Atlantis Found?

Location of Atlantis - capital of an ancient civilizationEdgar Cayce, the American "Sleeping Prophet,"
said to have been destroyed by a monstrous volcanicenvisioned the past and future and cured illness over
eruption thousands of years ago - may have beenthe telephone until he died in 1941. Over the span of 20
substantiated by a group of Charlotte Countyyears he referred to Atlantis 700 times. His most
anomalists.famous prediction was that Atlantis would "rise again in
A limit of 12 people, with over-developed curiosity,the Caribbean Sea in 1967 or 1968."
gather at a sylvan retreat on the fifth Saturday of anyDiscovery of undersea rock formations resembling
month for an extended "confab" and brown-bag lunch.straight-line "roads" in 1968 -- off the Bahamas island
There they attempt to solve mysteries that "deviateof Bimini -- was hailed by Cayce fans as archeological
from the common order of history, science andevidence of Atlantis.
philosophy."Geologist insist the formations of huge, square blocks
Recently the topic was: "Did Atlantis exist? If so,are the drowned remains of a beach - also found
where and when?"elsewhere -- when the seas were much lower during
Of course, there was no definitive answer. If therethe last Ice Age.
were, it would not be an anomaly. A majority opinion isOf greater credibility is the theory advanced in 1960 by
the best expected.Angelos Galanopoulos, a reputable Greek seismologist.
Consider the main facts.He contends Solon confused the Egyptian hieroglyph
The myth, fable, legend or almost-forgotten historyof a lotus flower symbolizing 1,000 with that of a rope
was put into the common literature of mankind by thecoil indicating 100.
Greek philosopher Plato in 350 B.C.Thus, all references by Solon to time, distance and size
He purportedly learned the story from Critias, grandsonshould be reduced by a factor of ten.
of Solon, a Greek ruler who visited Egypt in 595 B.C.Under Galanopoulos' scale, the destruction of Atlantis
Solon said he was criticized by Egyptian priests for notoccurred 900 years before Plato's time, not 9,000 -
knowing ancient Greek history. He was shown recordsthat is, about 1600 B.C. The huge size of Atlantis and
of a misguided invasion by Atlanteans repulsed by theits landmark features are reduced to more believable
earliest Greek tribes.dimensions.
The invasion was reported by Solon - via Critias andFurthermore, Galanopoulos claims that Plato's
Plato -- to have occurred nine thousand years beforereference to the Pillars of Hercules most likely refer to
his time - that is, more than eleven thousand yearsthe Peloponnes in Greece where Hercules performed
before our time.his Twelve Labors.
Atlantis supposedly was established by the sea godIt had long been known that the ancient Island of Thera
Poseidon who sired five sets of twin sons by the- now called Santorini - once was a dormant volcano
Earth woman Cleito. He appointed Atlas, the first-bornthat exploded violently in the dim past wiping out a city
son, ruler of a large island the "size of Libya" (thenthere. Later, Greek fishermen built a village, Akrotiri, on
North Africa beyond Egypt.) in the middle of an oceanthe remnant rim.
- presumably the Atlantic -- "beyond the pillars ofExcavations at Thera began in 1967 and are still going
Hercules."on - through layers of white, black and red stone. A
Solon said one could easily sail from his continent tomarvelously preserved town is being uncovered.
Atlantis and from there to another continent beyond.Homes were piped for hot and cold water from
The pillars in later years were believed to be thethermal springs to bathtubs and flush toilets.
prominences forming the Strait of Gibraltar betweenStunning murals depict the everyday life of an ancient
the Atlantic and Mediterranean.Minonian culture centered at Crete, a larger island in the
Atlas, with the counsel of his nine brothers, created anMediterranean between Greece and Egypt. Monkeys
idyllic nation of salubrious climate, bountiful soil andare depicted, but no elephants. However ivory objects
fragrant flowers. Elephants and monkeys roamedare found, indicating extensive trading with Egypt and
freely. Homes had hot and cold water piped fromknowledge of elephants.
springs.It is now known the eruption at Thera was followed by
A large, circular harbor accommodated trading vesselsa huge tidal wave that also devastated Crete and
with rich cargoes. In the middle of the island was acaused the collapse of the Minonian empire of
mountain on which Atlas resided in a place of white,seafarers.
black and red stone. A wide moat was connected toNo human bones or precious metals have been found
the harbor by a canal.at Thera, suggesting a prolonged series of
Atlantis citizens were peaceful and prosperous.earthquakes gave the inhabitants time to evacuate.
Unfortunately, they became greedy and began raidingIt is believed the terminal eruption was four times more
other less-advanced neighbors - only to be stopped bypowerful than the well-documented 1883 explosion of
the brave Greeks.Krakotoa in Indonesia. It also triggered a huge tidal
Shortly after their defeat, the mountain on which Atlaswave that killed more than 36,000 people throughout
lived became a volcano which belched ashes, lava andEast Asia.
deadly fumes. Within a day, Atlantis blew up and sankAnomalist's Conclusion
into the sea. All Atlanteans were killed.The Fifth Saturday Anomalists concurred in the reality
Fact Or Fiction?of Atlantis but rejected Plato's time line, measurements
Plato told the Atlantis story in two manuscripts whichand placement of Atlantis in the Atlantic.
he said were conversations with his students CritiasMost likely, the island in the middle of a sea, between
and Timaeus. Gist of the conversations is that nationsthe continent of Euro-Asia and Africa, was Crete.
were prosperous when they shared, and fell whenThe closely allied islands of Thera and Crete, together,
they became quarrelsome and greedy.was Atlantis.
This is a common premise for philosophers to debate.Cities, writing, numbers and other rudiments of
Plato insisted the Atlantis account is true. We couldcivilization did not begin until ten thousand years ago -
accept the assertion if Plato had not written elsewhereand empire building not until five thousand years ago.
that a "noble lie" is permissible for good purposes.Solon and Plato certainly did not know there was a
Plato's analogy survived the ages pretty much as acontinent beyond an island in the vast Atlantic Ocean.
moral tale until Ignatius Donnelly in 1882 wrote aDiscovery 40 years ago of continental plates --
sensationally popular book on the subject: "Atlantis Thepushed around by mid-ocean upwelling of magma --
Antediluvian World."preclude mid-ocean land masses.
Donnelly was a lawyer and social reformer whoThere are a dozen places in the ancient world - and
moved to Minnesota Territory to start a communalstill today --that have mountains that residents claim
"utopia." When Minnesota became a state in 1859 hewere Pillars of Hercules holding up the sky.
took an active part in politics. He was elected Lt.One local anomalist has visited a pair of small pillars on
Governor twice and U.S. Representative for twothe shore of the Corinth sea, south of Delphi, that are
terms.said by Greeks to have been erected by Hercules to
In his later years, he became obsessed with Atlantis -commemorate his twelve labors.
placing it squarely in the middle of the Atlantic OceanErgo:
and linking its destruction to the Biblical flood.
Donnelly offered no scientific evidence to substantiate1. Atlantis was real,
his theory, but it was a publishing success for several2. was destroyed by a mighty volcanic eruption in 1628
years despite scathing reviews. Interest in Atlantis hasB.C. as confirmed by archaeological data
persisted - as the recent Disney animation "Atlantis"3. Thera is the place.
demonstrates.