Plato's theory

Index

1. Introduction

2. Plato's theory

3. Francis Bacon's theory

4. Relationship with Mayan culture

5. Contemporary theory

6. Conclusions

7. Images

8. Bibliography

Introduction

Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias. According to Plato, Atlantis was a naval power lying "in front of the Pillars of Hercules" (what now we call Straight of Gibraltar) that conquered many parts of Western Europe and Africa 9,000 years before the time of Solon.

Plato's theory

By Plato's account, Poseidon, god of the sea, sired five pairs of male twins with mortal women. Poseidon appointed the eldest of these sons, Atlas the Titan, ruler of his beautiful island domain. Plato described Atlantis as a vast island-continent west of the Mediterranean, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The Greek word Atlantis means the island of Atlas, just as the word Atlantic means the ocean of Atlas.

The capital city of Atlantis was a marvel of architecture and engineering. The city was composed of a series of concentric walls and canals. At the very center was a hill, and on top of the hill a temple to Poseidon.

Plato goes on to tell on "Timaeus" how the Atlanteans made a grave mistake by seeking to conquer Greece. They could not withstand the Greeks' military might, and following their defeat, a natural disaster sealed their fate.

Interestingly, Plato tells a more metaphysical version of the Atlantis story in "Critias." There he describes the lost continent as the kingdom of Poseidon, the god of the sea. This Atlantis was a noble, sophisticated society that reigned in peace for centuries, until its people became complacent and greedy. Angered by their fall from grace, Zeus chose to punish them by destroying Atlantis.

Francis Bacon's theory

During the late 19th century, ideas about the mythical nature of Atlantis were combined with other lost continent myths such as Lemuria by popular figures in the occult and the growing new age phenomenon.

Francis Bacon's 1627 novel The New Atlantis describes a utopian society, called Bensalem, located off the western coast of America. A character in the novel gives a history of Atlantis that is similar to Plato's, and places Atlantis in America. It is not clear whether Bacon means North or South America.

Relationship with Mayan culture

In middle and late 19th century, several serious Mesoamerican scholars proposed that Atlantis was somehow related to Mayan and Aztec culture.

The 1882 publication of Atlantis: the Antediluvian World by Ignatius L. Donnelly stimulated much popular interest in Atlantis. He was greatly inspired by early works in Mayanism, and like them attempted

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