Plato's Critias
What if Plato wrote the Critius, a fictitious fabel, by embedding in his story a very old myth. A myth that had at its core a kernel of truth. The truth about the earliest proto city our ancestors developed at the beginning of the Neolithic time period. A city that existed on an island within a larger island in the mouth of an ancient antediluvian plain. An island that science shows as having existed in the gulf oasis in an area that has been postulated as being “ground zero to the urban and agricultural revolutions of humanity.” An island which has been shown to have sunk 11,600 years ago beneath a rising sea and the flood waters of the Indian monsoon. An interesting proposition.
Our journey into the world of “What If,” begins by examining a singular word. A word that has put Plato’s fable into the realm of fantasy. This word is “Meizon.” In Greek it means, “Larger Than,” and is found in Plato's Critias in the two quotes below.
Quote #1
“Our records tell how your city checked a great power which arrogantly advanced from its base in the Atlantic ocean to attack the cities of Europe and Asia. For in those days the Atlantic was navigable. There was an island opposite the strait which you call (so you say) the Pillars of Heracles, an island larger than Libya and Asia combined” Critias
In the quote above we see that Plato describes the size of the island, as well as its location being in the Atlantic Ocean. However, in this passage Plato never refers to a large island actually sinking into the sea. The idea of a large island sinking into the sea is found in the second usage of the word meizon, which can be found below.
Quote #2
“At the time, Atlantis was an island larger than Libya and Asia put together(put together, was inserted by Desmond Lee.), though it was subsequently overwhelmed by earthquakes and is the source of the impenetrable mud which prevents the free passage of those who sail out from the straits into the open sea.” Critias
In quote #2, Plato once again uses the word Meizon(larger than) to describe the size of the island, but this time the passage goes on to describe this “large” island sinking beneath the sea in a short period of time. A day and a night.
“But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea. For which reason the sea in those parts is impassable and impenetrable, because there is a shoal of mud in the way; and this was caused by the subsidence of the island." Critias
What Plato describes in Quote #2 is impossible. Nothing the size of Libya and Asia Minor in Plato's time, or anytime for that matter, could have sunk beneath the sea in such a short period of time.
It is this singular error that has put the story of Atlantis into the realm of fantasy and has caused a multitude of preposterous theories to emerge trying to explain this unnatural occurrence.
We can see in quote #2 there is a breakdown in logic and scientific fact, something doesn't make sense, an island that big cannot sink into the ocean in a day and a night. This kind of glaring mistake does not fit Plato's M.O. This means that there must be a logical explanation for this. The only one I could come up with without making up some crazy story to try and validate a large island sinking in such a short period of time is that this error didn't lie with Plato but instead was a simple mistake made by a scribe hundreds of years after Plato wrote the Critias.
“What if,” one of the scribes who copied or translated Plato's original work made an error and wrote the letter “Z” in the second usage of the word “Meizon” when in fact it should have been an “s.” You see the Greek word for "between" is "meson." From this we get Meso-potamia (a land "between rivers") and Meso-america (a land "between [North and South] America"). Both examples dealing with large areas of land. But the reality is that the word mezon, the Greek word for mega means "big" or "large" (as in mega-lithic, or "large stone"): its comparative form, mezon, means "larger than" [something else] and is actually used in quote #2 forcing this passage to break down in logic.
“What if,” the word mezon in quote #2 was damaged and a single letter was difficult, or impossible to comprehend for the scribe or translator, forcing them to guess what the letter was, choosing a “z” rather than an “s” due to the similar spelling of the words and their relationship to the words “Libya and Asia” found in both quotes.
If this is the case then the first instance of this word Meizon would still describe the size of the island as being larger than Libya or Asia as well as its location in the Atlantic Ocean of Plato's time, but the second instance with its substitution of the letter “s” would now describe the island’s location NOT its size. Quote #2 would now read:
“At the time, Atlantis was an island between Libya and Asia “ and thus the quote speaks of an island between Libya and Asia Minor that sunk beneath the sea in a day in a night. This would allow the quote to instead refer to a smaller island that may have existed within the larger island. A small enough island that sank in such a short period of time. Something science can support.
So, like Morpheus in the movie “The Matrix,” I present to you two pills. If you take the blue pill, the story ends, as you don't agree with this plausible explanation and you believe whatever you want to believe in and hopefully enjoy the images I have created from this myth. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland by having agreed that such an error is plausible and a valid explanation of such a glaring mistake in Plato's work, and I show you just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
For those of you who choose the red pill, welcome to wonderland. I will be your tour guide through Plato's Critias. A myth that Plato himself said was real.
Now having accepted the plausibility of a scribe causing the breakdown in logic and thus substituting the letter “s” for the letter “z” in the second usage of the word “Meizon,” this allows us to view the island Plato describes as being two islands. The one that was as large as Libya and Asia Minor in quote #1, and a second island that is discussed in quote #2 that existed within the larger island somewhere between Liba and Asia Minor. An island that was small enough to have sunk beneath a rising ocean.
Yet let us not forget that from the quotes above, the large island has to be the size of Libya and Asia Minor combined. Such a large land mass has to have been considered an island in the past, as well as be an island that existed in the Atlantic ocean of Plato's time. This larger island has to be an island that had a smaller island exist within it that lay in a Strait and that was surrounded by an antediluvian plain. All of which needed to be between Libya and Asia Minor. That is a lot to ask for, but one that the Arabian Peninsula passes with flying colours.
Impossible you say, well you see the world was seen differently in Plato's time. We must not look at the world through modern eyes when reading Plato's Critias, but through the lens of how the greeks saw the world at the time Plato wrote this myth. This is a major flaw many people make.
In ancient times the Atlantic Ocean was not what we think of it as being today. In fact, Eratosthenes, as well as Herodotus, the "father of history," tell us;
“The sea navigated by all the Greeks and the one outside the Pillars called the Atlantis Sea and Erythraean are one and the same." 1
To the ancient geographers, the "Erythraean Sea" was defined in a wide variety of ways which often broadly included the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. 2
Our journey into the world of “What If,” begins by examining a singular word. A word that has put Plato’s fable into the realm of fantasy. This word is “Meizon.” In Greek it means, “Larger Than,” and is found in Plato's Critias in the two quotes below.
Quote #1
“Our records tell how your city checked a great power which arrogantly advanced from its base in the Atlantic ocean to attack the cities of Europe and Asia. For in those days the Atlantic was navigable. There was an island opposite the strait which you call (so you say) the Pillars of Heracles, an island larger than Libya and Asia combined” Critias
In the quote above we see that Plato describes the size of the island, as well as its location being in the Atlantic Ocean. However, in this passage Plato never refers to a large island actually sinking into the sea. The idea of a large island sinking into the sea is found in the second usage of the word meizon, which can be found below.
