The Atlantis story is one of the most interesting mythologies of all time.Atlantis, a large island is believed to be located close to the Rock of Gibraltar. The city was first mentioned by the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato.It is widely believed that the ancient city sunk after a tsunami or an earthquake. The lost city is unique as it contained a statue of Poseidon made fully with gold. The city also had concentric canals and walls. Facts regarding the city’s location, existence, and disappearance boggle scientists even today. According to Plato, Atlantis was located in the midst of the Atlantic Ocean. However, modern technology has been unable to unearth any such lost city from the ocean bed. Researchers even today speculate about the city even though much of the mystery surrounding the city has remained unraveled. Nevertheless, the city of Atlantis is considered to be the greatest city of all time. In Ancient Greek, Atlantis means the ‘island of Atlas’. It is a fictional island that can be traced to Plato’s works of Critias and Timaeus. In these works, Atlantis represents the villain. A naval power that besieged ‘Ancient Athens’. It is speculated that the first king of Atlantis is King Atlas and the city was founded by Poseidon, his father.Like reading about the lost city? Want to know more? Let’s move on and dive in further. If you like reading this article, you may also like reading about Byzantine empire facts and Carthage facts.Facts About AtlantisAccording to the stories scripted by Plato thousands of years ago, the island of Atlantis was bigger in size than Asia and Libya combined.Travelers in that age had to cross Atlantis in order to reach the other islands. However, this story seems to be unfeasible if current world maps are consulted. According to some people, the island of Atlantis was located somewhere in the vast Mediterranean Sea. It is believed by them that Atlantis was similar in size to that of the Greek island Crete, the largest island of the nation of Greece. Though Atlantis is believed to be a giant city, the exact size is not mentioned anywhere. According to some others, the island of Atlantis is as large as the continental area of Eurasia. However, all of the estimates regarding the size of the Atlantis come from many assumptions and theories. The exact location is also not known. For a considerable period of time, Azores was believed to be the site of Atlantis. However, recent research has shown different results and has indicated a new site. Scientists are now almost sure that Atlantis can be traced near Cadiz. This place is located in between the waters of Morocco and Spain.History Of AtlantisThe history of Atlantis is truly fascinating. The city of Atlantis or Atlantis or Atlantica is considered to be a mighty island nation in the midst of the Atlantic Ocean to the west of the Strait of Gibraltar. The main sources for this legend are two dialogues written by Plato.In Timaeus, Plato gives a description of how Egyptian priests while conversing with Solon, the Athenian lawgiver, described the lost city as an island greater than the combination of major landmasses and situated beyond the Strait of Gibraltar or the Pillars of Hercules. The Egyptian priests also mentioned that 9,000 years ago before the birth of the Athenian lawgiver, Atlantis was a rich nation and boasted many powerful princes. These princes conquered many of the lands surrounding the Mediterranean. This plunder by the powerful princes of the Atlantis continued until they were defeated by the combined force of the people of Athens and their allies. The people of Atlantis became impious and wicked in due course of time.Because of this, they faced the wrath of the gods and the island was swallowed by the mighty ocean as a result of a series of earthquakes. In his other dialogue, Plato provides information on the ideal commonwealth of the people of Atlantis. The story surrounding this lost city was first narrated around 360 BC Atlantis is described to be a utopian civilization. This utopian civilization was believed to have been created by half-humans and half-God. This city had a powerful navy. The lost continent was built of concentric islands. These islands were separated by moats. A canal (stretched to the center) linked all of these islands. According to the legends, Atlantis had access to a lot of precious metals including gold and silver. This makes it quite significant.The lost continent was the home to rare species of wild creatures. In the center of the island was the capital city. Poseidon, the founder of Atlantis, and his wife, Cleito, had five pairs of sons. Out of the ten sons, Atlas was the eldest. Atlas was later named the first ruler of the city. The Atlantis myth suggests that a massive statue of Poseidon and a temple were built in the city. Atlantis myth also suggests that the statue was completely made of gold. The statue resembled Poseidon riding a chariot carried by winged horses. The statue was placed on the top of the temple that had spirals going high into the sky.Legends Of AtlantisThe legends of Atlantis mainly tells the world about Poseidon, Cleito, and Atlas.Legend has that the city of Atlantis was built by Poseidon, the god of storms, sea, and earthquakes. Poseidon had fallen in love with a mortal woman named Cleito. For Cleito’s safety, the place was constructed on the top of a hill on an island in the middle of the sea. This place was kept completely isolated. The city of Atlantis was surrounded by many rings of land and water. The myth