Questions about whether Atlantis existed, about the location of Plato's sunken Atlantis, however, like all the secrets of Atlantis, torment the minds of many generations of seekers. Some researchers have not decided whether it was a large island or a small mainland. Many atlantologists are trying to find evidence of the existence of the island, other representatives modern science believe that the "city" of Atlantis was in the west. While still others believe that Hyperborea disappeared along with the disappeared Atlantis.

The first acquaintance with the continent lost more than 10,000 years ago is connected with Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias. This work of Plato allows some scholars to claim that they have found and identified the area of ​​the sunken island, and know where Atlantis sank.

Places on Earth where archaeologists have searched for the ancient sunken Atlantis

It is known about at least five points on Earth where the search for Atlantis was conducted:

• Baltic;
• Eastern Mediterranean;
• Spain;
• Great Britain;
• Bermuda Triangle.

What did archaeologists find in these places?

Secrets of Swedish Atlantis

Swedish archaeologists managed to discover ancient artifacts dating back to the Stone Age at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Apparently, nomads could stop near the place where they were discovered about eleven thousand years ago. The press immediately dubbed this discovery, important for science, the "Swedish Atlantis".

Atlantis of the Eastern Mediterranean

In 2004, the American scientist Robert Sarmast thought he had unraveled the mysteries of Atlantis. He announced the location of the lost city between Syria and Cyprus at a depth of one and a half kilometers. The expedition, which he led, managed to find man-made buildings at the bottom, as well as channels and riverbeds. The scientist claimed that all this coincided with the outline of Plato's Atlantis.

History of Spanish Atlantis

In 2011, already Spanish scientists voiced a version of the location of Atlantis. They believed that the ancient city was washed away by the tsunami off the Spanish coast. Local scientists claimed that at the bottom lies a complex of buildings that also corresponded to Plato's descriptions. With the help of instruments, it was possible to fix the concentration of methane, which in turn may indicate the death of many people.

History of British Atlantis

British scientists did not have to lag behind their colleagues. So, in 2012, they announced the discovery of Atlantis off their coast. The hypothesis was reported that the "British Atlantis" had to go under water about nine thousand years ago. According to this hypothesis, it was a piece of land that stretched between Denmark and Scotland. In the center, this land was the size of modern France, and this whole part of the land was almost 900 thousand square kilometers.

Atlantis Bermuda Triangle

Canadian researchers near the eastern coast of Cuba using a special robot in 2012 photographed some underwater ruins. In the photo, one could see the remains of buildings similar to pyramids, a figure resembling a sphinx, as well as engraved huge slabs. However, later archaeologists considered that this drowned city was not part of Atlantis. It turned out that it was built up to two thousand years ago. Whereas, according to the instructions of Plato, the island of Atlantis plunged into the depths of the sea around 9500 BC.

What did Plato write about Atlantis?

Having found the right places in the text of Plato's dialogues, you can read what he wrote about the civilization of Atlantis, which existed thousands of years ago. The island where it originated was larger than Libya and Asia combined. There arose a great and marvelous association of kings. All their power extended over the island, to many other islands, and also to part of the continent. Moreover, on this side of the strait they were masters of Libya as far as Egypt, and also of Europe as far as Tirrenia.

Some researchers have mentioned Solon, who wrote down the story of the death of Atlantis. He visited the Egyptian city of Sais around 611 BC. There, from the local priests, he learned that a terrible catastrophe had occurred, which occurred nine thousand years BC. e. Then there was a flooding of a huge island, exceeding in size "Libya with Asia."

Scientists, after the necessary calculations, placed an island of such volumes near Gibraltar. They decided that by now only a few islands could remain from this huge island, such as Cape Verde, the Canaries, Madeira, the Azores and others. Thus the vast archipelago was, in fact, the Platonic civilization of Atlantis.

Secret maps of Christopher Columbus

Some believe that Atlantis in ancient times meant the Canaries, and supplements this with the fact that Columbus had accurate navigation charts with the Atlantic ridge in all his four campaigns.

By the way, he was also looking for the remains of the islands of the once-existing empire. Later, some of those maps that were at the disposal of the great commander were captured by the Turks in one of the naval battles, so that they ended up at Piri Reis.

In the maps of Piri Reis that have come down to us, there were no details necessary for scientists. There were no images of the sunken mainland. Nevertheless, this did not prevent us from determining the location of Atlantis; the routes of the Columbus caravels of all four expeditions were known. It should be noted that all four expeditions of Columbus always started from the Canaries.

Mystery of ocean currents

In the last two expeditions, Columbus decided to take advantage of the current that carried his ships in the right direction. Navigators in those days could hardly have been aware of the secret of such a current. However, this secret was well known to Columbus himself, which means that he could find it in secret sources that could come to him along with maps of the disappeared continent.

Nowadays, these ocean currents have received little attention, since the modern fleet is adapted to perform autonomous navigation to any extent. This made the secrets of the currents, which in ancient times ensured the regularity of communications between parts of the world, irrelevant. However, unequivocal evidence can be found in ancient maps that these messages existed.

However, according to some researchers, after the global cosmic cataclysm in 1528 BC. communication between the continents was interrupted. And only because of Christopher Columbus everything returned to normal. The great Genoese possessed cards unknown to science and, indulging in them, made his great discoveries.

Fall of the great Posidonia

According to the ancient philosophers and writers, all its citizens were warned that Atlantis would perish. However, after nothing happened for several years, people continued to "sin" further.

The collapse of the great empire of Atlas began with the appearance of huge cracks, where the rivers rushed. Death went on throughout the state for three days, mountains collapsed and fell into valleys, rivers rushed into the ocean. On the fourth day, such a downpour fell, as if the abyss of heaven had opened up, the terrible roar of thunder did not stop.

Suddenly there was a shudder of the earth, after which part of the land began its dive into the crazy streams. Everything that was on land began to sink lower and lower under the water.

Then everything went silent. No rain, no crushing blows of wind, no downward movement - everything stopped, as if so that the survivors could rest. For several days nothing happened. It seemed to the exhausted people who hid in insignificant shelters that everything was over.

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In the works of some ancient Greek historians, geographers, mythographers, mathematicians, theologians and astronomers, there are references to one state that has sunk into oblivion: the legendary island of Atlantis. About two thousand years ago, Plato, Herodotus, Diodorus and other respected authors wrote about him in their writings.

Ancient authors about the sunken island of Atlantis

Basic information about the lost Atlantis is contained in the writings of Plato. In the dialogues Timaeus and Critias, he talks about an island state that existed about 11,500 years ago.

According to Plato, the god Poseidon was the ancestor of the Atlanteans. He connected his life with a mortal girl who bore him ten sons. When the children grew up, the father divided the island between them. The best part of the land went to the eldest son of Poseidon: Atlan.

Atlantis was a powerful, wealthy and populous state. Its inhabitants built a serious system of defense against external enemies and built a network of circular canals leading to the sea, as well as an internal port.

