One of the mysteries of ancient history is the fate of Atlantis and its death. The story about this disappeared island has survived only in two dialogues of the Greek philosopher Plato - "Critias" and "Timaeus". Plato himself called it "the true truth" and attributed it to the ancient sage Solon, who lived two centuries earlier.
In turn, he heard about Atlantis, having visited Egypt - in the city of Sais. Here, asking the priests about ancient times, he learned about the island that "exceeded in size Libya and Asia combined" and lay on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar.
This island could be called "earthly paradise". The local wealth attracted residents of all surrounding countries. Ships were in a hurry to Atlantis, "merchants were arriving from everywhere, and, moreover, in such a multitude that talk, noise and thud could be heard day and night."
The trade power of the Atlanteans was combined with military might. Human strength could not defeat them. The inhabitants of Atlantis plunged into slavery "all countries in general on this side of the strait." However, they were powerless against the gods too. "The time has come for unprecedented earthquakes and floods." Finally, the earth opened up and "in one terrible day" swallowed Atlantis. The island disappeared, "plunged into the abyss." It happened around 9600 BC.
Most of the ancient scientists (but not all!) Believed Plato. So, the geographer Strabo, describing the famous land, noted: "The story of the island of Atlantis, perhaps, is not a fiction." The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus recalled that the Atlantic Sea had swallowed up "an island larger than all of Europe" - an island that existed "somewhere." This was the ancient answer.
Centuries have passed. In the 16th century, in the era of the great geographical discoveries, they began to solve the riddle of Atlantis again, trying to find its exact position. At first, it was placed off the coast of America, because Plato said that it was easy to move from Atlantis "to the opposite continent." The hypothesis that the descendants of the Atlanteans settled in America would later become popular.
Gradually, the search area expanded. Archaeologists looking for Atlantis at the tip of a feather have discovered traces of it everywhere.
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Greenland? Did it not once connect America and Europe? Perhaps, in ancient times, northern peoples wandered on dry land from one part of the world to another? Sahara? Isn't it Atlantis, whose lands "gave water in abundance, and, moreover, an amazing taste"? What if there was a huge lake devastated by an earthquake, and the ancient Atlanteans fled after this disaster, scorched by the sun and driven by thirst? Their descendants are Berbers. Lake Titicaca in the mountains of South America? Yes, because it lies on a 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 that surrounded the city and itself was surrounded by mountains that stretched to the sea, was a smooth surface.”Azor Islands? Sure. Not far from them, at the bottom of the sea, they found blocks of solidified lava. In this case, Atlantis, like Pompeii,destroyed a volcano, Troy? In the 1990s, the German archaeologist Eberhard Tsangger suggested that Plato described Troy under the name of Atlantis, albeit visibly distorting its appearance. In the fall of 2004, reports emerged that "something similar" to Atlantis had been found at the bottom of the sea, east of the island. However, only its newfound discoverer was able to recognize the features of a forgotten country in the underwater ridges. In March 2011, an archaeologist at the University of Hartford, Richard Freund, discovered traces of an ancient city in the marshland north of Cadiz, which, according to his hypothesis, was destroyed by a tsunami. In plan, this city had the shape of a ring. But the capital of Atlantis, which lay about 10 kilometers from the sea, was surrounded by a system of circular canals.that under the name of Atlantis Plato described Troy, even if he noticeably distorted its appearance. In the fall of 2004, reports emerged that "something similar" to Atlantis had been found at the bottom of the sea, east of the island. However, only its newfound discoverer was able to recognize the features of a forgotten country in the underwater ridges. In March 2011, an archaeologist from the University of Hartford, Richard Freund, discovered traces of an ancient city in the marshland north of Cadiz, which, according to his hypothesis, was destroyed by a tsunami. In plan, this city had the shape of a ring. But the capital of Atlantis, which lay about 10 kilometers from the sea, was surrounded by a system of circular canals.that under the name of Atlantis Plato described Troy, even if he noticeably distorted its appearance. In the fall of 2004, reports emerged that "something similar" to Atlantis had been found at the bottom of the sea, east of the island. However, only its newly discovered discoverer was able to recognize the features of a forgotten country in the underwater ridges. In March 2011, an archaeologist from the University of Hartford, Richard Freund, discovered traces of an ancient city in the marshland north of Cadiz, which, according to his hypothesis, was destroyed by a tsunami. In plan, this city had the shape of a ring. But the capital of Atlantis, which lay about 10 kilometers from the sea, was surrounded by a system of circular canals. However, only its newfound discoverer was able to recognize the features of a forgotten country in the underwater ridges. In March 2011, an archaeologist at the University of Hartford, Richard Freund, discovered traces of an ancient city in the marshland north of Cadiz, which, according to his hypothesis, was destroyed by a tsunami. In plan, this city had the shape of a ring. But the capital of Atlantis, which lay about 10 kilometers from the sea, was surrounded by a system of circular canals. However, only its newfound discoverer was able to recognize the features of a forgotten country in the underwater ridges. In March 2011, an archaeologist at the University of Hartford, Richard Freund, discovered traces of an ancient city in the marshland north of Cadiz, which, according to his hypothesis, was destroyed by a tsunami. In plan, this city had the shape of a ring. But the capital of Atlantis, which lay about 10 kilometers from the sea, was surrounded by a system of circular canals.
