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 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