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The legend of Atlantis, the fabled island that disappeared into the ocean in just one day and night, is widely known. But who first conceived of it, could Atlantis have truly existed, and is there more to the tale? The story of Atlantis originates from the Greek philosopher Plato, specifically from his works Timaeus and Critias, written around 360 BC.
In these texts, Plato recounts that the Greek sage Solon learned the story in Egypt from a priest. After returning, Solon told the tale to his relative Dropides, who then passed it on to his son Critias. The younger Critias later shared it with the philosopher Socrates and others present at the time.
This account should not be considered historical fact but rather an accurate retelling of Plato's writings. Whether we choose to believe in the legend is up to us, but it’s fascinating to consider that this might be the earliest example of a game of telephone.
10. The Location Is Known
Numerous books and television programs have explored the potential whereabouts of Atlantis. A simple online search reveals theories ranging from Santorini being Atlantis to claims of a hidden underwater road near Bimini. However, Plato’s writings provide a specific clue about where the sunken island was located.
According to the text, Atlantis “emerged from the Atlantic Ocean.” It further states that “there was an island located beyond the straits known to the ancient Greeks as the Pillars of Heracles.”
Today, these straits are known as the Straits of Gibraltar, the narrow sea passage separating Spain and Africa. While not exact coordinates, this significantly narrows down the island’s possible location compared to vague claims about the Bahamas.
In 2011, archaeologist Richard Freund from the University of Hartford and his team discovered “memorial cities,” settlements constructed to resemble Atlantis. These cities were unearthed in the marshes of Donana National Park, located north of Cadiz, Spain.
Interestingly, Cadiz is located just outside the straits. This has led Freund to believe that the true Atlantis lies buried beneath the Atlantic’s mud flats. His discoveries align with the narrative that describes the area as having “impassable and impenetrable seas due to a mud shoal, resulting from the island’s sinking.”
Cadiz is also recognized as one of Western Europe’s oldest surviving cities. It is thought to have been established by the Phoenicians around 700 BC, though some records suggest its origins date back to 1100 BC. Greek mythology even places the city’s existence earlier than this.
Why does this matter? In ancient times, the city was known as Gades. This is significant because the text mentions an Atlantean prince named Gadeirus, revered by the prehistoric inhabitants of Gades. He was granted control over the eastern portion of Atlantis.
This eastern region would have faced what is now Cadiz. The story explains that Cadiz, or Gades, was named in honor of the prince. However, since Plato wrote this at least 340 years after the city’s founding, it’s possible he took some creative liberties when naming Atlantean royalty.
9. Atlantis Derived Its Name From A Demigod
While many assume Atlantis was named after the Atlantic Ocean, the text suggests the opposite. According to the legend, Poseidon, the Greek sea god, fathered five sets of male twins with Cleito, a mortal woman from Atlantis.
Poseidon divided the island into ten regions, each ruled by one of his sons. Gadeirus, the second-oldest, may have had a city in Spain named in his honor, but it was his elder twin, Atlas, who received the greater distinction of having the island and ocean named after him.
As the firstborn, Atlas was granted dominion over the entire island and the surrounding ocean. His descendants were also destined to rule Atlantis indefinitely. (Clearly, Poseidon had his favorites.)
8. Only Half The Tale Survives
Plato authored at least two books about Atlantis. While we have a full version of Timaeus, the text of Critias remains incomplete.
Critias concludes abruptly with Zeus, the chief Greek god, gathering all the deities “into their most sacred dwelling, situated at the world’s center, overseeing all creation. And when he had assembled them, he spoke as follows.” The story ends there, leaving readers with a cliffhanger.
It’s unclear whether Plato intentionally left Critias unfinished or if the completed version was lost over time. Not only is the ending missing, but it’s also believed that Plato intended to write a third book on Atlantis titled Hermocrates.
Several clues support this idea. A passage in Critias states, “Critias, we will grant your request, and we will extend the same courtesy to Hermocrates, as well as to you and Timaeus.” This implies that Hermocrates was meant to provide a third perspective on the tale.