Quote #2
“At the time, Atlantis was an island larger than Libya and Asia put together(put together, was inserted by Desmond Lee.), though it was subsequently overwhelmed by earthquakes and is the source of the impenetrable mud which prevents the free passage of those who sail out from the straits into the open sea.” Critias
In quote #2, Plato once again uses the word Meizon(larger than) to describe the size of the island, but this time the passage goes on to describe this “large” island sinking beneath the sea in a short period of time. A day and a night.
“But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea. For which reason the sea in those parts is impassable and impenetrable, because there is a shoal of mud in the way; and this was caused by the subsidence of the island." Critias
What Plato describes in Quote #2 is impossible. Nothing the size of Libya and Asia Minor in Plato's time, or anytime for that matter, could have sunk beneath the sea in such a short period of time.
It is this singular error that has put the story of Atlantis into the realm of fantasy and has caused a multitude of preposterous theories to emerge trying to explain this unnatural occurrence.
We can see in quote #2 there is a breakdown in logic and scientific fact, something doesn't make sense, an island that big cannot sink into the ocean in a day and a night. This kind of glaring mistake does not fit Plato's M.O. This means that there must be a logical explanation for this. The only one I could come up with without making up some crazy story to try and validate a large island sinking in such a short period of time is that this error didn't lie with Plato but instead was a simple mistake made by a scribe hundreds of years after Plato wrote the Critias.
“What if,” one of the scribes who copied or translated Plato's original work made an error and wrote the letter “Z” in the second usage of the word “Meizon” when in fact it should have been an “s.” You see the Greek word for "between" is "meson." From this we get Meso-potamia (a land "between rivers") and Meso-america (a land "between [North and South] America"). Both examples dealing with large areas of land. But the reality is that the word mezon, the Greek word for mega means "big" or "large" (as in mega-lithic, or "large stone"): its comparative form, mezon, means "larger than" [something else] and is actually used in quote #2 forcing this passage to break down in logic.
“What if,” the word mezon in quote #2 was damaged and a single letter was difficult, or impossible to comprehend for the scribe or translator, forcing them to guess what the letter was, choosing a “z” rather than an “s” due to the similar spelling of the words and their relationship to the words “Libya and Asia” found in both quotes.
If this is the case then the first instance of this word Meizon would still describe the size of the island as being larger than Libya or Asia as well as its location in the Atlantic Ocean of Plato's time, but the second instance with its substitution of the letter “s” would now describe the island’s location NOT its size. Quote #2 would now read:
“At the time, Atlantis was an island between Libya and Asia “ and thus the quote speaks of an island between Libya and Asia Minor that sunk beneath the sea in a day in a night. This would allow the quote to instead refer to a smaller island that may have existed within the larger island. A small enough island that sank in such a short period of time. Something science can support.
So, like Morpheus in the movie “The Matrix,” I present to you two pills. If you take the blue pill, the story ends, as you don't agree with this plausible explanation and you believe whatever you want to believe in and hopefully enjoy the images I have created from this myth. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland by having agreed that such an error is plausible and a valid explanation of such a glaring mistake in Plato's work, and I show you just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
For those of you who choose the red pill, welcome to wonderland. I will be your tour guide through Plato's Critias. A myth that Plato himself said was real.
Now having accepted the plausibility of a scribe causing the breakdown in logic and thus substituting the letter “s” for the letter “z” in the second usage of the word “Meizon,” this allows us to view the island Plato describes as being two islands. The one that was as large as Libya and Asia Minor in quote #1, and a second island that is discussed in quote #2 that existed within the larger island somewhere between Liba and Asia Minor. An island that was small enough to have sunk beneath a rising ocean.
Yet let us not forget that from the quotes above, the large island has to be the size of Libya and Asia Minor combined. Such a large land mass has to have been considered an island in the past, as well as be an island that existed in the Atlantic ocean of Plato's time. This larger island has to be an island that had a smaller island exist within it that lay in a Strait and that was surrounded by an antediluvian plain. All of which needed to be between Libya and Asia Minor. That is a lot to ask for, but one that the Arabian Peninsula passes with flying colours.
Impossible you say, well you see the world was seen differently in Plato's time. We must not look at the world through modern eyes when reading Plato's Critias, but through the lens of how the greeks saw the world at the time Plato wrote this myth. This is a major flaw many people make.
In ancient times the Atlantic Ocean was not what we think of it as being today. In fact, Eratosthenes, as well as Herodotus, the "father of history," tell us;
“The sea navigated by all the Greeks and the one outside the Pillars called the Atlantis Sea and Erythraean are one and the same." 1
To the ancient geographers, the "Erythraean Sea" was defined in a wide variety of ways which often broadly included the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. 2
Figure 1
This means that when Plato states that the large island resided in the Atlanticus Ocean(as it was called then) we must also accept that this would have also included the Erythraean Sea. A sea that did surround the “Island of Arabia”
For you see, the Arabian peninsula has only been called a peninsula in more recent times. It was not until the mid 16th century AD that the word “peninsula” was actually first used. 3 “No distinction was made in the days of yore between a peninsula and an Island nor there were separate words to denote the two.” 4 For the longest time the Arabian peninsula was called, “Jaziratul-Arab” (Island of Arabia) or Jazīrat Al-ʿArab (“Island of the Arabs”) It seems this landmass was only called a peninsula sometime after the word “peninsula” was created. In fact “certain scholars have tried to prove that Arabia is an Island in the modern geographical sense, as for instance, in the Tarikh al-imam al-Islamia of ‘Allama Khudhari.”5
As for the size of the island of Arabia, we can easily measure its length at approximately 1400 m. However, the size of Libya and Asia are a bit more difficult to calculate. When Plato said Libya we know he was referring to the continent of Africa, but how much of it? Unfortunately, the Libya referred to by Plato and other early writers is not geographically delineated with any degree of clarity. Sometimes Libya appears to refer to all of Africa while at other times it is just the name of the land immediately to the west of Egypt, what was referred to as Libya Inferior(Marmarica) and Libya Superior(Cyrenaica). Likewise, Edward Gibbon's, a renowned 18th century English historian, noted that greek and Roman writers used the term Asia to refer to Turkey, while others identify its use as a reference to ancient Lydia, a relatively small kingdom in western Turkey, rather than the vast continent it describes today.
This means that there are a few possibilities. If any of them come close to the length of the island of Arabia it may help us understand what Plato was referring to. Especially if these possibilities are less than the island of Arabia. First off let me list the distances for these possibilities. Ancient Turkey was approximately 900 miles long. Ancient Lydia was approximately 400 miles in length. North Africa from the western border of ancient Egypt to Cap Spartel in Morocco is 1800 miles long as the crow flies. Libya inferior and superior combined was approximately 400 miles long.
