“On this island, called Atlantis, a kingdom, amazing in size and power, arose, whose power extended to the entire island, to many other islands and part of the mainland, and besides, on this side of the strait, they captured Libya up to Egypt and Europe up to Tyrrenia."
Plato. "Timaeus"
… A storm was raging off the coast of the Bahamas. Two-meter waves beat against the trunks of mangroves and flooded the pier. The next day, the storm died down, but nature continued to rage. The magnetic needle in the compass is suddenly out of control. An unusual picture emerged through the muddy sea water: stirring up the sand, the waves opened the underwater city. “There were five of us,” recalled one of the members of the 1970 expedition, an American treasure hunter and rector of the University, Ray Brown. “We were looking for sunken Spanish galleons. Now we all jumped down to see what was there."
At a depth of forty meters, they found some kind of pyramid that glittered like a mirror. A hole was visible about ten meters from its top. Brown told what happened next: “I hesitated, not daring to swim, but then still headed for this hole. It resembled a shaft that led inside. There was something flickering. It was a crystal held by two metal hands. I was wearing gloves and tried to get hold of this strange object. I succeeded. As soon as I touched it, it seemed to me that time had disappeared and would never return. I have touched eternity."
Brown donated the found crystal to the University of Florida. However, he refused to name the place of the find. And what else could one expect from an inveterate treasure hunter? Only one person - Charles Berlitz, the finder of Atlantis, he said that he had found a crystal off the coast of Berry Island. In search of the pyramid, Berlitz, having rented an airplane, combed all the vicinities of the island and nevertheless noticed the underwater city: "It turned out to be eight kilometers wide, and its length was much greater."
For Berlitz, Brown's story was another confirmation that the mysterious continent of Atlantis was located in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean. However, this is only one of the possible versions; there are many of them. More than ten thousand books narrate about this island, which was first described by the Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 BC) in the dialogues "Critias" and "Timaeus". Ten thousand books, and almost each one indicates a new place of the disaster and a new date for the death of the legendary country. The events described by Plato could have occurred in the period from 80,000 BC. e. (i.e., even before the appearance of the Neanderthals in Europe) up to 1200 BC. e. (late Bronze Age). Austrian explorer Otto H. Muck was able to calculate the date of the disaster surprisingly accurately. According to him, it happened on June 6, 8489 BC. e., at 13 o'clock in the afternoon. It was from this still unclear date that the Maya, the creators of a unique civilization in pre-Columbian America, counted time in their calendar.
Archaeologists looking for Atlantis at the tip of a feather have discovered traces of it in many places. In their list, you can find North America, Brazil, the Swedish city of Uppsala, Siberia, the Canary Islands, the South China Sea, northern Libya, Crete, Bermuda, Gibraltar, Ethiopia, Troy, Brittany, England, Ireland. They are looking for an ancient country either in the mountains at an altitude of 3400 m above sea level (Bolivia), or in the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of 2500 m. It's amazing, but every time the authors of hypotheses find reasonably strong grounds for their assumptions. Here are just a few of the reasons.
- The Azores can be the pinnacle of a sunken continent. Lumps of solidified lava were found at the bottom of the sea. Perhaps Atlantis, like Pompeii, was destroyed by a powerful volcanic eruption.
Promotional video:
- In remote times, according to the assurances of some pseudo-historians, Antarctica was a vast archipelago, where there was no now habitual bulk of glaciers, but people lived. Scientists have already discovered the remains of ancient ferns and trees in the ice. Later, when the earth's magnetic poles once again changed, people had to leave their country, but they kept the memory of it, having settled around the world.
- The Greek island of Santorini around 1500 BC e. was destroyed by a catastrophic volcanic eruption and partially sank into the sea. Perhaps Atlantis was here, not far from Egypt, whose priests, according to Plato, preserved the legend of the lost island.
