Was Atlantis Real? Four Books That Say YES!

What we know of Atlantis comes from Plato and from evidence that the known ancient civilizations share a common and even older heritage. Many books have explored this heritage and attempted to prove that Atlantis was real. These four books make a persuasive case.

Plato was a student of Socrates, who reported in two works called the Critias and the Timaeus about the island kingdom. The Critias has survived in fragmentary form, giving us a physical description, and the Timaeus, a longer work, adds more information about how the nation eventually was conquered by Greeks and disappeared into the ocean.
  

Physical description from the Critias:

The Kings

And at the very beginning they built the palace in the habitation of the god and of their ancestors, which they continued to ornament in successive generations, every king surpassing the one who went before him to the utmost of his power, until they made the building a marvel to behold for size and for beauty. And beginning from the sea they bored a canal of three hundred feet in width and one hundred feet in depth and fifty stadia in length, which they carried through to the outermost zone, making a passage from the sea up to this, which became a harbour, and leaving an opening sufficient to enable the largest vessels to find ingress.

The Harbor

Moreover, they divided at the bridges the zones of land which parted the zones of sea, leaving room for a single trireme to pass out of one zone into another, and they covered over the channels so as to leave a way underneath for the ships; for the banks were raised considerably above the water. Now the largest of the zones into which a passage was cut from the sea was three stadia in breadth, and the zone of land which came next of equal breadth; but the next two zones, the one of water, the other of land, were two stadia, and the one which surrounded the central island was a stadium only in width. The island in which the palace was situated had a diameter of five stadia. All this including the zones and the bridge, which was the sixth part of a stadium in width, they surrounded by a stone wall on every side, placing towers and gates on the bridges where the sea passed in.

The Stone

The stone which was used in the work they quarried from underneath the centre island, and from underneath the zones, on the outer as well as the inner side. One kind was white, another black, and a third red, and as they quarried, they at the same time hollowed out double docks, having roofs formed out of the native rock. Some of their buildings were simple, but in others they put together different stones, varying the colour to please the eye, and to be a natural source of delight. The entire circuit of the wall, which went round the outermost zone, they covered with a coating of brass, and the circuit of the next wall they coated with tin, and the third, which encompassed the citadel, flashed with the red light of orichalcum.

The Temples and Palaces

The palaces in the interior of the citadel were constructed on this wise:-in the centre was a holy temple dedicated to Cleito and Poseidon, which remained inaccessible, and was surrounded by an enclosure of gold; this was the spot where the family of the ten princes first saw the light, and thither the people annually brought the fruits of the earth in their season from all the ten portions, to be an offering to each of the ten. Here was Poseidon's own temple which was a stadium in length, and half a stadium in width, and of a proportionate height, having a strange barbaric appearance. All the outside of the temple, with the exception of the pinnacles, they covered with silver, and the pinnacles with gold.

In the interior of the temple the roof was of ivory, curiously wrought everywhere with gold and silver and orichalcum; and all the other parts, the walls and pillars and floor, they coated with orichalcum. In the temple they placed statues of gold: there was the god himself standing in a chariot-the charioteer of six winged horses-and of such a size that he touched the roof of the building with his head; around him there were a hundred Nereids riding on dolphins, for such was thought to be the number of them by the men of those days. There were also in the interior of the temple other images which had been dedicated by private persons. And around the temple on the outside were placed statues of gold of all the descendants of the ten kings and of their wives, and there were many other great offerings of kings and of private persons, coming both from the city itself and from the foreign cities over which they held sway. There was an altar too, which in size and workmanship corresponded to this magnificence, and the palaces, in like manner, answered to the greatness of the kingdom and the glory of the temple.