Large cities were distinguished by amazing architectural structures and beautiful sculptures: temples made of gold and silver, golden statues and statues. The island was very fertile, with a varied natural world; in the bowels of the earth, people mined copper and silver.

The Atlanteans were a warlike people: the army of the state included a navy of 1000 ships, the number of crews was equal to 240 thousand people; The ground army consisted of 700 thousand people. The descendants of Poseidon fought successfully for many years, conquering new territories and wealth; so it was until Athens stood in their way.

The Athenians, in order to defeat the Atlanteans, created a military alliance with the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula. But on the day of the battle, the allies refused to fight, and the Athenians were left face to face with the enemy. The fearless courageous Greeks defeated the aggressor and liberated the peoples previously enslaved by him.

But early Greek warriors rejoiced at their achievements: they decided to intervene in the affairs of people, who had been following the inhabitants of Atlantis for the last centuries. Zeus considered that the Atlanteans had become greedy, greedy, depraved and decided to punish them to the fullest extent by flooding the island along with its inhabitants and the Athenians who did not have time to celebrate the victory.

Here is what Plato writes about Atlantis in his two writings. At first glance, this is just a beautiful legend, an interesting fairy tale. There is no direct evidence for the existence of Atlantis in ancient times, nor any reference to authoritative sources.

But these two dialogues survived not only Plato himself, but also two millennia more - during this time many disputes and theories regarding the lost state arose.

Plato's student Aristotle, who listened to the speeches of the Platonist philosophers for about 20 years, eventually categorically rejected the existence of Atlantis, stating that the dialogues "Timaeus" and "Critias" are just an invention, the nonsense of an old man.

It was because of Aristotle that Atlantis was talked about reluctantly, in an undertone until the end of the 18th century. After all, this venerable philosopher enjoyed unquestioned authority in Europe, especially in the Middle Ages. All statements of Aristotle were perceived by Europeans as the ultimate truth.

So why was Aristotle so sure that Atlantis was fiction, because he did not have irrefutable evidence of this? Why was he so harsh in his judgments? Some sources claim that the philosopher simply did not like his mentor, so he decided in this way to spoil the authority of Plato in the eyes of his admirers and admirers.

Mentions of Atlanteans in the writings of other ancient authors

Other ancient authors wrote very little about Atlantis: Herodotus claimed that the Atlanteans had no names, did not see and were defeated by troglodytes - cavemen; according to the stories of Diodorus, the inhabitants of Atlantis fought with the Amazons. Posidonius, who was interested in the causes of land subsidence, believed that Plato's story was plausible.

Proclus in his writings reports on one follower of the ancient thinker: an Athenian Krantor.

Allegedly, he specially went to 47 years after the death of the philosopher to find evidence in favor of the existence of an island state; returning from a trip, Crantor said that in one of the ancient temples he saw columns with inscriptions retelling the historical events described by Plato.

Search for Atlantis

It is quite difficult to indicate the exact location of the lost Atlantis: there are many hypotheses about where the flooded state may be.

Plato wrote that a huge island was once in the ocean behind the Pillars of Hercules (i.e., beyond Gibraltar). But his searches in the area of ​​the Canary, Balearic, Azores and British Islands did not lead to anything.

Some researchers suggest looking for the remains of the material culture of the Atlanteans in the Black Sea, linking the flooding of the island with the "Black Sea flood" that occurred 7-8 millennia ago - then the sea level in less than a year rose, according to various estimates, from 10 to 80 meters.

There is a hypothesis according to which Antarctica is the lost Atlantis. Scientists who adhere to this theory believe that Antarctica in ancient times was shifted to the south pole due to a lithospheric shift, or a sharp shift in the earth's axis as a result of a collision of our planet with a large cosmic body.

There is also an opinion that traces of Atlantis can be found in South America or Brazil. But most interpreters of Plato's dialogues are sure: the lost island should be looked for only in the Atlantic Ocean.

In recent decades, the lost state has been looking for many expeditions, most of which returned empty-handed. True, from time to time the whole world is disturbed by news about the found traces of a flooded island.

Have the Russians found Atlantis?

In 1979, a Soviet expedition, while testing a diving bell, accidentally discovered some objects in the Atlantic Ocean that looked like the ruins of an ancient city.

The action unfolded just behind the “Pillars of Hercules” indicated by Plato, 500 km from Gibraltar, above the Amper seamount, which protruded above the surface of the ocean many millennia ago, but then for some reason went under water.

Three years later, the Soviet ship "Rift" went to the same place to explore the ocean floor with the help of the Argus submersible. The aquanauts were amazed by what they saw; from their words, they opened the panorama of the city ruins: the remains of rooms, squares, streets.

But the expedition that took place in 1984 did not live up to the hopes of the researchers: an analysis of two stones raised from the ocean floor showed that it was just volcanic rock, solidified lava, and not the creation of human hands.

The opinion of modern scientists about Atlantis

Atlantis is a fantasy

Most modern historians and philologists are convinced that Plato's dialogues are just a beautiful legend, of which the philosopher has many. There are no traces of this state either in Greece, or in the west of Europe, or in Africa - this is confirmed by archaeological excavations.

The opinion of scientists that Atlantis is just a figment of the imagination is also based on the following: the philosopher writes about the network of canals built on the island, about the inner port, but such large-scale projects in ancient times were beyond the power of people.

Plato indicated the approximate date of the island's sinking into the ocean depths: 9000 years before he wrote the dialogues (i.e., approximately 9500 BC). But this contradicts the data of modern science: at that time, humanity was just emerging from the Paleolithic era. It is not easy to believe that somewhere in those days there lived a people who overtook the entire human race in their development by thousands of years.

Many scientists are convinced that Plato, when writing his works, took as a basis some of the events that took place during his lifetime: for example, the defeat of the Greeks when they tried to conquer the island of Sicily and the flooding of the town of Gelika as a result of an earthquake followed by a flood.

Other researchers believe that the basis for the works of the philosopher was the volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini, which subsequently hit the coast of Crete and other islands of the Mediterranean Sea - this disaster led to the decline of the developed Minoan civilization.

The version is supported by the following fact: the Minoans really fought against the Archeans who inhabited Greece in ancient times and were even defeated by them (just like the Atlanteans were defeated by the Greeks in the dialogues Timaeus and Critias).

In general, many researchers of the thinker's works believe that Plato, being a utopian idealist, with his writings only wanted to call his contemporaries to build an ideal exemplary humane state in which there would be no place for dictatorship, violence and tyranny.

However, the philosopher himself in the dialogues constantly emphasizes that Atlantis is not just a legend, but an island state that once really existed.

Plato doesn't lie

Some researchers nevertheless admit that there is a grain of truth in the writings of the ancient thinker. Excavations carried out in recent years by archaeologists have helped scientists obtain new information about the life and technical achievements of our ancestors living 5-10 thousand years ago.

Modern archaeologists find the remains of grandiose structures created by ancient people everywhere: in Egypt, Sumer, Babylon. Tunnels for collecting groundwater, many kilometers of adits, stone dams, man-made lakes - all these structures operated long before the birth of Plato.

