Atlantis: Lost or Lie?

[Truality]

This is a subject that has been keeping me in keen interest from since I was a kid and originally heard about it.

The legend of Atlantis is broadly known. In different traditions it is explained as a huge island, with an advanced civilization which at one point sank into the sea. Platon even wrote down a lot about it in one of his manuscripts.

This huge enigma is still a raging whilwind of perspectives. Those who got to occupy themselves with the matter of Atlantis ask these questions:

• The story goes deep into the past; Is it real? or fictional?
  
• Where was it located? What did the scenery look like and how was the weather?
  
• What kind of people inhabited it and what kind of civilization did they develop?
• How was everyday life in Atlantis? What were the customs and the morality?
• What made them so widely known and why were they so special?

I'd really like to know your own view on the matter. Be it an opinion, or stated facts, clippings, articles, pictures, facts or tenets.

 

[Livewire]

Yesss.


Every myth and legend has a basis in fact, somewhere. Plato was on of the most brilliant minds of his time, I doubt a scholar as skilled as he would have devoted such time to an imaginary place. Now, as to what Atlantis is is up to wild interpretation. My guess would be it was simply a lost advanced civilization, and the culture on the Isle of Crete near Greece fits the bill. Then again, the Bimini road in the Atlantic raises some eyebrows.

 

[Esper]

Brilliant as Plato may have been, he was working within certain assumptions and limitations of his time. I'm not aware that he spent a lot of time talking about Atlantis, but even if he did he was the same guy who talked metaphorically about caves and a magical perfect world where ideas come from so he wasn't always talking about real, physical things.

It was probably a legend, or myth, or a distorted or exaggerated description of another place. Or maybe he made it up to prove a point, or as a hypothetical example. I doubt there was ever an advanced, lost civilization like Atlantis.

 

[Bluerang1]

I'm not sure about this one, but I believe Troy was real so I don't see why Atlantis didn't exist too. Maybe it wasn't as advanced as said but it probably existed.

 

[Livewire]

I always thought that Bimini was an interesting place. Above would be what appears to be an underwater road, about 50 feet underneath the surface. Atlantis? I doubt it. However, a road that would have been on a landmass during the last Ice Age is something to ponder.

 

[U.Flame]

I saw something really interesting in an episode of Ancient Aliens. The description of Altlantis's destruction involved a lot of fire, smoke and thunder. Believers of the ancient alien theory believe many stories of gods that involve fire and thundering noise could be a rocket or some other craft. So what if Atlantis didn't sink, but instead, left our planet?

 

[Steven]

There are cities all around the world that were once above ground and are now underwater. Especially around the Mediterrainian Sea. Although, I doubt it was an advanced civilization, and whether or not there was an actual city named Atlantis has no answer. But the point is, there were cities that once existed and are now underwater - just like Atlantis supposedly is.


The story goes deep into the past; Is it real? or fictional?
I think it's based on fact.

Where was it located? What did the scenery look like and how was the weather?
Along the southern Mediterranian, so tropical.

What kind of people inhabited it and what kind of civilization did they develop?
Well, it could have been Africans if it was closer to Northern/Western Africa. Jews or Arabs if it was closer to where Israel is today. Turks or Greeks if it was up north. I'm going to assume this city is thousands of years old though, so probably Romans.

What made them so widely known and why were they so special?
At the time that city(s) was probably just a normal city. Today however, it has been surrounded by fantasy.

 

[Truality]

I saw something really interesting in an episode of Ancient Aliens. The description of Altlantis's destruction involved a lot of fire, smoke and thunder. Believers of the ancient alien theory believe many stories of gods that involve fire and thundering noise could be a rocket or some other craft. So what if Atlantis didn't sink, but instead, left our planet?

Assuming we accept the theory of aliens, a lot more about Atlantis could be more plausible than that.


>I'm not aware that he spent a lot of time talking about Atlantis, but even if he did he was the same guy who talked metaphorically about caves and a magical perfect world where ideas come from so he wasn't always talking about real, physical things.

Uh well, when he talked about the latter he wasn't using the same approach. Also, he didn't name that 'magical world'. And of course, Plato wasn't the only one mentioning Atlantis. Porklus mentioned reading about it when he visited Egypt, and historic Plutarchus mentioned Atlantis when he wrote Solon's biography. He stated that Solon, also visited Egypt and was shown a set of manuscripts describing the feats of a nation called 'Atlantians', who habited a land beyond the Gates of Hercules (meaning in the Atlantic Ocean...wait, Atlantic Ocean?)

