The Lost City of Atlantis
The Legend of Atlantis begins with two dialogues: Timaeus and Critias, written by a classical Greek philosopher, Plato. He describes the inhabitants of Atlantis as a noble and powerful race who lived on the island located in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Greek myths tell us that Poseidon created a dwelling for a mortal woman he fell in love with, named Cleito. To protect her, he surrounded it with rings of water and land.
Cleito soon gave birth to 5 sets of twin boys who became rulers of the nation, with Atlas being the first king. Atlantis was a thriving centre for trade and commerce thanks to its location and natural resources.
Unfortunately as it is with all the lost civilizations, greed and power started to corrupt Atlanteans. Zeus was angered by the immorality of humans and had to decide the fate of Atlantis by gathering other gods and determining the punishment. At the peak of its power, Atlantis was swallowed by the seas after a terrible earthquake.
Atlantis “Facts”
It is believed that the centre of the city was connected to sea by an extremely large and and deep canal – almost 9 km long, 100 m wide and 30 m deep, which makes it even deeper than the Panama canal which reaches 18 m at its deepest location. At the very top of the central mountain, a temple was built to honor Poseidon. Inside, a statue of Poseidon rining a chariot that is being pulled by winged horses (Pegasus) was usually surrounded by the elders and rulers of Atlantis who would discuss laws, pass judgements and pay tribute to the Poseidon.
The main city was situated outside of the 1st ring of water and covered 17 km of land. It was very densely populated with most of the island’s inhabitants living here. Beyond the city, a very fertile plain extending for 530 km in length and 190 km in widthwas surrounded by another canal used to collect water from the rivers and streams of the mountains. The climate of Atlantis allowed for 2 harvests each year. One in the winter, which was fed by rains, and one in the summer that was fed by irrigation from the canal water.
Tall mountains surrounded the plain to the north of the 3rd circle. Small villages, lakes, rivers, and meadows would span across the most part of this region. Besides great vegetation, the island was very rich in various metals (gold, copper, bronze, silver) and several kinds of stone. It is also believed that elephants once walked these lands too.
It’s always interesting to see how other people perceive Atlantis. Below is some great artwork from artists all over the world. Enjoy!
