Читать книгу Edgar Cayce's Atlantis - John Van Auken - Страница 6

1

The First Account of a Lost Civilization: Plato’s Atlantis

Atlantis—next to God the most written about, debated, abused and ridiculed concepts on our planet.

Andrew Collins (2002) Gateway to Atlantis

ATLANTIS—it’s a legendary tale that has provided one of the most intriguing and enduring mysteries of all time while simultaneously provoking hostility from many archaeologists and philosophers. It’s been stated that more books have been written about Atlantis than any other topic except the Bible. The first written account of this lost land was produced 2,360 years ago, and from that brief story, countless researchers have claimed to have found ruins from Atlantis virtually everywhere around the world. But no speculations about Atlantis have sparked the imaginations of millions of people as have the psychic readings given by America’s famous “Sleeping Prophet,” Edgar Cayce. Cayce’s psychic readings include details from the day-to-day lives of the people of Atlantis and the actual dates of significant events that took place in that legendary land from its beginning to its fateful end. Cayce’s depiction of Atlantis as a highly technological maritime civilization shatters accepted archaeological timetables. It reveals the locations of important places related to Atlantis and even provides an account of the end of the Atlantean empire detailing where groups of Atlanteans fled to escape the final destruction. Cayce’s claim that Atlanteans carried out a plan to preserve records of their history and technology in three separate locations has spurred what many people consider to be the greatest archaeological hunt of all time—the search for the three Halls of Records. This search—at Giza in Egypt, near Bimini and Andros in the Bahamas, and at Piedras Negras in Guatemala—has been an ongoing quest from the moment Cayce first mentioned them in the 1930s. While many archaeologists scoff at Cayce’s history of Atlantis, the evidence that many of Cayce’s visions of the ancient world were correct has now accumulated to a level that is astonishing. This book presents Edgar Cayce’s story of Atlantis and examines the research that has been done to prove—or disprove—the details Cayce provided. But before we examine Cayce’s story of Atlantis and the evidence supporting it, the background of the story must be presented. That background is in the first two chapters of this book and summarizes what Plato and others believed about Atlantis.

Plato’s Atlantis

When Plato wrote the first known account of Atlantis, circa 355 B.C., it’s doubtful that he could have known the long-lasting effect of the story. Nor could he have predicted the controversy and intense interest in the story that would endure for the next 2360 years. Many modern philosophers assert that the story of Atlantis was a complete fiction, which Plato devised to impart moral lessons for the Greeks, but countless others—including archaeologists, scholars, and researchers—are convinced that Atlantis actually existed.

Plato was born around 428 B.C. in Athens. After his father died, Plato’s mother remarried a politically influential man who urged Plato to enter Greek politics. But Plato instead joined his two older brothers and became a student of Socrates. Plato, considered a moralist, was deeply concerned with precise understandings and definitions in both science and philosophy. Eight years after Socrates’ death, Plato founded a school in Athens, the Academy, which was the forerunner of modern universities. He directed the school and lectured frequently in science, mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Plato’s lectures were never documented. What does survive serves as a very valuable contribution to our understanding of the ancient world. For example, most of what we know about Socrates, who died in 399 B.C., was recorded in Plato’s Dialogues. While many philosophers believe that Plato’s accounts of Socrates are perhaps slanted toward making Socrates a more admirable person, no one believes that the dialogues about Socrates were a complete fiction. Most of his other dialogues use situations involving actual people to relate moral values and truth. The style Plato used in his Dialogues was one that followed Socrates’ idea that thought should not be frozen in writing. Rather, Socrates believed that questioning others about situations was the route to truth. Thus, in his Dialogues, Plato never mentions himself or his own ideas. This writing style is one reason that many philosophers believe Plato’s story of Atlantis was fictional. Other philosophers speculate wildly that Plato was so distraught over Socrates’ political death, that he concocted the Atlantis story fully 34 years later to show the Athenian powers their fate. But the Atlantis story contains only one primary moral—how greed and the quest for military domination violated the link between humanity and divinity—leading to the destruction of Atlantis. And the details of this aspect are the sketchiest in the entire story. In addition, Athens and Greece are the heroes of the story. In truth, the only compelling reason that the Atlantis story is considered to be fictional is that conclusive archaeological evidence for its existence hasn’t been found. But Plato himself related that the story was true and that he took great care to report the story exactly as it was told to him.