The Fountains

In the next place, they had fountains, one of cold and another of hot water, in gracious plenty flowing; and they were wonderfully adapted for use by reason of the pleasantness and excellence of their waters. They constructed buildings about them and planted suitable trees, also they made cisterns, some open to the heavens, others roofed over, to be used in winter as warm baths; there were the kings' baths, and the baths of private persons, which were kept apart; and there were separate baths for women, and for horses and cattle, and to each of them they gave as much adornment as was suitable. Of the water which ran off they carried some to the grove of Poseidon, where were growing all manner of trees of wonderful height and beauty, owing to the excellence of the soil, while the remainder as conveyed by aqueducts along the bridges to the outer circles; and there were many temples built and dedicated to many gods; also gardens and places of exercise, some for men, and others for horses in both of the two islands formed by the zones; and in the centre of the larger of the two there was set apart a race-course of a stadium in width, and in length allowed to extend all round the island, for horses to race in.

Also there were guardhouses at intervals for the guards, the more trusted of whom were appointed-to keep watch in the lesser zone, which was nearer the Acropolis while the most trusted of all had houses given them within the citadel, near the persons of the kings. The docks were full of triremes and naval stores, and all things were quite ready for use. Enough of the plan of the royal palace.

The People

Leaving the palace and passing out across the three you came to a wall which began at the sea and went all round: this was everywhere distant fifty stadia from the largest zone or harbour, and enclosed the whole, the ends meeting at the mouth of the channel which led to the sea. The entire area was densely crowded with habitations; and the canal and the largest of the harbours were full of vessels and merchants coming from all parts, who, from their numbers, kept up a multitudinous sound of human voices, and din and clatter of all sorts night and day.

Where was Atlantis and what happened to it? Here is the explanation from the Timaeus:

The Overthrow of Atlantis

The most famous of them all was the overthrow of the island of Atlantis. This great island lay over against the Pillars of Heracles, in extent greater than Libya and Asia put together, and was the passage to other islands and to a great ocean of which the Mediterranean sea was only the harbour; and within the Pillars the empire of Atlantis reached in Europe to Tyrrhenia and in Libya to Egypt. This mighty power was arrayed against Egypt and Hellas and all the countries bordering on the Mediterranean. Then your city did bravely, and won renown over the whole earth. For at the peril of her own existence, and when the other Hellenes had deserted her, she repelled the invader, and of her own accord gave liberty to all the nations within the Pillars. A little while afterwards there were great earthquakes and floods, and your warrior race all sank into the earth; and the great island of Atlantis also disappeared in the sea. This is the explanation of the shallows which are found in that part of the Atlantic ocean.

Alantis, it seems, was a large and powerful nation with control of the ocean which is named after it.

Four books a dedicated Atlantis buff should read.


Serpent in the Sky

by John Anthony West


John Anthony West is the man who, along with with geologist Robert M. Schoch, first brought us the news that the sphinx is much older than we’d been told, based on a theory of water erosion. West is a controversial figure in archeology. He steps on a lot of toes. But he does it with grace and scholarship. His pivotal book, Serpent in the Sky, is based on the work of a French archeologist, Schwaller de Lubicz, whose work was pretty much ignored in the English-speaking world. Schwaller de Lubicz had a different view of Egyptian history than that preented by other Egyptologist and West feels that if Schwaller is right (and or course West thinks he is), then there are implications for our entire civiliztion. For one thing, he feels what he has to say about Egypt proves the existence of Atlantis as the culture antedating classic Egypt. Egypt, according to this view, inherited the Atlantean culture and knowledge.

West has studied Schwaller, and this book is his presentation of the ideas uncovered by Schwaller’s many years in Egypt studying its monuments. The Egyptians, in this view, were highly advanced in science, mathematics, and philosophy. They used a great many symbols in their writing and depictions, and these have been misunderstood. This book is liberally illustrated with photos and drawings that help explain and reinforce the ideas. It is well-written and makes a persuasive case for an older and more sophisticated culture than modern archeologists have been willing to accept. John Anthony West is an icon for the alternative history folks and if you want to delve into the controversies surrounding ancient Egypt, you must read this book.