- In the mountains of South America, near Lake Titicaca, there is the world's largest high-mountain plateau, in everything similar to Atlantis, as Plato described it:
“This whole region lay very high and fell abruptly to the sea, but the entire plain, which surrounded the city and itself surrounded by mountains that stretched to the sea itself, was a flat surface.” Here and below, Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias are quoted in translated by S. Averintsev. - Approx. author ›. The dimensions of the plateau are 100 by 200 km. It is surrounded on both sides by the Cordillera ridges. Here, on the plateau, archaeologists have discovered the remains of an artificial channel 25 km long and 184 m wide.
- One of the most mysterious regions of antiquity - Tartessus - lay in southern Spain, west of the Pillars of Hercules, that is, Gibraltar - the strait, which is mentioned in the legend of Atlantis: “There was an island that lay in front of that strait, which is called in your language The Pillars of Hercules”. Tin and silver were mined in Tartesse; merchant ships of the Phoenicians, and later of the Greeks and Carthaginians, constantly entered the local harbor. Tartess was inhabited by a strange people - Turdestan. Their language, like that of the Minoans, was pre-Indo-European. Exploring the inscriptions preserved, for example, on coins, scientists have deciphered so far only ten signs of this language; they were interpreted because they very much resembled the letters of the Numidian alphabet (Numidia is a region in North Africa, on the territory of modern Algeria and Tunisia).
The reason for this geographic confusion is understandable. Plato's tale of Atlantis contains just over a thousand lines and ends literally in mid-sentence. “Most of the dialogue“Critias”is either lost or not completed by Plato himself, and this part would be the most interesting,” noted the famous Soviet philologist A. Taho-Godi. Plato himself called his story "the true truth" and attributed it to the ancient politician and sage Solon (c. 640-560 BC). In turn, Solon heard about Atlantis, having visited the city of Sais, "at the top of the Delta, where the Nile diverges into separate streams." Here, asking the most knowledgeable of the priests about ancient times, he learned about an island that “surpassed in size Libya and Asia combined”, an island from which it was easy to move “to the opposite mainland,” an island that disappeared, “plunging into abyss ". The priests told Solon that this happened nine thousand years ago, that is, about 10,000 BC. e.
Plato literally recorded the story of the priests brought to him. It mentions that later "the time has come for unprecedented earthquakes and floods." Finally, the earth opened up and "in one terrible day" swallowed Atlantis ("Timaeus"). According to him, the inhabitants of the country incurred the wrath of the gods, for “they were unable to endure their wealth any longer and lost their decency. For one who can see, they were a shameful sight. " Then Zeus decided to impose punishment on the Atlanteans and destroyed them.
For humans, the Atlanteans were invincible. Plato, with the precision of a scout, calculated "the number of men fit for war" and the armament of the forgotten empire. According to his summary, the Atlantis army had 10,000 war chariots, 1,200 battleships, 60,000 two-horse teams without chariots, 120,000 horses. The number of soldiers was as follows: 120,000 hoplites (heavily armed foot soldiers), 120,000 archers and slingers, and 180,000 stone throwers and spearmen.
It was the best army at that time. "In matters of military prowess, she was the first." Only Egyptian and Achaean (Mycenaean) troops could resist her.
Atlantis was an island-state on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar. Once - the legend says - this island was inherited by the god Poseidon and populated with his children. The eldest of them - Atlas (in the name he was similar to the Titan, who held the firmament on his shoulders) - received a vast kingdom on the island. His nine brothers - Eumel, Amfereus, Evemon and others - began to rule over the outskirts of Atlantis and other islands of the "sea, which is called the Atlantic." Every five or six years, the kings met for a family council, discussing how to increase the wealth in the country and its power.
The meeting place was the Temple of Poseidon, which stood "in the center of the island." The island was 20 km across. The vegetation here was so lush that it bore a crop twice a year. "Even the elephants on the island were in great numbers." The palace of King Atlas stood on the mountain. Its walls were lined with orichalcum, an amazing nugget that was mined in various places on the island. Orichalcum was second only to gold in value, and "it gave off a fiery shine."
