Lost City Of Atlantis
The Ocean is filled with untold stories that are waiting to be discov-ered. Who knows what may lie under the deep blue Ocean. Atlantis is one of those untold stories that are awaiting an explanation. Atlantis today has no solid explanation of how old it is, where it is located, or if it really existed at all. There are numerous theories on how Atlantis was destroyed or if it was a physical place. Some people believe they have found the lost city of Atlantis.
Atlantis is believed to have existed over 2500 years ago and had such things as running hot and cold water, streets of gold, and all the nicest things on Earth (EarthQuest, pg. 1). Having such things as these Atlantis must have been a splendid place to live. What more would anyone want if with a wonderful place as Atlantis. Atlantis has a brief history because most of it has not yet been discovered. The Greek Word Atlantis means the Island of Atlas, just as the word Atlantic means the Ocean of Atlas (Laketech, pg.1).
Atlantis was the domain of the Greek Poseidon, god of the sea. He is the one that was said to have made and destroyed Atlantis. 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. Surrounding the dwelling with rings of water and land to protect her (The Active Mind, pg.1). Soon After Poseidon, god of the sea, sired five pairs of male twins with the mortal woman “Cleito”. When the children grew up Poseidon appointed the eldest of these sons, At-las the titan, ruler of his beautiful Island domain (Laketech, pg 1).
The Island of Atlantis was the center for trade and commerce. Atlan-tis was governed in peace, was rich in commerce, was advanced in knowledge, and held domain over the surrounding islands and contents. Portions of the city were devoted to commerce and industry. This was be-cause the Atlanteans used the discoveries of their scientists and technologists as the basis of a flourishing trade with other nations (True Origins, pg. 2). Great universities, observatories, libraries, and laboratories for people of all ages showed that Atlantis was wellspring of human arts and sciences.
The government of Atlantis was one of a kind that would of work per-fectly in this day in age. At the top of the central hill, a temple was built in honor of Poseidon, which housed a giant gold statue of Poseidon riding a chariot pulled by winged horses (The Active Mind, pg.1). It was here that the rulers of Atlantis would come to discuss laws, pass judgments, and pay tribute to Poseidon. Any one could imagine how big of a building this tem-ple must have been. No one really knows if this temple is a true fact or just a really good myth. If true fact, the temple is lying under the deep blue Ocean submerge for eternity.
To facilitate travel and trade, a water canal was cut through the is-lands, which led to south about 5.5 miles 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 (The Active Mind, pg. 1). This was a densely populated area where the majority of the population lived. The unique beauty of the city, on it’s circles of land linked by great bridges across the circles of water, was further enhanced by brilliant gardens, groves of flowering trees, and sparkling fountains (True Origins, pg. 2). To some extent it sort of relates to the Virgin Islands, but Atlantis was connected to each island.
Beyond the city lay a fertile plain 330 miles long and 110 miles wide surrounded by another canal used to collect water from the rivers and streams of the mountains. The climate was of an odd one that made two harvests possible each year. One harvest would be in the winter that was fed by the rains and the one in the summer was fed by irrigation from the canal (The Active Mind, pg. 1). Besides the harvests, the Island provided all kinds of herbs, fruits, and nuts. As well as an abundance of animals, in-cluding elephants, tigers, birds, and many more roamed the Island. For generations the Atlanteans lived simple, virtuous lives (The Active Mind, pg. 2).
The people who lived on Atlantis were like that of our society back in the old days. There were servants, slaves, and other common people who worked the fields and animals of the city. Important people who served roy-alty lived on the inner circle of the island. The outer Island is where most of the citizens lived (Atlantis, pg. 1). The first King of Atlantis built his Temple on a smaller island; he put walls around it and called it Atlantis. The island had mountains, plains, and beaches. Like that of any Island that is still around today. There is no doubt that Atlantis was the most beautiful place on earth at that time.
The geography of Atlantis was like any other Island. The Island of At-lantis was an under water volcano. The Volcanic Island city was about 11 miles in diameter, and was known as the Great city of Atlantis. Since it was a volcano, it had a round doughnut shaped Island with water all around it, and in it’s center (Atlantis, pg. 1). In the center of the doughnut was a smaller island and this is where Cleito lived. To have lived there would be a wonderful experience. Just to see the beauty of the island would just over whelm the human senses.
For a number of years it was the most perfect place to live. Soon that all began to change, and the island was a mess. Greed and power began to corrupt them. When Zeus saw the immorality of the Atlanteans he gathered the other gods together to determine a suitable punishment (The Active Mind, pg. 2). “By Plato’s legend, the people of Atlantis became complacent and their leaders arrogant; in punishment the Gods destroyed Atlantis by flooding it and submerging the Island in one day and night. The city of At-lantis sank and the continent remained intact (Atlantis, pg. 1).
Soon, in one violent surge it was gone. The Island of Atlantis, it’s people, and their memories were swallowed by the sea. There are some that think that the lost city of Atlantis is Actually in the Bermuda Triangle, Sunken at the bottom of the Ocean (Earthquest, pg. 1). No one knows for sure because this is a legend of the Greek gods.
The Destruction of Atlantis has many theories. Some people believe that this beautiful city was “Swallowed into the Ocean” by an earthquake. The Atlantean continent had been spilt into five massive Islands by im-mense earthquakes (ProHosting, pg. 3). One theory of destruction is Earth-crust displacement. There is Another Atlantis-like story that was closer to Plato’s world, in terms of time and geography. The Minoan civilization was a great and peaceful culture based on the Island of Crete, which reigned in 2200 B.C. (Parascope, pg. 2). The Minoan Island of Santorini, later known as Thera, was home to a huge volcano. In 1470 B.C. it erupted with a force estimated to be greater than Krakato, covering everything on Santorini’s surface. When the Volcano exploded, the city and kingdom were destroyed. Many people on the continent were killed by floods and pieces of ash from the volcano (Atlantis, pg. 2). The Minoan civilization, whose remnants were easily conquered by Greek forces. Santorini could have been the real Atlan-tis.
Plato specified that Atlantis sank 10,000 years ago, but the Minoan disaster had taken place only 1,000 years earlier. It could have been the translation errors over the centuries altered what Plato really wrote, or maybe he was intentionally blurring the historical facts to suit his purposes. There exists yet another strong possibility that Plato entirely made Atlantis up himself. Other Greek thinkers, such as Aristotle and Pliny, disputed the existence of Atlantis, while Plutarch and Herodotus wrote of it as historical fact. Atlantis became entrenched in folklore all around the world, charted on Ocean maps and sought by explorers (Parascope, pg. 2)
Bibliography:
Works cited
1. Atlantis. True Origins. 23 January 1999
2. Atlantis: The Great Lost Civilization. Prohosting. 25 May 1999
3. Atlantis- Lost City. Atlantis. 30 July 2000
4. Atlantis Subplots: A Brief History of the Lost Continent. parascope. 5 June 2000
5. Lost City of Atlantis. EarthQuest. 22 February 2000
6. The Lost Continent of Atlantis. Laketech. 11 March 1998
7. The Story of Atlantis. The Active Mind. 15 April 1996