Buy Serpent in the Sky at Amazon.Com


Atlantis: The Antediluvian World

by Ignatius Donnelly


This book, written back in 1882 by US Congressman Ignatius Donnelly, is a much-quoted classic on the subject of Atlantis. I have the Egerton Sykes edition published in 1949 which I got free from a library that put out a table of old books it was throwing away (never pass up a source of books, especially free ones). Reading Donnelly’s impassioned discourse showing the rightness of Plato’s story really got me interested in knowing more. This book, which I first read many years ago, was a catalyst for me; I’ve been hooked on Atlantis ever since and that old library cast-off is still an important part of MY library.

The story of Atlantis has intrigued countless generations of people, and Donnelly makes a good case. He presents a lot of cultural data, showing connections between old and new world customs and language. He examines the prevalence of a story of a deluge that left the earth flooded, with only a few survivors; the flood could be a collective remembrance of the sinking of Atlantis. He looks at the origin of plants and animals, pointing to a common and ancient culture as the explanation for the same flora and fauna being found in different parts of the world. There are also some strange social customs that are found throughout the world (one example is "the couvade," a custom whereby men go to bed and suffer when their wives are having a baby).

For Donnelly, Atlantis was the Garden of Eden, a wonderful place with no aliens, only happy humans living the good life. They enjoyed a mild and pleasant climate, had plenty of fruit trees and fertile land to grow crops, they had mighty ships that sailed the seas, and they had their beautiful palace with walls of orichalcum (whatever that was). Plato tells us the land surrounding the capital “may compare with any region in the world for the variety and excellence of its fruits and the suitableness of its pastures to every sort of animal.” The ten tribes, descended from the product of a union of god and human female, ruled the land, which was made up of a number of islands. The capital city was fabulous, with its huge statue of Poseiden at the entrance to the main palace. Donnelly takes Plato literally about where Atlantis was located: in the Atlantic Ocean. He adheres to the notion that it sank in one day and one night, taking most of its inhabitants with it. He also tries to make a claim that the Atlanteans who survived were the ancestors of the Indo-European or Aryan people.

Donnelly didn’t get it all right and had no access to modern dating methods or what we now know about the ocean bottom, but he does tell an interesting and well-thought out tale. He follows carefully what Plato said, then presents his evidence. I’m not surprised this old classic is still in print and available. If you’re an Atlantis buff, you cannot miss reading Donnelly. He still makes a lot of sense.

You can buy Atlantis; The Antediluvian World at Amazon.Com.


Edgar Cayce on Atlantis

When you begin to study the subject of Atlantis, you will eventually come to the Edgar Cayce material. See my article on Cayce and the many books available about him. He was born in the backwoods of Kentucky, an uneducated and seemingly ordinary man who died in 1944. But he was not like you and me; he had a gift that let him see things and know things that are hidden from the rest of us. He discovered this gift when he first went into a trance and made an accurate medical diagnosis. He did many of these medical "readings" but he is best known for the "life readings" he did for people. In a trance, he would tell people of their other lives, and many had lived previously in Atlantis. Cayce was a devout Christian with no prior belief in reincarnation or in Atlantis, so what he said during these trances amazed even him.

Cayce's readings were always transcribed and an organization devoted to them (the ARE) has made them available for study. Cayce's two sons, Edgar Evans Cayce and Hugh Lynn Cayce, have both written books or provided Introductions for books others have written that are based on the concepts in these readings. This book, Edgar Cayce on Atlantis, pulls together what Cayce had to say about Atlantis through these life readings. He paints an interesting picture of the past. For example, he talks about a meeting 50,000 years ago in which participants came in flying machines. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss what to do about large animals that were menacing the earth. Like many of the things he said in trance, this alleged meeting is a totally new revelation and does not fit with anything previously known from any source. Surprisingly, he also mentions an ice-free Antarctica only 6000 years ago.