Near the palace stood the aforementioned temple 183 m long and 92.5 m wide. Outside it was laid out in silver; Acroteria (sculptural decorations at the corners of the pediments) were carved from gold. The vault was carved out of ivory; on the columns of orichalcum stood a golden statue: the god Poseidon on a chariot, who ruled six winged horses.
Undertaking to judge the subjects - and the trial took place in the temple - the king first went to the nearest grove, caught one of the bulls walking there, brought him to the temple and stabbed him at the top of the stele, where the laws of Poseidon were inscribed. Blood dripped onto the writing, and woe was for those who break one of the laws.
By the way, scientists have long argued about what an orichalcum is. Many considered it a noble metal. Today more and more researchers are inclined to think that this is nothing more than amber. Some of its properties mentioned by Plato are also convincing of this. Thus, orichalcum could be heated and melted and applied to objects. In fact, the melting point of amber - a sparkling fossil resin - is about 300 degrees.
The capital of Atlantis was located about ten kilometers from the sea and was connected to it by a canal. In addition, the city was surrounded by a system of canals; along with the walls, they protected him from enemies. The outer earthen wall was sheathed with bronze, the middle one with tin, and the inner one with orichalcum. Judging by the layout, the capital of Atlantis could be called the Venice of antiquity.
We know all this from Plato's dialogues. His character, who told about the disappeared island, regretted that he did not have the opportunity to talk "about celestial and divine objects" - that is, about mythical, fictional, and he only speaks about "mortal and human", that is, about facts.
Of course, in our time, when enthusiasts have run off their feet and thoughts, looking for the ruins of Atlantic antiquity, this story has given rise to the most fantastic hypotheses. They are especially popular in esoteric circles. Many of the versions were "voiced" by an American medium and psychic named Edgar Cayce (1877-1945), who was allegedly endowed with the ability to immerse himself in the past lives of his patients. Again and again he discovered in their prehistory "traces of being on Atlantis."
In his writings, Casey argued that this legendary country existed 50,000 years ago. 30 thousand years ago Atlantis disintegrated into several islands, and 12000 years ago it disappeared into the waters of the Atlantic, lost somewhere in its western part. This is how a great civilization perished; long before us she knew the secrets of electricity and built airplanes, mastered the secrets of the atom, used solar energy and used laser weapons.
In the middle of the temple of Poseidon there was a fantastic apparatus at all: a giant crystal that collected the sun's rays and was so efficient that it could supply electricity to the entire Atlantic Empire. Focused beams, possessing tremendous energy, were captured by other crystals, which converted it into useful work. Even the planes of the Atlanteans were propelled by crystals. In addition, the Atlanteans allegedly could move from one point in time to another.
Plato's unfinished story more than once prompted such "historians" to put an end to it quickly. The story itself, in the opinion of most researchers, has a certain real background.
The date indicated by Plato is 10,000 BC. e., - inspires confidence in many. Indeed, in that era, catastrophic events took place on Earth: mammoths died out, the poles changed their position … Perhaps the cause of the death of Atlantis was the collision of the Earth with a large meteorite …
The already mentioned Otto Mook, like a number of other seekers of ancient secrets, declared 30 years ago that a huge island lay in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean 10,000 years ago. He prevented the Gulf Stream from flowing in today's, familiar way. The waters of the sea currents broke on the shores of Atlantis and turned westward - to the Gulf of Mexico, where, by the way, it originated. Circling around the equator, the waters of the Gulf Stream were incredibly warm. But Northern Europe, not heated by the warm current, lay under a layer of ice. Only when Atlantis sank into the abyss did the Gulf Stream turn north and the glaciers of Scandinavia melted.
This theory is supported by the strange route taken by European eels to spawn. In autumn, they leave the Baltic rivers and head far west. The waters of the Gulf Stream prevent them from swimming, but the eels sink to the depth to continue their journey. For a long time, they swim against the current, because they lay eggs among the algae of the Sargasso Sea, west of the Azores. Three years later, now drifting along with the Gulf Stream, young eels swim to the north of Europe, having covered about 1800 km. Time passes, and eels again swim far to the west. Why are they going through such a tedious journey? What attracts them to America?