suggests that it was surrounded by five rings of water.There were five tunnels that connected the water to the nearby land. A huge canal was also constructed to connect the concentric rings of water to the sea. These canals were massive in size and could accommodate ships. Each route to the city was heavily guarded. Towers and gates were built for protecting the city.Tall walls surrounded the rings of water. These massive walls were built using rocks of black, white, and red. These walls were also adorned with precious stones and metals. According to another Atlantis legend, the city of Atlantis was on Mars. It was a colony of an alien civilization. The people of Atlantis were believed to have exceptional powers. They were able to modify volcanic eruptions and also were able to control the weather situations.Some people also believe that they possessed some sort of device that helped them to channel vast amounts of energy from space and time.Facts About People Of AtlantisHow were the inhabitants of this advanced civilization?Before building the beautiful city, Poseidon had traversed the entire world in pursuit of the biggest island ever. When Poseidon had finally come across this island(Atlantis), he was astonished to find that the people inhabiting the place were more intelligent and beautiful than the rest of the world. It was here on this legendary island that Poseidon had met Cleito. He fell in love with her and later married her.Edgar Caycehead has made some remarkable comments about the city of Atlantis. According to him, the city of Atlantis would rise one day just like a sunrise. The city would take the form of new land and rise. He further remarked that the souls of the once inhabitants of Atlantis would usher in a new era of enlightenment. This enlightenment would take place in human consciousness. The city of Atlantis was both beautiful and fertile.Half-human beings and half-god resided side by side in this majestic city. It is believed that the city of Atlantis was self-sufficient in producing its own food. The people also reared cattle. An efficient system of irrigation helped the farmers grow their crops in the fertile plains. These fertile plains were mainly located on the outskirts of the city. The people were also capable of building beautiful buildings and various other architectures using materials like red and black stone. The people also had access to metals that were considered rare. They had access to alloys like brass. They also extensively made and used crystals for leisure and experimentation. They also utilized their free time to play with volcanoes.According to some stories, the original citizens of Atlantis were believed to have an extraterrestrial origin. They were believed to be from the Lyrian star system. It is believed that they reached Atlantis about 50,000 years ago from this star system. The average lifespan of the people was believed to have been 800 years. They were a strong and robust prototype of the present human race. They were also much taller and fairer than the humans of today.Did You KnowIt is very interesting to know that Plato had originally planned to write three books. This trilogy of texts was meant to discuss the nature of human beings, how the world was created, and the story of the mighty Atlantis as well as various other topics. It was only the first book that was ever completed. The second book was abandoned and only a part of it was written. The third and final book was never started.The Greek philosopher had a unique way of writing. He presented his ideas in the form of dialogues. When dialogues are used by an author to express his ideas, he uses a series of debates and arguments. This series of debates and arguments take place between the various characters that are a part of the story. Plato made use of real persons like his teacher Socrates in his dialogues. However, the words he used were penned by him on his own.There was a hill named ‘Hill of Cleito’ in Atlantis where it is believed that Cleito was captivated by Poseidon. Poseidon took such drastic measures as he thought his wife was not loyal to him. This hill was surrounded by huge pillars and moats. The land was divided into ten parts by Poseidon. Each was to be ruled by a son or his heirs.Robert Ballard, an ocean explorer pointed out the logic behind the many theories associated with the city of Atlantis. According to him, the story about Atlantis is similar to the story about a massive volcanic eruption that had occurred on the Greek Island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea. He narrated that a highly advanced civilization of ancient Greeks that resided on the island of Santorini had suddenly disappeared, just like the city of Atlantis.In the year 1882, Ignatius Donnelly (1832–1901) published ‘Atlantis: The Antediluvian World’. In this, he claimed that all civilizations had originated from Atlantis. Ignatius Donnelly also believed in the existence and the consequent disappearance of a continent in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The location of this continent matched the location mentioned by Plato. He listed numerous parallel features between ancient cultures which were located far away from one another.Ignatius Donnelly talked about a civilization that was advanced. The immigrants from this civilization populated a majority of the areas of Africa, ancient Europe, and the Americas. The heroes of this civilization inspired Hindu, Greek, and Scandinavian mythology. There is no proof that it is an entirely African civilization.Even