Plato. Source—Ridpath’s History of the World (1894).

Plato included the story of Atlantis in two of his later dialogues, Timaeus and Critias. Written not long before his death in 348 B.C., both books are considered to be unfinished works. Despite the fact that many philosophers argue the Atlantis narrative was a complete fiction, Plato’s account did involve actual historical figures and contained other accurate historical elements as well. Thus, the story cannot be a complete fiction. The main characters in Plato’s Atlantis story, all of which actually lived, were Socrates, Critias (Plato’s great grandfather), Hermocrates (a soldier/statesman of Syracuse), Dropides (Critias’ great grandfather), and another Critias (the son of Dropides—not Plato’s relative also named Critias). The key individual in the story of Atlantis was Solon, a well-known Athenian who traveled widely, wrote laws, and poetry. It is known that Solon actually visited Sais in Egypt, where Plato said the story was told to Solon. In addition, the names of historical Egyptian rulers and actual temples in Egypt were used.

Solon dictating laws. Source—Ridpath’s History of the World (1894).

Plato’s story of Atlantis comes from the tradition of orally handing down an important story from one generation to the next. Skeptics argue that since the story was told so many times, it could not have been recorded by Plato in its original form. But the details of his account are so precise and relate so many accurate facts that no one in Plato’s time supposedly knew, that the idea the story is completely fictional seems highly unlikely. Plato himself emphatically stated that the story was not only true, but he was giving a careful account of it exactly as it had been told to him.

In Timaeus, Plato related that the tale of Atlantis was told to him by Critias, his great grandfather. Critias, as recorded in Timaeus, was told the story of Atlantis by his elderly grandfather (also named Critias), who heard it from his father Dropides. Dropides heard the story from Solon, who, in turn, heard it from Egyptian priests at Sais. The verbal passing of the story from one person to the next is complicated, but given the oral traditions is certainly reasonable. In Timaeus, Plato introduced Atlantis by asserting that the known history of the world was far from complete and that periodic cataclysmic destructions had wiped the memory of countless events from human knowledge. In addition, he stated that these cataclysms were caused by the shifting of physical bodies that move through the heavens:

* * *

There have been and there will be many and diverse destructions of mankind, of which the greatest are by fire and water, and lesser ones by countless other means … but the truth of it lies in the occurrence of a shifting of the bodies of the heavens which move round the earth, and a destruction of the things of the earth by fierce fire, which recurs at long intervals.

(Timaeus 22 C-D)

Plato’s statement that “bodies of the heavens which move around the earth” can cause recurrent destructions on earth has long been considered ridiculous and is another reason “scholars” considered the tale to be fictional. Yet those words, written 2360 years ago, have proven to be frighteningly accurate. Until quite recently, scholars scoffed at the idea that cataclysmic events in ancient times could have destroyed entire civilizations. In fact, the idea that catastrophic events, such as earth strikes by comets or asteroids precipitating tsunamis, massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and shifts in the earth’s crust, have caused massive destruction in the distant past has only come to be accepted during the past 25 years. Prior to that time, geologists believed that changes to the earth were gradual, taking place over vast periods of time. With the recent verification of literally thousands of ancient craters marking the earth’s surface, it is known that sudden, violent events do occur with surprising regularity. And with the December 2004 tsunami that completely devastated many South Pacific coastal areas, it’s fully imprinted on our consciousness that maritime cultures can literally be wiped off the face of the earth in mere minutes—and completely without warning. In comparison to the devastation that Plato described as the end of Atlantis, the recent tsunami was very, very small. Precisely how Plato could have known that bodies in the heavens could cause catastrophic events—by both fire and water—is not mentioned by those who assert the story is fictional. It represents an important clue pointing to a level of sophisticated knowledge once existing in the ancient world that was somehow lost.