Otto Mook suggested that fish move in the same way as their ancestors thousands of years ago, when Atlantis existed and the route of the Gulf Stream was different. Instinct taught fish to the "antediluvian" map of the world. They follow it and are wrong. Once eels, growing up, swam away from the Gulf Stream to the shores of America; now they were carried far to the east, to Europe.
As logical as this theory is, it looks unconvincing. And this is the case with all interpretations of Plato's texts, the authors of which follow the date indicated by the philosopher. Too early, suspiciously early, the Atlantean civilization appeared, according to Plato. It will take seven thousand years, and only then will the light of wisdom dawn in Egypt. As many as eight thousand, and only then will the Cretan-Minoan civilization appear. The question is, is this date correct?
Many facts convince that Plato, writing down the legend about Atlantis, made one excusable mistake, which later played a fatal role. He bluntly accepted the date prompted by the priests from Sais - nine thousand years ago. Right! But the priests kept counting the years not according to the Sun, but according to the Moon, and that moves around our planet 13 times faster than the Earth around the Sun. The lunar year lasts just under a month. In this case, Atlantis did not die 10,000 years ago, but about 1200 BC. e. - at the end of the Bronze Age.
This date has an important meaning. Around 1200 BC e. all the then ecumene, the inhabited land, is shaken by terrible wars. And this, perhaps, has a lot to do with the legend of Atlantis.
Here is what, for example, the German historian Eberhard Zashter thinks about that time. The culture of the Bronze Age was destroyed suddenly. The first world war in the history of mankind put an end to everything. It broke out over Troy. The catastrophe occurred around 1200 BC. e. Fortresses fell to dust, entire powers perished. The war crushed both the Peloponnesian Mycenae, and the Hittite Hattusas, and the Levantine city-states, for example, Ugarit, Alalah. The war shocked Babylon and led to the decline of the Middle Assyrian kingdom. The war blew the capital acquired by merchants from Asia Minor. Writing was lost, the potter's wheel was forgotten.
It all started with climate change. Huge tidal waves began to crash on the North Sea coast; the lowlands (marches) were flooded. In the vast territory of Europe - in England, Germany, Holland, Brittany - famine began. At that time, tribes lived here, who cremated their deceased, and the ashes were placed in ceramic vessels - burial urns. Archaeologists have called their culture - the culture of the fields of burial urns.
To survive, the tribes moved south. After all, they knew that somewhere in the south there were rich countries - Greece, Egypt. For a long time they traded with the southerners, exchanging goods for amber, which was often found on the seashore.
This time, not individual traders, but entire nations went to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, armed with bronze swords with a tongue-shaped hilt, spears, round shields, protected by horned helmets, like those that the Normans wore thousands of years later. The frescoes of the Egyptians and Greeks captured the appearance of these tall, warlike northerners.
Waves of refugees swept Hungary, reached Macedonia, laid siege to Athens, crossed Asia Minor and reached the Nile delta, where they were eventually destroyed by the troops of Pharaoh Merneptah in 1219 BC. e. In the six-hour battle, up to 8,500 "barbarians" were killed and over 10,000 captured.
However, a new, more powerful wave of immigrants soon descended on Egypt. This time they moved not only on dry land, but also sailed on boats, for which they received the name "Sea Peoples". Only in 1170 BC. e. Pharaoh Ramses III finally defeated the uninvited aliens. Some of them retreated and settled on the Palestinian coast, while others returned to Europe.
Ramses III was so proud of his victory that he ordered to capture the scenes of battles on the walls of the temple in Medinet Abu …
It was the victory over the "Sea Peoples" - who knew where the warlike people came from - that gave rise, as researchers believe today, to the legend of a mysterious country: Atlantis.
