Do the fishes now make merry in the ruins of Atlantis?
The story told by Plato seems to refer uncannily in date and description to the three great floods of the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age known to science. The last flood was around 11,600 years ago.
The story told by Plato seems to refer uncannily in date and description to the three great floods of the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age known to science. The last flood was around 11,600 years ago.
Indonesian origin of the Atlantis and Flood myths?
The area around Indonesia is increasingly seen as the origin of the Atlantis myth, and perhaps of the Great Flood myths present almost everywhere in ancient legends.
Although I will now give a rundown for the case for Sundaland
as the basis for the Great Flood Myth and possibly also for Atlantis, infact an even more likely case for Atlantis has now been found which is a city in the delta of the Parana River in Argentina near a great raised plain, the only place on earth where such a plain with those dimensions exists. This theory is mentioned after the Indonesian discussion.
The Indonesian theory is that Sundaland, a huge area the size of India was submerged at the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age about 11,600 years ago. This was a result of the melting of the ice that covered a lot of the world, possibly due to a cataclysmic eruption of a volcanic peak, most likely ancient Krakatoa. Sea levels rose around 150 metres.
Possibly a super eruption of ancient Krakatoa ended the Ice Age and caused sea levels to rise by about 150 metres. The huge tsunamis, earthquakes and rainfall as well as the drastically rising sea level when the ice melted, could well have ended what had been a more advanced civilisation at that time than on other continents.
Indonesia is part of the Pacific ring of fire which has strong volcanic activity, and has had many great eruptions which have changed climate worldwide and probably changed world history as well, such as the Dark Ages possibly being caused by a Krakatoa eruption around 500 A.D.
Indeed in 1815 Mount Tambora on the island of Sumbawa caused years of poor harvests around the world after a massive eruption, and ancient eruptions of Indonesian volcanos have often been much much bigger.
Even now in 2014 a volcano near Tambora, called Sangeang Api has erupted again sending ash-clouds high into the sky.
Lake Toba in Sumatra (now a famous tourist attraction) was formed by a supervolcano which erupted about 70,000 years ago causing global climate change
Anyway linking the submergence of Sundaland to Atlantis again, the idea is that during the Ice Age humanity had found the tropical areas to be the only areas suitable for the beginning of civilisation, and a more advanced culture had developed which later spread out after the cataclysm to colonise other continents.
Plato learnt of the Atlantis story from Solon's accounts from Egyptian priests who saw Atlantis as their own point of origin. It is startling how many indicators in several lands point to the period around 11,600 years ago, the end of the Ice Age.
The fact of the submergence of the vast area of Sundaland at that time is scientifically documented, although I doubt that this Atlantis could have been so very advanced as some versions of the legend announce as not all the area was submerged and how come nothing survives of the super culture before the flood?
No known superculture has been found around the region from that time, and Indonesia is not known to have had advanced agriculture or advanced technology either in 11,600 BC, so there are real objections to the Atlantis theory, although the Great Flood Myths could relate to Sundaland being submerged at the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age.
Numerous places have been posited as Atlantis, some with convincing credentials such as Minoan Crete and the island of Thera which was devestated by the eruption of the volcano on the island of Santorini around 1600 BC. There are indications in Plato's story that fit the Minoan civilisation around Crete closely.
Other sites have been suggested for Atlantis including Morocco, Troy, Florida and many others, all with ingenious arguments which often make sense. Plato himself stated that his story was a vehicle for philosophy and not literal and so on.
Traditions in the Southeast Asian region infact claim that Java and Sumatra and India and Sumbawa and some other islands were infact joined at one time,
and this seems to be scientifically correct from growing knowledge of these events in several scientific disciplines.
Still civilisations can decline in the face of massive environmental catastrophe and perhaps they were a lot more advanced compared to more primitive cultures elsewhere in the colder regions still gripped by the Ice Age.
If the new rulers of distant lands looked back they might well exaggerate the splendour of their original homeland for various reasons, including nostalgia, and perhaps in any case it was more advanced and pleasant than the lands they had emigrated to under such incredible stress.
It is difficult to imagine such a climatic catastrophe as the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age which was accompanied by movements in the earth's crust due to the release of the crushing burden of Ice, no wonder the events became shrouded in legend around the world.
Such a combination of rising sea level and storms and tsunamis and earthquakes beggar the imagination and it must have seemed like the end of the world. In the submerged areas it was the end of the world although some escaped to other lands.
If Krakatoa or another volcano caused the final flood by melting the ice, then the climate would have been changed by ashfall and the blotting out of the sun for years causing crop failure and megadeaths.
