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==The myth of Atlantis==

The only sources for the story of the fabled island are the philosophical dialogues of Plato, that date from about 360 BC. The Athenian Philosopher mentions Atlantis in two of his dialogues Timaeus and Critias. In the Timaeus, the story of the island is only briefly discussed. In the Critias, Plato claims that the great Athenian law-giver Solon is the source of the story<ref> Forsyth, P. Y. Atlantis: The Making of Myth. (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1980), p. 12</ref>. This story had been handed down by wise men and priests for thousands of years and it was transmitted to Solon. The great Athenian was known to have traveled widely and is regarded as one of the ‘Seven Sages of Greece’. Plato claims that Solon translated some records from Egyptian into Greek and it was from these that he learned the story of Atlantis<ref>Plato. Timaeus, 3b</ref>. Some believe that Plato may have been influenced in his conception of Atlantis, by the works of the mythographer Hellanicus of Lesbos. In particular, he is believed to have written a work called Atlantis, who was the daughter of the God of the Sea Poseidon. The story of Atlantis in the Platonic dialogues is widely regarded as a form of philosophical allegory. Plato taught many of is doctrines in the form of allegorical tales, one of the best known is the story of the ‘Prisoners in the Cave’ found in the Republic<ref>Plato, The Republic, v, 515b2</ref>. The Athenian Philosopher’s discussion of the story of Atlantis is regarded as an allegory on the ideal society and what happens to states, when their citizenry lost, their virtues<ref>Forsyth, p. 18</ref>.

==The story of Atlantis==

In the dialogue Critias, a well-known Athenian politician relates that the Olympian Gods divided the earth between them. The sea-god Poseidon was allocated the great island of Atlantis. This was located beyond the Straits of Gibraltar and was therefore situated in the Atlantic Ocean. It was believed to be very large and was approximately 500 miles long <ref>Plato. Critias. 32 b</ref>It was very fertile and rich, but it was very prone to earthquakes. According to Egyptian sources, the island was hilly and in the center was a great plain. Critias in the Platonic dialogue states that Poseidon had five pairs of twins with a nymph. The firstborn son was named Atlas and he later became monarch of the island. The Atlantic Ocean is named after this fabled king. The other sons of Poseidon were also given extensive territories to rule in and around Atlantis. According to the Platonic dialogue, Poseidon created a palace for the mother of Atlas. Near here, the Atlanteans build a canal and tunnels that linked this palace to the rest of the island<ref>Plato. Critias. 32 b</ref>. They also built a great city that was surrounded by mighty walls, that were multi-colored and covered with precious metals. Plato has Critias state that Atlantis was a veritable paradise on earth for many centuries. It was a well-ordered land, that was justly ruled, and its kings were wise. In the Platonic dialogue, the island is portrayed as the perfect society and a Utopia. However, over time, the Atlanteans became decadent and lost their old virtue and become increasingly rapacious and war-like ref>, Plato. Critias. 32 b</ref>. Some 9000 years ago there was a great war, between the Atlanteans and the rest of the inhabited world. The Atlanteans had subjugated most of Europe, as far as Italy. Athens led a coalition against the new Atlantean Empire. Even though the Athenians were betrayed by their allies, they still managed to defeat the Atlanteans<ref>, Plato. Critias. 32 b</ref>. Soon after the defeat of Atlantis, a series of floods and earthquakes shook the island and this led it to subside and eventually to sink into the sea<ref>Forsyth, p. 18</ref>. All traces of it apart from some records have vanished according to the Dialogue. We do not know if Plato invented the fable or if there was an actual myth about the great island, in the Classical era. In Ancient times, opinion was divided on the historicity of the island, some such as Strabo believed it to be true, while others saw it as a fiction. The tale of Atlantis inspired Francis Bacon in his great work the New Atlantis and St Thomas More in his work Utopia. In 1882, the Minnesotan politician Ignatius L. Donnelly wrote the pseudo-historical work Atlantis: The Antediluvian World. Donnelly took Plato literally and he contended that there had once been a huge island in the mid-Atlantic and that the Atlanteans once had a superior civilization. This work revived interest in Plato’s philosophical narrative and from then on there are those who have been committed to finding the lost island or continent.