So:
North Africa + Ancient Turkey = 2700 miles
North Africa + Ancient Lydia = 2200 miles
Libya Inferior and superior + Ancient Turkey = 1300 miles
Libya Inferior and superior + Ancient Lydia = 800 miles
It seems that Libya Inferior and Superior + Ancient Turkey or Ancient Lydia fit the bill. Both of these possibilities show a huge landmass but at the same time are small enough to be less than the island of Arabia. Though it is impossible to be 100% sure of this, these two possibilities lend strong evidence that Plato was referring to Libya inferior and superior when he mentioned the word Libya in his text, not the entire North African coast.
This is a lot to take in, I know, Though we have only just begun to descend into the rabbit hole, I bet by this time you are thinking to yourself, “I wish I took the blue pill!” I know I did when researching this information. Unfortunately though, we aren't even close to the wonderland.
We must still see if the “Island of Arabia” that sits in the ancient Atlantic/Erythraean Sea is actually “opposite” the Pillars of Hercules, and if so was there indeed a smaller island that sat within the larger “Island of Arabia” that existed in the middle of a strait. An island that sunk around 11,600 years ago in a day and a night.
“To his twin brother, who was born after him, and obtained as his lot the extremity of the island towards the Pillars of Heracles, facing the country which is now called the region of Gades in that part of the world.” Is “an island that was opposite the Pillars of Heracles.” Critias
In the quote above we see that the large island of Atlantis is opposite the pillars of Hercules, however, Plato never mentioned which direction he meant when he said “opposite.” It has also been hotly debated as to the location of the Pillars of Hercules. It seems that there are several possible locations, almost all of them place the pillars in the Mediterranean sea. Now many people assume that Plato meant Gadeirus's portion of Atlantis was west of the pillars location as the modern day Atlantic Ocean is west of any of the possible pillar locations. This assumption is made because it was from this direction the invasion by the Atlantean race begun for those that lived in the mediterranean sea. Unfortunately, this assumption is only partially correct as people have failed to look at the world at the time Plato wrote his story. As stated above, the Erythreum sea was also considered part of the Atlantic Ocean, allowing the island of Arabia to exist in the Atlantic Ocean and thus in figure 2 below it clearly shows that the “Island of Arabia” is a valid possibility as it is opposite the pillar of hercules due east and still allows for the Atlantean people to sail around Africa and invade the Mediterranean Sea west of the possible locations of the Pillars of Hercules.
For you see, the Arabian peninsula has only been called a peninsula in more recent times. It was not until the mid 16th century AD that the word “peninsula” was actually first used. 3 “No distinction was made in the days of yore between a peninsula and an Island nor there were separate words to denote the two.” 4 For the longest time the Arabian peninsula was called, “Jaziratul-Arab” (Island of Arabia) or Jazīrat Al-ʿArab (“Island of the Arabs”) It seems this landmass was only called a peninsula sometime after the word “peninsula” was created. In fact “certain scholars have tried to prove that Arabia is an Island in the modern geographical sense, as for instance, in the Tarikh al-imam al-Islamia of ‘Allama Khudhari.”5
As for the size of the island of Arabia, we can easily measure its length at approximately 1400 m. However, the size of Libya and Asia are a bit more difficult to calculate. When Plato said Libya we know he was referring to the continent of Africa, but how much of it? Unfortunately, the Libya referred to by Plato and other early writers is not geographically delineated with any degree of clarity. Sometimes Libya appears to refer to all of Africa while at other times it is just the name of the land immediately to the west of Egypt, what was referred to as Libya Inferior(Marmarica) and Libya Superior(Cyrenaica). Likewise, Edward Gibbon's, a renowned 18th century English historian, noted that greek and Roman writers used the term Asia to refer to Turkey, while others identify its use as a reference to ancient Lydia, a relatively small kingdom in western Turkey, rather than the vast continent it describes today.
This means that there are a few possibilities. If any of them come close to the length of the island of Arabia it may help us understand what Plato was referring to. Especially if these possibilities are less than the island of Arabia. First off let me list the distances for these possibilities. Ancient Turkey was approximately 900 miles long. Ancient Lydia was approximately 400 miles in length. North Africa from the western border of ancient Egypt to Cap Spartel in Morocco is 1800 miles long as the crow flies. Libya inferior and superior combined was approximately 400 miles long.
So:
North Africa + Ancient Turkey = 2700 miles
North Africa + Ancient Lydia = 2200 miles
Libya Inferior and superior + Ancient Turkey = 1300 miles
Libya Inferior and superior + Ancient Lydia = 800 miles
It seems that Libya Inferior and Superior + Ancient Turkey or Ancient Lydia fit the bill. Both of these possibilities show a huge landmass but at the same time are small enough to be less than the island of Arabia. Though it is impossible to be 100% sure of this, these two possibilities lend strong evidence that Plato was referring to Libya inferior and superior when he mentioned the word Libya in his text, not the entire North African coast.
This is a lot to take in, I know, Though we have only just begun to descend into the rabbit hole, I bet by this time you are thinking to yourself, “I wish I took the blue pill!” I know I did when researching this information. Unfortunately though, we aren't even close to the wonderland.
We must still see if the “Island of Arabia” that sits in the ancient Atlantic/Erythraean Sea is actually “opposite” the Pillars of Hercules, and if so was there indeed a smaller island that sat within the larger “Island of Arabia” that existed in the middle of a strait. An island that sunk around 11,600 years ago in a day and a night.
“To his twin brother, who was born after him, and obtained as his lot the extremity of the island towards the Pillars of Heracles, facing the country which is now called the region of Gades in that part of the world.” Is “an island that was opposite the Pillars of Heracles.” Critias
In the quote above we see that the large island of Atlantis is opposite the pillars of Hercules, however, Plato never mentioned which direction he meant when he said “opposite.” It has also been hotly debated as to the location of the Pillars of Hercules. It seems that there are several possible locations, almost all of them place the pillars in the Mediterranean sea. Now many people assume that Plato meant Gadeirus's portion of Atlantis was west of the pillars location as the modern day Atlantic Ocean is west of any of the possible pillar locations. This assumption is made because it was from this direction the invasion by the Atlantean race begun for those that lived in the mediterranean sea. Unfortunately, this assumption is only partially correct as people have failed to look at the world at the time Plato wrote his story. As stated above, the Erythreum sea was also considered part of the Atlantic Ocean, allowing the island of Arabia to exist in the Atlantic Ocean and thus in figure 2 below it clearly shows that the “Island of Arabia” is a valid possibility as it is opposite the pillar of hercules due east and still allows for the Atlantean people to sail around Africa and invade the Mediterranean Sea west of the possible locations of the Pillars of Hercules.
