Secrets of Atlantis. History of Atlantis: myths, speculation, riddles and real facts. Noah and his ark

Secrets of Atlantis. Origins of the legend

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The most important proof of the reality of the existence of Atlantis, all alternative sources use the comments of the Greek historian Proclus on Plato's dialogues called Timaeus and Critias, written in the 5th century BC.

In them he refers to Granton, a 3rd century BC philosopher and first translator of Plato.

This means that Plato's treatise is a retelling by various philosophers and historians at least many decades after Plato wrote it, and therefore the reliability of this treatise must be questioned.

Plato himself admitted that his great-great-grandfather had a copy received from the Egyptian priests and he read this story in childhood.

Granton, having written his treatise on Plato’s dialogues, gave them to the Egyptian priests for editing, so that they could give their comments on the work of the great philosopher of antiquity.

The Egyptians reported that they had Solon's treatise on Atlantis, described by Plato. So, as we see, there is no ironclad evidence of the authorship of Plato or the first source of the legend of Atlantis, as well as the reality of its existence upon careful examination.

In our time, Plato would be accused of plagiarism and copyright infringement.

According to Proclus, the philosopher Granton was the first to question the existence of Atlantis.

In his comments on Plato's work, Granton wrote that, while respecting Plato's treatise, it was nevertheless nothing more than a retelling of history. Plato was not the author of the Republic (Atlantis) and stated everything that the Egyptians wrote before him about Atlantis. Further, he wrote that everything that Plato wrote was written on steles that still exist.

Mysteries of Atlantis modern description

The modern history of Atlantis began after the publication of an article by American politician Ignasias Donnelly in the book Atlantis:

The ancient world in 1882. In it, he argued that Atlantis had very powerful weapons of great destructive power. Moreover, to confirm this, he used excerpts from the Bible about Sodom and Gomorrah.

According to his description, Atlantis technology was approximately at the level of 18th century Europe. Later, modern supporters jumped on this bandwagon and equipped Atlantis with everything from nuclear and laser weapons to aviation.

What can you say on this topic?

I give a 100% guarantee that none of them read Plato’s treatises, and if they did, then the authors are deliberately lying.

I deliberately re-read both, several times, so as not to miss anything about lasers and nuclear weapons, and I didn’t notice anything like that.

Mysteries of Atlantis description by Plato

Atlantis, according to Plato, waged wars as early as 9,000 BC, i.e., approximately 11,000 years ago. All of Atlantis was divided into 10 kingdoms, each headed by a king, who is also the commander of a military district in our opinion.

In districts and villages, military leaders were elected local population. Each military district must prepare and equip 10,000 war chariots with a rider and an archer and two draft horses.

For the fleet he is obliged to build 1200 ships and equip with crews. Each farm has undertaken to prepare 2 heavily armed infantry, 2 light infantry, 2 dart throwers and 3 sling throwers.

Do you see somewhere an operator of a laser gun, a pilot of an aircraft carrying atomic weapons?

Researchers were inspired by Plato. They sorted out his work bit by bit, calculating the coordinates of the island. Whether the ancient Greek philosopher anticipated such a development of events is unknown. In the Dialogues, he spoke about the confrontation between Athens and the powerful Atlantean state during the Bronze Age. Plato located Atlantis near the coast of Spain beyond the Strait of Gibraltar. From the Dialogues the reader learned about majestic palaces, sculptures made of gold and other attributes of the luxurious life of the Atlanteans. Atlantis started a war against Athens, after which an angry Zeus caused an earthquake. The island went under water. The story of the virtuous Athenians and the Atlanteans corrupted by luxury could serve an educational function, researchers believe. Plato sought to bring the reader closer to the image of a citizen of an ideal state. The author also introduced a harmonious mythological concept: he called Poseidon the patron of the Atlanteans. The thinker also provided data on the area island state: “bigger than Asia.”

The vanished civilization excited the minds of scientists. IN XVII century botanist and anatomist Olof Rudbeck moved the capital of Atlantis to Sweden. He argued that European culture originated here and wrote an extensive essay on the topic. According to the atlantologist, the name “Hercules,” which in ancient Greek mythology was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, came from the Swedish words här and kulle (translated as “army” and “head”). Rudbeck's projects were financed by the Queen herself. encouraged the activities of thinkers who were looking for symbols of national identity.