More than 10 thousand books tell about Atlantis. 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. As a result, the events described by Plato could take place from 80,000 BC to 1200 BC.
At the first conference of Atlantologists, held in 2005 in Greece, 24 criteria were established, which must be satisfied by the place where Atlantis could be located. No such places have been found yet. The authors of the hypotheses invariably fantasize "on the theme of Plato," as if not trying to read his story to the end.
Was there really no Atlantis? Was there no island plunged into the sea? Islands whose inhabitants challenged the Egyptians and Athenians? A fabulously rich island?
Back in the middle of the 19th century, while examining the islet of Thira (Fera), or Santorini, which lay 120 kilometers north of Crete, French archaeologists were surprised to note that it was covered with a thick layer of ash and pumice, under which an ancient settlement lies. It was apparently destroyed by a volcanic eruption. However, this discovery did not arouse much interest.
Excavations of the city of Gortis (Gortis) Crete island
Meanwhile, half a century later, the English archaeologist Arthur Evans discovered traces of a great civilization on the island of Crete. Four thousand years ago, huge palaces were built here, their walls were painted with frescoes, exquisite dishes, gold and ivory jewelry were made.
Hundreds of villages and towns dotted the island. It was as densely populated as Plato's Atlantis. He was rich, beautiful and great. Ancient Greek culture owes a lot to the Cretan one. However, around 1500 BC, the Cretan Empire fell into decay. Unexplained fate destroys her. She will never be reborn.
Perhaps the Santorini volcano was to blame? But how could he threaten Crete? "At such a distance, there is nothing to fear from hot ash, and the earthquake caused by volcanic activity is barely perceptible" - this was the opinion of the skeptics. But they were put to shame.
In the 1950s-1960s, a picture of the eruption of the Santorini volcano, one of the strongest volcanic eruptions in the memory of mankind, was recreated. It was accompanied by a powerful tidal wave - a tsunami that devastated the coast of Crete.
The Santorini catastrophe happened exactly 900 years before Solon learned the history of Atlantis from the Egyptian priests. Exactly 900, not 9000! And that sheds light on the date confusion. The fact is that the Egyptians had a similar spelling of these numbers. No wonder a stranger is mistaken!
Plato in his dialogues noted that Atlantis consisted of two islands - a small round island in the middle of which "stood a mountain, not high on all sides," crowned with the temple of Poseidon, as well as an extended island, partly occupied by the plain, partly by mountains. In this description, Crete and Santorini are quite guessed, in the middle of which a volcano rose. Then “fire and water” fell upon the people. This is how Santorini died.
Obviously, this is how Atlantis died. Its inhabitants were forgotten. In the story of the Egyptian priests, they turned into "Atlanteans."
… It should be added that the Soviet researcher Nikolai Feodosyevich Zhirov (1903-1970) made a huge contribution to the study of the Atlantis problem. Doctor of Chemistry, an early disability retirement, he devoted himself to the existence of Atlantis.
His final work "Atlantis: Basic Problems of Atlantology" was published in 1964, but, despite the enormous interest in this topic, it was published in a circulation of only 12 thousand copies. Fortunately, for everyone who is in the eternal search for Atlantis, it was reprinted several years ago by the Moscow publishing house Veche.
Alexander Volkov "Knowledge - Power" December 2015