistos, or Hephaestus was the 'first man (or god) in Egypt... who is also renowned among the Egyptians as the discoverer of fire.'  We are also told that, '...the god Hephaestus, was king for 9000 years.'  Now Hephaestus is actually the Greek name for the Egyptian Ptah, whose rule is said to have begun in around 18,420 BC and his rule could have ended in around 9,420 BC.  The date is awfully close to the date of Atlantis, making it more plausible that this dynasty, whether real or imagined, may have provided Plato with additional inspiration for his legend of Atlantis.

That's it for today.  Tomorrow we will take a look at some of these theories in which historical disasters can account for the destruction of Atlantis.  Until next time.

 Atlantis by UnidColor

Useful Resources

Atlantis: Egyptian Genesis by Ian Driscoll and Matthew Kurtz
Herodotus' Histories: Book 2
Plato's Timaeus
Plato's Critias
Manetho
Mythical Origin of the Egyptian Temple by E.A.E. Reymond

http://www.crystalinks.com/turincanon.html
http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/ogdoad.html
http://www.halexandria.org/dward204.htm

Atlantis: Part Three: The Thera Theory

 Minoan Town Fresco, Akrotiri, Thera.

While some believe that Plato's Atlantis was inspired by ancient mythology, others contend that it is in fact based on a real, historical civilization which was destroyed by some kind of natural disaster.  Today we will look at the Thera volcano theory which presents Crete or the Island of Thera as the potential Atlantis and the Minoan civilization as potential Atlantians.

The Minoan Civilization and the Thera Volcano

The Minoans flourished on Crete, the largest Greek island, from around 2000BC to 1500BC.  Their settlements, cemeteries and tombs have been found throughout the island.

 Minoan Blue Monkey Fresco, Akrotiri, Thera

They were sophisitcated civilization, with evidence of hieroglyphic and Linear A scripts, art, a range of pottery and hand-turned ceramics, decorated with depictions of flowers, plants and sea life.  Within the palaces were spectacular frescoes from wall to floor revealing the peoples love of nature as well as giving us an idea of their religious, funeral and communal practices.  Their craftsmanship with stone, ivory, faience and metal was excellent, with examples including minutely carved rings and seals made of gold, delicate ivory sculptures and beautiful jars of alabaster.

Minoan Gold Seal, Crete, Greece

The Minoans influence over both Egypt and the Near East, making their contact with the people throughout the Aegean, evident and being due to their sea-faring abilities.  Later trade in pottery and consumables like wine and oil for precious materials like ivory.

 Minoan Knossos Palace Reconstruction Knossos, Crete, Greece

Minoan inhabitation of Crete can be dated by looking at four complex palace structure sites which were discovered in Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and Zakros.  Each structure is two or three stories high and covered several thousand square metres.  It has been suggested that these structures acted as centres for trade, religion, administration and politics.  The buildings can be dated to two periods - 2,000BC and, following earthquakes and fires, 1,700BC.  Their final destruction, which was caused by an earthqyake, fire or possible invasion, dates to between 1,500 and 1,450BC.  While the lack of fortification suggests a reasonably peaceful existence between communities, the presence of swords, daggers, armour and other objects used in times of war might suggest that peace was not a constant within Minoan society.

  Archaeological Site Of Knossos. Minoan Palace. Crete. by Fernando Barozza

Sometime between 1630 and 1500 BC the Thera volcano erupted.  The eruption has been compared to 40 atomic bombs and is believed to be the second largest volcanic eruption in human history. 
Earthquakes preceeding the eruption itself would have plagued the Minoan people, then ash would have plunged large areas of the Mediterranean, followed by the collapse of the island of Thera into the sea.  'Pre-eruption Thera was a large island dominated by water-filled embayment to the south and a central highland to the north.  During the Thera eruption, the central highland collapsed to form the full extent of the present-day caldera and the three islands of the Santorini archipelago.'

Thera -Before and After the Eruption

The collapse of the island of Thera caused a tsunami which would have destroyed coastal ports and settlements in the surrounding region.  'A two-hundred-foot-tall wall of water swept over Crete and wreaked havoc.., which accompanying earthquakes badly damaged the inland captial, Knossos.' 
Scientists have suggested that the eruption of Thera may be connected to the decline of the Minoan people of nearby Crete.  However, the destruction of the Minoan people has been controversial and is often disputed.

The reason for this dispute is the dating of the Thera eruption which was originally believed to have taken place in 1450BC, around the same time as the downfall of the Minoans.  However, more recent findings placed the eruption between 1627 and 1600BC meaning '...it is unlikely that either eruptive fallout or the associated tsunami played a direct, decisive role in the fall of the Minoan civilization on Crete.'  However, Despite this being the popular opinion, 'this massive explove eruption on Santorini does not seem to have been recorded, either by the Cretan Minoans or the ancient Egyptians...' and some argue that the eruption played a significant role in the downfall of the Minoans.