Consequently, the philosopher's dialogues cannot be attributed to fiction only on the grounds that mankind 11 millennia ago was unable to build a network of canals and bridges: recent archaeological excavations prove the opposite.

In addition, since the works of Plato rewritten more than once have come down to us, it is likely that over the two millennia there has been a confusion with dates.

The fact is that in the system of Egyptian hieroglyphs, the number "9000" is indicated by lotus flowers, and the number "900" - rope knots; supporters of the existence of Atlantis believe that the later scribes of the dialogues could easily confuse symbols so similar to each other, thus pushing back the historical event several thousand years ago.

On top of that, Plato, who belongs to one highly revered in Ancient Greece family, in his dialogues he refers to his ancestor: the wisest of the "seven wise men" legislator Solon. And the ancient Greeks were very kind to their roots, tried to protect the sacred memory of their relatives. Would Plato, given his moral qualities, refer to Solon in his works, because if the whole story with Atlantis is just a fiction, he would tarnish the name of the wisest representative of the family?

Afterword

Atlantis has been shrouded in a halo of mystery for many centuries. People have been trying to find the suddenly disappeared state for almost two thousand years: some - wanting to take possession of the treasures described by Plato, others - out of scientific interest, others - just out of curiosity.

In the 50s of the last century, even a doctrine called "Atlantology" appeared, its main task is to identify true information about Atlantis in historical sources and mythical legends.

The debate about whether the mysterious land once existed or the ancient Greek thinker simply invented it does not subside to this day. Various theories are born and die, conjectures appear and disappear. Some of them are supported by science, while others are more like a beautiful fairy tale.

Perhaps our children or grandchildren will solve the riddle of Atlantis. But it may turn out that another two thousand years will pass, and the mystery of the lost island will remain unsolved, and our descendants, just like we today, will be tormented by conjectures and assumptions.

ARTICLE IN VIDEO FORMAT

Furious disputes, measured discussions, assumptions, myths and versions - all this has been disturbing mankind for many centuries. Mysterious land called Atlantis, haunts neither pundits nor researchers who love to dream up. Didn't miss Atlantis lost world, and a simple layman. It seems that today every second person has heard about this mysterious island, about the fact that in ancient times there was a lost Atlantis, a civilization that knew no equal in technological and scientific development, in the culture of life. The Atlanteans inhabited it, a free people, but not devoid of human vices, which, in the end, destroyed the mysterious empire. It is believed that the secrets of Atlantis lie somewhere at the bottom of the oceans. Let's try to figure out if this is true or not.

Atlantes and their appearance on the pages of history.

In 428 BC, in a rich and noble family, in the city-state of Athens, a seemingly ordinary boy was born, who received the name Plato. The father of the child was Ariston. His family originates from the legendary king Kodru. Mother - Periktiona, great-great-granddaughter of no less great Solon. Not Atlanteans, of course, but very revered and important people, both by the standards of Athens and by historical canons.

The child grew alive in every sense; he was sociable, cheerful and inquisitive. Surrounded by all sorts of blessings, he did not know what hard work and want were, spending most of his time on physical exercises and education. Having matured, the young man wished to give development not only to his body, but also to his mind. You and I know that the result of this decision will be the Atlanteans and many other discoveries no less important for history, philosophy and other sciences. However, the guy had yet to figure out his own thoughts, ideas and designs. At the age of 20, fate gave the young Plato a chance to answer many questions that tormented him, among which were the Atlanteans: at this time, Plato met Socrates, the greatest philosopher antiquity, falls under the influence of his ideas and becomes his faithful disciple and follower.

All these events, which subsequently gave birth to the Atlanteans, take place against the background of the Peloponnesian War, which shakes the ancient world, starting from 431 BC. The last battle of this long war took place already in the year 404, when the troops of Sparta entered Athens. Power in the city is seized by thirty tyrants; freedom of speech, democracy and the right to choose disappear from the lives of local residents. But only a year passes, and the hated regime of tyranny collapses. The invaders are driven out of the city in disgrace, restoring its independence. Having defended their freedom and independence, Athens, the city where they first started talking about the Atlanteans, regains strength and influence among other Greek settlements.

The victory is given to Athens, the city where the Atlanteans were “born”, with heavy losses: many famous, noble and courageous men perish. Among the dead are many friends of Plato, the “father” of the Atlanteans, a future figure, thinker and activist. The young man hardly survives the loss, and promises himself to change this cruel world. In order to recover and escape from the darkness of days alone, Plato, who discovered the “Atlanteans” to the whole world, sets off on a long journey. He goes to Syracuse, then he visits the colorful villages and cities of the Mediterranean. At the end of his journey, our hero, who discovered the Atlanteans to the world, ends up in Egypt. Plato has a special interest in this country and its people - his great ancestor, Solon, studied here for many years.

The excellent upbringing, manners and education of the young Plato, the man to whom the Atlanteans owe their fame, impress the local elite. After some time, the young man is introduced to representatives of the highest priestly caste of Egypt. It is difficult to say exactly how this acquaintance influenced the views of the future great philosopher, to whom the Atlanteans owe their place in history, but Plato returns to Athens a completely different person. It is quite possible that it was in Egypt that Plato learned who the Atlanteans were and how human civilization actually developed. By the way, the priests of Ancient Egypt were revered not only by the local people, but by the entire ancient world, as the keepers of the most valuable information about the distant past and the peoples that inhabited the Earth. Who knows, maybe the Egyptians really knew who the Atlanteans were, how they lived, and how their story ended.

Long decades pass, but Plato did not tell in one of his works what the great priests of the pyramids told him, whether they told about the Atlanteans or discovered some other secrets of the ancient world. Plato's teacher, Socrates, has long gone to another world, and the philosopher himself has grown old, covered with gray hair and has become much wiser than in his youth. During this period, he already introduced his own philosophy and opened the corresponding school, which eventually turned into an academy. However, the Atlanteans are still not open to the scientific world. Plato's influence on the minds of young men and even old men is inestimable, he is revered as one of the greatest minds that ever lived in Athens and Greece. But the philosopher is tormented by internal conflicts. He struggles with the desire to tell the whole world about what ancient Atlantis is, to discover the true history of the human race. And now, half a century after visiting Egypt, Plato writes two of the most important dialogues in his life - Critias and Timaeus. A similar unique genre of philosophical treatises was introduced by Plato himself. He asks questions and answers them himself. This method, in which the Atlanteans will be opened to the world, better reveals the whole essence of the doubts tormenting a person and the inconsistency of judgments.

Atlantes are finally becoming a world-famous phenomenon. It is in Critia and Timaeus that Plato talks about the mysterious land that existed about 9 thousand years ago, about the land that the Atlanteans inhabited, about the land that does not exist now. It is a huge island with a mountainous terrain. The mountains encircled the perimeter, which was once inhabited by the Atlantean people, their land smoothly turned into gentle foothills, and those, in turn, into the widest plain. It was here that the Atlanteans lived, it was here that they built their way of life, science and civilization.