Additionally, the titles of the three books may hold a hidden meaning, particularly when considering the sequence in which Plato wrote or planned to write them. Timaeus derives from the Greek tio, meaning “to honor,” while Critias comes from krima, meaning “judgment.”
Finally, Hermocrates takes its name from “Hermes,” the messenger god in Greek mythology. Timaeus celebrates the bravery of ancient Athens, while Critias likely concludes with Zeus passing judgment on Atlantis. But what message would Hermocrates have conveyed?
The answer might be found in the historical figure Hermocrates. He was a military commander who played a key role in defending Syracuse against Athens during the Peloponnesian War. This mirrors the Atlantis narrative, where an ancient Athenian state resists an invasion by the more powerful Atlanteans.
Perhaps Hermocrates would have explored why Athens’ assault on Syracuse failed and how Syracuse managed to repel the invasion. Unless a copy of this book is discovered, the full story of Atlantis may remain a mystery.
7. Atlantis Would Be Over 11,500 Years Old
Solon, regarded as the wisest of Greek sages, was said to have learned the tale of Atlantis in Egypt. The text recounts that he sought to engage one of the priests in conversation about their most ancient stories.
To achieve this, Solon shared the oldest Greek legends he knew, including tales of a great flood and the first man. After hearing him, a priest replied, “O Solon, Solon . . . there are no truly old men among you . . . your minds are youthful, and you lack ancient traditions passed down through generations.”
The priest continued, explaining that Athens, Solon’s homeland, was far older than he realized. According to Egyptian records in Sais, the city was founded 8,000 years before their time. Additionally, it was noted that Athens had been established 1,000 years before Sais and that its ancient inhabitants had repelled an invasion by Atlantis.
Solon lived approximately between 630 BC and 560 BC. If the story holds true, the fall of Atlantis would have occurred around 9500 BC. This would place Atlantis in the same era as Gobekli Tepe, dated to around 10,000 BC and recognized by archaeologists as the world’s earliest temple.
This revelation could rewrite history. However, for now, it remains a fascinating possibility.
6. The Tale Is True . . . According To Plato
While we’ve emphasized that this list shouldn’t be taken as historical fact, Critias insists in the text that his account is true. “Listen . . . to a story that, though extraordinary, is undeniably true, as confirmed by Solon.” To this, Socrates replies, “Excellent. And what is this renowned ancient deed of the Athenians, which Critias, relying on Solon’s authority, claims is not mere legend but a real event?”
It’s worth noting that Plato distinguishes between fact and fiction in his narrative. “There is a tale . . . that long ago, Paethon, son of Helios, harnessed his father’s chariot horses but, unable to guide them along his father’s path, scorched the Earth and was struck down by a thunderbolt. While this takes the form of a myth, it actually symbolizes a celestial phenomenon involving heavenly bodies orbiting the Earth.”
Here, Plato recognizes that some myths are allegorical. Yet, in his work, he explicitly states that Atlantis was real, not a myth. If Atlantis were merely Plato’s invention, why would he insist on its truth while freely admitting that other Greek myths were symbolic?
Did Plato genuinely believe his own story? Did he intend for his readers to accept it as fact? Perhaps he aimed to divert his audience from uncovering a deeper message hidden within the narrative. If so, it would be an early example of reverse psychology at play.
5. Atlantis Was A Vast Empire
When imagining Atlantis, most of us envision a verdant island encircled by deep blue seas. While the story centers on the island, many assume Atlantis was limited to this single landmass. However, Plato reveals that Atlantis was an expansive empire governed from this island.
“On this island of Atlantis, there existed a magnificent and powerful empire that controlled not only the entire island but also several others, along with portions of the mainland. Additionally, the Atlanteans had conquered regions of Libya beyond the Pillars of Heracles as far as Egypt, and parts of Europe reaching Tyrrhenia.”