 Akrotiri Remains on Thera

The fate of the Minoan people who inhabited the island of Thera is also fiercely disputed.  These are those who believe: 'It is likely that the inhabitants had sufficient warning to evacuate the island before the Minoan eruption, since the excavations ... have not uncovered any human skeletons'  And there are those that believe the Minoans never left the island. 'Akrotiri's chief archaeologist, Christos Doumas, believes the people of Akrotiri didn't survive, and that the bodies are still to be uncovered, huddled at the harbour where they were trapped by the eruption as they waited to escape. He believes it's highly unlikely that scores of boats were waiting in the harbour to save them.'

The Minoan World in Comparison with Atlantis

The lost world of the Minoans has intrigued humanity for thousands of years and many historians have suggested that, 'The whole description of Atlantis... has features so thoroughly Minoan...' that Plato must have used them as a basis for his Atlantis.  With vast and elaborate palaces, the first paved roads in Europe and running water, Minoan civilization has been described as 'very structured, heirarchical and rather complex'.  Comparison can be drawn between 'the great harbour, shipping, elaborate bathrooms, stadium and the bull sacrifice which can all be found in Minoan archaeology.'

The Ship Procession or the Flotilla frieze at Acroteri, Thera

This theory first arose in 1909 with K.T. Frost, a professor of history.  While the theory was dismissed by academics because of both the timing and the location, it was revived by archeologist Professor Marinatos in the 1930s, after the discovery of substantial Minoan ruins and pumice stone in Amnistos in Crete, as well as evidence of a tsunami.  In 1950, he expanded on this theory, having excavated a Minoan era town near Akrotiri on Thera.  However, the question of the date and location still plagued the theory.

In the 1960s, the seismologist A.G. Galanopoulos claimed that he could make Plato's Atlantis fit Minoan Crete with the suggestion that Plato had overestimated the age of the eruption tenfold, meaning that Atlantis should be dated to around the 1st millennium BC.  Professor Archibald Ray commented, 'Professor Galanopoulos... suggested that an additional zero had been added in translation to all large numbers.  Consequently, the date would be more like nine hundred years before Solon's visit to Egypt.  If so, we apply the same logic to population and island size, produce a more acceptable description more in accordance with Minoan Crete and its destruction by the explosive eruption of Thera.'  Galanopoulos also suggested that Plato's 'Pillars of Hercules' referred to 'two promontories (a promontory is a raised mass of land declined abruptly from only one side) on the south coast of Greece,' and that the island of Thera was the centre of Minoan life, with the islands slopes being adorned with temples and palaces which were then buried during Thera's eruption.

 An artistic recreation of the “Queen’s Apartments.” Knossos

'From the island you could easily pass to other islands, and from them to the entire continent which surrounds the interior sea.  What there is on this side of the strait of which we are speaking resembles a vast gateway... and the land which surround it is a real continent.' 

Those that support the Thera theory point to Plato's description of the surrounding area, stating, '... Atlantis was a large island... there were other islands near Atlantis and these were in an interor sea near to a continent.  These geographical data apply perfectly to Crete and the Aegean Sea. '
Supporters of the theory also tell us, 'Even the concentric arrangement of the Atlantean captial, as described by Plato, may to this day be seen in the waters of Santorini Bay.'

 Aerial View of Thera Caldera

In Plato's Critias we are told, 'The stone which was used in the work they quarried from underneath the centre island, and from underneath the zones, on the outer as well as the inner side.  One kind was white, another black, and a third red...'  Santorini is one of the few places in the world which has beaches of white, black and red sand, which supporters of the theory claim reinforces the claim that Atlantis is based on the rise and fall of Minoan civilization.

Supporters also claim that further description of Atlantis within Plato's Criteas gives credence to the theory, being 'an accurate description of Crete and Knossos...' 

Plato writes: '...a plain located near the sea opening in the central part of the island and the most fertile plains; about it a circle of mountains stretching to the sea, a circle open at the center and protecting the plain from the icy blasts of the north; in these superb mountains, numerous villages, rich and populous; in the plain, a magnificent city, the palaces and temples of which are constructed from stones of three colors -white, black, and red - drawn from the very bosom of the island; here and there mines yielding all the minerals useful to man; finally the shores of the island eat perpendieularly and commanding from above the tumultuous sea.'  

 Aerial View of Knossos Palace Site

Plato also tells us that the kings of Atlantis 'had under their dominion the entire island as well as several other islands and some parts of the continent.  Besides on the hither side of the strait they were still reigning over Libya as far as Egypt and over Europe as far as the Tyrrhenian.'  So Atlantis was a kingdom of power and supporters believe that this can be applied to Minoan Crete.  'Crete may easily have ruled over many islands of the Aegean, it may well have riled over the Peloponnesus at the time of Mycenae and Tiryns, it may well have ruled over the North African coast of Cyrenaica.'