The epics of different nations tell about the geological catastrophe. For example, Scandinavian texts talk about the death of the servants of the supreme god Odin in a natural disaster. Africa, Japan, Cuba - they looked everywhere for the mythical island! For many artists, thinkers and poets, the sunken Atlantis symbolized an unattainable ideal.

This is exactly how it seemed to Francis Bacon. The scientist to whom the saying “Knowledge is power” belonged believed: the ruins of the cities of Atlantis should be sought in South America. At the same time, he considered Plato’s “Dialogues” to be artistic fiction: “(Plato) described magnificent temple, a palace, a city and a hill, numerous navigable rivers that surrounded the city like rings; although all this is poetic fiction, one thing, in any case, is true: this Atlantis, as well as Peru (at that time called Coya) and Mexico (called Tirambel), were powerful and proud powers, famous for their army, navy and wealth. The great Atlantis was destroyed to the ground - not by an earthquake, but by a partial deluge or flood. The flood was not, however, deep, covering the ground no more than forty feet in many places; so that although men and animals were destroyed, some of the wild forest inhabitants managed to escape. The birds that flew to the tops of trees and hills also survived. Do not be surprised, therefore, at the sparse population of America, or at the brutality of its morals; for the present inhabitants of America must be considered a young people, no less than a thousand years younger than the rest of the peoples of the world.”

Almost three centuries after the death of Francis Bacon, his compatriot resumed the search for Atlantis in Brazil. He relied on "Manuscript 512" from the mid-18th century. This document tells about an ancient city of a highly developed civilization; here are the ruins of a temple with a “magnificent facade”, and portraits inlaid in stone, and gold deposits. Fawcett disappeared without finding the city of "Z". According to one version, the Indians killed him, according to another, the man voluntarily remained to live off the coast of the Amazon.

Scientists have paid attention to the following detail: in the works of Plato, Atlantis resembles a caldera, the island is separated from the sea by volcanic mountains. This led researchers to believe that the legend reflects real events. According to one version, it is associated with the eruption of the Santorini volcano on the island of the same name, 120 kilometers from Crete. As a result of the eruption most of The islands sank under water. Many Minoans became victims of the tsunami. Perhaps it was these events that Plato spoke about. In addition, from the “Dialogues” it follows that information about Atlantis was received from Egyptian priests. Survivors of the disaster may have traveled to Egypt, hence the accounts of the disaster. As a result of archaeological excavations, it was found that the city on the island of Santorini partially corresponded to Plato’s description. The philosopher also said that the Atlanteans knew how to process iron. Meanwhile, metal processing was known to the Minoans, which could serve as indirect evidence of the version of the “explosion” on Santorini.

In 2016, Greek and French scientists returned to this hypothesis. Researchers found that the eruption occurred very quickly. Over the course of one century, magma filled the voids under the island of Santorini. The molten rocks were able to expand to such an extent that they literally tore the island apart. The magma erupted to the surface in a lagoon located in the central part of Santorini, where it mixed with sea ​​water. After this, an explosion occurred, as a result of which the island was instantly flooded with water. Then the top of the volcano collapsed and turned into a caldera filled with water Aegean Sea, is a funnel occupying several tens of square kilometers.

Occult hobbies on the political Olympus

Valery Bryusov also believed in the existence of Atlantis. “Plato had at his disposal (Egyptian) materials dating back to ancient times,” the poet emphasized. An artist, philosopher, archaeologist and writer wrote about Atlantis. The public figure and occultist Ignatius Donnelly had an extraordinary view of the events of the past. He put forward a hypothesis about the death of Atlantis as a result of a collision with a comet.