Regarding the physical existence of ancient Egyptian records documenting these events, Plato related what the Egyptian priests told Solon, “All such events are recorded from of old and preserved here in our temples …” (Timaeus 23 A) According to the Greek writer Plutarch (circa 50-120 A.D.), the Egyptian priest who related the tale to Solon was Senchis at the Temple of Minerva at Sais. The story of Atlantis was said to have been inscribed on pillars at the temple, but modern attempts to find the inscriptions at the ruins have failed to reveal them. However, the first commentator on Plato’s works, Crantor, visited Sais around 280 B.C. to validate Plato’s Atlantis story and related that the story was completely accurate. It has also been widely believed that the story of Atlantis was inscribed on scrolls kept at the Library of Alexandria, which was burned in 48 B.C. Half a million manuscripts are believed to have been destroyed in the library.

Depiction of a section of the Library at Alexandria. Source—Ridpath’s History of the World (1894).

Plato’s Dating of Atlantis

While countless theorists have proposed a host of dates for the destruction of Atlantis, Plato was quite specific about the timeframe. He gave the same date for this event three separate times. In Timaeus (23 E) Plato introduced the events surrounding the demise of Atlantis by telling how the Greeks successfully resisted an invasion by forces from Atlantis: “Of the citizens, then, who lived 9000 years ago, I will declare to you briefly certain of their laws and the noblest of deeds they performed …” In Critias (108 E) he started by reminding listeners about the date of the conclusion of the invasion by the Atlanteans: “Now first of all we must recall the fact that 9,000 is the sum of years since the war occurred, as is recorded, between the dwellers beyond the pillars of Heracles (the Straits of Gibraltar) and all that dwelt within them …” Finally, Plato again emphasized the 9000-year ago date in Critias (111 A): “Consequently, since many great convulsions took place during the 9000 years—for such was the number of years from that time to this …”

Before pinning down the date a bit more precisely, it’s necessary to remind readers that Plato said he was retelling the story exactly as it had been related to him, going back in time to Solon. Thus, the timeframe of “9000 years ago” was actually 9000 years before Solon first heard the tale. In Timaeus, Plato said the original story Solon was told by the Egyptian priests in Sais was during the reign of King Amasis, who was best known as Aahmes II, whose reign began in 570 B.C. Thus, Platonic “purists,” those who have applied a literal interpretation to the date, believe that the destruction of Plato’s Atlantis occurred circa 9600 B.C.

Plato’s Location of Atlantis

So much has been written about the possible location of Atlantis that it seems to be an almost fruitless task to present what Plato actually said. The problem is that various writers have placed Atlantis on every continent in the world as well as on every known island in the world. Many people have speculated that Atlantis must have been in the Mediterranean and assert that when Plato wrote that Atlantis was beyond the Straits of Gibraltar in the Atlantic Ocean he must have meant inside the Straits within the Mediterranean. Other fanciful speculations assert that his given location was just wrong or that he was referring to the Mediterranean as the “real ocean.” These speculations are simply wrong—they are not supported by any of the interpretations of Plato’s writings. A few people have claimed to make “new” translations of Plato where the word “beyond” really meant well into the Mediterranean, for example, in the Aegean Sea. A few clever people have written that “the pillars of Heracles” was really a reference to the narrow strait into the Black Sea from the Mediterranean. The Black Sea would then be what Plato called the Atlantic Ocean. But no accepted translations support these views. The Pillars of Heracles was the Straits of Gibraltar leading from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean.

The most telling descriptions of the location of Atlantis are scattered in several places in Timaeus and Critias. The location of the most important portion of Atlantis was provided early in Timaeus: “For it is related in our [Egyptian temple] records how once upon a time your State [Greece] stayed the course of a mighty host, which starting from a distant point in the Atlantic ocean, was insolently advancing to attack the whole of Europe, and Asia to boot.” (Timaeus 24 E)

The small phrase, “starting from a point distant in the Atlantic ocean,” is often ignored, especially by those who assert that Mediterranean islands or European areas were the location of Atlantis. But the phrase confirms that the war machine from Atlantis was not based in the Mediterranean, on the coast of Spain, or on a small island that was once just outside Gibraltar (see appendix). The center of the main political influence of Atlantis was at “a point distant in the Atlantic Ocean.” Precisely “how distant” into the Atlantic remains the critical question.

