Introduction

Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC. According to Plato, Atlantis was a naval power lying "in front of the Pillars of Hercules" that conquered many parts of Western Europe and Africa9,000 years before the time of Solon, or approximately 9600 BC. After a failed attempt to invade Athens, Atlantis sank into the ocean "in a single day and night of misfortune". Scholars dispute whether and how much Plato's story or account was inspired by older traditions. In Critias, Plato claims that his accounts of ancient Athens and Atlantis stem from a visit to Egypt by the legendary Athenian lawgiver Solon in the 6th century BC. In Egypt, Solon met a priest of Sais, who translated the history of ancient Athens and Atlantis, recorded on papyri in Egyptian hieroglyphs, into Greek. Some scholars argue Plato drew upon memories of past events such as the Thera eruption or the Trojan War, while others insist that he took inspiration from contemporary events like the destruction of Helike in 373 BC or the failed Athenian invasion of Sicily in 415 413 BC. The possible existence of a genuine Atlantis was discussed throughout classical antiquity, but it was usually rejected and occasionally parodied by later authors. Alan Cameron states: "It is only in modern times that people have taken the Atlantis story seriously; no one did so in antiquity". The Timaeus remained known in a Latin rendition by Calcidius through the Middle Ages, and the allegorical aspect of Atlantis was taken up by Humanists in utopian works of several Renaissance writers, like Francis Bacon's "New Atlantis". Atlantis inspires today's literature, from science fiction to comic books to films. Its name has become a byword for any and all supposed advanced prehistoric lost civilizations.

Body of the Term Paper Story of Atlantis

Over 11,000 years ago there existed an island nation located in the middle of the Atlantic ocean populated by a noble and powerful race. The people of this land possessed great wealth thanks to the natural resources found throughout their island. The island was a center for trade and commerce. The rulers of this land held sway over the people and land of their own island and well into Europe and Africa. This was the island of Atlantis. Atlantis was the domain of Poseidon, god of the sea. When Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, Cleito, he created a dwelling at the top of a hill near the middle of the island and surrounded the dwelling with rings of water and land to protect her.

Cleito gave birth to five sets of twin boys who became the first rulers of Atlantis. The island was divided among the brothers with the eldest, Atlas, first King of Atlantis, being given control over the central hill and surrounding areas. At the top of the central hill, a temple was built to honor Poseidon which housed a giant gold statue of Poseidon riding a chariot pulled by winged horses. It was here that the rulers of Atlantis would come to discuss laws, pass judgments, and pay tribute to Poseidon.. To facilitate travel and trade, a water canal was cut through of the rings of land and water running south for 5.5 miles (~9 km) to the sea. The city of Atlantis sat just outside the outer ring of water and spread across the plain covering a circle of 11 miles (1.7 km). This was a densely populated area where the majority of the population lived. Beyond the city lay a fertile plain 330 miles (530 km) long and 110 miles (190 km) wide surrounded by another canal used to collect water from the rivers and streams of the mountains. The climate was such that two harvests were possible each year. One in the winter fed by the rains and one in the summer fed by irrigation from the canal. Surrounding the plain to the north were mountains which soared to the skies. Villages, lakes, rivers, and meadows dotted the mountains. Besides the harvests, the island provided all kinds of herbs, fruits, and nuts. An abundance of animals, including elephants, roamed the island. For generations the Atlanteans lived simple, virtuous lives. But slowly they began to change. Greed and power began to corrupt them. When Zeus saw the immorality of the Atlanteans he gathered the other gods to determine a suitable punishment. Soon, in one violent surge it was gone. The island of Atlantis, its people, and its memory were swallowed by the sea.

Location Hypothesis of Atlantis y In or near the Mediterranean Sea Most of the historically proposed are in or near the Mediterranean Sea; islands such as Sardinia, Crete, Santorini, Sicily, Cyprus and Malta; land-based cities or states such as Troy, Tartessos (Spain) and Tantalus, Turkey; Israel-Sinai or Canaan and Northwestern Africa.

In the Atlantic Ocean The location of Atlantis in the Atlantic Ocean has certain appeal given the closely related names. A popular culture places Atlantis there.

Black Sea German researchers Siegfried and Christian Schoppe locate Atlantis in the Black Sea (north coast of Norway). Before 5500 BC, a great plain lay in the northwest at a former freshwater lake. In 5510 BC, rising sea level topped the barrier at today s Bosporus. They identify the Pillars of Hercules with the strait of Bosporus. They have no explanation how the ships of the merchants coming from all over the world had arrived at the harbor of Atlantis when it was 350 feet below sea level.

Turkey Peter James, in his book The Sunken Kingdom , identifies Atlantis with the kingdom of Zippasla. He argues that Solon did indeed gather the story on his travels, but in Libya, not Egypt as Plato states; that Atlantis is identical with Tantalus, the city of Tantalus in Asia Minor, which was said to have been destroyed by an earthquake.

Sicily The concept of the identification of Atlantis with the island of Sicily is the idea that the Italians were involved in the sea people movement (a similar to Plato s account), that the name Atlas may have been derived from Italos via the middle Egyptian language.

Theories of Atlantis The prevailing theories about Atlantis are:

y y

It's Fiction It's an exaggeration based on the fall of the Minoan civilization and the destruction of the island Thera It was Real

Below you'll find a brief summary of each of the theories as well as key points either for or against the theory. Although many people in each camp consider the case closed

there is no definitive proof for any theory. In the case of the "It's Fiction" theory it is essentially impossible to definitively prove that it was fiction. Fiction This is the easiest answer - Atlantis is fiction. It was made up to suit the purposes of Plato's dialogues. For
y

Nothing to prove. Timaeus and Critias are simply stories.