It is worth noting that Donnelly was a well-known figure in American politics. Occult matters remained a pleasant hobby for him. In 1860, Ignatius took the post of lieutenant governor of Minnesota, and 14 years later became a member of the US Senate. He had a talent for presenting incredible theories in elegant literary form, and his books sold well. Donnelly had a wide range of interests: one of the collections was devoted to the authorship of Shakespeare's plays. Ignatius argued that the masterpieces belonged to the pen of Francis Bacon. Archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt, who discovered a bust of Nefertiti at the beginning of the 20th century, also wrote about Atlantis. He indicated another “address” of the lost civilization - Tunisia.

Noah and his ark

According to scientists, the legend of Atlantis may also be associated with the theory of the Black Sea flood. According to it, the level of the Black Sea rose significantly after the breakthrough of waters from the Mediterranean. This theory was formulated in 1996 by American geologists Ryan and Pitman. In 2011, Swiss scientists reconstructed the history of the Black Sea by studying stalactites. Oxygen isotopes allowed them to obtain information about rainwater in different periods. Experts came to the conclusion that the water poured from Mediterranean Sea to Chernoe at least 12 times. They do not exclude that the story of the global flood could reflect these events.

Proponents of the Black Sea flood theory provide various evidence. For example, iron rings are mentioned in coastal rocks in Crimea (boats could be tied to them). It is alleged that over time the old rings were replaced with new ones in memory of the tragedy.

In the Soviet Union, the word “Atlantology” was introduced into use by the chemist Nikolai Feodosievich Zhirov. He was published not only in domestic but also in foreign publications. Zhirov sought to ensure that atlantology was recognized as a science. “It can be considered one of the sections of the biogeography of the modern, Quaternary period of the geological history of the Earth, moreover, that part of it that chronologically dates back to the time of the formation of intelligent man.” Zhirov assumed that Plato somewhat embellished the life of the Atlanteans and the level of development of their state, but there is a sound grain in the Dialogues.

In 1984, a Soviet expedition explored mountain system Horseshoe at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean several hundred kilometers from the Strait of Gibraltar. Expedition member, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Alexander Gorodnitsky spoke about underwater structures reminiscent of the ruins of a city. He suggested that the island was located here. Gorodnitsky is one of the leading Russian geologists.

In 2003 it was established Russian society for the Study of the Problems of Atlantis (ROIPA). In one of the interviews, the head of ROIPA Georgy Nefedyev said: “Two problems interfere. One is related to the need to fund research at the highest state and international levels. The second is the skeptical attitude of traditional science. Even if we presented now great amount artifacts, this would have no effect on the wall of misunderstanding, since many scientists consider atlantology a pseudoscience.”

Sources

1. A.M. Kondratov. "Secrets of the Three Oceans"
2. A.M. Kondratov. "Atlantis of the Five Oceans"
3. S. I. Vavilov, I. A. Rezanov. "Atlantis: fantasy or reality?"
4. Article by Alexander Evdokimov “Atlantis should be looked for near Cuba” dated 09/11/2018, Nezavisimaya Gazeta
5. Image for the announcement of the material on the main page and for the lead: wikipedia.org

For more than one generation, researchers have been debating the existence of Atlantis, a powerful ancient state that disappeared from the face of the Earth once and for all. Interest in this topic arose after the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato saw the light of day. It was Plato who first wrote about Atlantis, described the ancient civilization, the strength and power of the Atlanteans. Was this a deliberate and skillfully created myth, or are we dealing with a description of real facts? ancient history human civilization remains a mystery. Neither before nor after it was possible to obtain and find evidence of the existence of the Atlantean state. The mysteries of Atlantis remain unsolved to this day, forcing historians to put forward new hypotheses and researchers to look for the location of the disappeared island-state on the map of the planet.

The Atlantean civilization is a source of controversy

Today about a lost mighty civilization ancient world A huge number of works have been written, ranging from poetic essays and literary descriptions to serious scientific treatises. In each individual case, one has to deal with a huge set of assumptions and hypotheses that the ancient world looked different from what the world map looks like today. Another new hypothesis gives rise to a new myth, which instantly acquires new details, assumptions and details. Another thing is the complete lack of facts that can answer the question: whether Atlantis existed in reality or not. This meager research material remains the preserve of science fiction writers and atlantologists. Skeptics believe that the history of Atlantis is an artificially created phenomenon in modern historical science.