While the theory that Thera's eruption being the inspiration for Plato's is the most accepted by archeologists, it is not without its critics, who believe there are simply too many details which don't match up to Plato's description of Atlantis.

'The problem with this apparently neat soloution to the Atlantis mystery is that the culture and history of Minoan Crete is a very poor match for Atlantis.'

Minoan Bronze Axe Messara Plain, Crete, Greece

The island of Thera is believed to have only provided a small outpost colony for the Minoans.  It was not their city of the Minoans, unlike in Atlantis.  The Minoans never attempted ' to occupy Italy or Libya, nor did they threaten to invade Egypt, as the Atlantians were supposed to have done.'  The Minoans are believed to have been mostly peaceful, being more interested in trade than they were in waging war, while Plato portrays Atlantians as aggressive, with war acting as a central theme in Critias.

While supporters state that the presence of concentric circles 'may to this day be seen in the waters of Santorini Bay,' Dorothy B. Vitaliano, a geologist who specialises in volcanology, reported that these concentric arrangements were 'not in existence before the Bronze Age eruption of the volcano; it has been created by subsequent activity which built up the Kameni Islands in the middle of the bay, to which a substantial amount of land was added as recently as 1926.  Any traces of the precollapse topography would long since have been buried beneath the pile of lave whose highest portions emerge to form these lands.'

When looking at Plato's writings, we are told:  'The entire circuit of the wall, which went round the outermost zone, they covered with a coating of brass, and the circuit of the next wall they coated in tin, and the third, which encompoassed the citadel, flashed with the red light of orichalcum... All the outside of the temple... they covered with silver, and the pinnacles with gold... the roof was... curiously wrought everywhere with gold and silver and orichalcum, and all the other parts, the walls and pillars and floor, they coated with orichalcum.'

There is no evidence on either Crete or Thera of walls plated in metal and Plato's description has been said to sound 'like a Bronze Age Phoenician temple' with the statues of Poseidon, the kings and queens being 'more reminiscent of Egyptian or Classical Greek... or even Etruscan.'  The Minoans had no inscribed pillars and they had no sculptures to match Plato's colossal statues.

Poseidon Statue

Another difference lies in the religious worship of their deities.  Plato tells us: 'Here was Poseidon's own temple which was a stadium in length, and half a stadium in width, and of a proportionate height, having a strange barbaric appearance.'  Here the kings would come every fifth or sixth year to offer sacrifice to their god.  However, the Minoans worshipped their deities in sacred caves and hilltop sanctuaries.  The Atlantians worshipped Poseidon, god of the sea, where the Minoans had a variety of deities including the Earth Mother, Goddess of the Hunt and the God of Beasts.

Earth Mother by RavenMaddArtwork

There is no evidence of the immense and complex canals or irrigation systems which are described by Plato.  Nor is there a possibility for Plato's deepwater ports, 'because the main channel would have been fould by the ebb and flow of the tides that do occur 'beyond the Pillars of Heracles.''

 Pillars of Hercules

Plato writes that 'there were a great number of elephants in the island...'  but elephants were not known to the Minoans.  Nor is there any evidence that the Minoans suffered a military defeat by a weaker, poorer, less technologically advanced civilization as was the case in the relating of Atlantis.

And, while Crete was hit by a tsunami following the eruption of Thera, 'few significant Minoan towns or cities were on that shoreline.  Of those that were, most were built well back from the sea or on high bluffs - perhaps to avoid the threat of tsunamis.'  The ash of the Thera volcano has been theorized to have devastated Minoan crops, but in actuality 'the ash dumped on Crete was only a few centimeters deep - and only on the eastern end of the island.'

Minoan Miniature Frieze Admirals Flotilla Fresco Late Bronze Age (LBA), Late Minoan I Period The West House, Room 5, South Wall Akrotiri, Santorini (Thera), Greece.

It's also important to remember that Plato dated Atlantis to around 9,600BC.  Those that object to the theory of Thera  and Crete being the basis of Atlantis think it 'unlikely that the age of the inundation could be overestimated by tenfold.  Without this 'convenient' overestimation of times and sizes, Marinatos's theory does not have much merit.'

Despite the many differences between the Minoan civilization and Atlantis and the many differences in opinion, the Thera theory remains the most accepted theory by archeologists.

What do you think?

There are many other theories on Atlantis.  Many propose that the location of the lost city might be found somewhere in the Mediterranean - with islands, apart from Thera and Sanotrini, such as Cyprus, Malta and Sardinia having been suggested.  There are those that claim that the true site of Atlantis might be found in Antarctica, Indonesia or the Caribbean.  There are the theories that present the Black Sea as a plausible place for the inspiration of the legend and others which believe the submerged island of Spartel near the Straits of Gibraltar is a plausible location.  Despite the many theories and the many people which are for or against, the city of Atlantis remains lost and may never be discovered.