Atlantis is the land of great minds and no less great wonders.

The secret city, at one time opened only to the Egyptian priests and the young Plato, was called Atlantis. The people who inhabited it descended from the very god of the seas and oceans, Poseidon. It is believed that the progenitor of Atlantis, Poseidon, allegedly once turned to Zeus for help, he asked the supreme god to give him a place on earth. The king of all the gods favorably reacted to the request of the god of waters and allowed him to settle on a huge island, Atlantis, with a favorable climate, but to a greater extent with rocky and infertile soil for crops.

Here Poseidon met local residents, the Atlanteans. First, he met a small people who inhabited the great and mountainous Atlantis, and then, in peace and tranquility, he took up sheep breeding. At first, he suffered from loneliness, but soon a daughter grew up in one of the neighboring families of Atlantis. She turned out to be a girl of extraordinary beauty and intelligence, her name was Kleito. God took her as his wife, and after a while they had five twins, all boys, beautiful, smart and healthy, like gods. What else could be expected from a girl for whom Atlantis was her home, and from the almighty god of the seas, oceans and waters.

When the children grew up, the island, Atlantis, was already divided into ten parts. Each son got a small part of the land, on which he became the ruler. The best piece of land went to the eldest son and at the same time the wisest - Atlan. It was in his honor that the ocean surrounding Atlantis on all sides was named the Atlantic.

Very soon, the island, or rather its seventh and largest part, the lost city, Atlantis, turned into a densely populated state, an empire. The people who inhabited this state, Atlanta, built huge cities with amazing architecture, created magnificent sculptures, embodied luxurious temples in reality. The most majestic of them was the temple of Kleito, dedicated to the father of Atlantis, Poseidon. It was located in the center of the island, on a hill, and was surrounded by a wall made of gold.

To protect themselves from external enemies, the Atlanteans built a serious defense system. The plain was surrounded by two water rings and three earthen ones. Numerous canals were dug through the entire island, Atlantis, connecting the ocean waters with the central part of the land. The main, widest channel ended near the marble steps of Atlantis, which led to the top of the hill, that is, to the temple of Poseidon.

Having strengthened and strengthened, the population of Atlantis created the strongest army in the history of mankind. This army consisted of 1200 ships with a crew of 240 thousand people, whose homeland was Atlantis, and a ground force of 700 thousand people. For comparison, this is twice as much as the world average today. All these people Atlantis had to somehow feed, clothe and shoe. In most cases, funds were sought on the side: the Atlanteans built their economy and politics on constant and bloody wars that could bring profit.

Successful conquests further strengthened the city-state; Atlantis has become stronger than ever. It seems that not a single enemy could be found who would be able to offer worthy resistance to the aggressor. But the universe does not like the proud, it did not forgive pride and Atlantis: proud Athens stood in the way of the island people.

Plato wrote that 9 thousand years ago Athens was a powerful state that could not be compared with the current state of affairs. However, Civilization-Atlantis was strong and it was impossible to defeat such a large army alone. The ancient ancestors of the philosopher turned for help to neighboring states that inhabited the Balkan Peninsula at that time. An unprecedented military alliance was created, the main task of which was the destruction of Atlantis, or at least the weakening of its military power, in order to conclude a peace treaty.

On the decisive day of the battle, the allies opposed by Atlantis were afraid to enter the battle, betraying their neighborly alliance. The Athenians were left alone with the millionth army of the Atlanteans, whose number continued to grow and grow. Courageous Greeks without fear and looking back rushed into battle and in an unequal struggle still lost to the aggressor. It seems that everything, here it is a victory, Atlantis won, and it is time to blow the horn victoriously, but then the gods intervened in human affairs. The great and immortal did not want Atlantis to become higher than the land of Greece subject to and guarded by them.

Zeus and his closest associates have been closely watching Atlantis and the people that inhabited this land for centuries. If at the beginning the local population did not cause negative emotions among the celestials, then centuries later, the situation changed radically. Atlanteans from noble, highly spiritual and moral people gradually turn into selfish, greedy, greedy for power and gold, depraved individuals, brazenly and shamelessly ignoring basic human laws and values. The lifestyle and the general situation in which Atlantis found itself, thousands of years after its settlement, caused a sharp negative reaction among those who, according to their status, were supposed to monitor the purity and morality of human civilization.

Atlantis was on the brink of an abyss. Today, in our humane and progressive 21st century, fallen and low personalities are treated quite tolerantly, for many of us such behavior has become the norm, but in those distant times the mentality was completely different. The pantheon of supreme gods and demigods decided to destroy the whole continent, Atlantis was to be wiped off the face of the Earth. Which was done by the celestials - quickly and imperceptibly for most people.

Atlantis was sinking, both in its own greed and literally. The earth opened up, stormy ocean waters poured onto land. The mysterious island plunged into the eternal abyss. No luck and proud Athens. The wrath of the gods, who did not forgive their wards for the loss, was no less cruel than the fate that Atlantis, a once mighty and beautiful civilization, was doomed to. The gods brought down a catastrophe on Greece and neighboring Earths, the state of Athens was just as erased from the map as Atlantis , wallowing in their own sins. There were no Athenians left capable of celebrating the fall of the aggressor, Atlantis, everyone fell, everyone died.

Secrets of Atlantis, a civilization that has disappeared from the pages of history.

This information can be gleaned from two extensive dialogues that reveal the secrets of Atlantis, and written by Plato at the very end of his life. It seems nothing special - there is no direct evidence based on serious Scientific research, no references to any ancient manuscripts or authoritative sources. At first sight secrets of Atlantis, like the ancient civilization itself - a funny myth, a fairy tale. However, in spite of everything, the secrets of Atlantis and the legends about this civilization survived not only the philosopher himself, they survived centuries, millennia, giving rise to a huge number of discussions, theories and assumptions.

The main opponent who opposed the existence of this nation and dispelled the secrets of Atlantis was Aristotle, who lived in the period from 384 to 322 BC. Aristotle was the teacher and mentor of Alexander the Great. He was one of the main students of Plato, who began his studies at the Academy in 366 BC and completed it in 347.

For almost 20 years, this venerable man, who in every possible way unraveled the secrets of Atlantis, listened to the speeches of philosophers, himself preached the theory of eternal good, and treated with great respect both the works and the statements of his mentor. As a result, Aristotle expressed disagreement with Plato's dialogues, calling them the delirium of an old man. Allegedly, the secrets of Atlantis are not secrets at all, but a rebellion of fantasy and imagination of an honorary elder.

Such a negative reaction had its continuation. In Western Europe in the middle of the centuries, Aristotle had unquestioned authority. His judgments and theories were taken as the ultimate truth. Therefore, one can imagine that until the end of the 8th century, the beginning of the 9th century, the mysterious land, the secrets of Atlantis, although they spoke, were spoken with reluctance, with an eye on representative adherents of the philosophical concepts of Aristotle, one of the greatest, if not the most important philosopher of ancient Greece.