The problem of Atlantis must be considered in two aspects: from the point of view of the historical epic, and using a scientific approach. In the first case, you have to deal with evidence and materials, the existence of which is never disputed by anyone. The palm in this area belongs to the works of Plato. The ancient Greek philosopher mentioned the powerful state of antiquity in the dialogues “Critias” and “Timaeus”, which were compiled on the basis of the diaries of another prominent ancient Greek scientist philosopher Solon, who was Plato’s great-grandfather. With the light hand of Plato, the name of the ancient state appeared, and its inhabitants began to be called Atlanteans.

In his notes and books, the ancient philosopher relied on the legend according to which the ancient Greeks fought with the state of the Atlanteans. The confrontation was ended by a grandiose cataclysm that led to the destruction of Atlantis. According to the ancients, it was this catastrophe that led to the island city of Atlantis disappearing from the face of the planet forever. What planetary scale catastrophe led to such consequences is still unknown and unproven. Another question is that in the scientific community this moment There is a point of view that 12 thousand years BC. the world has truly comprehended major disaster, which changed the geography of the planet.

Plato's dialogue “Timaeus” quite accurately indicates the location of the country of the Atlanteans, and is full of descriptions of the details of the culture and life of the Atlanteans. Thanks to the efforts of the ancient Greek philosopher, the disappeared civilization is being persistently searched for in the Atlantic Ocean. Just one phrase, “opposite the Pillars of Hercules,” recorded by Plato, indicates the location of the legendary country. There is no more accurate data on the location of the mysterious ancient state, so many researchers on this topic believe that Atlantis could have been located in any other part of the ancient world.

The inconsistency of many of the facts set forth in Plato’s works raised a number of questions for subsequent generations. The main secrets of Atlantis are as follows:

• Is there a high probability of the existence of an island of such a large size, traces of which are almost completely absent today;
• what catastrophe that occurred in ancient times could lead to instant death large state;
• could a civilization exist in such ancient times with such a high level of development, which is attributed to the Atlanteans by ancient and modern researchers;
• why today there are no real traces from the past indicating the existence of Atlantis;
• Are we descendants of the highly developed Atlantean culture?

How did the contemporaries of the ancient Greeks see Atlantis?

By studying Plato's works, we can briefly summarize the information that has reached us. We are dealing with the history of existence and mystical disappearance large archipelago or a large island that was located in the west of the then ancient world. Central city superpower was Atlantis, which owes its name to the first king of the state, Atlantis. The island location explains government system empires. Probably Atlantis, like many cities of ancient Greece, was a union of island rulers united under imperial leadership. Perhaps there was a different government system in Atlantis, but in Plato’s dialogues the names of the kings are given, after whom the other islands of the empire were named. Hence, ancient civilization took the form of a union or confederation.

Another question is detailed description Plato's life structure of a mysterious power. All the main buildings and structures of the state are located on the central island. The Acropolis, royal palace and temples are protected by several rows of earthen ramparts and a system of water channels. The interior of the island is connected to the sea by a huge shipping canal, so we can safely say that the power of Atlantis was focused on achieving sea power. Moreover, according to Plato’s version, the Atlanteans worship Poseidon (ancient Greek god, ruler of the seas and oceans - brother of Zeus). In Plato, the temples of the Atlanteans, their architecture and the arrangement of their homes shine with luxury and wealth. Reaching the shores of Atlantis, surrounded on all sides by water, and the path to the island lay only by sea, was not an easy task for sailors of that time.

In his narratives, Plato is very keen on describing the improvement of the Atlantean capital. The most interesting thing in this aspect is that the descriptions of the ancient Greek philosopher strongly resemble the descriptions of other ancient Greek cities found in other ancient sources. The described infrastructure, weapons, ships, religion and lifestyle of the inhabitants of Atlantis look like the height of human perfection and a model of well-being.

The mystery of Atlantis in Plato's descriptions is present at every step. Isn’t it amazing that people live far from the centers of civilization known to the world at that time, but have a fairly high level of development, can make long sea voyages, trade with everyone around them, eat spices and other crops. The Atlanteans have a powerful army and a large fleet capable of entering into confrontation with the armies of the ancient states of the Mediterranean.