Figure 2
“Near the plain again, and also in the centre of the island at a distance of about fifty stadia, there was a mountain not very high on any side. But the country immediately about and surrounding the city was a level plain.” Critias
In the two quotes above Plato reveals a lot of information, though not evident at first. In these two quotes we see evidence to support the theory that there existed a smaller island within a larger island. This is because the mountain that lay beside the capital city of Atlantis was “near” the plain but at the same time “surrounded” by the plain. What perplexed me about these facts was that if the city was surrounded by the plain how could it be near it? At first these facts seem to be a breakdown in logic once again. That is until I realized that there was actually a logical explanation for this. The only way the mountain could be surrounded by the plain but also near it was due to a natural barrier that separated the mountain and the plain. A barrier that logically was water, since the sea was only 50 stadia from the mountain.
"Near the plain again, and also in the centre of the island at a distance of about fifty stadia, there was a mountain not very high on any side." Citias
This of course means that if the mountain was surrounded by water it needed to exist in the mouth of a river delta so that the plain could surround the mountain and still be 50 stadia from the sea.
When we take a look at the recreation of the gulf oasis found in figure 3, what is astonishing is that there is an island that resides in the mouth of a large antediluvian river system within the Straits of Hormuz. This island according to mainstream science lies at the heart of the first occupation zone of human habitation in the gulf oasis. An occupation zone that has been theorized by Dr. Rose as being ground zero to the urban and agricultural revolutions of humanity. An island that was surrounded by a fertile plain. An island that had a mountain not very big on all sides that was 50 stadia from a large body of freshwater. A body of freshwater that was overtaken by a rising sea 10,600 years ago.
In the two quotes above Plato reveals a lot of information, though not evident at first. In these two quotes we see evidence to support the theory that there existed a smaller island within a larger island. This is because the mountain that lay beside the capital city of Atlantis was “near” the plain but at the same time “surrounded” by the plain. What perplexed me about these facts was that if the city was surrounded by the plain how could it be near it? At first these facts seem to be a breakdown in logic once again. That is until I realized that there was actually a logical explanation for this. The only way the mountain could be surrounded by the plain but also near it was due to a natural barrier that separated the mountain and the plain. A barrier that logically was water, since the sea was only 50 stadia from the mountain.
"Near the plain again, and also in the centre of the island at a distance of about fifty stadia, there was a mountain not very high on any side." Citias
This of course means that if the mountain was surrounded by water it needed to exist in the mouth of a river delta so that the plain could surround the mountain and still be 50 stadia from the sea.
When we take a look at the recreation of the gulf oasis found in figure 3, what is astonishing is that there is an island that resides in the mouth of a large antediluvian river system within the Straits of Hormuz. This island according to mainstream science lies at the heart of the first occupation zone of human habitation in the gulf oasis. An occupation zone that has been theorized by Dr. Rose as being ground zero to the urban and agricultural revolutions of humanity. An island that was surrounded by a fertile plain. An island that had a mountain not very big on all sides that was 50 stadia from a large body of freshwater. A body of freshwater that was overtaken by a rising sea 10,600 years ago.
Figure 3
As fantastical as all of this sounds, there is even more information that Plato presents in his story that we can use as we journey down the rabbit hole towards wonderland.
Plato tells us that the large island had mountain ranges that stretched along its outer edges creating a large oblong flat antediluvian plain within the centre.
“The whole country was said by him to be very lofty and precipitous on the side of the sea, the country immediately about and surrounding the city was a level plain, itself surrounded by mountains which descended towards the sea; it was smooth and even, and of an oblong shape, extending in one direction three thousand stadia, but across the centre inland it was two thousand stadia. This part of the island looked towards the south, and was sheltered from the north.” Critias
Once again figure 2 shows us that the “Island of Arabia” has mountain ranges all along its outer edge. The first being the Zagros mountain range, then the Al Hajar Mountains, the Sarawat Mountains, the Taurus Mountains, the Hijaz Mountains, and finally the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range, all of which, “surround it by mountains which descended towards the sea.”
Looking at figure 2, we can also see that it had one of the most fertile plains found in the Neolithic period, as the Persian Gulf didn't exist at this time but instead was replaced by some of the largest freshwater lakes and rivers systems this part of the world had ever known, rivalling the Great Lakes of Canada in size. This was known as the Gulf Oasis and was the lower exposed part of the Fertile Crescent, thus making this area of the world a very oblong antediluvian floodplain that faced south of the Zagros mountain range, a mountain range that lay north of this oasis. A plain that when, “Looking towards the sea, but in the centre of the whole island, was a plain which is said to have been the fairest of all plains and very fertile.”Critias
But the best kool aid comes from the fact that Plato mentioned that the island had an abundance of elephants that roamed its shores.
“Moreover, there were a great number of elephants in the island; for as there was provision for all other sorts of animals, both for those which live in lakes and marshes and rivers, and also for those which live in mountains and on plains, so there was for the animal which is the largest and most voracious of all.” Critias
This is an incredibly important fact, a singular beast helps us confirm or disprove many locations on Earth as possible locations for the island of Atlantis. This is because only recently we can trace the DNA of elephants and look back in time at their history. We now know that the African elephant, Loxodonta, appeared about 1.5 million years ago. It is the “newest” elephant species in evolutionary terms and differs from the Asian elephant in its larger size as well as the fact that both males and females have tusks. The African elephant it seems, never left Africa and was found in savannah zones that once covered the Sahara Desert and in the tropical forests of central Africa. Yet the Asian elephant is a different story. At about the same time that the mammoth was coming into existence, so was the Asian elephant, Elephas. The Asian elephant also originated in Africa and it is believed to have a stronger evolutionary tie to mammoths than it has with African elephants. They do however make their way out of Africa and find themselves throughout the Middle East, India, and finally through the southeast portion of Asia, and southern China. Though the Asian elephant does not exist in the Middle East today, it just so happens that not to long ago, these magnificent beasts were found living on the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz, “Asian elephants (the Indian or Syrian elephant) used to live in the region of Qeshm and other regions of southern Iran”6 but elephants have also been found to have inhabited the “Empty Quarter” of the Arabian Peninsula when it was a lush flat rolling plain of tall grass and endless fresh water lakes, 6000 - 30,000 years ago, and have been recorded to have populated Iran, Iraq and Syria for 10’s of thousands of years, only to have become extinct in most places in the Middle East in the last 2000 to 3000 years.
Knowing scientifically where Asian and African elephants lived, means that we also know where they were not. This makes many locations around the world impossible to consider as the “island” Plato describes, especially islands that exist in today's Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Islands, Central America, as well as North and South America, as there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that elephants ever populated these parts of the world. Below in figure 4, is a map indicating where the Asian and African elephant was located 15,000 BCE - 5,000 BCE.
Plato tells us that the large island had mountain ranges that stretched along its outer edges creating a large oblong flat antediluvian plain within the centre.