Timaeus (24 E; 25 A) also leaves no doubt that Atlantis was located in the Atlantic Ocean:

* * *

For the ocean there was at that time navigable; for in the mouth of what which you Greeks call, as you say, “the pillars of Heracles,” there lay an island which was larger than Libya and Asia together; and it was possible, for travellers of that time to cross from it to the other islands, and from the islands to the whole of the continent over against them which encompasses that veritable ocean. For all that we have here, lying within the mouth of which we speak, is evidently a haven having a narrow entrance; but that yonder is a real ocean …

There should be no doubt that the location of Atlantis, as related by Plato, was some distance into the Atlantic Ocean. But the size and extent of Atlantis are more unclear. On the one hand, Plato reveals that the center of the Atlantis war empire was located at a distant point in the Atlantic. This may well imply that the capital of Atlantis was a considerable distance from the mouth of the Mediterranean. On the other hand, he speaks of multiple islands that can be hopped—island-to-island—until an enigmatic “opposite continent” is reached. These facts have led many to conclude that Plato was speaking of an island empire of many islands and that the chain of islands reached to the Americas. As with many of the revelations in Plato’s story of Atlantis, those who assert that the tale is fictional have no suitable explanation for Plato’s knowledge about an opposite continent.

Atlantis as an Island Empire

In Plato’s description of Atlantis, he identified the size of the “island” in several different places. These descriptions are somewhat incompatible with each other, especially if one only thinks of Atlantis as being a single, huge island. But Plato stressed that Atlantis was an “empire” comprised of many islands. And the influence of the Atlantis empire extended from a host of islands in the Atlantic to areas in the Mediterranean, including Egypt and Tuscany.

The major stumbling block in deciphering the size of Plato’s Atlantis comes in Timaeus (24 E), wherein he says, “in the mouth of … the pillars of Heracles … there lay an island which was larger than Libya and Asia together …” Historians note that in Plato’s time Libya was the area of North Africa west of Egypt and Asia stretched from Egypt to India. In his classic book, Gateway to Atlantis, British scholar Andrew Collins pointed out that the island described by Plato in Timaeus would be larger than all of North America—an impossibly big island for the Atlantic. There is evidence that a small island once did exist in the “mouth of the Pillars of Heracles” (Gibraltar), but it was far too small to fulfill Plato’s descriptions. The solution to this seemingly impossible massive island comes in Plato’s other descriptions of Atlantis.

First, in several passages, Plato mentioned that Atlantis ruled many islands far into the Atlantic Ocean. As mentioned in the previous section, Plato related that the “opposite continent” could be reached by hopping from island to island. According to Plato, these islands were each governed by one of Poseidon’s five pairs of twin sons. “So all these, themselves and their descendants, dwelt for many generations bearing rule over many other islands throughout the sea …” (Critias 114 C) The eldest son, Atlas, who became the first king of Atlantis, was named after Atlantis and the Atlantic Ocean. Atlas’ twin brother was named Gaderius and was given reign over the portion of Atlantis just outside the Strait of Gibraltar. Plato also described how the empire of Atlantis, a confederation of kings each holding power over different portions of the main island and numerous other islands, came together during the war to conquer the entire Mediterranean. (Timaeus 25 A, B)

The solution to the impossibly large island Plato described in the Atlantic has been presented by Collins and many others. Plato had to be referring to the vast extent of the island empire as it stretched across the Atlantic. Since he gave great details concerning the rulers of the many islands of Atlantis, this idea is clearly the most logical. Those who have suggested that Atlantis was simply a small island near the European coast or a small portion of Spain simply ignore the portions of Plato’s texts discussing many islands and the idea that an “opposite continent” could be reached from the islands.