The idea of the "First World War" that has developed over the past twenty years is bizarrely mixed with the fantasies of the Egyptians, in which the mysterious and formidable Hyperboreans live and act - people who inhabit the lands north of the Alps.
A number of recent archaeological finds have attracted the attention of researchers to countries lying "on the other side of the north wind." Thus, the German pastor and historian Jürgen Spanut explored the island of Helgoland. Three and a half thousand years ago, Helgoland was a mountain that rose among the coastal lowlands, often flooded by the sea. Spanut discovered the remains of a shaft made of red, white and black stones. This find literally illustrated the lines of Plato: “The kings surrounded this island with circular stone walls… They mined the stone of white, black and red color in the bowels of the middle island”. However, despite this detailed similarity, scientists were wary of equating Helgoland and Atlantis.
After all, her - a country about which ten thousand books are narrated - obviously did not exist. Under the collective name "Atlantis" were hidden lands that lay for the Egyptians far beyond the Strait of Gibraltar: the coast of Central and Northern Europe and the British Isles. Information about these lands reached the Egyptians in a fragmentary, sometimes fantastically distorted form. They were brought either by merchants who accidentally survived in their wanderings - most often foreign ones, who knew how to explain themselves only on their fingers, - now prisoners, tongue-tied enemies, fearfully pointing now at the sea, now at a stone, now at yellow copper.
According to the Egyptians, who did not specifically study the area of distribution of the Aryan "barbarians", they lived somewhere among the mountains, on several islands, separated either by straits or canals. Dense forests, in which huge animals were found, covered this country. On some islands there were huge stone buildings - apparently temples and palaces, richly decorated with orichalcum-amber. This overseas people (or peoples?) Were ruled by several kings. Apparently, in ancient times they had a single ruler, whose possessions were then divided between relatives. The Atlanteans, undoubtedly, worshiped the god of the sea, and therefore so boldly rushed on boats through the formidable waves. These people were very warlike and, as the contemporaries of Merneptah and Ramses III were convinced, "they were superior to everyone in spirit and experience in military affairs."For a long time they stayed mainly "on the other side of the Pillars of Hercules", not mixing with "all those who lived on this side." Only some sudden catastrophe drove them to the shores of Egypt, where they were defeated and scattered.
If the ideas of the Egyptians about the northern Europeans seem too fantastic to the reader, one should remember how many fables the same Europeans - as early as in the Middle Ages - spoke of India, a country where it was as difficult for a Viking or a Hanseatic to get as a resident Saisa to Helgoland or Stonehenge. The news about distant countries was brought by mediators-interpreters who knew how to speak better than a "damaged telephone", and what was incomprehensible in their stories was complemented by fantasy. This is how the fantastic geography of antiquity and the early Middle Ages was born. This is how Atlantis was born.
"And what have the Libyans got to do with it?" - you ask, once again casually glancing at the epigraph. This is all she, the war, beguiled! In the fifth year of the reign of Ramses III, the Libyan tribes rushed to Egypt. Pharaoh smashed them. Then he defeated the army of "sea peoples" - Hyperboreans, "Atlanteans". But soon the Libyan tribes again invaded Egypt, as if acting in concert with the "Sea Peoples." It was not surprising for the descendants, looking for interesting versions in history, to call Libya a vassal of an unknown Atlantic country.
Obviously, the riddle of Atlantis is not being solved in the way that ten thousand authors and generations of their readers dreamed of.
But in the United States, a crystal found off the coast of the Bahamas is still kept - a visible relic of another sunken country unknown to us. This obviously man-made crystal has a strange property: when you shine on it, it flashes brightly in response. Who made it? What kind of pyramid lay on the bottom of the sea under a layer of sand and shone like a mirror? All five members of the expedition who discovered it died. The place of the find remained unknown. Even if the Ocean does not store Atlantis in its bowels, it hides many more secrets and many flooded settlements and cities.
From the book: "100 Great Mysteries of History". Author: Nepomnyashchy Nikolay Nikolaevich