“The whole country was said by him to be very lofty and precipitous on the side of the sea, the country immediately about and surrounding the city was a level plain, itself surrounded by mountains which descended towards the sea; it was smooth and even, and of an oblong shape, extending in one direction three thousand stadia, but across the centre inland it was two thousand stadia. This part of the island looked towards the south, and was sheltered from the north.” Critias
Once again figure 2 shows us that the “Island of Arabia” has mountain ranges all along its outer edge. The first being the Zagros mountain range, then the Al Hajar Mountains, the Sarawat Mountains, the Taurus Mountains, the Hijaz Mountains, and finally the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range, all of which, “surround it by mountains which descended towards the sea.”
Looking at figure 2, we can also see that it had one of the most fertile plains found in the Neolithic period, as the Persian Gulf didn't exist at this time but instead was replaced by some of the largest freshwater lakes and rivers systems this part of the world had ever known, rivalling the Great Lakes of Canada in size. This was known as the Gulf Oasis and was the lower exposed part of the Fertile Crescent, thus making this area of the world a very oblong antediluvian floodplain that faced south of the Zagros mountain range, a mountain range that lay north of this oasis. A plain that when, “Looking towards the sea, but in the centre of the whole island, was a plain which is said to have been the fairest of all plains and very fertile.”Critias
But the best kool aid comes from the fact that Plato mentioned that the island had an abundance of elephants that roamed its shores.
“Moreover, there were a great number of elephants in the island; for as there was provision for all other sorts of animals, both for those which live in lakes and marshes and rivers, and also for those which live in mountains and on plains, so there was for the animal which is the largest and most voracious of all.” Critias
This is an incredibly important fact, a singular beast helps us confirm or disprove many locations on Earth as possible locations for the island of Atlantis. This is because only recently we can trace the DNA of elephants and look back in time at their history. We now know that the African elephant, Loxodonta, appeared about 1.5 million years ago. It is the “newest” elephant species in evolutionary terms and differs from the Asian elephant in its larger size as well as the fact that both males and females have tusks. The African elephant it seems, never left Africa and was found in savannah zones that once covered the Sahara Desert and in the tropical forests of central Africa. Yet the Asian elephant is a different story. At about the same time that the mammoth was coming into existence, so was the Asian elephant, Elephas. The Asian elephant also originated in Africa and it is believed to have a stronger evolutionary tie to mammoths than it has with African elephants. They do however make their way out of Africa and find themselves throughout the Middle East, India, and finally through the southeast portion of Asia, and southern China. Though the Asian elephant does not exist in the Middle East today, it just so happens that not to long ago, these magnificent beasts were found living on the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz, “Asian elephants (the Indian or Syrian elephant) used to live in the region of Qeshm and other regions of southern Iran”6 but elephants have also been found to have inhabited the “Empty Quarter” of the Arabian Peninsula when it was a lush flat rolling plain of tall grass and endless fresh water lakes, 6000 - 30,000 years ago, and have been recorded to have populated Iran, Iraq and Syria for 10’s of thousands of years, only to have become extinct in most places in the Middle East in the last 2000 to 3000 years.
Knowing scientifically where Asian and African elephants lived, means that we also know where they were not. This makes many locations around the world impossible to consider as the “island” Plato describes, especially islands that exist in today's Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Islands, Central America, as well as North and South America, as there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that elephants ever populated these parts of the world. Below in figure 4, is a map indicating where the Asian and African elephant was located 15,000 BCE - 5,000 BCE.
Figure 4
Likewise, Plato tells us that horses and cattle were found on the island.
“There were separate baths for horses and cattle, and to each of them they gave as much adornment as was suitable.” Critias
Through the extensive study of cattle DNA, its story has been traced back to the Auroch and the areas in the world that these animals inhabited 11,000 years ago. It seems that the Auroch originated from India in the Pleistocene era 1.5 to 2 million years ago and spread through northern Asia, the Middle East, and eventually into Europe and Northern Africa. During the last glacier maximum of the Younger Dryas event the Aurochs in Europe found themselves retreating southward towards the more temperate climates. Much like the ancient ancestor of the horse. As the Younger Dryas event abruptly ended the Aurochs made their way back into Europe. Where these magnificent beasts existed 11,600 years ago can be seen in figure 5 below.
“There were separate baths for horses and cattle, and to each of them they gave as much adornment as was suitable.” Critias
Through the extensive study of cattle DNA, its story has been traced back to the Auroch and the areas in the world that these animals inhabited 11,000 years ago. It seems that the Auroch originated from India in the Pleistocene era 1.5 to 2 million years ago and spread through northern Asia, the Middle East, and eventually into Europe and Northern Africa. During the last glacier maximum of the Younger Dryas event the Aurochs in Europe found themselves retreating southward towards the more temperate climates. Much like the ancient ancestor of the horse. As the Younger Dryas event abruptly ended the Aurochs made their way back into Europe. Where these magnificent beasts existed 11,600 years ago can be seen in figure 5 below.
Figure 5
Like the elephant, cattle never existed on any island in today's Atlantic Ocean, and were never present on any Caribbean Island, in Central America, North or South America until of course Europeans shipped them over after Columbus discovered the new world.
Though not as helpful in pinpointing the island Plato discusses as the other two animals were, the horse, genus Equus does help us understand where not to look. Based on fossil records, the genus appears to have originated in North America about 4 million years ago and spread to Eurasia (presumably by crossing the Bering land bridge) 2 to 3 million years ago. Following that original emigration, there were additional westward migrations to Asia and return migrations back to North America, as well as several extinctions of Equus species in North America.
The last prehistoric North American horse died out between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene, but by then Equus had spread to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.
However, recently scientists such as Ann Forstén, of the Zoological Institute at the University of Helsinki, has estimated that E. Caballus originated approximately 1.7 million years ago in North America. This Yukon horse, was the most recent Equus species in North America prior to the horse's disappearance from the continent. Her examination of E. lambei mtDNA (preserved in the Alaskan permafrost) has revealed that the species is genetically equivalent to E. Caballus. This has caused scientists to propose the possibility of the horse species to have survived on North America.7
Though not as helpful in pinpointing the island Plato discusses as the other two animals were, the horse, genus Equus does help us understand where not to look. Based on fossil records, the genus appears to have originated in North America about 4 million years ago and spread to Eurasia (presumably by crossing the Bering land bridge) 2 to 3 million years ago. Following that original emigration, there were additional westward migrations to Asia and return migrations back to North America, as well as several extinctions of Equus species in North America.
The last prehistoric North American horse died out between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene, but by then Equus had spread to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.
