atlantis...fact or fiction...

[Firebolt]

I accually hope they don't find atlantis because it has been a mystery for so long. Also, if they find it and something wonderus is found there, someone is going to try to exploite it.. i don't want that to happen...

bro

[pappagooch]

I for one believe that there could have been an advanced civilization in the past that invented advanced tools, were quite the seafaring culture, and may have utilized machinery very advanced for the time period they existed in. This would then lead to the possibly that they suffered their own demise due to some type of cataclysmic event that destroyed their culture.

Maybe this place was called Atlantis, maybe this culture called themselves something else in their own language. One thing I do know is that ancient structures are (slowly) being discovered, underwater, which may open our eyes to the possibility of other ancient cultures we are not currently aware of that did exist in our past.

I do not believe in the "crystal" powers and other fantasies spun regarding supposed atlantians...

While on this topic, if you believe it to have existed, what is everyone's perception of Atlantis? How do you envision the place? Whats your fantasized or realistic view of the Atlantis you believe in?

What do ya'll think?

[Nxt2Hvn]

While on this topic, if you believe it to have existed, what is everyone's perception of Atlantis? How do you envision the place? Whats your fantasized or realistic view of the Atlantis you believe in?

Okay... this might sound silly (no .. not from Nxt2Hvn? ).......

I envision that it looks something like the underwater city on The Little Mermaid... don't know why... but that is what comes to mind when I think of Atlantis!

But more realistic and not cartoonish!

I hope that makes sense!

[PurpleStuart]

While on this topic, if you believe it to have existed, what is everyone's perception of Atlantis? How do you envision the place? Whats your fantasized or realistic view of the Atlantis you believe in?

I personaly believe a civilisation (or period of civilisations) existed for which we use the term atlantis to describe. I think they were an urban and sea-farering culture which had mapped a lot of the globe and were at a level or technology similiar to 18th century western europe in some ways. I don't believe this was a Utopia, but just another civilisation which was wiped out by on of the three periods of global flooding that happened after the ice age. It is a period of our history hinted at by our oldest myths and legends and holy books. It is possible that it is thought of as a utopia due to the decendants of the survivors passing down stories of what they had lost.

[Ikanian]

I read once that, when asked by Plato where they got their knowledge of certain things from, the Egyptian priest answered with "From the Atlaneans". Does it get much more straight forward than that?

Im not completley sure, but in this book I was reading earlier it said Plato was taught about Atlantis from Solon. They said Plato wasnt known for fabricating stories, so they dont think he would have lied about it. But at the same time it said Solon traveled many lands and exchanged stories with different people. In this one land, he exchanged stories with some king. One of the residents in that land was none other than Aesop (of Aesope's Fables fame).

Im not sure how accurate that is up there from the book I was reading, I should go back and read over it again.

But to me it could go either way, and I personally would prefer that there would be an Atlantis over there wouldnt be.

[M3lriv3r]

I voted for Fact. I used to believe that it was fiction, but those large stones they found under the carribean seem suspicious. They look like giant stones that used to be a road of some kind.

[docv1974]

I would like to believe its true, I say fact.

Or rather, I HOPE fact

[xanubia]

I believe that Atlantis once existed. I also believe that it was an extremely powerful empire that stretched all the way across the world....What do you guys think?

[Chauncy]

I think it existed.

Plato is probably the most recognized supporter of Atlantis, writing about it fairly extensively. Although some claim that his writings were nothing more than a metaphor to explain that civilizations rise and fall. If it was a metaphor, which it wasn't, then he went way beyond what is necessary for a metaphor as far as detail goes.

http://www.auburn.edu/~downejm/sp/epsaas/e...psaasPlato.html

Also there are examples of mankind existing before the Earth went through its major changes. The Piri Reis map is one example.

http://www.prep.mcneese.edu/engr/engr321/p...is/piri_r~1.htm

[Universal Absurdity]

Edgar cayce predicted that a portion of atlantis would rise again in 1968-1969

it was in that time frame that "Bimini Road" rose out of the atlantic ocean.

The Bimini islands are supposedly the highest mountaintops that once existed in atlantis before its sinking.

it is my opinion that most of the mythology of atlantis is really about the world itself before recorded history. atlantis just happened to be the main 'city'. its fall took all records of technology and history with it.

Edgar cayce was in effect a medium more than a prophet. he would go into a trance and give medical advice to those who needed it, even if they were hundreds of miles away. also while in trance, he would give past life readings, tell future events, and quite remarkably he has not been wrong yet. i would take his word on this subject over anyone else's any day. even plato.

Edited May 17, 2004 by UniversalAbsurdity

[angel_eyes]

I think it existed and the writings of Plato provide alot of supporting detail.

[Falco Rex]

Of course Plato was describing a story by Socrates who heard about it from Solon who heard about it from Egyptian Priests. Any friend-of-a-friend story is bound to have some details omitted while some are exaggerated. I'd take Platos' account with a grain of salt and instead look for Archeological evidence..

[angel_eyes]

lol, of course, now that you have put it like that I should retract my vote! hehehe

[DrStrangelove]

I believe Atlantis exists simply because I am the ne who says if it does or doesn't . There is evidence of some manmade structures sinking in the sea, it may be atlantis or not, but given the stuff found in the sea and the legends or such sunken civilizations (Lumeria, Mu, and Atlantis) I am sure there is some truth to it. I also remember reading in the "Mammoth Encyclopedia of Unexplained Mysteries," (a book at my library) that there was a book found in a rummage sale called the Linda Oirido (I don't know if that second word was correct, I know it was something like Oirido) Book that was diaries of a woman whose family escaped a massive tradegy in which her homeland (and Island called Atland) had sunk into the water. I don't remember it saying why it did this but it sounds alot like Atlantis, wouldn't you say? Oh and it was written in greek or hebrew (one of those dead languages). It is certainly a interesting read.