What is the reason for such an attitude to the mystery of Atlantis, to the existence of this civilization? Why did Plato's honorary student, Aristotle, categorically reject the possibility that city ​​of Atlantis existed and flourished for several millennia? Maybe he had irrefutable evidence at his disposal that did not leave a trace of the secret of Atlantis? But there is nothing in the writings of the venerable man to point to these proofs. On the other hand, it is also impossible to dismiss the judgments of Aristotle. As a man and philosopher, he was too authoritative to turn a blind eye to what he said and wrote.

In order to understand everything, you need to imagine the pundits of the past, shrouded in dreams and an unclouded look directed to the future, as ordinary mortals, people who are characterized by envy, greed, selfishness and other things that do not fit with philosophers and such respectable men things.

Who was Plato, who gave rise to the mysteries of Atlantis, disturbing the minds of even modern scientists? Plato was the darling of fate, the favorite of fortune. He was born into a wealthy family, from childhood he did not know worries, lack of attention and need for money. Due to his origin, he received all the blessings of life easily, with a wave of his hand. Without any effort, he created the Academy, surrounded himself with admirers and people who sincerely revere him. All doors were open for him in Athens. He could shout at the top of his voice that the sunken city, Atlantis, exists, and he would be believed. Today, such people are usually called the masters of life, golden youth and oligarchs, earlier, such concepts did not exist, however, a biased attitude towards the rich and wealthy of this world can be traced even before our era.

And who was Aristotle, who did everything possible to dispel the secrets of Atlantis, introduced by his mentor? The son of an ordinary doctor at the court of the Macedonian ruler, already by birth doomed to a miserable existence in poverty and social helplessness. From childhood he knew, if not need, then at least the need for money and livelihood. Each new step upward was given to him with great difficulty. Only thanks to his perseverance, willpower, determination and hard work, which the Atlanteans themselves would envy, this man achieved everything that he deserved: money, fame, respect.

Carefully concealed hostility and envy for a prosperous and kindly mentor, in the end, played with Aristotle the worst joke that the human mind and fate are capable of. Atlantis, the lost civilization, became his Achilles' heel. He forgot all the good and good that the mentor did for him, he, if he did not betray Plato, then certainly defiled his eternal memory with his doubts and distrust. After all, in the end, the secrets of Atlantis might not have interested Aristotle at all, however, he did not just turn his attention to them, he considered it his duty and duty to refute the latest works of Plato. God be his judge, the truth is that, with all his striving, Aristotle did not have more than one fact that could refute the statements of the mentor. Atlantes remained unproven, but not refuted, no matter how hard the envious student tried.

Lost Atlantis and the mystery of its existence.

For two millennia, the question of the mysterious continent either came to life in the minds of individual researchers, or died out under the influence of militant antagonists of Plato's instructions. The most serious opponent, parrying any evidence of the presence of the mystical and lost Atlantis on earth, has long been the church. The servants of the Lord considered the official date of the creation of the world to be 5508 BC. Plato, in his theories, climbed into the darkness of centuries, indicating a time interval of 9 thousand years, when, according to the church, neither the Earth, nor people, nor the universe, much less some kind of lost Atlantis could not physically exist.

Only in the second half of the 9th century, when the church split and its influence began to wane, did lost Atlantis may exist, they spoke again, and then in a whisper. The first who again loudly began to talk about the possibility that the lost Atlantis took place in the history of human civilization was Elena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) - theosophist, explorer, writer and famous traveler. Being a gifted, talented nature, no matter how you look at it, a bright and outstanding personality, this amazing woman categorically asserted that the lost Atlantis existed, and Plato was not mistaken when talking about this mysterious island. True, there were discrepancies in her theories with the Platonic version of Atlantis, the researcher assigned two continents to her at once - one in the Pacific, and the other, located in the Atlantic Ocean. In her understanding, the islands of Madagascar, Ceylon, Sumatra, individual islands of Polynesia and the famous Easter Island turned out to be the remnants of the once great and ancient empire.

Many other researchers followed Blavatsky, arguing furiously about where the lost Atlantis is located, and about the very fact of its existence on the map of antiquity. However, the researchers could not present anything specific, evidence-based and definite to the scientific community.

Beautiful, but as it seemed to many a mythical legend, the world of Atlantis came to life and received rapid development only at the very end of the 19th century. This is the period of the beginning of powerful progress, both scientific and technical. It is no wonder that it was in this era, when more and more new resources appeared at the disposal of people, that interest in adventure arose again in the minds of many. And the lost Atlantis in their eyes became just that adventure. In fact, humanity has just entered a new phase of its existence. Heavy and light industry developed by leaps and bounds, science showed tremendous interest in what this lost Atlantis really was, technology, finance - all this required more and more advanced means of communication not only between individual cities and countries, but also between entire cities. continents.

In 1898, a landmark event in history took place around the lost Atlantis and research aimed at finding it. This year, a telegraph cable was pulled from Europe to America under water. And suddenly, for some obscure technical reasons, it broke off; as a result of which one of the ends sank to the very bottom of the ocean. They lifted it as is customary with steel crampons. Surprisingly, along with the cable, an unexpected surprise was also pulled out of the water, presumably related to the lost Atlantis: These were small pieces of vitreous lava stuck between the paws of the mechanisms used to lift the cable.

Good luck or not, but at that moment there was a geologist on the ship, and a very, very experienced specialist. In addition, he was familiar with what the underwater city of Atlantis was and knew firsthand about the hype around it. He took pieces of a strange rock, the origin of which was almost immediately associated with such a phenomenon as the lost Atlantis, and took them to Paris to his colleague, the French geologist Termier. He carefully studied the samples presented, and soon made a detailed report at the Oceanographic Society, in the capital of France.

As you might guess, his speech was truly sensational and the main topic of this speech was the lost Atlantis, which at that time was the main bone of contention in the research world. In fact, Termier stated with all responsibility that lava takes this form only when it hardens in air. During an underwater eruption, it would be completely different and would not have a vitreous, but rather a crystalline structure. Thus, the conclusion suggested itself that once, in the boundless waters of the Atlantic, somewhere between Iceland and the Azores, there was land, it is obvious that this is not about some unknown island, but about such a phenomenon as the lost Atlantis lost in the depths of the world's oceans.

It seemed that the question of the presence and location of the mysterious mainland should be resolved by itself. It would be time to open a bottle of expensive champagne and celebrate such a serious and important discovery for science as the lost Atlantis, but that was not the case. To make it clearer what exactly is the snag, it is worth going in from afar and telling about everything in order.

Atlantis is a lost world, a bone of contention for the scientific community.

The status of a discoverer in that era was almost the main, cherished dream of the whole life of every respectable man of science. So, in 1900, an English archaeologist named Evans excavates in the Cretan city of Knossos and, surprisingly, finds traces of the most ancient civilization in the entire Mediterranean. He calls it Minoan, but at the same time claims that Atlantis, the lost world, famous in scientific circles, and his Minoan are one and the same.