This should be the end. Only Plato was able to describe the life and structure of the legendary state so clearly and in detail. There were no other sources that would point to similar facts, no, and perhaps there will not be. Neither the Sumerians nor the ancient Egyptians said anything about a large state in the Western Hemisphere. The ancient ruins of the Indian civilizations of North and South America are silent about interaction with the mysterious and powerful state. Could there have been such a powerful civilization in the central Atlantic many years ago, about which there is still no real evidence?

Secrets of Atlantis: myths and legends versus real facts

Some researchers continue to feed the world illusions that Atlantis really existed. Following the lead of Plato, who pointed out exact location location of the island, researchers in search of Atlantis are checking the areas in the area Azores, in the Bahamas. This is facilitated by the consonance of the names of the Atlantic Ocean and the legendary island.

According to one version, Atlantis was located in the Azores region. Studies of the Ampere seamount, located on the way from Europe to America, and the neighboring areas of the Atlantic mid-ridge have not yielded any results. The geological and morphological structure of the seabed does not give reason to believe that a large geological formation existed in this area of ​​the earth's crust in ancient times. Even the gigantic cataclysm that wiped out so much from the face of the earth large island or archipelago, would have left behind undeniable evidence. If the island sank as a result of a successive chain of earthquakes and floods, then its remains could still be found today.

Modern scientists do not have information about the major geological and tectonic catastrophe that befell the earth in ancient times. The biblical data about the global flood that befell the Earth and humanity takes us to a completely different era. All information, events and facts that speak in favor of the existence of Atlantis in this part globe, do not stand up to criticism if we rely on the theory proposed by Plato.

Supporters of another hypothesis, the Mediterranean one, have more compelling evidence in their favor. However, here too there are a number of points that cause controversy. What were the real boundaries of such a powerful union, and where could such a union be located? big Island or a small continent. Western border known to people of that time in the world, runs along the Pillars of Hercules - now the Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic. Why, with such an eventful and crowded environment, did the ancient world not have cartographic data on the location of a large state that influenced the political and economic structure of the world? On maps drawn up by the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians and Egyptians that have survived to this day, known areas are limited to the Mediterranean region, southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Many Atlantologists increasingly agree that a civilization of similar proportions could have existed in the Eastern Mediterranean, within the explored sphere of political and economic interests of ancient states. The disappearance of the island and the death of the country of the Atlanteans can be linked to the catastrophic eruption of the Santorini volcano, which erupted around the 17th century BC. This hypothesis takes place, since it was during this period that the Cretan power flourished. According to this theory, the volcanic eruption not only destroyed half of the island of Thira, but also destroyed numerous city-states that existed in the region. If we put aside the question of names and the connection to Plato’s statements about the Pillars of Hercules, such a picture of the ancient world has a right to life.

In this context, the version about the existence in ancient times of a powerful state competing with the ancient Greek city-polises fits perfectly. The facts of the strongest cataclysm of that time were also noted in ancient sources. Today, volcanologists and oceanologists reasonably consider this version of the death of Atlantis to be quite real. Scientists have found evidence that the Minoan civilization really had enormous military power and had a high level of development, allowing it to confront the Greek states.

Sparta and Athens are located 300-400 kilometers north of the islands of Thira and Crete, which are ideal for the location of the Atlantean state. The explosion of a volcano, which destroyed a mighty power in one night, destroyed the balance in the world that had existed until that moment. The consequences of such a large-scale disaster affected the entire Southern Europe, North Africa and the coast of the Middle East.

Versions in favor of another location of the legendary power today have no basis. Researchers are increasingly linking the existence of Atlantis with Plato's philosophical view of existing world. This is echoed by other sources in which the land of the Atlanteans is associated with other mythical territories and states that existed in the imagination of the ancient Greeks.