That's it for today. Until next time.

Roots of Cacaclysm: Geopulsation and the Atlantis Supervolcano in History by Richard Welch
Sunken Realms: A Survey pf Underwater Ruins from Around the World by Karen Mutton
Atlantis or Minoan Crete by Edwin Swift Balch
Island Colonization: The Origin and Development of Island Communities by Ian Thornton and Tim New
The Destruction of Atlantis: Compelling Evidence of the Sudden Fall of the Legendary Civilization by Frank Joseph
The Lost Empire of Atlantis: History's Greatest Mystery Revealed by Gavin Menzies



BBC - The Fall of the Minoan Civilisation by Jessica Cecil
BBC Article  - Thera Eruption Was Bigger Still
Ancient History Encyclopedia - Minoan Civilization
American Scientist: The Minoan Eruption by Svend Rasmussen

Atlantis - Part One: Plato's Lost City

The Lost City of Atlantis 

The legend of Atlantis has gripped the imagination of humanity since the time of the ancients.  It has sparked many debates amongst historians and scholars and has inspired endless searches to either prove of disprove the fact behind the legend.  Here we will look at the Plato's story of Atlantis and it's age.

The legend of Atlantis in its known form originates from two writings of Plato - Timaeus and Critias, written in around 360 BC.  Here I will tell you the story of Atlantis, using quotes from these two documents.  For full excepts from Timaeus and Critias follow the links.

 Atlantis

The legend of Atlantis, which Solon learns from an Egyptian priest during a visit to the land of the Nile, starts with a description of how the island was created by the gods, who divided the earth between them, each taking a piece to rule.  Poseidon was given rule of Atlantis, which he found to have three inhabitants: Evenor, his wife Leucippe, and their daughter, Cleito.  When Cleito's parents died, Poseidon took her as his wife and inclosed the hill in which she dwelt all round, making alternated zones of sea and land larger and smaller, encircling one another; there were two of land and three of water, which he turned as with a lathe, each having its circumference equidistant every way from the centre, so that no man could get to the island...

 Atlantis by fednan

Poseidon made the island one with paradisiacal qualities:   

He himself, being a god, found no difficulty in making special arrangements for the centre island, bringing up two springs of water from beneath the earth, one of warm water and the other of cold, and making every variety of food to spring up abundantly from the soil... 
     There was an abundance of wood for carpenter's work, and sufficient maintenance for tame and wild animals. Moreover, there were a great number of elephants in the island; for as there was provision for all other sorts of animals, both for those which live in lakes and marshes and rivers, and also for those which live in mountains and on plains, so there was for the animal which is the largest and most voracious of all. Also whatever fragrant things there now are in the earth, whether roots, or herbage, or woods, or essences which distil from fruit and flower, grew and thrived in that land; also the fruit which admits of cultivation, both the dry sort, which is given us for nourishment and any other which we use for food-we call them all by the common name pulse, and the fruits having a hard rind, affording drinks and meats and ointments, and good store of chestnuts and the like, which furnish pleasure and amusement, and are fruits which spoil with keeping, and the pleasant kinds of dessert, with which we console ourselves after dinner, when we are tired of eating-all these that sacred island which then beheld the light of the sun, brought forth fair and wondrous and in infinite abundance...

Atlantis by Piratentunte

Life on the island of Atlantis thrived, with the kings who descended from Poseidon and Cleito's union building houses, palaces and the temple of Poseidon where the people could worship the god who gave them this wonderful paradise and to conduct the ritual sacrifice of a great bull which was to absolve them of any wrongs they may have committed .  Poseidon's laws and commands on the ruling of Atlantis were inscribed by the first kings on a pillar of orichalcum, which was situated in the middle of the island, at the temple of Poseidon, whither the kings were gathered together every fifth and every sixth year alternately, thus giving equal honour to the odd and to the even number  

Every fifth or sixth year the kings would bring a sacrifice for Poseidon - a great bull whose throat was slit so that the blood fell upon the sacred inscription. Now on the pillar, besides the laws, there was inscribed an oath invoking mighty curses on the disobedient. When therefore, after slaying the bull in the accustomed manner, they had burnt its limbs, they filled a bowl of wine and cast in a clot of blood for each of them; the rest of the victim they put in the fire, after having purified the column all round. Then they drew from the bowl in golden cups and pouring a libation on the fire, they swore that they would judge according to the laws on the pillar, and would punish him who in any point had already transgressed them, and that for the future they would not, if they could help, offend against the writing on the pillar, and would neither command others, nor obey any ruler who commanded them, to act otherwise than according to the laws of their father Poseidon.