Increasingly the idea that the worldwide flood myths such as Noah’s Ark and the like relate to the area around Indonesia is becoming accepted, as no other area on earth is known to have suffered such a massive submergence, and the idea of a super Krakatoa eruption causing the last phase of the destruction seems quite possible as well.
Myths from many cultures speak of a gigantic mountain explosion causing the catastrophe that submerged Atlantis in a single night. A good article on this is at
http://www.atlan.org/articles/true_history/
Atlantis near Argentina?
On the other hand a very convincing case for Atlantis has been made for South America recently, particularly a city in the delta of the Parana River in Argentina.
The dimensions and the location of a great plain near the city both fit very well (indeed it is the only place on earth where such an unusual plain fits the story), and it seems Solon only mistook for various mistaken geographical reasons the sinking of a great city for the sinking of an entire continent.
Many points match up for this identification of Atlantis with this region in Argentina from Solon's account, including the unique plain (now called Mesopotamia as it is surrounded by rivers), the highlands leading to it from Brazil, the Caribbean Islands and the continent's tenuous connection with another continent, of course North America. Also it fits the description of being opposite the Pillars of Hercules or Gibraltar.
Whether the description in Plato of Atlantis battling with Athens is true or just a description of trade rivalry or a literary device who can say.
However a great South American trading empire could well have found the resources to launch campaigns to extend it's territory and trade control. Anyway it is clear that in past times seafarers travelled from continent to continent during and after the Pleistocene Ice Age.
So many details of Solon's account match up with the South American hypothesis presented here that the identification with Atlantis seems almost certain as far as I can see.
The description of the city of Atlantis in the Delta by Plato reminds one of the great Aztec Capital in a lake that is now Mexico City, and being in a river delta it could certainly sink into the waters due to subduction totally during a mega earthquake.
The circular area now near the Parana River in Argentina fits almost exactly the dimensions of Atlantis given in Plato, as does it's distance from the great raised plain near the city.
Presumably a mega Tsunami and earthquake associated with the end of the Ice Age overwhelmed the city in a cataclysm.
An island in the delta of the Parana River in Argentina fits the size given by Plato for Atlantis almost exactly, and after being subducted in the mega earthquake it would eventually have risen again, minus the people of course.
Whether archeaology could find anything underground after so many thousands of years is very doubtful but it could be worth a try.
Perhaps Atlantis has been found at last. A fuller discussion of this can be found at
http://atlantismaps.com/chapter_7.html
The area around Indonesia is increasingly seen as the origin of the Atlantis myth, and perhaps of the Great Flood myths present almost everywhere in ancient legends.
Although I will now give a rundown for the case for Sundaland
as the basis for the Great Flood Myth and possibly also for Atlantis, infact an even more likely case for Atlantis has now been found which is a city in the delta of the Parana River in Argentina near a great raised plain, the only place on earth where such a plain with those dimensions exists. This theory is mentioned after the Indonesian discussion.
The Indonesian theory is that Sundaland, a huge area the size of India was submerged at the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age about 11,600 years ago. This was a result of the melting of the ice that covered a lot of the world, possibly due to a cataclysmic eruption of a volcanic peak, most likely ancient Krakatoa. Sea levels rose around 150 metres.
Possibly a super eruption of ancient Krakatoa ended the Ice Age and caused sea levels to rise by about 150 metres. The huge tsunamis, earthquakes and rainfall as well as the drastically rising sea level when the ice melted, could well have ended what had been a more advanced civilisation at that time than on other continents.
Indonesia is part of the Pacific ring of fire which has strong volcanic activity, and has had many great eruptions which have changed climate worldwide and probably changed world history as well, such as the Dark Ages possibly being caused by a Krakatoa eruption around 500 A.D.
Indeed in 1815 Mount Tambora on the island of Sumbawa caused years of poor harvests around the world after a massive eruption, and ancient eruptions of Indonesian volcanos have often been much much bigger.
Even now in 2014 a volcano near Tambora, called Sangeang Api has erupted again sending ash-clouds high into the sky.
Lake Toba in Sumatra (now a famous tourist attraction) was formed by a supervolcano which erupted about 70,000 years ago causing global climate change
Anyway linking the submergence of Sundaland to Atlantis again, the idea is that during the Ice Age humanity had found the tropical areas to be the only areas suitable for the beginning of civilisation, and a more advanced culture had developed which later spread out after the cataclysm to colonise other continents.
Plato learnt of the Atlantis story from Solon's accounts from Egyptian priests who saw Atlantis as their own point of origin. It is startling how many indicators in several lands point to the period around 11,600 years ago, the end of the Ice Age.
The fact of the submergence of the vast area of Sundaland at that time is scientifically documented, although I doubt that this Atlantis could have been so very advanced as some versions of the legend announce as not all the area was submerged and how come nothing survives of the super culture before the flood?