Hyperborea and Atlantis - ancient mythical states

To the question of where to look for Atlantis today, the answer may sound prosaic. You have to look everywhere. It is possible to rely on ancient sources only in cases where the question is raised about cultural heritage, which has survived to our times. In the sense in which we perceive Atlantis today, as an imaginary country and highly developed civilization, the ancient Greeks at one time imagined Hyperborea. This mythical country, located in the far north, a thousand kilometers from the shores Ancient Greece, was considered by the Greeks to be the habitat of the Hyperboreans, the descendants of the gods. Is this the Atlantis that Plato wanted to tell the world about when writing his treatises?

The Hyperborean lands, according to modern scientists, should have been located on the territory of the current Scandinavian countries: in Iceland or Greenland. The Greeks directly pointed out that even Apollo himself, the sun god, was considered the patron saint of this people. What kind of lands are these, do they really exist? It was assumed that Hyperborea was a fictional country for the ancient Greeks, where perfect and powerful people lived and the gods rested. The country that Apollo regularly visits may be the same Atlantis - the state to which the ancient Greeks strove in their development.

The first (and in fact the only) mention of Atlantis was made two and a half thousand years ago. But only in the last few decades has this legendary island state, which supposedly sunk under water, become a real icon for all adherents of alternative historical hypotheses, conspiracy theories, occultists of all kinds and supporters of paranormal versions. Not a single sensational material can do without an appeal to the “Atlantean civilization” that opens humanity’s eyes to the “true” version of the history of the Earth. We can identify ten mysteries of Atlantis, without going into completely unsubstantiated and fantastic fabrications.

The first riddle is how do we know about Atlantis?

We know about it from only one source, even if this source is the great ancient Greek philosopher and writer Plato, who lived in the second half of the 5th - first half of the 4th centuries BC in Athens. Atlantis mentioned in two dialogues purporting to describe the conversations of Socrates, Plato's teacher. In both of these texts, it is not Plato, the author of the text, nor Socrates, the main character, who speaks about Atlantis, but the Athenian politician Critias. He gives the example of Atlantis as an illustration of the topic that arose during the conversation about the ideal structure of the state.

Moreover, the origin of information about Atlantis is not just vague, it is completely illusory: supposedly Critias heard this story from his grandfather, who in turn was told it by the Athenian legislator Solon, and Solon himself heard it from the Egyptian priests during his trip to Egypt. Thus, Plato himself involuntarily points out that there are no written sources for the story of Atlantis, while other ancient authors only repeat Plato’s information.

Riddle two - why did Plato need the idea of ​​Atlantis?

The fictitious nature of Atlantis is more than likely. The lack of clear sources, the “silence” of Egyptian historiography on this matter, the obvious fantastic nature of the events being told - 9 thousand years before Plato, Atlantis could not have fought with Athens, because no Athens or Greeks in general had yet been planned. The question arises about the motives of Plato, who invented a powerful mysterious state. The answer to this question is contained in the same works of the ancient philosopher.

The fact is that the topic of Atlantis surfaced in the context of a conversation about the ideal structure of the state.

Plato considered the Athenian version to be such and needed to give a “concrete” example of the effectiveness of such a device in the fight against a powerful rival. For this purpose, the powerful Atlantis was invented, which represented the first version of the state - the state of the divine Atlanteans, the sons of Poseidon. True, Plato, as a talented writer, was carried away by the description of Atlantis and created such an attractive and colorful image that he was then forced to urgently “curtail” his fiction. To do this, he invented gods who were angry with the Atlanteans for their pride, and who, as punishment, destroyed the great state.

Riddle three - has anyone else seen Atlantis?

The most obvious of all mysteries: no matter how sorry it is for supporters of all kinds of alternative histories, no one has seen Atlantis. Assuming the existence of such a magnificent civilization and the objectivity of Plato’s information, there inevitably had to be other sources of information.

There are no autonomous, that is, not connected with Platonic texts, references to Atlantis in historical sources, which, from the position of logical thinking, puts the reality of the island-state in great doubt.

Riddle four - was Atlantis in the Mediterranean?

One of the few real prototypes of the legend of Atlantis could be the Minoan civilization of the mid-2nd millennium BC, the center of which was located on the island of Crete. The Minoans actually created a developed civilization, which was far from Plato’s fabulous description.