Lost City of Atlantis

Life on Atlantis was simple, virtuous and peaceful.  For generations the divine nature lasted in them, they were obedient to the laws, and well-affectioned towards the god, whose seed they were; for they possessed true and in every way great spirits, uniting gentleness with wisdom in the various chances of life, and in their intercourse with one another. They despised everything but virtue, caring little for their present state of life, and thinking lightly of the possession of gold and other property, which seemed only a burden to them; neither were they intoxicated by luxury; nor did wealth deprive them of their self-control; but they were sober, and saw clearly that all these goods are increased by virtue and friendship with one another, whereas by too great regard and respect for them, they are lost and friendship with them.  

But in time this began to change.  The people became greedy and indulgent, and when the divine portion began to fade away, and became diluted too often and too much with the mortal admixture, and the human nature got the upper hand, Zeus decided that they should be punished.  The desruction of Atlantis came when there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea.

And that was the end of Atlantis.  But where does this story actually come from and c?  I best place to discover the roots of the legend of Atlantis is probably Egypt, where the priest first told Solon of this story.

 An artist's conception shows the city of Atlantis as it has been envisioned in legend.

National Geographic 

Dating Atlantis
To help us discover where the tale of Atlatis originates, as well as enable us to identify any credible theories for the site of Atlantis, we must first try to discover an approximate date for the age of Atlantis.  According to Plato, in Timaeus, the priest tells Solon ''The age of our institutions is given in our sacred records as eight thousand years, and the citizens whose laws andwhose finest achievements I will now briefly describe to you therefore lived nine thousand years ago…”  

So, before we can date the lives of the citizens of Atlantis, we must first date Solon's visit to Egypt.  According to Herodotus, in Book I of his Histories (450s BC), Solon, having left his native country for this reason and for the sake of seeing various lands, came to Amasis in Egypt..  This means that Solon probabheard the legend of Atlantis in around 570BC.  Therefore we can, if we take this account as gospel, date Atlantis to around 9600BC.

 The Lost City

However, if we use information from Plato, who states, 'Let me begin by observing first of all, that nine thousand was the sum of years which had elapsed since the war which was said to have taken place between those who dwelt outside the Pillars of Heracles and all who dwelt within them...,' Atlantis would be generations older. 

And, to make matters even more complicated, we must also take into account that the time-keeping of the ancients can be somewhat skewed, as shown in the Royal Canon of Turin or the Turin List.  This fragmented papyrus is believed to date back to the reign of Ramesses II (1303-1213 BC) and is an extensive record of kings compiled by the Egyptians.  The reign of a king, according to this list, could be anywhere between 300 and 7,000 years in length.  Therefore, any date we might give to Atlantis is assuming that the dating we've been given by Plato is correct in either the first or second instance.

That's it for today.  Tomorrow we'll look for the possible inspirations and origins of the Atlantis from Egypt.  Until next time.


Useful Resources
Plato's Timaeus
Plato's Critias
Herodotus - Histories Book I
Atlantis: Egyptian Genesis by Ian Driscoll & Matthew Kurtz

Lost Places of Legend

There are a wealth of tales about fabulous places - cities built entirely of gold, gardens which can only compare with paradise, castles of mythical kings, islands inhabited by advanced civilisations, and whole continents - which have disappeared from living memory.  Yet these places live on in, immortalised in mythology and legend, some of which we'll explore here.     

El Dorado - A City Paved With Gold

Above the Earth by Cameron Davidson

Eldorado by Edgar Allan Poe

Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a son,
In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old -
This knight so bold -
And o'er his heart a shadow -
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow -
'Shadow,' said he,
'Where can it be -
This land of Eldorado?'

'Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,'
The shade replied, -
'If you seek for Eldorado!'

Man's lust for gold spans the centuries and the discovery of gold only increased the insatiable desire to have more of it.  This lust for wealth gave rise to one of the most enduring legends in memory.  That of the fabled lost city of Eldorado, where the very streets are paved in gold.  Throughout the 16th and 17th century numerous explorers have gone in search of this gilded city, wasting money and lives in the process, yet none have found it.  And for good reason.

City of Gold by Karen H

The legend of Eldorado or El Dorado, meaning 'the gilded one' or 'the gilded man' in Spanish, can be traced back to the 1530s when the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jimenex de Quesade discovered the Muisca tribe.  And here he met the Gilded Man.  Quezada returned with this fabulous story  and, in 1541, Francisco Orellana and Gongzalo Pizarro left Quito to find El Dorado.  Only they didn't find a city paved with gold.  Instead, they documented the following ceremony:

    The ceremony took place on the appointment of a new ruler. Before taking office, he spent some time secluded in a cave, without women, forbidden to eat salt and chill pepper, or to go out during daylight. The first journey he had to make was to go to the great lagoon of Guatavita, to make offerings and sacrifices to the demon which they worshipped as their god and lord. During the ceremony which took place at the lagoon, they made a raft of rushes, embellishing and decorating it with the most attractive things they had. They put on it four lighted braziers in which they burned much moque, which is the incense of these natives, and also resin and many other perfumes. The lagoon was large and deep, so that a ship with high sides could sail on it, all loaded with an infinity of men and women dressed in fine plumes, golden plaques and crowns... As soon as those on the raft began to burn incense, they also lit braziers on the shore, so that the smoke hid the light of day.

