Atlantis... Can someone help me? 10 easy points!

Question

I'm quite confused about Atlantis? So was it an island? Also, what caused it to sink? Oh and I know that Atlantis isn't real. But, in theory, what would cause an island or land mass to sink? I looked it up on Wikipedia, but I didn't really understand it. It was saying something about Plato... What does Plato have to do with a sinking island?

I know I may sound really stupid, but please help! I'm trying (and possibly failing) to write a book. So if you have any tips or something please help me!

Thank you! :)

Answer 1

The bottom line is, not even the best researchers can say for certain. However, there are several competing theories. The best theory to date has physical evidence of an island not far from Greece in the Aegean Sea. It was a real place, in that case, even if the hundreds of stories that followed weren't true.

The original descriptions of Atlantis (which means "Isle of Atlas") were that it was "larger than Libya and Asia together" and there is a widely-held belief among expert archaeologists that this was a typographical error, and that it was instead "between Libya and Asia Minor" (amazing what one pair of vowels in Ancient Greek being switched did to the translation, isn't it?). Therefore, most experts in the field want to say that they are modern islands in the Mediterranean.

The remainder of the description in Plato's work (because Plato was the first to mention it in known history) tells of a concentric ring formation and fantastic advances in technology that not even the gods could compete with. The gods sunk Atlantis for that very reason.

People talk about technology that surpassed even modern standards. This, however, is not only unreasonable, it's incorrect. The technology described may have been things like double-hulled ships and vases that didn't break when you dropped them (things which would have astounded someone even in Plato's time).

The modern candidates for being Atlantis fail to take into account one or more of the descriptive elements, such as concentric canals for boats and the Acropolis Hill (all of which were circular by most accounts).

The island itself was in fact real. An island sinking into the ocean is possible for a wide variety of cataclysmic possibilities. The calamity of a whole island sinking which represented the pivotal moment of technological progress of the time was sure to set us back in a few areas.

Some ideas for sinking include: underwater erosion (the island itself had a pocket of softer stone or possibly sand that was washed away until it could no longer support the island); a volcanic event (underwater magma flow caused a sinkhole underwater when the magma was evacuated); and my favorite, that the island itself was made from pumice or another stone that could float, and it sank from having too many occupants.

The bottom line is that Atlantis wasn't the first or last place to sink into the sea in that area, and so it's very possible that we'll find it (if we haven't already).

Hope this helps you, and I didn't think you sounded stupid... in the words of a Chinese proverb by Confucius: "The one who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; the one who does not as a question is a fool forever."

Answer 2

The oldest known mention of Atlantis is from Plato... which is why there is the reference to him.  According to some theories, Plato recites the story of Atlantis from the teachings of an Egyptian Priest named Saith (for memory).

There are many theories on whether Atlantis actually existed, and current thinking is that it may have been located near the shores of what is now the Bosporous.  According to some theorists, the Bosporus was formed when the rising waters of the Mediterranean Sea breached through to the Black Sea; causing a massive flooding of the lower lying body of water.  Hence, the submersion of "Atlantis".  Ancient artifacts have been found in the depths of these waters, which gives this theory some credence.

Another theory is that Atlantis was destroyed when a super volcano (named Thera) erupted; creating the Cyclades island chain.

Curiously enough, Atlantis is also a Mayan word; and means "copper water".  So there are also some theorhetical links between ancient mesoamerican cultures and the story of Atlantis, whereby the survivors of the destruction of Atlantis may have relocated to South America.

Take your pick.

Answer 3

Plato gives us the first recorded information on Atlantis and he wrote The Atlantis Dialogue in the 4th century BCE...

Atlantis was a continent and many believe that when the poles shifted the last time about 70,000 years ago it was destroyed and now lies beneath the sea...I have about 25 books on Atlantis and Lemuria aka, Mu and there are many confilcting arguments in all of them...

If you want to get a hold of a copy of The Atlantis Dialogue by Plato, then go to amazon.com, that's where I got my copy from, and whilst in there you will see that there are plenty of books on the subject also available...

In Light... )O(  

Answer 4

The story of Atlantis begins quite literally with two of Plato's dialogues, Timaeus and Critias. These accounts are the only known written records which refer specifically to a lost civilization called Atlantis. Many people believe the tale to be complete fiction, the creation of a philosopher's imagination used to illustrate an argument. Others believe that the story was inspired by catastrophic events which may have destroyed the Minoan civilization on Crete and Thera. Still others maintain that the story is an accurate representation of a long lost and almost completely forgotten land.

These are few theories.

I could fill dozens of pages but i don't see the point. Check those sites, you may find them useful. I personally believe it is a myth.  

Answer 5

Plato wrote about the mythical island of Atlantis. As far as what caused it it could have been a number of things. I believe Plato says it was some kind of cataclysm. Massive earthquakes could have shaken the island loose. Massive tidal waves would have washed the island away.  

Answer 6

Atlantis was an island civilization who were incredibly advanced and lived in complete peace.  In essence, a utopia.  The island sank into the ocean because of a giant title wave.  Many theorize that if it ever existed than a volcano could have caused the wave that sank the island. When Krakatoa erupted it sank 2 islands that were near it because of the enormous force of its eruption.

Answer 7

Atlantis, however, is a mythical city composed by Plato in one of his dialogues...similar to More’s Utopia (meaning No Where). And, yes it “was” an island in the tale. Like Utopia the people are not driven by money etc but have those resources. They are advances in technology and (some) ethics.  

Answer 8

The connection to Plato is that the story of Atlantis appears in Plato's writings.