Atlantis' Existence and Place On Earth

BL4CKCR4Y0NS

(sorry if this is in the wrong section, or if this does not belong on these forums)

A friend of mine told me a while back that although the location of Atlantis is unknown, it is likely that it existed in the middle of the Seven Wonders of the World. (I naturally assumed he meant the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World because Atlantis "disappeared" long before the Medieval/Modern times)

I was just wondering whether there was any significant evidence that suggests this.

(and if anybody knows, could they please post a short description of what Atlantis is and who Plato is? All I know if that Atlantis was an island and Plato was a philosopher)

Ivan Seeking

I believe the only known Atlantis claims come from Plato. There is no conclusive historical evidence supporting these claims. Many people believe the story is fiction.

Andre

That's correct, some more information.

Atlantis is only mentioned in Plato's Timaeus and Critias and claims that the story is told by Solon, who heard it from an Egyptian priest. Plato's dating (9000 years before Solon's visit) brings it very close to the very turbulent end of the Younger Dryas, but this is likely just a coincidence.

The detailed describtions of the place don't lead to any existing area, hence Atlantis has been located just about everywhere on the globe. But then again, the original manuscripts have disappeared a long time ago and discussions about correct interpretations are ongoing.

One of the many speculations is that Atlantis is a fiction based on the invasions of the sea peoples and that Solon may have seen the inscriptions about that history in the Medinet Habu temple.

CEL

For a good skeptical analysis of Atlantis myth see:
http://www.skepdic.com/atlantis.html

waht

There is evidence of volcanic eruptions and there is an ancient city dug out from ashes on one of Greek's hundreds of islands, forgot what's it called.

If there was ever an origin of the story of Atlantis, it could have been an island off Greece, wiped out by volcanic eruptions. Then as usual, myths and legends follow saying it was a super advanced civilization bigger than Africa and what not.

mgb_phys

The theory is that it was based on the Minoan civilsation on Crete who were rather spectacularly inconvenienced by the tsunami following Santorini erupting around 1500BCE

waht

Minoan settlement on Santorini:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akrotiri_%28Santorini%29

KrisOhn

You wouldn't be referring to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD would you?
Vesuvius

I know the dates and places are quite off, but there's a chance, since you don't know the name and there is a massive excavation going on in the cities destroyed by that eruption.

Cryptonic

Atlantis is probably as real as Troy or Sodom & Gomorrah... In other words, it probably existed. I saw a convincing doccumentary that placed it in the Andes. An archeological site with concentric "moats" and a central temple/city etc.

Evo

I would say that a city in the mountains of South America would be an unlikely spot.

MotoH

They have found a massive wall that is believed to be the city of Troy.

BL4CKCR4Y0NS

I'm just saying here, I'm not criticising your statement but I just wanted to know, why do you think that it's unlikely?

Evo

Because there is no record of trade or travel between South America and Greece back then.

CEL

Especially the Pacific side of South America.
But the Atlanteans were supposedly so advanced, that they could have built the Canal of Panama, twelve thousand years ago, when the rest of the humans were just discovering agriculture.

BL4CKCR4Y0NS

This is making me more and more curious about Atlantis ... where can I read what Plato wrote about it?

Sacnoth XIII

In the link they gave you above.

http://www.skepdic.com/atlantis.html
________

Also, you all should know some myths have been proven to be based loosely on facts: city of Troy for example now that you mentioned.

A Spanish scientist made a theory about Atlantis and says it's possible it was placed on Spain. He is going to publish his book in the next days. It seems Solon, Plato's ancestor and one of the seven greek sages according to Pausanias, had Spanish ancestry. Maybe he got the legend from them.

Sorry about my English, my first language is Spanish.

DaveC426913

As a tangent to the Atlantis question, I kind of wonder what the above means.

The Seven Wonders of the World were fairly recently designated, they are all over the world, and I don't know how anything could be "in the middle of" them.