However, over the past thousand years, hyperbolization is understandable.

In addition, the circumstances of the death of Atlantis and the decline of Minoan civilization: around the 16th century BC a great thing happened on the island of Thera. As a result, a chain of earthquakes and huge tsunamis caused irreparable damage to Crete, which was captured by the Achaean Greeks soon after.

Riddle five - was Atlantis in the Atlantic Ocean?

Atlantic Ocean got its name precisely thanks to the legend of Atlantis: in Plato’s text the location of the great civilization is directly indicated beyond the Pillars of Hercules, that is, to the west of the Strait of Gibraltar. Moreover, if you literally follow Plato’s description, the island reached dimensions of approximately 530 kilometers by 350 kilometers. An island of such proportions could exist and then disappear only in the ocean, and not in the small Mediterranean Sea. However, to date there is no reliable information indicating possible traces of Atlantis in the Atlantic Ocean.

Riddle six - was Atlantis in the Black Sea?

Black Sea basin in historical times survived a global disaster associated with a large-scale flood. In the 6th millennium BC, as a result of the breakthrough of the Bosphorus Isthmus by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the level of the Black Sea rose by several tens of meters within a short period of time (no more than a year). As a result, large coastal areas were flooded and the population was forced to migrate, thereby beginning the Indo-European colonization of the surrounding lands.

In some hypotheses, this event is associated with the Middle Eastern myth of the Flood, which found its most famous embodiment in the Old Testament. Romanian historians have put forward a version that Plato, under the guise of Atlantis, described the Lower Danube Plain lying to the west of the Black Sea, the dimensions of which are about 530 by 350 kilometers.

Riddle seven - was Atlantis in Antarctica?

The most exotic version of the location of Atlantis says that Plato described Antarctica. Allegedly, thousands of years ago, the continent of Antarctica was located much further north, in the Equator region, there was no ice cover on it, there was rich vegetation and that same highly developed civilization. Then, as a result of the displacement of lithospheric plates, Antarctica moved towards the pole and became covered with ice.

This hypothesis explains why traces of Antarctica have not been found anywhere else, but it completely contradicts all scientific data, in particular, about the speed and direction of movement of the Earth’s lithospheric plates - the continent could not cover such a distance so quickly.

Riddle eight - was Atlantis in South America?

One of the latest versions to emerge was that Atlantis could have been located in South America. At the same time, Plato’s instructions that Atlantis was an island were not taken into account (they say, in 9 thousand years the philosopher could have gotten something wrong), as well as his calculations (the same argument).

In fact, the Atlantic theory in connection with South America is one of the attempts to argue as an alternative to the history of Pre-Columbian civilizations. Many still cannot believe that the grandiose engineering and architectural structures Incas, Mayans and the Aztecs were the brainchild of primitive Indians, so the legend of the ancient lost Atlantis was very useful.

Riddle nine - how did Atlantis perish?

The fact is that in Plato’s text there is no direct indication of exactly how the mighty Atlantis was destroyed. It is described how Zeus gathered the Olympian gods to a meeting to decide how to punish the proud Atlanteans - and this is where the story ends.

From fragmentary information in other places in Plato’s dialogues, it becomes clear that the island state went under water. But how exactly this could happen is something that enthusiasts argue to this day. The most popular version is a large-scale earthquake, as a result of which the island fell under water. Options with a colossal tsunami are also being considered and with a large asteroid falling straight onto Atlantis.

Riddle tenth - why have no traces of Atlantis been found?

They are looking for Atlantis, and especially carefully over the last half century. Any more or less interesting and ambiguous find on the seabed is immediately declared connected with Atlantis, should it happen east coast USA, on Hawaiian Islands or in the Japanese archipelago.

However, all such sensational findings are subsequently not confirmed. Skeptics see this as a clear confirmation of the fictitious nature of Atlantis, which Plato used only as a figure of speech and an unsuccessful argument in a philosophical dispute. Enthusiasts claim that Atlantis is real, you just need to slightly correct Plato's data. In any case, to date no material evidence of the existence of Atlantis has been presented.