[Chauncy]

I'd take Platos' account with a grain of salt and instead look for Archeological evidence..

Your absolutely right. From the story Plato spoke the archeological evidence would more than likely be found in some ocean depth, as a result of three cataclysms ultimately resulting in a migration of Atlanteans. The relaying of the story through cultures was much more then a "Friend-to-Friend" type thing, it was more like an assimilation of cultures.

Its interesting to note also that we have here people from a great civilization joining another great civilization, which appears as if the Atlanteans gained such a foot-hold that the Egypt we see today probably reflects the Atlantean culture, in a lot of respects.

Bimini road is a good example of submerged ruins for sure.

http://www.subversiveelement.com/BiminiRoad.html

There are actually quite a few submerged ruins the globe over fewer than a hundred or so are more than 3000 years old.

http://www.grahamhancock.com/intro.php

[tkr9]

It exists, but what it is is another matter.

Plato was one for metaphors so Atlantis might be a metaphor for the disintegration of an advanced society if it stoops to arrogance and greed, or it could be that Mayan island that blew itself apart. One or the other.

But Plato was not one for making up stories. If he says it is beyond the pillars of hercules it probably is. He might have been talking about America but the technology part is hard to account for. Britain perhaps. We were good with shaping lead...

[Chauncy]

He might have been talking about America but the technology part is hard to account for. Britain perhaps. We were good with shaping lead...

......although there is a good possibility we were still clunking each other over the head with stones when Atlantis existed......

[tkr9]

There is a team going out to the Med to look for Atlantis. They appeared on Richard and Judy a couple of months back. They said they'd report back but as i haven't watched it since I have no idea.

[Chauncy]

Yes and the individuals who think they've found it are very confident, the teams consists of the two gentlemen that led the Titanic expedition. Here's a link with a great article on their quest and why they are loooking where they are.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3227295.stm

[tkr9]

Kool, thanx.

Hope they find it really.

[Fairie]

I've said it before and, however boring and repetitive, I'll say it again, all legends have a basis of fact. The original written evidence for Atlantis comes from a single source, ol' Plato, but how can anyone denounce its authenticity when you consider that the bible has a very similar basis.

Just because it's not recorded anywhere else doesn't mean it might not be true.

I've just been studying a guy named David Rohl, who reckons that the entire established timeline for the egyptian pharoahs is out by a good 200 years, if we can be that far out on one thing, I don't see why we should believe implicitly upon the findings of science for everything else.

Have a little faith my banana splits!!

[hamellr]

I vote fiction. Plato could have been making the whole thing up, who knows...It seems like an advanced civilization would have been able to leave some sort of record of itself outside of the references of Plato...

I don't 100% agree here. You have to remeber that cultures tended to plunder other's for various reasons. Either to destroy evidence of a "greater" culture, or simply for building materials. IE, the Great Wall of China has been destroyed for most it's length for the stones.

Also remeber, the Library of Alexandria got burned down, and the bulk of it's records destroyed. Who knows what kind of information it contained about cultures that we no longer know about. The problem is - before writing people had to rely on word of mouth. Even now in the US antropologist are working hard on recording the oral traditions of many Native Americans before they're lost completly. Who knows how valuable that information will be in 10, 20, 100 or a 1000 years from now?

Edited May 19, 2004 by hamellr

[Chauncy]

Also remeber, the Library of Alexandria got burned down, and the bulk of it's records destroyed. Who knows what kind of information it contained about cultures that we no longer know about.

Check this out hamellr!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3707641.stm

[Wild-Eyes]

I vote fiction. Plato could have been making the whole thing up, who knows...It seems like an advanced civilization would have been able to leave some sort of record of itself outside of the references of Plato...

I don't 100% agree here. You have to remeber that cultures tended to plunder other's for various reasons. Either to destroy evidence of a "greater" culture, or simply for building materials. IE, the Great Wall of China has been destroyed for most it's length for the stones.

Also remeber, the Library of Alexandria got burned down, and the bulk of it's records destroyed. Who knows what kind of information it contained about cultures that we no longer know about. The problem is - before writing people had to rely on word of mouth. Even now in the US antropologist are working hard on recording the oral traditions of many Native Americans before they're lost completly. Who knows how valuable that information will be in 10, 20, 100 or a 1000 years from now?

Well, I disagree, but for another reason: tales of Atlantis are not just in Plato's work. A great deal of cultures around the world have stories about a 'great advanced civilization' that was eventually destroyed by cataclism: Plato, Diodorus, Herodotus, and Strabo from Greece. Pomponius Mela. Plutarch. Olaus Rudbeck (Scandanavian). Bailly (France). Holy Mountain tales from China. Book of Dyzan (Tibet). The Codex Troano of the Mayas. Native American legends. Mineoathi. Mu. Lemuria. Etcera. Many of these existed far before Plato. Plato's own story goes back to Egyptian myth 200 years before.

The point is, it's a universal legend of old civilizations. If one's to believe the axiom 'In every myth there's a grain of truth', then it's very likely some form of Atlantis existed.

Heh, and just a little comment about there being no Atlantean records. An advanced civilization does not have to use written language, that's a myth. It used to be the definition of being a 'civilization' in anthropology; it is no longer. It is very possible that Atlanteans were an oral society; besides that, if they were suddenly destroyed in cataclism and sunk to the sea, what's to say any records survived?

Maybe they used computers.

[nickma71]

Atlantis was real, and destroyed during the great flood.