Tyrrhenia refers to Etruria, now known as central Italy. This implies that Atlantis’ dominion extended as far as modern-day Tuscany in Europe and stretched all the way to Egypt in Africa. How Athens managed to defeat such a vast empire remains a mystery. Perhaps even Plato was unsure, leading him to leave the ending unwritten.
4. Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations Might Have Known About The Americas
While Plato might have invented Atlantis for philosophical purposes, one aspect of the story would have been difficult to fabricate. The Egyptian priest tells Solon, “The island . . . served as a gateway to other islands, and from there, one could reach the vast opposite continent encircling the true ocean. [ . . . ] This surrounding land can rightly be called an endless continent.”
This suggests the existence of a massive continent on the other side of the Atlantic, so expansive that it appeared to encircle the ocean. Could this imply that ancient Greeks, and possibly even Egyptians, were aware of or had visited the Americas?
In 1970, renowned explorer Thor Heyerdahl embarked on a journey with a crew of six aboard a reed ship named the Ra II. They sailed from Safi, Morocco, across the Atlantic, reaching Barbados in just 57 days.
The expedition demonstrated that reed boats were capable of enduring ocean voyages and that ancient civilizations could have crossed the Atlantic in them. Scholars once deemed this impossible, but Heyerdahl’s journey showed it was feasible. While this doesn’t confirm that Egyptians or Greeks reached the Americas, it proves such a voyage was within the realm of possibility.
3. The Repeated Destruction And Rebirth Of Humanity
The Egyptian priest informed Solon that none of his tales were “truly ancient” compared to those of Egypt. The priest attributed this to the repeated destruction of mankind throughout history.
“There have been, and will continue to be, numerous destructions of humanity caused by various factors. The most significant have resulted from fire and water, while countless lesser causes have also contributed.”
The priest elaborated, “When the gods cleanse the Earth with a flood, the survivors are typically herdsmen and shepherds living in mountainous regions.”
If only mountain dwellers, who had no knowledge of their ancient history, survived, it’s understandable how an entire civilization’s past could be lost. The priest argued that Egypt endured these catastrophes while others perished because Egypt experienced minimal rainfall.
Instead, Egypt relied on the annual floods of the Nile River, which provided sufficient water for survival without causing widespread destruction. Some regions are too wet, others too dry, but Egypt’s conditions were just right—well, mostly just really, really dry.
2. Plato Might Have Aimed To Deter Ocean Exploration
If the Greeks were aware of what lay beyond the Mediterranean, would they have wanted others to know? Perhaps not, and this could explain why Plato claimed that the Atlantic was unnavigable.
“But later, violent earthquakes and floods struck, and in one catastrophic day and night, all your warriors were swallowed by the Earth, and the island of Atlantis similarly vanished into the sea.” According to Plato, this event created an impassable mud shoal beyond the Straits of Gibraltar.
This might have discouraged some from venturing too far beyond the straits. Plato suggested that the Atlantic was unnavigable during his era when he wrote, “For in those days, the Atlantic could be sailed.”
Was Plato attempting to prevent people from entering the Atlantic? Did he genuinely believe a mud shoal blocked ocean travel? Or was the Atlantic truly too muddy for ships at one point? If it was too shallow for boats, why didn’t people simply walk across?
1. Women Could Serve In Ancient Athens
In modern America, the topic of women in the military often arises. Should women be allowed in combat roles? Should they be required to register for the draft? While these questions are taken seriously today, they would have been absurd to Greeks 2,500 years ago. Plato’s student, Aristotle, even remarked, “Silence is a woman’s glory.”
Can you imagine how Spartan warriors would have reacted if a woman attempted to join their ranks? Let’s just say Spartan kings with chiseled abs wouldn’t have hesitated to toss her into a deep pit. Seriously, they would not have approved.
However, this wasn’t the case for the Athenians of 9500 BC, at least according to Plato’s account. The text states, “Military activities were shared by both men and women, and the men of that era, following tradition, erected a statue of the goddess [Athena] in full armor. This served as a testament that all creatures, male and female alike, could pursue their shared virtues without regard to gender.”