However, recently scientists such as Ann Forstén, of the Zoological Institute at the University of Helsinki, has estimated that E. Caballus originated approximately 1.7 million years ago in North America. This Yukon horse, was the most recent Equus species in North America prior to the horse's disappearance from the continent. Her examination of E. lambei mtDNA (preserved in the Alaskan permafrost) has revealed that the species is genetically equivalent to E. Caballus. This has caused scientists to propose the possibility of the horse species to have survived on North America.7
Figure 6
Knowing where horses existed shows us that horses never populated any island in what is now the Atlantic Ocean, or any island in the Caribbean, Central America, as well as South America, with only a small possibility that it did survive in remote areas in the north western corner of North America 11,000 years ago.
It is when we look at the three animals Plato discusses in his story, the Critias, and look scientifically at where they were found throughout the world 11,000 years ago, we see that none of them existed on any land mass in the modern Atlantic Ocean of today, they never existed on any Caribbean island, Central America, South and North America, except for the possibility of horses that may have existed in isolated areas of North America, thus making any location in the modern Atlantic Ocean impossible for the large island of Atlantis to have existed. I would also like to point out that for Plato to mention that Atlantis was "greater" than Libya and Asia combined, indicates that Atlantis could not have been located in either of those areas as "a part cannot be greater than the whole." This makes Africa and Turkey impossible locations for the island of Atlantis as well.
These facts validate several key assumptions that have been made thus far. The first is that the Atlantean race must have come from the part of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Erythrean sea, as this part of the Atlantic Ocean surrounded the island of Arabia which was home to all three animals. It also validates that an error with a single letter in the second usage of the word meson was made by a scribe, as the location of all three animals is “between” Libya and Asia Minor. This also shows that the section of the island that Gadeirus inherited was due east, not west of the pillars of hercules.
So after a long journey I would like to welcome everyone to the large island of Atlantis, the island of Arabia, and to the bottom of the rabbit hole. Hope you have enjoyed your ride. For those of you planning on exiting, please make sure to visit the gallery and hope we see you soon. For those of you who want to explore wonderland with me, welcome to the small island. The one with the capital city on it. This is where shit really gets weird.
Plato tell us four specific things about the smaller island and the city that dwelt there. The first thing he tells us is that the capital city was built on a circular hill beside a mountain not very large on either side.
“In this mountain there dwelt one of the earth born primeval men of that country, whose name was Evenor, and he had a wife named Leucippe, and they had an only daughter who was called Cleito. The maiden had already reached womanhood, when her father and mother died; Poseidon fell in love with her and had intercourse with her, and breaking the ground, inclosed the hill in which she dwelt all round.” Critias
“The hill in which she dwelt all round. This was the spot where the family of the ten princes first saw the light,” and where the temple of Poseidon was erected.
The second thing Plato tells us is the structure and the dimensions of this hill.
“Now the largest of the zones into which a passage was cut from the sea was three stadia in breadth, and the zone of land which came next of equal breadth; but the next two zones, the one of water, the other of land, were two stadia, and the one which surrounded the central island was a stadium only in width. The island in which the palace was situated had a diameter of five stadia.”
The third thing Plato tells us is, “A canal of three hundred feet in width and one hundred feet in depth and fifty stadia in length, which they carried through to the outermost zone, making a passage from the sea up to this,” was also carved out of the ground.
When we look at the island that existed in the gulf oasis, it is clear that there is a mountain that is not very large on either side with a circular hill that connects to it. However, do the other facts about the dimensions of the canals line up with this hill? In order to find out I used the measuring tool found in google earth and measured out from the center of the hill 13.5 stadium or 1.55 miles so as to measure the radius of the circular canals. Using this method I was able to overlay the entire canal system onto the contour lines of the hill in question. What is astonishing is that it is a perfect fit. The dimensions Plato describes line up with the contour lines of the hill, all of which can be seen in figure 7 below. It is my belief that these canals were not canals at first but were simple ponds and bogs that were formed on this hill by a spring that ran down the small mountain that lay beside it. All of which emptied into a small stream that made its way from the hill to the island's shore line. It is not until humans arrive at this location that they begin to dig out these water sources in order to form canals.
It is when we look at the three animals Plato discusses in his story, the Critias, and look scientifically at where they were found throughout the world 11,000 years ago, we see that none of them existed on any land mass in the modern Atlantic Ocean of today, they never existed on any Caribbean island, Central America, South and North America, except for the possibility of horses that may have existed in isolated areas of North America, thus making any location in the modern Atlantic Ocean impossible for the large island of Atlantis to have existed. I would also like to point out that for Plato to mention that Atlantis was "greater" than Libya and Asia combined, indicates that Atlantis could not have been located in either of those areas as "a part cannot be greater than the whole." This makes Africa and Turkey impossible locations for the island of Atlantis as well.
These facts validate several key assumptions that have been made thus far. The first is that the Atlantean race must have come from the part of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Erythrean sea, as this part of the Atlantic Ocean surrounded the island of Arabia which was home to all three animals. It also validates that an error with a single letter in the second usage of the word meson was made by a scribe, as the location of all three animals is “between” Libya and Asia Minor. This also shows that the section of the island that Gadeirus inherited was due east, not west of the pillars of hercules.
So after a long journey I would like to welcome everyone to the large island of Atlantis, the island of Arabia, and to the bottom of the rabbit hole. Hope you have enjoyed your ride. For those of you planning on exiting, please make sure to visit the gallery and hope we see you soon. For those of you who want to explore wonderland with me, welcome to the small island. The one with the capital city on it. This is where shit really gets weird.
Plato tell us four specific things about the smaller island and the city that dwelt there. The first thing he tells us is that the capital city was built on a circular hill beside a mountain not very large on either side.
“In this mountain there dwelt one of the earth born primeval men of that country, whose name was Evenor, and he had a wife named Leucippe, and they had an only daughter who was called Cleito. The maiden had already reached womanhood, when her father and mother died; Poseidon fell in love with her and had intercourse with her, and breaking the ground, inclosed the hill in which she dwelt all round.” Critias
“The hill in which she dwelt all round. This was the spot where the family of the ten princes first saw the light,” and where the temple of Poseidon was erected.
The second thing Plato tells us is the structure and the dimensions of this hill.
“Now the largest of the zones into which a passage was cut from the sea was three stadia in breadth, and the zone of land which came next of equal breadth; but the next two zones, the one of water, the other of land, were two stadia, and the one which surrounded the central island was a stadium only in width. The island in which the palace was situated had a diameter of five stadia.”
The third thing Plato tells us is, “A canal of three hundred feet in width and one hundred feet in depth and fifty stadia in length, which they carried through to the outermost zone, making a passage from the sea up to this,” was also carved out of the ground.