El Dorado, The Golden Man

    At this time they stripped the heir to his skin, and anointed him with a sticky earth on which they placed gold dust so that he was completely covered with this metal. They placed him on the raft ... and at his feet they placed a great heap of gold and emeralds for him to offer to his god. In the raft with him went four principal subject chiefs, decked in plumes, crowns, bracelets, pendants and ear rings all of gold. They, too, were naked, and each one carried his offering.... when the raft reached the center of the lagoon, they raised a banner as a signal for silence. The gilded Indian then... [threw] out all the pile of gold into the middle of the lake, and the chiefs who had accompanied him did the same on their own accounts. ... After this they lowered the flag, which had remained up during the whole time of offering, and, as the raft moved towards the shore, the shouting began again, with pipes, flutes, and large teams of singers and dancers. With this ceremony the new ruler was received, and was recognized as lord and king.

The Golden Man

With every telling the story grew and grew until the ceremony transformed and the Gilded One became the Gilded King of a city where everything was built of gold.  A city so rich that that King could wear the the dust of gold, seeing all other ornaments or fine clothing as vulgar.  And so the legend of the lost City of Eldorado was born. 

He went about all covered with powdered gold as casually as if it were powdered salt.  For it seemed to him that to wear any other finery was less beautiful, and that to put on ornaments or arms made of gold worked by hammering, stamping, or by other means was a vulgar and common thing.

However, the location of this mythical land shifted from place to place and, no matter where the explorers and gold hunters searched, it always seemed to be out of reach.  Attempts to drain Lake Guatavita, which was believed to be the same as that used during the ceremony, occurred twice in the 16th century and twice again in the 1800s.  However, all attempts were fruitless.  And to this day the endless riches of El Dorado remain a legend.

 El-Dorado by golpeart

If you would like to know more about the legend of El Dorado and the origins of that legend, take a look at some of the following sources:

Conquistadors: Searching for El Dorado, the terrifying Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires by John Pemberton
Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado by Marc Aronson
Eldorado! The Archaeology of Gold Mining in the Far North edited by Catherine Holder Spude, Robin O. Mills, Karl Gurcke, and Roderick Sprague
Travel Amazing South America
Ancient History Encyclopedia
National Geographic - El Dorado Legend
NewMyths.com



The Castle of Camelot

Camelot is the famous legendary castle of the medieval stories of King Arthur.  It is said that it was where Arthur held his court, where he sat with his Knights of the Round Table, where the quest for the Holy Grail first began.  Camelot  has come to symbolise the very centre of the world of King Arthur.

Idylls of the King by Gustave Dore 1868

Upon a certain Ascension Day King Arthur had come from Caerleon, and had held a very magnificent court at Camelot as was fitting on such a day.
                                                                                                        Chrétien de Troyes

This is the first mention of the mythical city of Camelot and comes from Chrétien de Troyes Lancelot or 'Knight of the Cart', written between 1170 and 1185.  From this one sentence, an entire legend was created.  The famous Camelot castle, where legend states King Arthur held his court, is regarded by most scholars as being entirely fictional.  However, arguments for the 'real Camelot' have been ongoing since the 15th century.  And one has to wonder how such a small mention of Camelot turned into a full blown legend.

The answer: Embellishment, embellishment and more embellishment!

Cadbury Castle, Somerset

 The next time we hear of Camelot, it is within the literature of Thomas Malory, first published in 1485.  Here he mentions 'a castle called Camelot' where 'the king would let make a council-general and a great jousts.'  In the same literature it becomes 'the city of Camelot' and before long it has a location: 'the City of Camelot, that is in English Winchester.'  And before you know it, Camelot becomes more than a city and turns into 'the land of Camelot,...'  Despite the many mentions of this legendary place within Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur, there's not a single detailed description of Camelot.

 The Court of King Arthur

Within the minds of those that have searched for this legendary place, the image of Camelot is drawn from Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniae, written in around 1136 Historia Regum Britanniae, where he writes:

...the City of Legions (Caerleon) as a proper place for his purpose.  For besides its great wealth above the other cities, its situation.... was most pleasant...  For on one side it was washed by that noble river, so that the kings and prince from the countries beyond the seas might have the convenience of sailing up to it.  On the other side, the beauty of the meadows and groves, and magnificence of the royal palaces with lofty gilded roofs that adorned it, made it even rival the grandeur of Rome.  It was also famous for two churches, whereof one was build in honour of the martyr Julius, and adorned with a choir of virgins... but the other.... was the third metropolitan church of Britain.  Besides, there was a college of two hundred philosophers....  In this place, therefore, which afforded such delights,  were preparations made for the ensuing festival.