Alexander Babitsky

Questions about whether Atlantis existed, about the location of Plato’s sunken Atlantis, as well as 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 continent. Many atlantologists are trying to find evidence of the existence of the island; other representatives of modern science believe that the “city” of Atlantis was located in the west. While others believe that Hyperborea disappeared along with the disappeared Atlantis.

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

Places on Earth where archaeologists searched for the ancient sunken Atlantis

There are at least five known places on Earth where the search for Atlantis was carried out:

• Baltika;
• 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 at the bottom of the Baltic Sea dating back to stone age. Apparently, nomads could have stopped near the place where they were discovered about eleven thousand years ago. The press immediately called this discovery, important for science, “Swedish Atlantis.”

Atlantis of the Eastern Mediterranean

In 2004, American scientist Robert Sarmast thought he had uncovered the secrets of Atlantis. He stated that he was lost city between Syria and Cyprus at a depth of one and a half kilometers. The expedition, which he led, managed to discover man-made buildings at the bottom, as well as canals and river beds. The scientist argued that all this coincided with the outline of Plato's Atlantis.

History of Spanish Atlantis

In 2011, Spanish scientists announced a version of the location of Atlantis. They believed that ancient city washed away by the tsunami off the Spanish coast. Local scientists claimed that at the bottom there was a complex of buildings that also corresponded to Plato’s descriptions. Using the instruments, it was possible to record 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. A hypothesis has been reported that the "British Atlantis" had to go under water about nine thousand years ago. According to this hypothesis, it was a part of the land that stretched between Denmark and Scotland. In the center, this land was the size of modern France, and this entire part of the land had an area of ​​almost 900 thousand square kilometers.

Atlantis of the Bermuda Triangle

Canadian researchers up close eastern shores Cubes, using a special robot, photographed some underwater ruins in 2012. 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 believed 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 Plato's instructions, the island of Atlantis sank 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 that 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. Here arose a great and astonishing association of kings. All their power extended throughout the island, to many other islands, and also to part of the continent. Moreover, from this side of the strait they were masters of Libya as far as Egypt, and also of Europe as far as Tyrrhenia.

Some researchers mentioned Solon, who wrote down the story of the destruction of Atlantis. He visited the Egyptian city of Sais around 611 BC. There, from local priests, he learned that a terrible catastrophe had occurred that occurred nine thousand years BC. e. Then the flooding of a huge island occurred, larger in size than “Libya and Asia”.

Scientists, after the necessary calculations, placed an island of such volumes near Gibraltar. They decided that from this huge island by now only small islands could remain, such as Cape Verde, the Canaries, Madeira, the Azores and others. Thus, there really was a huge archipelago, and therefore Plato’s Atlantis civilization.

Secret maps of Christopher Columbus

Some believe that in ancient times Atlantis meant the Canary Islands, and complement this with the fact that Columbus had accurate navigation maps with the Atlantic ridge in all his four campaigns.

By the way, he also looked for the remains of the islands of the once existing empire. Later, some of the 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 in Piri Reis.

The maps of Piri Reis that have survived to this day did not contain the details necessary for scientists. There were no images of the sunken continent. However, this did not prevent the location of Atlantis from being determined; the routes of Columbus's caravels of all four expeditions were known. It should be noted that all four of Columbus's expeditions always began from the Canary Islands.

The 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 he could have found it in secret sources that could have come to him along with maps of the disappeared continent.

In our days, little attention has been paid to these ocean currents, since the modern fleet is adapted to complete autonomous navigation over any distance. This made the secrets of the currents, which in ancient times ensured the regularity of communications between parts of the world, irrelevant. However, in ancient maps one can find unequivocal evidence that these messages existed.

However, according to some researchers, after a 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 maps unknown to science and, indulging in them, made his great discoveries.

The Fall of Great Poseidonia

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

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

Suddenly there was a shaking of the earth, after which part of the land began to plunge into the stunned streams. Everything that was on land began to sink lower and lower under the water.

Then everything became quiet. No rain, no crushing blows of the wind, no downward movements - everything ended, as if so that the survivors could rest. Nothing happened for several days. To the exhausted people, hiding in insignificant shelters, it seemed that everything was over.