The Myth of Atlantis
The myth of Atlantis is a legendary tale attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, originating from his dialogues "Timaeus" and "Critias." According to the myth, Atlantis was a vast and prosperous island ruled by the sea god Poseidon and his mortal wife Cleito. The island featured a unique layout of concentric rings of land and water, with a grand palace at its center and was inhabited by ten rulers descended from Cleito's sons. Initially, Atlantis thrived under a strict moral code and enjoyed great wealth and power. However, as time passed, the rulers became corrupt, seeking conquest over neighboring lands, which ultimately led to their downfall when they were defeated by the Athenians. Following this defeat, Atlantis faced catastrophic natural disasters, resulting in its sinking into the sea. The story serves as a moral allegory about the consequences of losing virtue, and it continues to intrigue modern audiences, sparking debates about its historical origins and relevance. The myth of Atlantis has thus become a significant cultural reference, prompting various interpretations and speculations throughout history.
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The Myth of Atlantis
Author: Plato
Time Period: 999 BCE–1 BCE
Country or Culture: Greece
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
At the beginning of time, when the gods are first forming the earth, the island city of Atlantis is given to the sea god Poseidon. Atlantis is a massive and fertile island, larger than many kingdoms. To rule this land, Poseidon takes a mortal wife, Cleito, and builds her a gorgeous home at its center. He also carves the island into rings of water and land, each one circling Cleito’s palace, so that she will be protected and so the people of Atlantis will have hot and cold springs for bathing and drinking.
From its earliest days, Atlantis is a prosperous and peaceful nation. Cleito bears ten sons, five pairs of twins; the oldest, named Atlas, is made the king of the island, and his brothers all rule as princes over different regions. Atlas inherits Cleito’s home at the center of Atlantis and, from it, is able to look down on the rich mines and fruitful fields of his kingdom. He is also able to establish lucrative trade routes that spread from his island all over the world, the gains of which benefit all of his people. When Atlas dies, his first son takes over the throne, starting a long succession of peaceful rulers, every one of whom adds to the riches of the kingdom. Soon, Atlantis is one of the wealthiest lands on earth, guarded by massive walls and protected by Poseidon.
Under the guidance of the sea god, the rulers of Atlantis follow a strict set of rules, which are carved into the walls of Poseidon’s greatest temple. In this temple, the ten rulers of Atlantis, representing the original ten sons of Cleito, regularly meet. They begin every council by committing themselves once again to Poseidon’s laws, burning a sacrificial bull to the god and pouring wine over a sacred fire as they pledge their obedience. With these oaths confirmed, the people of Atlantis then bring them their quarrels, and the ten rulers bring down judgment based on the codes set forth by Poseidon.
For many years, the leaders follow these rules and honor Poseidon, and their kingdom prospers. Over time, however, the rulers begin to abandon the god’s guidance, and the strength of the kingdom falters. Desiring more power, the rulers gather their armies and send them out to Asia and Europe to seize land. As other rival rulers begin to fall, the Athenians bravely fight back, eventually driving the armies of Atlantis back to their island and freeing the lands they have overtaken, including the mighty kingdom of Egypt. As soon as the armies of Atlantis return home, defeated and weary, the island itself is plagued by earthquakes and massive storms. Within only a day’s time, the island cracks and sinks into the sea, and the people of Atlantis are never heard from again.
SIGNIFICANCE
The myth of Atlantis continues to captivate audiences thousands of years after it was first recorded, with people in the modern day still debating the island’s theoretical historical origin and location. These debates have given rise to a large number of conjectures, including a popular nineteenth-century European belief that the Maya and Aztec people were somehow linked to the mythological island and more recent pseudoscientific arguments that Antarctica is the site of sunken kingdom. The original version of the myth is equally ambiguous, and ancient people were as skeptical of the existence of Atlantis as most audiences are today.
The story of Atlantis as told above comes from the Greek philosopher Plato’s texts Timaeus and Critias. In these philosophical works, Plato describes a Greek man named Solon visiting Egypt and uncovering the myth of the island, which has been lost to Greek culture. The descriptions of the city’s origin, its ancient history, and the eventual clash between Atlantis and the civilized society of Athens are all folded into a longer philosophical text exploring the nature of existence and, in particular, the physical components that make up the cosmos (such as air, water, fire, and earth). Plato writes this text as a dialogue, an imagined conversation between several different philosophers, and is therefore able to present a variety of hypothetical ideas with which he does not necessarily agree. Thus, while it is entirely possible that he believed in the existence of Atlantis and championed its history as truth, it is also possible that he saw the story as a convenient fiction, a captivating myth with a strong moral that could be used to explore his broader ideas. In this sense, the story of the people of Atlantis abandoning their god and attacking Athens is a story of a kingdom that loses sight of the fundamental laws of the universe and, as a result, crumbles into the sea, its physical nature literally destroyed by its spiritual failings. Athens, by contrast, is presented as an ordered and pious society, a people who worship their gods and uphold the ancient laws they have inherited. In the reality of Plato’s time, Athens was becoming increasingly violent and warlike, resembling the Atlantis of the myth more than the just nation of its own history. By telling the history of the fall of Atlantis, Plato seems to be offering a warning, suggesting that the leaders of Athens must take heed if they do not want their city to meet a similar fate.
The tension between a historical Atlantis and an Atlantis that exists as a philosophical metaphor has allowed the ancient city to remain a source of fascination for thousands of years. Just as engrossing as the story of a lost civilization are the ideas we attach to that myth. With only a few scant details describing the island, people from Plato onward have spoken of the lost land in order to defend their gods and impart their politics. Regardless whether Plato himself believed the war between Atlantis and Athens to have occurred, his recounting of that battle has forever lodged in the Western imagination the question of what Atlantis might have been and what it means for such a land to have been lost.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Atlantis . . . Did Plato Know the Truth?” Monkeyshines on Mysteries in History. Ed. Phyllis Barkas Goldman. Greensboro: Monkeyshines, 2003. 40–41. Print.
Hefner, Alan G. “Atlantis: The Myth.” Encyclopedia Mythica. Encyclopedia Mythica, 31 Jan. 2004. Web. 24 June 2013.
McInerny, Dennis Q. “Plato.” Magill’s Survey of World Literature. Ed. Steven G. Kellman. Rev. ed. Vol. 5. Pasadena: Salem, 2009. 2042–49. Print.
Plato. The Dialogues of Plato: The Republic, Timaeus, Critias. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. 3rd ed. Vol. 3. Oxford: Clarendon, 1892. Print.
Vidal-Naquet, Pierre. “Atlantis and the Nations.” Trans. Janet Lloyd. Critical Inquiry 18.2 (1992): 300–326. Print.