 Feasting at King Arthur's Court

Through embellishment and the combining of different stories Camelot has become a most enduring legendary place which, despite countless searches and many, many theories of the possible locations  - Camboglanna, Cadbury Castle and Winchester to name a few -, has not and may never be found.

If you're interest in finding out about the possible locations of Camelot and the legends of King Arthur, it's worth looking at some of the following sources:

The Official Graham Phillips Website
Castles and Palaces of the World
Revealing King Arthur: Swords, Stones and Digging for Camelot by Christopher Gidlow 
Finding King Arthur by Adam Ardrey
Arthur and the Lost Kingdoms by Alistar Moffat

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Babylon is the most famous city of ancient Mesopotamia, whose ruins lie in modern Iraq and owes its fame to the many references contained within the Bible.  While we know without doubt that Babylon existed, the same cannot be said about it's hanging gardens.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon have been described as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and is believed to have been built on the banks of the river Euphrates in around 600BC.  However, it is the only Wonder which is yet to be located, if it existed at all.  With contradictory documentation and no remaining evidence of these gardens to be seen, some would say that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are nothing but myth and imagination.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were first described in the 3rd century BC by Berossus.  Unfortunately the original account no longer exists.  However, his description of the gardens was copied by later historians, including Flavius Josephus, in his books Contra Apionem or Against Apion, and Antiquities of the Jews.  The following quote it taken from the Contra Apionem:

 The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

In this palace he (Nebuchadnezzar II) erected very high walks, supported by stone pillars; and by planting what was called a pensile paradise, and replenishing it with all sorts of trees, he rendered the prospect an exact resemblance of a mountain country.  This he did to gratify his queen, because she had been brought up in Media, and was fond of a mountainous situation.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens are mentioned again in the 23 volume Persica by Ctesis of Cnidus in around 400 BC.  Again, this literature no longer exists, but was copied in detail by Diodorus Siculus in Book II of Bibbiotheca historica (Historical Library), a quote of which follows:

Beside the citadel was the building known as the Hanging Garden. This wooded enclosure was square in shape with sides four hundred feet long, and sloped like a hillside with terrace built on terrace as they are in a theater. During the building of the terraces galleries were built underneath them which carried the entire weight of the gardens, each rising a little above the one before it on the ascent. The uppermost gallery, which was 75 feet high, supported the highest level of the garden, and this was the same height as the battlements of the city-wall. The walls of this structure, which cost a fortune to build, were 22 feet thick, and were separated by passages 10 feet wide. The galleries were roofed with stone beams 16 feet long and 4 feet wide. Above these beams there was first a layer of reeds set in great quantities of bitumen, then two courses of baked brick bounded with cement, and then a covering of lead so that moisture from the soil would not be able to sink through. On this was piled earth, deep enough to contain the roots of the largest trees, and when it was leveled over, the garden was planted with all sorts of trees which would appeal to those who saw them either by their great size or by the beauty of their appearance. Because of their arrangement the galleries were all open to the light, and contained royal apartments of all kinds. One gallery had shafts leading from the highest level and machinery for raising water in great quantities from the river and supplying it to the gardens. This machinery was entirely enclosed, and so could not be seen from the outside. 

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon by LarsRune

And then, in around 310-301 BC, Clitarchus, in his History of Alexander which only today survives in fragments, gave the following account of the Gardens, which was later reproduced by Quintus Curtius Rufus in 31-41 AD:

The Babylonians also have a citadel 3,7 kilometers in circumference. The foundations of its turrets are sunk ten meters into the ground and the fortifications rise 24 meters above it at the highest point. On its summit are the hanging gardens, a wonder celebrated by the fables of the Greeks. They are as high as the top of the walls and owe their charm to the shade of many trees. The columns supporting the whole edifice are built of rock, and on top of them is a flat surface of squared stones strong enough to bear the deep layer of earth placed upon it and the water used for irrigating it.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon by Feather802

While it's impossible to say with absolute certainty that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon did once exist, the above accounts along with many others make it very difficult to say that they are pure imagination.  However, there is not a single mention of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in the Babylon cuneiform records, and this makes scholars question its very existence.  While many will conclude that the Hanging Gardens once existed, physical evidence remains elusive, with many believed that they were destroyed by several earthquakes in around 226BC, making them the stuff of legend.