if Plato did not invent the story of Atlantis, it may corroborate with the story of a volcanic eruption on the island of Thera in 1500 BCE. This volcanic eruption is mentioned in various Egyptian records. This eruption was accompanied by a series of tsunamis and earthquakes that shattered the civilization on the Greek Island of Crete. This probably gave some credibility to the legend of the lost city of Atlantis.Some researchers are of the view that the city of Atlantis was a continent that existed in real-time and space. It was located off the Bahamas. Unfortunately, this fertile city was swallowed by the Bermuda Triangle later. Some other researchers are of the view that the present-day continent of Antarctica is the modified version of the city of Atlantis. At the Bard College in Annandale in New York, James Romm, a professor said that Plato’s story was developed by Plato himself. He wanted to convey some of his philosophical theories. He also wanted to propagate his vision of an ideal civilization.There were natural hot springs in the city of Atlantis. These springs were meant to improve vigor and health. The city of Atlantis also had access to plenty of pure water. Slaves were kept for manual labor. A large elite was allowed to pursue knowledge.Modern interpretations of the Atlantis are a product of an amalgamation of speculative and diverse movements that started in the sixteenth century. In the sixteenth century, modern scholars began identifying the city of Atlantis with the New World. Francisco Lopez de Gomara was the first person to state that Plato’s story was referring to America. Francis Bacon and Alexander von Humboldt also supported this theory.Janus Joannes Bircherod in the year 1663 observed, ‘orbe novo non-novo’, which means that the New World is not new. Athanasius Kircher accepted Plato’s story. He believed that the lost city was a small continent in the midst of the Atlantic Ocean. Contemporary beliefs point out that the lost city shared roots with Mayanism. According to contemporary perceptions, this can be traced to the beginning of the Modern Era.In the Modern Age, the imaginations of the people of Europe were fueled by their initial encounters with the people of indigenous origin belonging to the Americas. It was from this era that many utopian and apocalyptic visions arose that went on to inspire many generations of theorists subsequently. The interpretations of this era were considered to be pseudoscience, pseudohistory, and pseudoarchaeology. This was because these interpretations were submitted as scientific or academic, however, they lacked criteria and standards.Abraham Ortelius, the Flemish geographer, and cartographer was the first person who held a view that continents were joined initially, and afterwards, drifted apart from each other. These continents assumed their present positions by drifting away from one another. In the year 1596, in an edition of Thesaurus Geographicus, Abraham Ortelius wrote about Atlantis in a way that differed from Plato.The term ‘utopia’ was coined by Sir Thomas More in his sixteenth-century fiction, ‘Utopia’. Thomas More was greatly influenced by Plato’s writings and his travelers’ accounts of the Americas. He was influenced by Plato’s vision of Atlantis. Thomas More described an imaginary land that was set in the New World. More’s idealistic vision established a link between the various utopian societies and the Americas. This link between the various utopian societies and the Americas has been discussed by Bacon in ‘The New Atlantis’ (c. 1623). A character in this narrative retells a history of the lost city of Atlantis that is similar to that of Plato’s story of the Atlantis.Also, this narrative places the lost city of Atlantis in America. As a result of all these discussions and theories, people started believing that the Aztec and the Mayan ruins were most probably the remnants of the lost city of Atlantis.Though Atlantis is probably a mere legendary city, the European writers of the Medieval Era who first heard of the tale from the geographers of the Arab nations believed it to be true. In subsequent eras, many authors tried to identify the lost city with a country that actually existed. After the Renaissance, many authors attempted to identify the lost city of Atlantis with Scandinavia, America, and the Canary Islands.A Spanish archipelago, the Canary Islands are located off the coast of northwestern Africa. These islands are rugged isles that are also volcanic. These are known for their black sand and white sand beaches. The largest of the Canary Islands is Tenerife. The island of Tenerife is dominated by an active volcano that is sometimes snow-capped. This volcano is called Mt. Teide. This volcano has its own astronomical observatory. The volcano is a part of the Teide National Park. Interestingly, Tenerife hosts a massive pre-Lent Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital city of Tenerife.In Mundus Subterraneus by Athanasius Kircher, the lost city of Atlantis is depicted with the help of an engraving. This map is oriented with the South at the top. Interestingly, the compass arrow points down on the map. This map is based on Egyptian maps. In this map, the Atlantic Ocean and America lie to the right of Spain and Africa.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 255 Atlantis facts that will make you go looking for the lost city then why not take a look at ancient Greece facts, or Ancient Greece Sparta facts.
The Atlantis story is one of the most interesting mythologies of all time.