In his research, the archaeologist refers to a layer of ash found in the sea soil, which is more than three thousand years old. Santorini Island is located 120 kilometers from Crete. It was here, according to the assurances of Arthur Evans, was Atlantis, the lost world, famous in scientific circles. In 1400 BC the Santorini volcano exploded. The entire middle of the island sank to the bottom of the sea, destroying Atlantis, the lost world that haunts the minds of scientists. But what about the fact that Plato's writings speak of the age of Atlantis, the lost world, which is at least 5 thousand years older than the age of the remains of the civilization discovered by Evans. It's simple, according to Evans, Plato simply made a mistake, indicating 9 thousand years instead of 900 years.

Throughout the century, scientists from various countries have tried to seize the palm from each other, competing in their inventions, the ingenuity of the mind, and pseudo knowledge about the ancient world. Wherever the tireless search took them. mysterious Atlantis, the lost world, famous in scientific circles, has been found in the Canary Islands, and off the coast of Iceland, and predictably in the central waters of the Atlantic Ocean. But all to no avail. No one has been able to point to the specific location of the mysterious ancient continent. Atlantis, the lost world, has not been discovered, but what is there, the researchers failed to find even a single piece of evidence or clues that could indicate the location of the mysterious island.

Disputes about the mysterious Earth, about what the lost city of Atlantis is, do not subside even today. Theories appear and disappear, legends are born and die, and with them more and more scientists, archaeologists and historians climb the research Olympus, and then fall from it. Some of their assumptions are very similar to the truth, others are more like a fantastic story or a good invention of a sick mind. One of these is this story: the basis of everything in Atlantis, the lost world, was a huge crystal that accumulates and transforms the energy of the universe into a more familiar earthly one. Whether this crystal was of artificial or natural origin is unknown, or maybe it is deliberately kept silent. This source of endless energy was kept in the central temple of Poseidon under the watchful eye of the best, chosen warriors.

The crystal completely satisfied all everyday and not only the needs of people whose homeland was Atlantis, the lost world, but they did not want to be content with little. Being aggressive and warlike by nature, the inhabitants of the ancient empire used it as a powerful weapon, destroying and burning the lands of their enemies.

Nowhere and no one around had such a means of protection that could protect them from the power of the crystal, and very soon all neighboring states were enslaved by power-hungry invaders. The mysterious Atlantis, the lost world, turned into a magnifying empire, its borders expanded and expanded until they ran into endless steppes, behind which lay no less boundless China.

Atlantis is the birthplace of the conquerors.

The process of capturing a new, unknown country and race was slow, and ancient atlantes decided to send a powerful beam of energy across the planet. Choking with impatience and greed, people who believed that Atlantis was their home, in a hurry went to the crystal and the main keeper activated the energy weapon.

A pillar of hellfire struck the rocky ground. But instead of piercing the earth like a knife through butter, he split Atlantis itself into several parts. The foaming waters of the ocean quickly poured onto the island, sweeping away everything living and inanimate in its path. The ancient city, Atlantis, sank to the bottom of the ocean in the blink of an eye. All the Atlanteans perished with her, taking into oblivion the greatness and heritage of their civilization. This is such a colorful legend. It is clear that it is based on real facts. All this, most likely, is an invention of some researcher tired of fruitless searches.

Centuries and millennia have passed, but the question of whether the ancient civilization of Atlantis existed or not is still unanswered? Perhaps the most serious and evidence-based theory was put forward by Thor Heyerdahl, the famous Norwegian traveler. He turned his attention and the attention of the scientific world to the similarities between the ancient cultures of Asia Minor, Egypt, Crete and the ancient civilizations that inhabited Central America. Indeed, if we reject skepticism and look at all this from the outside, these cultures have many similarities. Atlanta, or rather their empire, was a state where the cult of the sun occupied no less important position in society than the cult of Poseidon, who was the father of the inhabitants of this city. We can observe the same thing in Central America, Asia Minor and Crete. They also worshiped the god of the sun, practiced marriages between family members to preserve the purity of the family. We do not know what the ancient language of Atlantis was, but we can see that the writing of the cultures of Crete, Central America and Egypt is like two drops of water.

An important similar factor are the pyramids, sarcophagi, mummification, masks. These pagan symbols and examples of art, unusual for European states, were often found in Egyptian, Asian and American settlements. Again, we do not know if Atlantis was proud of the pyramids, we only find common features between seemingly different ancient empires at first glance. In addition, it has long been proven that there was once a connection between the American and European continents. We all once lived on one large continent, why shouldn't it be the same Atlantis that researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for for two thousand years already?!

Could it be that Atlantis was not destroyed, but simply reborn in the Egyptian pyramids and American counterparts? Who knows?! Perhaps we will get an answer to this question in the very near future. Now, we, like the entire scientific world, can only assume that Atlantis existed, and was not an invention of the old mind of one philosopher from Athens.

The debate about whether the existence of Atlantis was a reality or a beautiful legend has not subsided for many centuries. On this occasion, it was put forward a large number of the most controversial theories, but all of them were based on information obtained from the texts of ancient Greek authors, none of whom personally saw this mysterious island, but transmitted only information received from earlier sources. So how true is the legend of Atlantis and where did it come from in our modern world?

An island sunk into the sea

First of all, let us clarify that the word "Atlantis" is commonly understood as some fantastic (since there is no direct evidence of its existence) island located in the Atlantic Ocean. Its exact location is unknown. According to the most popular legend, Atlantis was located somewhere near the northwestern coast of Africa, bordered by the Atlas Mountains, and near the Pillars of Hercules, framing the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar.

It was placed there in his dialogues (works written in the form of a conversation of historical or fictional persons) by the famous ancient Greek philosopher Plato. On the basis of his works, a very popular legend about Atlantis was subsequently born. It says that around 9500 BC. e. in the above area there was a terrible earthquake, as a result of which the island forever plunged into the abyss of the ocean.

On that day, an ancient and highly developed civilization, created by the islanders, whom Plato calls "Atlanteans", perished. It should be immediately noted that, due to similar names, they are sometimes mistakenly identified with characters ancient Greek mythology- mighty titans holding the vault of heaven on their shoulders. This mistake is so common that when looking at the sculptures by the outstanding Russian sculptor A. I. Terebenev (see photo below), decorating the portico of the New Hermitage in St. Petersburg, many people associate with heroes who once sunk deep into the seas.

A mystery that excites the minds of people

During the Middle Ages, the works of Plato, as well as most other ancient historians and philosophers, were forgotten, but already in the XIV-XVI centuries, which received the name of the Renaissance, interest in them, and at the same time in Atlantis and the legend associated with its existence , increased rapidly. It does not weaken to this day, giving rise to heated scientific discussions. Scientists around the world are trying to find real evidence of the events described by Plato and a number of his followers, and to answer the question of what Atlantis really was - legend or reality?