For detailed information on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, check out the following sources:

Art History with Michelli
The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: An Elusive World Wonder Traced by Stephanie Dalley
Legends of the Ancient World: The Life and Legacy of King Nebuchadnezzar II by Charles River Editors
Ancient History Encyclopedia

Iram - The Atlantis of the Sand

And the 'Ad, they were destroyed by a furious Wind,
exceedingly violent;
He made it rage against them seven nights and eight days
in succession: so that thou couldst see the (whole) people
lying prostrate in its (path),
as they had been roots of hollow palm-trees tumbled
down!
Then seest thou any of them left surviving?
        (Surat  al-Haaqqa: 6-8, The Qur'an)

 Ubar - Iram of the pillars by RogerMV

Iram of the Pillars, also known as Ubar amongst other names, is a mythical lost city said to reside somewhere in the Rub' al Khali desert, also known as the Empty-quarter.  Associated with the people of Ad, this Atlantis of the Sands was believed to consist of castles made of gold, silver and precious gems with rivers flowing beneath them.  First appearing in the Quran, Iram of the Pillars was later described in the book Arabian Nights.

The Atlantis of the Sands by Lawrence of Arabia

Muhammad, preaching in Mecca in around 640-650 said of the destruction of the people of Ad and with them Iram of the Pillars:

Arrogant and unjust were the men of 'Ad.  'Who is mightier than we?' they used to say.  Could they not see that Allah, who had created them, was mightier than they?  Yet they denied our revelations.  So over a few ill-omened days, We let loose on them a howling gale, that they might taste a dire punishment in this life; but more terribled will be the punishment of the life to come.' 
In the Quran the following is written of the destruction of Iram of the Pillars and its people: 'When morning came there was nothing to be seen besides their ruined dwellings.  Thus We reward the wrongdoers.

Irem by Vilk42

By medieval times, the tale of the rise and fall of Iram had been told and retold countless times and were soon written into the fabric of Arabian Nights with many addition details.  The following is an extract from Sir Richard Burton's 1850 translation of The Arabian Nights:

    IT is related that Abdullah bin Abi Kilabah went forth in quest of a she-camel which had strayed from him, and as he was wandering in the deserts of Al-Yaman and the district of Saba, behold, he came a great city girt by a vast castle around which were palaces and pavilions that rose high into middle air. He made for the place thinking to find there folk of whom he might ask concerning his she-camel. But when he reached it, he found it desolate, without a living soul in it. So (quoth he) I alighted and, hobbling my dromedary, and composing my mind, entered into the city.
    Now when I came to the castle, I found it had two vast gates (never in the world was seen their like for size and height) inlaid with all manner jewels and jacinths, white and red, yellow and green. Beholding this, I marveled with great marvel and thought the case mighty wondrous. Then, entering the citadel in a flutter of fear and dazed with surprise and affright, I found it long and wide, about equaling Al-Medinah in point of size. And therein were lofty palaces laid out in pavilions all built of gold and silver and inlaid with many colored jewels and jacinths and chrysolites and pearls. And the door leaves in the pavilions were like those of the castle for beauty, and their floors were strewn with great pearls and balls, no smaller than hazelnuts, of musk and ambergris and saffron.
    Now when I came within the heart of the city and saw therein no created beings of the Sons of Adam, I was near swooning and dying for fear. Moreover, I looked down from the great roofs of the pavilion chambers and their balconies and saw rivers running under them, and in the main streets were fruit-laden trees and tall palms, and the manner of their building was one brick of gold and one of silver. So I said to myself, "Doubtless this is the Paradise promised for the world to come." Then I loaded me with the jewels of its gravel and the musk of its dust as much as I could carry, and returned to my own country, where I told the folk what I had seen.
                                                              The Arabian Nights Translated by Sir Richard Burton 1850

Dusk in Irem by demondreamerblood

It is believed that Iram or Ubar was destroyed suddenly by some great cataclysmic event.  However, accounts of this destruction vary.  Some speak of an 'icy gale, turbulent with dust', with the 'Barren Wing that is ultimately unleashed  [being] supremely violent'.  This has 'the characteristics of a tornado, an all-but-unknown phenomenon in southern Arabia.'

Other accounts tells us that Iram/Ubar was destroyed by a 'Divine Shout', and others tells us that destruction came when 'suddenly the earth opened around it and Iram, bathed in a strange twilight, began to sink slowly down until the whole city was completely swallowed up.  All that remained was an endless wilderness of empty, shifting sands across which the winds moaned and howled.'
Whatever the case, Iram or Ubar or even the Atlantis of the Sands remains a legend and the location, for now, remains a mystery.

 Iram of the Pillars

If you want to know more about the lost city of Iram, check out the following sources:

Perished Nations by Hârun Yahya
The A to Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism By Scott B. Noegel, Brannon M. Wheeler
The Road to Ubar: Finding the Atlantis of the Sands by Nicholas Clapp


That's it for today.  Tomorrow we will look at more Lost Places of Legend.  Until next time..



Other Useful Resources

Encyclopedia of Imaginary and Mythical Places by Theresa Bane
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World