clarity2009: Plato

One of the most mysterious legends handed down by the ancient world is the tale of Atlantis. Tradition places Atlantis somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean 11,000 years in the past. In 360 B.C. Plato wrote the "Timaeus" and "Critias".

The Critias tells us that Poseidon, God Of The Sea, was granted the realm of Atlantis when the gods divided the earth amongst themselves. There he created a palace for his love, a mortal woman named Cleito. On the top of the hill in the center of the island a great temple was constructed to honor Poseidon.

Consisting of several land masses, the Atlantis Continent was located in the Atlantic, west of Gibraltar. It was said to have been a paradise, hosting a highly developed civilization. Civil prejudice, greed and power contributed to the downfall of the empire. Zeus called for a meeting of the gods to punish Atlantis.

Here the story ends. Whether the author chose to end the story here, or perhaps the last pages were lost to antiquity, we'll never know. It is presumed from the Timareus, the verdict of the gods caused the Atlantic Ocean to submerge the continent beneath it's surface.

Many people believe Atlantis to be complete fiction, others claim that Thera inspired a philosopher's imagination, and still others contend that the story is an accurate account of a long lost forgotten past.

There have been many books written about Atlantis of which the Oera Linda Book from Holland (Frysia) is said to be one of the oldest books ever found. It tells of the destruction of the large Atlantic island by earthquakes and tidal waves.

" During the whole summer, the sun hid itself behind the clouds, as if unwilling to shine upon the earth. In the middle of the quietude, the earth began to quake as if it was dying. The mountains opened up to vomit forth fire and flames. Some of them sunk under the earth while in other places mountains rose out of the plains... Atlantis disappeared, and the wild waves rose so high over the hills and dales that everything was buried under the seas. Many people were swallowed up by the earth, and others who had escaped the fire perished in the waters."
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In 1969, a young man from Glasgow who had recently burst upon the music scene, and who epitomized the era's message of peace, love and change, retold the story of that shining civilization for another generation. I believed it.

—Relax Max
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The continent of Atlantis was an island
which lay before the great flood
in the area we now call the Atlantic Ocean.
So great an area of land, that from her western shores
those beautiful sailors journeyed
to the South and the North Americas with ease,
in their ships with painted sails.

To the East Africa was a neighbour, across a short strait of sea miles.
The great Egyptian age is but a remnant of The Atlantian culture.
The antediluvian kings colonised the world
All the Gods who play in the mythological dramas
In all legends from all lands were from fair Atlantis.
Knowing her fate, Atlantis sent out ships to all corners of the Earth.
On board were the Twelve:
The poet, the physician, the farmer, the scientist,
The magician and the other so-called Gods of our legends.
Though Gods they were -
And as the elders of our time choose to remain blind
Let us rejoice and let us sing and dance and ring in the new
Hail Atlantis!