 

[OhMyFuzzy69]

alot of ppl think cuba is Atlantis... the island just flipped over. im sorry but im one of the nuts that think aliens helped build Egypt and any other well known area from that time, there is just to much unexplained i dont believe in the whole 1000's of men rolling huge blocks on rollers and crap built the pyramids and with the resources and lack of knowledge and primitive tools they could build somethin that could last as long as they have when MODERN structures last a short time and we have more knowledge. maybe the whole god thing is out of content ... maybe god is short for the name of the alien race? im sorry for anyone that has the strong religious beliefs its just crap to think humans could do it all in the time they had for the size and how complex the pyramids are

~Fuzzy

 

[Dawn]

There was probably a place named Atlantis at one point or another. Whether descriptions of it are accurate is an entirely different story. The reputability of the sources of said descriptions in question is lost, leaving us with no really strong leads to go on.

The existence of a city that they're referring to as Atlantis though. That much at least is probably real.

 

[Truality]

alot of ppl think cuba is Atlantis... the island just flipped over. im sorry but im one of the nuts that think aliens helped build Egypt and any other well known area from that time, there is just to much unexplained i dont believe in the whole 1000's of men rolling huge blocks on rollers and crap built the pyramids and with the resources and lack of knowledge and primitive tools they could build somethin that could last as long as they have when MODERN structures last a short time and we have more knowledge. maybe the whole god thing is out of content ... maybe god is short for the name of the alien race? im sorry for anyone that has the strong religious beliefs its just crap to think humans could do it all in the time they had for the size and how complex the pyramids are

~Fuzzy

You can't really be sure either way. One confirmed thing we've learned from history is that ALL civilizations have a prosperity point and a decay point. So if something similar happened to Egypt or Atlantis, it could be possible.

There was probably a place named Atlantis at one point or another. Whether descriptions of it are accurate is an entirely different story. The reputability of the sources of said descriptions in question is lost, leaving us with no really strong leads to go on.

The existence of a city that they're referring to as Atlantis though. That much at least is probably real.

Nono, even when referred to, Atlantis was a nation, not a city. Meaning, it could have cities with different names, but that isn't really clarified somewhere.

Then again, we have this find, which I got while browsing some archives on atlantis:

This was found in Seville, by the way. According to the scriptologist who discovered its meaning, Diaz-Montexano:

… it cannot be a mere chance, that in a so important, tie archaeological site to the Tartessian civilization it appears a ceramics with a clear representation of the architectonic scheme of the Acropolis of Atlantis. The Tartessian they would be the most direct descendants of the Atlanteans that it describes Plato, that would be the towns as well pre-tartessians of the Bronze Age…

 

[Her]

I'd like to think that Atlantis did exist sometime in history, but to me it's likely that it's just a story that has been passed down over time to become the magical city that we know of today. But then again, there usually is a factual base to myths, so maybe Atlantis did exist. I don't know, it's not likely the truth will ever be find out anyway. I'm much more comfortable with it being a myth and it's legend being made into movies like ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE with voice acting by MICHAEL J. FOX.

 

[CrazyShooter]

The story goes deep into the past; Is it real? or fictional?

I think it was real, but Atlantis wasn't SOOO advanced, just a bit more advanced then other in its time.

Where was it located? What did the scenery look like and how was the weather?

It could very much be in the Atlantic Ocean. I don't believe the atlantic ocean was named after atlantis as the term Atlantic was first seen in 450 BC, almost 3 decades before Plato was born. However the opposite might have happened i.e. atlantis was named after the atlantic. If Atlantis was named because it was in the Atlantic, it might have been infact Sicily in the Mediterranean sea, and not in the Atlantic, because they confused the sea area between Sicily and Tunisia with the Strait of Gibraltar, so they thought that part of Sicily had shores in the Atlantic. It might have also been an area inhabited by advanced civilisations like the Minoans (Crete) or the Mycenaeans (Mycenae). The Minoans could have fallen from the huge Tsumani possibly caused by the erruption of the volcano is Santorini. Of course many people are convinced that Atlantis was infact the island of Santorini, which was destroyed by the volcanic erruption mentioned before, supporting theory that U_Flame mentioned that Atlantis was burnt down. Some people might say that it might have been Cyprus but being a Cypriot I doubt we descend from a highly advanced civilisation :P No offense to all cypriots here, I'm only joking But putting jokes aside, the inhabitants of Cyprus were Hellenified with the arrival of the Mycenaeans to the island and the Mycenaeans were quite an advanced civilisation. Now we only have to figure out what happened from that moment in time until now :P (joking again, no offense)

What kind of people inhabited it and what kind of civilization did they develop?

Quite an advanced civilisation like the pre-mentioned Mycenaeans or Minoans. They both had an advanced culture. If it was Sicily, then probably the Romans inhabited the island.

How was everyday life in Atlantis? What were the customs and the morality?

Well, I don't really remember much about the Minoans' and Mycenaeans' customs and morality. Although I've studied it I forgot most of it :P

What made them so widely known and why were they so special?

If they were the Minoans they were known in mainland Greece due to the dominance the Minoans had over mainland Greece. They are so well known today around the world due to people finding advanced culture and technology so intriguing; just look at the pyramids and the ancient egyptians and the mayians.