An island inhabited by people who created the highest civilization at that time, and then swallowed up by the ocean, is a mystery that excites the minds of people and encourages them to look for answers outside the real world. It is known that even in ancient Greece, the legend of Atlantis gave impetus to many mystical teachings, and in modern history it inspired theosophical thinkers. The best known of these are H. P. Blavatsky and A. P. Sinnett. The authors of various kinds of near-scientific and simply fantastic works of various genres, which also turned to the image of Atlantis, did not stand aside.

Where did the legend come from?

But let us return to the writings of Plato, since they are the primary source that aroused centuries-old disputes and discussions. As mentioned above, the mention of Atlantis is contained in two of his dialogues, called Timaeus and Critias. Both of them are devoted to the issue of government and are conducted on behalf of his contemporaries: the Athenian politician Critias, as well as two philosophers - Socrates and Timaeus. We note right away that Plato makes a reservation that the primary source of all information about Atlantis is the story of the ancient Egyptian priests, which was passed down orally from generation to generation and finally reached him.

The troubles that befell the Atlanteans

The first of the dialogues contains a report by Critias about the war between Athens and Atlantis. According to him, the island, with the army of which his compatriots had to face, was so large that it surpassed all of Asia in size, which gives reason to call it the mainland with full right. As for the state formed on it, it amazed everyone with its greatness and, being unusually powerful, conquered Libya, as well as a significant territory of Europe, stretching up to Tirrenia (Western Italy).

In 9500 B.C. e. Atlanteans, wanting to conquer Athens, brought down on them all the power of their previously invincible army, but, despite the clear superiority of forces, they could not succeed. The Athenians repulsed the invasion and, having defeated the enemy, returned freedom to the peoples who until then had been in slavery to the islanders. However, the troubles did not recede from the prosperous and once prosperous Atlantis. The legend, or rather, the story of Critias, which is based on it, tells further about a terrible natural disaster that completely destroyed the island and forced it to sink into the ocean depths. Literally within a day, the raging elements wiped out a huge continent from the face of the earth and put an end to the highly developed culture created on it.

Commune of Athenian rulers

The continuation of this story is the second dialogue that has come down to us, called Critias. In it, the same Athenian politician tells in more detail about the two great states of antiquity, whose armies met on the battlefield shortly before the fatal flood. Athens, according to him, was a highly developed state and so pleasing to the gods that, according to legend, the end of Atlantis was a foregone conclusion.

The description of the system of government that was arranged in it is quite remarkable. According to Critias, on the Acropolis - a hill that still towers in the center of the Greek capital - there was a certain commune, partly reminiscent of those that the founders of the communist movement imagined in their imagination. Everything in it was equal and everything was enough in abundance. But it was inhabited not by ordinary people, but by rulers and warriors who ensured the maintenance of the order they desired in the country. The laboring masses were only allowed to reverently look at their shining heights and fulfill the plans descended from there.

Arrogant descendants of Poseidon

In the same treatise, the author contrasted the humble and virtuous Athenians with the high-proud Atlanteans. Their ancestor, as is clear from the work of Plato, was the god of the seas Poseidon himself. Once, having witnessed how an earthly girl named Kleito did not live her young body in the waves, he was inflamed with passion and, having evoked reciprocal feelings in her, became the father of ten sons - demigods, half-humans.

The eldest of them, named Atlas, was put in charge of the island, divided into nine parts, each of which was under the command of one of his brothers. In the future, not only the island inherited his name, but even the ocean on which he was located. All his brothers became the founders of dynasties that lived and ruled in this fertile land for many centuries. This is how the legend describes the birth of Atlantis as a powerful and sovereign state.

Island of abundance and wealth

In his work, Plato also gives the dimensions of this legendary mainland island known to him. According to him, it was 540 km long and at least 360 km wide. The highest point of this vast territory was a hill, the height of which the author does not specify, but writes that it was located about 9-10 km from the seashore.

It was on it that the palace of the ruler was built, which Poseidon himself surrounded by three land and two water defensive rings. Later, his Atlantean descendants threw bridges over them and dug additional channels through which ships could freely approach the piers located at the very walls of the palace. They also erected many temples on the central hill, richly decorated with gold and decorated with statues of celestials and earthly rulers of Atlantis.

Myths and legends, born on the basis of the writings of Plato, are full of descriptions of the treasures owned by the descendants of the sea god, as well as the richness of nature and the fertility of the island. In the dialogues of the ancient Greek philosopher, in particular, it is mentioned that, despite the densely populated Atlantis, wild animals lived very freely on its territory, among which there were even not yet tamed and not domesticated elephants. At the same time, Plato does not disregard many of the negative aspects of the life of the islanders, which caused the wrath of the gods and caused the catastrophe.

The end of Atlantis and the beginning of the legend

Peace and prosperity that had reigned there for many centuries collapsed overnight through the fault of the Atlanteans themselves. The author writes that as long as the inhabitants of the island put virtue above wealth and honors, the celestials were favorable to them, but turned away from them as soon as the glitter of gold eclipsed spiritual values ​​in their eyes. Looking at how people who had lost their divine essence were filled with pride, greed and anger, Zeus did not want to restrain his anger and, having gathered other gods, gave them the right to pass their sentence. This is where the manuscript of the ancient Greek philosopher ends, but, judging by the catastrophe that soon befell the wicked proud, they were considered unworthy of mercy, which ultimately led to such a sad outcome.

The legends of Atlantis (or information about real events - this remains unknown) attracted the attention of many ancient Greek historians and writers. In particular, the Athenian Hellanic, who lived in the 5th century BC. e., also describes this island in one of his writings, however, calling it a little differently - Atlantiad - and not mentioning its death. However, modern researchers, for a number of reasons, believe that his story is not related to the lost Atlantis, but to Crete, which has successfully survived the centuries, in whose history the sea god Poseidon also appears, who conceived a son from an earthly maiden.

It is curious that the name "Atlantes" was applied by ancient Greek and Roman authors not only to the islanders, but also to the inhabitants of continental Africa. In particular, Herodotus, as well as a no less famous historian, so called a certain tribe that lived in the Atlas Mountains near the ocean coast. These African Atlanteans were very warlike and, being at a low stage of development, waged constant wars with foreigners, among whom were the legendary Amazons.

As a result, they were completely exterminated by their neighbors, the troglodytes, who, although they were in a semi-animal state, still managed to win. There is an opinion that Aristotle said on this occasion that it was not the military superiority of the savages that led to the death of the Atlantean tribe, but the creator of the world, Zeus, killed them for their iniquities.

A product of fantasy that survived the ages

The attitude of modern researchers to the information presented in Plato's dialogues and in the writings of a number of other authors is extremely skeptical. Most of them consider Atlantis a legend with no real basis. Their position is explained primarily by the fact that for many centuries no material evidence of its existence has been found. It really is. Completely absent are archaeological data on the existence at the end of the Ice Age, as well as the nearest millennia to it, of such a developed civilization in West Africa or Greece.