When we look at the island that existed in the gulf oasis, it is clear that there is a mountain that is not very large on either side with a circular hill that connects to it. However, do the other facts about the dimensions of the canals line up with this hill? In order to find out I used the measuring tool found in google earth and measured out from the center of the hill 13.5 stadium or 1.55 miles so as to measure the radius of the circular canals. Using this method I was able to overlay the entire canal system onto the contour lines of the hill in question. What is astonishing is that it is a perfect fit. The dimensions Plato describes line up with the contour lines of the hill, all of which can be seen in figure 7 below. It is my belief that these canals were not canals at first but were simple ponds and bogs that were formed on this hill by a spring that ran down the small mountain that lay beside it. All of which emptied into a small stream that made its way from the hill to the island's shore line. It is not until humans arrive at this location that they begin to dig out these water sources in order to form canals.
Figure 7
Having measured out the distances of each canal onto the hill allowed me to easily measure the distance from the outermost canal to the shoreline of this small island. What spooked me out was the fact that it was exactly 50 stadia, the same distance Plato had stated.
Yet what took the cake was the wall that Plato said surrounded the city.
“Leaving the palace and passing out across the three canals you came to a wall which began at the sea and went all round: this was everywhere an average distance of fifty stadia from the largest zone or harbour, and enclosed the whole, the ends meeting at the mouth of the channel which led to the sea.”
What perplexed me about what Plato describes, is the question of why build such an immense wall 5 miles from the city center, a wall that encircled the entire city? You see a wall 5 miles from the city center is useless when it comes to protecting your city from humans. It would be extremely difficult to guard such a massive wall. Look how that ended for the Chinese. Plus cities and empires were not that common place 11,000 years ago. Taking on such a massive construction project to defend your city from roaming groups of hunter gatherers would be illogical. Then it dawned on me, science has shown that the climate was drastically changing 10,600 years ago, the same time Plato gives for the sinking of this island. This wasn't a bricked wall to keep people out, instead I believe it was a levee that had to surround the contour of the small island to keep the rising ocean at bay or at the very least prevent the increased seasonal flooding of the antediluvian plain from damaging the city. Could this be why a wall was built, “everywhere an average distance of fifty stadia from the largest zone or harbour, and enclosed the whole,” island. Could this be a last ditch attempt to preserve a culture that had developed on this island for 10’s of thousands of years as science has claimed. It seems to be supported in the Enuma Elish. A story that has eerie similarities to Plato's. If you haven't read that story I highly suggest you visit my page on it.
You see the concept of humans that were really good at cutting stone and digging dirt at this time period is actually a fact. The only way to prove that this wall was in fact a levee that surround the shoreline of this smaller island was to place 60 evenly spaced markers around the outer circular canal, like a clock, and measure the distance from these markers to the coastline of this small island, as this is how Plato tells us the distance of the wall from the city center was measured. Once all 60 distances were measured, they were added up and divided by 60 to find the average distance as seen in figure 8 below. To my amazement the average distance from the outer circular canal to the coastline of this island was 4.7 miles, or when rounded a distance of 50 stadia. Just what Plato had revealed it would be. If the wall was a levee this would explain how “violent earthquakes” were the cause of the island becoming submerged. A strong enough quake could have easily caused the levee to fail and have allowed the water that had rose around it to rush in and cover the majority of the island. A water level that had risen dramatically in less than 40 days as science has shown 10,600 years ago the Indian Monsoon dumped an unholy amount of water into this antediluvian plain. No magic here.
Yet what took the cake was the wall that Plato said surrounded the city.
“Leaving the palace and passing out across the three canals you came to a wall which began at the sea and went all round: this was everywhere an average distance of fifty stadia from the largest zone or harbour, and enclosed the whole, the ends meeting at the mouth of the channel which led to the sea.”
What perplexed me about what Plato describes, is the question of why build such an immense wall 5 miles from the city center, a wall that encircled the entire city? You see a wall 5 miles from the city center is useless when it comes to protecting your city from humans. It would be extremely difficult to guard such a massive wall. Look how that ended for the Chinese. Plus cities and empires were not that common place 11,000 years ago. Taking on such a massive construction project to defend your city from roaming groups of hunter gatherers would be illogical. Then it dawned on me, science has shown that the climate was drastically changing 10,600 years ago, the same time Plato gives for the sinking of this island. This wasn't a bricked wall to keep people out, instead I believe it was a levee that had to surround the contour of the small island to keep the rising ocean at bay or at the very least prevent the increased seasonal flooding of the antediluvian plain from damaging the city. Could this be why a wall was built, “everywhere an average distance of fifty stadia from the largest zone or harbour, and enclosed the whole,” island. Could this be a last ditch attempt to preserve a culture that had developed on this island for 10’s of thousands of years as science has claimed. It seems to be supported in the Enuma Elish. A story that has eerie similarities to Plato's. If you haven't read that story I highly suggest you visit my page on it.
You see the concept of humans that were really good at cutting stone and digging dirt at this time period is actually a fact. The only way to prove that this wall was in fact a levee that surround the shoreline of this smaller island was to place 60 evenly spaced markers around the outer circular canal, like a clock, and measure the distance from these markers to the coastline of this small island, as this is how Plato tells us the distance of the wall from the city center was measured. Once all 60 distances were measured, they were added up and divided by 60 to find the average distance as seen in figure 8 below. To my amazement the average distance from the outer circular canal to the coastline of this island was 4.7 miles, or when rounded a distance of 50 stadia. Just what Plato had revealed it would be. If the wall was a levee this would explain how “violent earthquakes” were the cause of the island becoming submerged. A strong enough quake could have easily caused the levee to fail and have allowed the water that had rose around it to rush in and cover the majority of the island. A water level that had risen dramatically in less than 40 days as science has shown 10,600 years ago the Indian Monsoon dumped an unholy amount of water into this antediluvian plain. No magic here.
Figure 8
However, there is one other story that comes from the Mahabharata that people have attributed Atlantis to. If the island of Arabia and the smaller island that lies within its shores is to truly be considered the location of Atlantis, it must fulfill the requirements of this story as well.
So just when you thought this ride was over, think again.
In the Mahabharata, in the Vishnu Purana, one of the oldest of the Hindu Puranas, it speaks of "Atala, the White Island," one of the seven dwipas (islands) belonging to Patala (Book II, chaps. i, ii, and iii). This is an island found west of India, an island that was home to men whose skin was as white as the moon.
Unfortunately, we know very little about this island. From the texts it seems to have been a very important center, if indeed it actually existed in the ancient world. In the Mahabharata, it reveals to us several important facts. The first is that Atala was found geographically on the seventh heat, or climate zone, which according to Francis Wilford (the translator) is between the 24th to 28th degrees north latitude"(Wilford, 1808) The middle of this is of course the 26th degree north latitude.
When we look at the map of the gulf oasis below in figure 9 we can see that the small island that has been proposed as the city centre for Atlantis, has the 26th degree north latitude run right through it.
So just when you thought this ride was over, think again.
In the Mahabharata, in the Vishnu Purana, one of the oldest of the Hindu Puranas, it speaks of "Atala, the White Island," one of the seven dwipas (islands) belonging to Patala (Book II, chaps. i, ii, and iii). This is an island found west of India, an island that was home to men whose skin was as white as the moon.