Against
y y

It is stated several times within the dialogues that the story is true Parts about the impassable sea and the true continent on the other side of Atlantis tend to indicate a more detailed knowledge that a fictional story Thera & the Minoan Civilization

There are some compelling similarities between the destruction of Thera and the destruction of Atlantis. For
y

The island of Thera, a volcanic island, was destroyed around 1500 BC by an explosion which caused more than half of the island to sink into the sea. Artifacts found on the island indicate a sophisticated culture, probably part of the Minoan Civilization. There is evidence pointing to trade between the Minoans and Egyptians. The Egyptians would certainly have been aware of the destruction or at least the tremendous damage done to one of their trading partners. We'll examine this possibility in more detail in upcoming issues of Enigma.

Against
y

Proponents of this theory claim that Plato's date of 9000 years ago should really have been 900 years ago: somewhere along the line either Solon or Plato made a mistake. If the story was 900 years ago it would place Atlantis in the time frame of the Minoan civilization on Crete and Thera. Conveniently overlooked in this

thinking is that in Timaeus the priest tells Solon that ancient Athens and Atlantis preceded Egypt by a thousand years. Egypt however existed and was known to have existed since long before 1500 BC, the time of Crete and Thera. The times just don't add up unless you assume the Egyptian priest was ignorant of his own recorded history. It Existed For
y y

Plato says it's a true story. We'll examine this possibility in more detail in upcoming issues of Enigma.

Against
y y

There are no other records of such a civilization existing. Current archaeological evidence does not support the premise that such sophisticated civilizations existed around 9000 BC anywhere in the world.

Evidence for the Existence of Atlantis This is probably the greatest discovery in world history , was stated by Maxine Asher, the co-director of a scientific expedition that found Atlantis at the bottom of the ocean. United Press International continued that Maxine Asher said that scuba divers found data to prove the existence of the super-civilization which legends says sank beneath the sea thousands of years ago. The divers had found evidence of roads and large columns, some with concentric spiral motifs, in the exact place described by the Greek philosopher Plato. The document History of the Golden Ages reveals 30 ruins including pyramids, domes, paved roads, rectangular buildings, columns, canals and artifacts that have been found on the ocean bottoms in Bahamas to the nearby coasts of Europe and Africa, referencing the size of the continent. Some of the ruins so far include: y A huge 1 room pyramid found 10000 feet under water in the mid-Atlantic ocean with a huge crystal top, as reported by Tony Benlk.

A pyramid explored by Dr. Ray Brown on the sea floor of the Bahamas in 1970. Brown was accompanied by 4 divers who also found roads, domes, rectangular buildings, unidentified metallic instruments, and a statue a mysterious crystal containing miniature pyramids. Ruins of roads and buildings found off Bimini Island in the 1960 s by the photographed and published expeditions of Dr. Manson Valentine. Similar ruins were also photographed off Cay Sal in the Bahamas. Similar underwater runs were found off Morocco and photographed 50 to 60 feet underwater.

Timeline
y y

y y y y y

9000 BC - Cataclysm destroys Atlantis (based on Plato's writings) 1500 BC - Volcanic eruption destroys Thera and possibly brings an end to the Minoan civilization 360 BC - Plato writes Timaeus and Critias 1882 - Atlantis - The Antediluvian World by Ignatius Donnelly is released 1924 - The Problem of Atlantis by Lewis Spence is released 1960 - A. G. Galanopoulos discoveres the ruins of ancient cities on Thera 1968 - The Bimini Wall is discovered Conclusion

The story of Atlantis existed long before the birth of Christ. At this era of modern technologies, its existence is still a big question and is yet to be answered. Although there are archeological evidences, this findings alone cannot proved and needs more extensive research and expeditions. As for many years, many proposed locations of Atlantis have been named yet few of it is compelling candidates for its true place. And also, the origin of Atlantis is unclear because it had been compared to other destruction of lost civilization like the fall of the Minoan civilization. The only reliable story of its origin is Plato s two dialogues, Timaeus and Critias. Yet, as reliable as it is, it is also considered as a myth. This research paper is still hanging as Atlantis is not yet proven to have existed thousands of years ago.

Recommendation
The story of such a continent disappeared into the ocean, together with a highly advanced civilization is quite fascinating yet so hard to believe in. It s a mystery, most considered it as a pure myth, which has remained unresolved for many years. Many scientists have conducted various expeditions to find hard evidences to prove Atlantis existence. These expeditions have resulted to finding artifacts, remains of roads and columns, and structures beneath the ocean. They may have found these evidences but there is no basis that this could link to Atlantis. Even so, if the evidences are lacking, we cannot jump into conclusion that Atlantis does not really exist because our planet is a vast place and not even 20% of it have been explored. I recommend that the aside from searching physical evidences, scientist also should find DNA evidences of the Atlanteans. Theoretically, Atlantis might not be under the ocean. After being submerged thousands of years, as the sea level decreases, the island might have been covered with soil and is now situated under the surface of the earth. So, I recommend that scientist should also search in land. No one knows, my theory might be right.

Southern Leyte State University

Sogod, Southern Leyte

Term Paper in English 102

Atlantis: The Lost Continent

Submitted by:

Joy Christian Cahayag BSCpE 1-A

Submitted to:

Ms. Karen Molina