No known superculture has been found around the region from that time, and Indonesia is not known to have had advanced agriculture or advanced technology either in 11,600 BC, so there are real objections to the Atlantis theory, although the Great Flood Myths could relate to Sundaland being submerged at the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age.
Numerous places have been posited as Atlantis, some with convincing credentials such as Minoan Crete and the island of Thera which was devestated by the eruption of the volcano on the island of Santorini around 1600 BC. There are indications in Plato's story that fit the Minoan civilisation around Crete closely.
Other sites have been suggested for Atlantis including Morocco, Troy, Florida and many others, all with ingenious arguments which often make sense. Plato himself stated that his story was a vehicle for philosophy and not literal and so on.
Traditions in the Southeast Asian region infact claim that Java and Sumatra and India and Sumbawa and some other islands were infact joined at one time,
and this seems to be scientifically correct from growing knowledge of these events in several scientific disciplines.
Still civilisations can decline in the face of massive environmental catastrophe and perhaps they were a lot more advanced compared to more primitive cultures elsewhere in the colder regions still gripped by the Ice Age.
If the new rulers of distant lands looked back they might well exaggerate the splendour of their original homeland for various reasons, including nostalgia, and perhaps in any case it was more advanced and pleasant than the lands they had emigrated to under such incredible stress.
It is difficult to imagine such a climatic catastrophe as the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age which was accompanied by movements in the earth's crust due to the release of the crushing burden of Ice, no wonder the events became shrouded in legend around the world.
Such a combination of rising sea level and storms and tsunamis and earthquakes beggar the imagination and it must have seemed like the end of the world. In the submerged areas it was the end of the world although some escaped to other lands.
If Krakatoa or another volcano caused the final flood by melting the ice, then the climate would have been changed by ashfall and the blotting out of the sun for years causing crop failure and megadeaths.
Increasingly the idea that the worldwide flood myths such as Noah’s Ark and the like relate to the area around Indonesia is becoming accepted, as no other area on earth is known to have suffered such a massive submergence, and the idea of a super Krakatoa eruption causing the last phase of the destruction seems quite possible as well.
Myths from many cultures speak of a gigantic mountain explosion causing the catastrophe that submerged Atlantis in a single night. A good article on this is at
http://www.atlan.org/articles/true_history/
Atlantis near Argentina?
On the other hand a very convincing case for Atlantis has been made for South America recently, particularly a city in the delta of the Parana River in Argentina.
The dimensions and the location of a great plain near the city both fit very well (indeed it is the only place on earth where such an unusual plain fits the story), and it seems Solon only mistook for various mistaken geographical reasons the sinking of a great city for the sinking of an entire continent.
Many points match up for this identification of Atlantis with this region in Argentina from Solon's account, including the unique plain (now called Mesopotamia as it is surrounded by rivers), the highlands leading to it from Brazil, the Caribbean Islands and the continent's tenuous connection with another continent, of course North America. Also it fits the description of being opposite the Pillars of Hercules or Gibraltar.
Whether the description in Plato of Atlantis battling with Athens is true or just a description of trade rivalry or a literary device who can say.
However a great South American trading empire could well have found the resources to launch campaigns to extend it's territory and trade control. Anyway it is clear that in past times seafarers travelled from continent to continent during and after the Pleistocene Ice Age.
So many details of Solon's account match up with the South American hypothesis presented here that the identification with Atlantis seems almost certain as far as I can see.
The description of the city of Atlantis in the Delta by Plato reminds one of the great Aztec Capital in a lake that is now Mexico City, and being in a river delta it could certainly sink into the waters due to subduction totally during a mega earthquake.
The circular area now near the Parana River in Argentina fits almost exactly the dimensions of Atlantis given in Plato, as does it's distance from the great raised plain near the city.
Presumably a mega Tsunami and earthquake associated with the end of the Ice Age overwhelmed the city in a cataclysm.
An island in the delta of the Parana River in Argentina fits the size given by Plato for Atlantis almost exactly, and after being subducted in the mega earthquake it would eventually have risen again, minus the people of course.
Whether archeaology could find anything underground after so many thousands of years is very doubtful but it could be worth a try.
Perhaps Atlantis has been found at last. A fuller discussion of this can be found at
http://atlantismaps.com/chapter_7.html
The much smaller Krakatoa of today, still dangerous as it sits over a volcanic hot spot in the earth's crust, but nothing like the gigantic volcano of times in the past.
The breathtaking beauty of the Tropics,
as long as there are no catastrophic eruptions happening and no giant floods either preferably.
as long as there are no catastrophic eruptions happening and no giant floods either preferably.