Unfortunately, we know very little about this island. From the texts it seems to have been a very important center, if indeed it actually existed in the ancient world. In the Mahabharata, it reveals to us several important facts. The first is that Atala was found geographically on the seventh heat, or climate zone, which according to Francis Wilford (the translator) is between the 24th to 28th degrees north latitude"(Wilford, 1808) The middle of this is of course the 26th degree north latitude.
When we look at the map of the gulf oasis below in figure 9 we can see that the small island that has been proposed as the city centre for Atlantis, has the 26th degree north latitude run right through it.
Figure 9
Yet this criteria alone is not enough to identify Atala's location. We need to look further into the the Puranas, more specifically the Karna Parva, Book 8 of the Mahabharata, circa 600 BCE, where it describes a ten-year war in which the island of Atala and all its inhabitants sank into the "Western Ocean" due to a violent storm. The "Western Ocean," mentioned in these texts describes Africa as comprising that ocean's eastern shoreline. Yet in another passage from the Mahabharata it states, "On the northern shores of the Ocean of Milk there is an island of great splendour called by the name of White Island, Atala." From these two ideas, we can conclude that the island of Atala was found on the northern shoreline of the “Western” ocean, an ocean whose eastern shoreline touched Africa, and lay west of India.
Now many people have stated that this ocean, the Western Ocean, is the Atlantic Ocean we know of today, as this ocean's eastern shoreline does touch Africa. If this is the case, the island of Atala is to be found on this ocean's northern shoreline. This sounds plausible until you realize that the Atlantic ocean does not have a northern shoreline. Maybe the author is referring to Greenland, Iceland, or even the British Isles as being the northern shoreline. This is plausible, however, if this is the case then the island existed in two very different places in the world. It existed somewhere north of 50 degrees north latitude allowing it to exist in the Atlantic Ocean's northern shoreline, and at the same time it existed somewhere between the 24th - 28th degree north latitude so as to sit on the 7th heat or climate zone. How does that work? It doesn't. The modern day version of the Atlantic Ocean being the ocean where Atala lies fails miserably.
The only thing I can think of to make this even plausible is if we don’t look at these clues through modern eyes but once again look at the world through the eyes of those people who lived around the time the Mahabharata was written? When one looks at how people organized the world, we do not need to look any further than Herodotus, and the fact that has been mentioned before about the Atlantic and Eurtthiathan sea being seen as one and the same. The western ocean surrounded the continent of Africa. When we apply this fact and look at the world as people knew it at the time the Mahabharata was written and not through modern eyes, the "Western Oceans" eastern shoreline must have existed on the eastern shoreline of Africa and the western shoreline of this ocean lay along the western shoreline of Africa as seen in figure 10 below. Figure 10 also shows that the eastern section of this ocean now has a northern shoreline somewhere near Oman and southern Iran. A shoreline that exists between the 24th-28th degree North Latitude.
Now many people have stated that this ocean, the Western Ocean, is the Atlantic Ocean we know of today, as this ocean's eastern shoreline does touch Africa. If this is the case, the island of Atala is to be found on this ocean's northern shoreline. This sounds plausible until you realize that the Atlantic ocean does not have a northern shoreline. Maybe the author is referring to Greenland, Iceland, or even the British Isles as being the northern shoreline. This is plausible, however, if this is the case then the island existed in two very different places in the world. It existed somewhere north of 50 degrees north latitude allowing it to exist in the Atlantic Ocean's northern shoreline, and at the same time it existed somewhere between the 24th - 28th degree north latitude so as to sit on the 7th heat or climate zone. How does that work? It doesn't. The modern day version of the Atlantic Ocean being the ocean where Atala lies fails miserably.
The only thing I can think of to make this even plausible is if we don’t look at these clues through modern eyes but once again look at the world through the eyes of those people who lived around the time the Mahabharata was written? When one looks at how people organized the world, we do not need to look any further than Herodotus, and the fact that has been mentioned before about the Atlantic and Eurtthiathan sea being seen as one and the same. The western ocean surrounded the continent of Africa. When we apply this fact and look at the world as people knew it at the time the Mahabharata was written and not through modern eyes, the "Western Oceans" eastern shoreline must have existed on the eastern shoreline of Africa and the western shoreline of this ocean lay along the western shoreline of Africa as seen in figure 10 below. Figure 10 also shows that the eastern section of this ocean now has a northern shoreline somewhere near Oman and southern Iran. A shoreline that exists between the 24th-28th degree North Latitude.
Figure 10
Finally, the terms "Atala" and "White Island" are also found in the Bhavishya Purana (4th cent. B.C.). Here it is stated that Samba, having built a temple dedicated to Surya (the Sun), made a journey west to Saka Dwipa(another term used to describe the island of Atala), located "beyond the saltwater" looking for the Magas (magicians), worshippers of the Sun. He is directed in his journey by Surya himself (i.e., journeys west following the Sun), riding upon Garuda (the flying vehicle of Krishna and Vishnu) he lands at last among the Magas. This criteria is very interesting. This passage clearly tells us that this island is NOT originally found in the ocean, even though it is eventually submerged by it and a violent storm, and as the island of Atala is where the "sons of Danu" are happy,
“Atala was embellished with the magnificent palaces in which dwell great snake-gods and where the sons of Danu are happy. There are beautiful groves and streams and lakes,” and seeing as Danu is considered to be a river goddess, "Rivers, flowing water and the sea are also Danu’s Domain,"8 Atala must be near the "Western Ocean", "on" the northern shoreline in a river delta, beyond the saltwater. This is a perfect match for the island that existed in the Straits of Hormuz, an island that seems to fulfill every criteria thrown at it
I know all of this sounds just bat shit crazy, but like I said, “welcome to wonderland.” I have tried to give a clear and logical explanation of the texts presented in both the Critias and the Mahabharata. It is up to you to decide whether to accept this explanation or not. Regardless, it has lead me to create a unique body of artwork that I hope you enjoy.
“Atala was embellished with the magnificent palaces in which dwell great snake-gods and where the sons of Danu are happy. There are beautiful groves and streams and lakes,” and seeing as Danu is considered to be a river goddess, "Rivers, flowing water and the sea are also Danu’s Domain,"8 Atala must be near the "Western Ocean", "on" the northern shoreline in a river delta, beyond the saltwater. This is a perfect match for the island that existed in the Straits of Hormuz, an island that seems to fulfill every criteria thrown at it
I know all of this sounds just bat shit crazy, but like I said, “welcome to wonderland.” I have tried to give a clear and logical explanation of the texts presented in both the Critias and the Mahabharata. It is up to you to decide whether to accept this explanation or not. Regardless, it has lead me to create a unique body of artwork that I hope you enjoy.