Cayce also tells us there were three separate destructions of Atlantis, with the last and final destruction happening about 10,000 years ago. This destruction was apparently at least in part from misuse of technology on the part of the Atlanteans. Their power source was a crystal that could remotely control vehicles that went on land, through the air and under the sea. While this kind of techology is not mentioned by Plato, remember that Atlantis existed over a long period of time and, according to Cayce, experienced more than one destruction.

The people of Atlantis were deeply divided over a number of issues. He classifies them as either Children of the Law of One or Sons of Belial These groups had different values, especially concerning another group he calls the "things" which were apparently a less-developed people who had been subjugated to serve the Sons of Belial. The Cayce readings, given over many years time, are internally consistent. He also tells us that those who fled the final Atlantean destruction brought their records with them and these records of Atlantis are in the Hall of Records, a chamber somewhere near or under the sphinx. The ARE has sponsored research in Egypt to try to find these records. Other survivors of Atlantis went to Mexico and Peru.

At first hearing, you might be inclined to think Cayce a fraud, but once you learn his history and see the consistency of what he reported, it becomes clear that he was not just making it all up. Nor was he "channeling" this information from a spirit. Instead, Cayce was apparently using what is called the Akashic Record, a collection of all human knowledge that exists "somewhere." Cayce was somehow able to tap into the past, possibly party through the agency of the person receiving the reading.

Cayce has been credited with making many accurate predictions, although some are open to interpretation. He said parts of Atlantis would "reappear" in the 1960s, and possibly in fulfillment, a formation was found underwater near Bimini that could be man-made. But he also said New York would be under water by now, predicting dramatic earth changes in the 1990s. However, if you believe the future is not fixed, then some predictions won't come to pass. We HAVE seen earth changes in the form of global warming that may eventually put New York under water. Whatever your beliefs about prophecy, the Cayce material is as good as any of the other meager sources we have about Atlantis.

Buy Edgar Cayce on Atlantis at Amazon.Com.


When the Sky Fell: In Search of Atlantis

by Rand and Rose Flem-Ath

This book, with its electrifying ideas about the reality and the location of Atlantis, was both exciting and disappointing. The basic idea in it — that Atlantis was in Antarctica — is exciting, and the Flem-Aths present some interesting evidence. But the book seemed to fall short of proving the idea and left me wanting more information. Still, I find the idea compelling, even if it doesn’t follow Plato's description of where Atlantis was (but what did Plato know? He was getting it all fourth hand from some Egyptian priest). This theory borrows a lot from Hapgood, but postulates a rapid shifting of the earth’s crust (instead of the slow shifting postulated by Hapgood) and so rests on a catostrphic ending for the Atlantean homeland. This follows Plato, who said the island kingdom sank "in a single day and night of misfortune." It also accounts for frozen mammoths found with flowers in their stomachs.

Basically, the earth's crust sometimes begins to slip and the pole shifts to a new location. The last north pole location, according to this theory, was in the Hudson Bay. If you look at its antipodal — the opposite side of the earth — you see that it lifts a good portion of the Antactic continent out of the Antarctic Circle and up into a temperate climate. Plato said that the Atlantiean land was "greater in extent than Libya and Asia." It was not just a little island (which is why I rule out Crete, which is in the wrong place and is the wrong size.), but a real continent. Antarctica is a continent and has all the features (mountaind, rivers, harbors, islands) Plato described. There is one problem though: Antarctica did not sink into the ocean, but was instead covered by ice! Could parts of it, islands that might have been near the Palmer Peninsula, have sunk? It seems all the theories of Atlantis have some discrepancy from Plato’s description, but this theory does have a lot going for it. We've had many locations suggested for Atlantis -- Crete, an island near the British Isles, The Canary Islands, the Bahamas, and on and on. Now we have Antarctica. I actually like this idea and think this book is worth a read.

Buy When the Sky Fell: In Search of Atlantis by Flem-Ath, Rand; Flem-Ath, Rose published by St Martins Pr Hardcover at Amazon.Com.




Find more Books About Atlantis at amazon.com.

Seeker Book Reviews

Flickr Photos