It is also bewildering that the story allegedly told to the world by the ancient Greek priests and then passed down to Plato in oral retelling was not reflected in any of the written monuments found on the banks of the Nile. This involuntarily suggests that the ancient Greek philosopher himself composed the tragic story of Atlantis.

He could well borrow the beginning of the legend from the rich domestic mythology, in which the gods often became the founders of entire nations and continents. As for the tragic denouement of the plot, he needed it. The fictitious island should have been destroyed to give the story an external credibility. Otherwise, how could he explain to his contemporaries (and, of course, to his descendants) the absence of traces of his existence.

Researchers of antiquity also pay attention to the fact that when talking about a mysterious continent located near the western coast of Africa, and about its inhabitants, the author cites only Greek names and geographical names. This is very strange and suggests that he himself invented them.

tragic mistake

At the end of the article, we will cite some very amusing statements that zealous supporters of the historicity of the existence of Atlantis come out with today. As mentioned above, today it has been raised to the shield by many supporters of the occult movements and all sorts of mystics who do not want to reckon with the absurdity of their own theories. Pseudo-scientists are not inferior to them, trying to pass off their fabrications as discoveries allegedly made by them.

For example, in recent years, articles have repeatedly appeared on the pages of the press, as well as on the Internet, that the Atlanteans (the existence of which the authors did not question) have achieved such high progress that they have carried out extensive research activities in the field of nuclear physics. Even the disappearance of the continent itself is explained by the tragedy that occurred as a result of their unsuccessful nuclear test.

There is a theory that the Greek island of Santorini was part of Atlantis. How can an island in the Mediterranean have anything to do with a continent in the Atlantic Ocean, you might think? According to legend, the east coast of Atlantis reached the shores of Spain and Africa, and the west coast extended to the Caribbean and the Yucatan Peninsula. The Bermuda Triangle and the Sargasso Sea were also parts of Atlantis. Several islands adjoined the continent, one of which was Santorin, in much the same way as Catalina is adjacent to the coast of California (only Santorin was further from Atlantis than Catalina was from the coast of California).

Plato's two dialogues "Timaeus" and "Critias" are the only written sources of that time that speak of Atlantis. . This dialogue is written in the form of a conversation between Socrates, Hermocrates, Timaeus and Critias, in which Timaeus and Critias tell Socrates about the social structures known to them. This conversation may confirm that the Greek island of Santorini was part of Atlantis.

The dialogue tells of a conflict between the Atlanteans and the Athenians, which took place some 9,000 years before Plato's time. It is clear that no records remain from those days, especially about Atlantis. Some fragments of the works of Aristotle have been preserved, but the full text of the works of this great master has not survived to this day.

Many of the works of that time were destroyed during the fire in the Library of Alexandria, but even they provided limited information, because much of the information was transmitted by oral tradition. (It is refreshing that we have full confidence in the Bible in that it relies on pre-literate oral tradition, but when it comes to

Atlantis or Lemuria, skeptic scientists immediately appear ...)

The continent of Atlantis appeared about 500,000 years ago, its civilization reached its peak about 15-12 thousand years ago. Unlike Lemuria, whose culture contributed to the development of spirituality, Atlantis was a continent of sciences, arts and technology. And if Lemuria was destroyed as a result of the natural processes of mother nature, the intellectual Atlanteans themselves destroyed their home as a result of experiments in the field of atomic energy and nuclear physics.

As a result of such experiments with electromagnetic energy, the continent disappeared under water, and most of the citizens of Atlantis died - only a few managed to escape, who landed in Spain, Egypt and the Yucatan. The Atlanteans seem to have lacked the understanding that they are polluting the atmosphere with their industry; if we, modern people, treat the globe in the same way, we can fall into the same trap. Absolute power, indeed, absolutely corrupts.

Atlantis: facts and evidence

1. A pyramid explored by Dr. Ray Brown on the seabed off the Bahamas in 1970. Brown was accompanied by four divers who also discovered houses, domes, rectangular structures, metal tools of undetermined purpose, and a statue holding a crystal with a miniature copy of the pyramid. Metal tools and crystals were brought to the surface and taken to Florida for further analysis. It has been found that the crystal increases the energy passed through it.
2. The remains of roads and buildings on Binini Island were discovered and photographed in the 60s by the expedition of Dr. Manson Valentine. Similar underwater ruins have been photographed on a coral reef in the Bahamas. Similar remains of structures were discovered and photographed in Morocco at a depth of 15-18 meters under water.
3. A huge pyramid with 11 rooms and a large crystal on top was, according to Tony Bank, discovered at a depth of 3000 meters under water in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
4. In 1977, the Ari Marshal expedition reported that a huge pyramid was found and photographed near Sey Reef in the Bahamas at a depth of about 45 meters. This pyramid is approximately 195 meters high. Life-giving, but around the pyramid the water was bright white, it flowed from the hole in the pyramid, then the water was green, in contrast to the usual dark water at a depth.
5. The flooded city, about 640 kilometers off the coast of Portugal, was found by a Soviet expedition led by Boris Asturua, the buildings in it were made of hard concrete and plastic. He said: "The remains of the streets suggest that monorail trains were used for transportation." A statue was raised from the bottom of the sea.
6. Heinrich Schliemann, the man who discovered and excavated the ruins of the famous Troy (historians considered it a legend), according to his contemporaries, handed over to scientists a vase from an unknown metal extracted during the excavation of the treasures of Priam. A seal in the Phoenician language was found in it, according to which this vase was a gift from the king of Atlantis, Kronos. A similar vase was found in Tiahuanaco, Bolivia.

There are supposed to be more facts, but you already get the point. Obviously, numerous studies indicate the presence of ancient civilizations about which we know nothing.

The Atlanteans experienced three cataclysms throughout their history: the first about 50,000 years ago, the second about 25,000 years ago, and the third, which destroyed their civilization, about 12,000 years ago. Some Atlanteans considered these misfortunes to be warnings that to continue this way of life meant to destroy their civilization. Unfortunately, these "doomsday heralds" were in the minority, and therefore no one heard them.

“The story of how the various continents were inhabited by this highly developed civilization is amazing, but after many years of its development, it ended its existence approximately 11,500 years ago as a result of a terrible planetary catastrophe that changed the face of the Earth and hid most of the land under water. The key to the history of the world before the rise of our civilization is to be found in the Sumerian texts.”

Many people think that what happened to the Atlanteans is much like what I once said on television: the change in axial tilt affected some of the masses of the Earth, and this led to the separation of the continents. Atlantis and Lemuria sank lower, and as a result of this, a significant part of the land was under water.

The Atlanteans experimented with electromagnetic energy and gravity, which became the main cause of destruction. Usually, the pole reversal is accompanied by small earthquakes, volcanic explosions and earth mass movements, but this time it was the largest in the entire history of the Earth (which explains the emergence of the story of Noah and global flood). Much of this story of "flooding the whole earth with water" can also be found in the Sumerian texts.

Secrets of antiquity. Atlantis: the lost civilization.