Regarding the physical size of the main island of Atlantis, Plato went into great detail, and the size he gives for that island is quite small in comparison to what would be “Libya and Asia” combined. Plato’s measurements were given in stadia, the supposed length of the first foot race in the Olympiad. One stade is believed by most scholars to be about 618 feet. He began by describing a circular city, located on the southern side of the main island, near the sea. This city was, according to Plato, about two miles in diameter. But the size of the island on which the center city was situated is described in detail:

* * *

… the part about the city was all a smooth plain, enclosing it round about, and being itself encircled by mountains which stretched as far as to the sea; and this plain had a level surface and was a rectangle in shape, being 3000 stades long on either side and 2000 stades wide at its centre, reckoning upwards from the sea.

(Critias 118 A, B)

Based on this description in Critias, the main island which held the Center City was somewhere around 340 miles long and 225 miles wide. This is a large island, but nowhere near the size of Libya and Asia combined. Since the island empire of Atlantis began at the mouth of the Straits of Gibraltar, there are only a few conclusions that are possible. First, if an island that was roughly 340 miles by 225 miles in extent did exist just outside Gibraltar and extending into the Atlantic Ocean, then the mystery would be solved except for the statements regarding many other islands leading to the opposite continent. As mentioned earlier, an island, named Spartel, did exist there at the height of the last Ice Age, about 18,000 years ago. But it was only nine miles long and three miles wide. And by 12,000 B.C., it was well under water.

Andrew Collins and others assert that Plato’s claim in Timaeus of Atlantis being the size of Libya and Asia combined, refers to the full extent of the Atlantis empire. This idea is completely supported by other details from Plato’s story. It would explain why he mentioned many other islands being ruled by Atlantean kings as well as why he made the enigmatic reference to “the opposite continent” on the other side of the Atlantic. This is a fact that no one in Plato’s time supposedly knew. Finally, if we accept the date Plato gave for the destruction of Atlantis (9600 B.C.), other details in his story would preclude the area around Gibraltar, Spain, the British Isles, or even the islands in the Mediterranean as being the main island. The reasons for this are quite simple. In brief, Plato carefully described the climate of Atlantis as tropical. In 9600 B.C., the last Ice Age was nearing its end. But all the European and Mediterranean areas were still cold, in fact, some areas were still covered by ice sheets. If Plato’s dating of Atlantis is accepted, then the climate of these areas makes them impossible locations for Atlantis prior to 9600 B.C.

In sum, Plato’s description of the location of Atlantis clearly identifies it as a vast island empire starting just outside Gibraltar and extending across the Atlantic Ocean nearly to an “opposite continent.” The main island, where the fabled center city of Poseidon was located, was about 340 miles long and 225 miles wide.

The Beginning of Atlantis

Plato provided an intriguing story that described how Atlantis began, but he gave no dates for the beginning—only the date of its destruction. In Critias (108 B-C; 113 C-E) Plato related that the gods of legend divided up portions of the earth for each to rule:

* * *

Once upon a time the gods were taking over by lot the whole earth according to its regions … So by just allotments they received each one his own, and they settled their countries … so Poseidon took for his allotment the island of Atlantis and settled therein the children whom he had begotten of a mortal woman …

(Critias 108B-C, 113C-E)

According to the story, the mortal woman was named Cleito, the daughter of Evenor and Leucippe. These individuals are described by Plato as “natives originally sprung from the earth.” Following the death of her parents, Cleito and Poseidon married and Poseidon began constructing a circular city on the “low mountain” where Cleito lived. This hill was in the midst of a vast plain that had a mountain range to its north protecting the plain from winds and cold. To make the hill “impregnable,” Poseidon constructed three circular canals around the hill interspersed with two bands of land. On the center hill, Poseidon brought “up from beneath the earth two springs of water”—one with hot water and the other cold water. According to Plato, the hill in the very center of the city, enclosed by the three canals, was just over one-half mile wide.

Depiction of Poseidon and Athena at Nashville’s Parthenon reconstruction. Photo—Lora Little.

After Poseidon and Cleito had their five sets of twin sons, the Center City of Atlantis was further enhanced by each generation: “… and as each king received it from his predecessors, he added to its adornment and did all he could to surpass the king before him, until finally they made of it an abode amazing to behold …” (Critias 115 D) Plato left no clues about the period of time that transpired from the beginning of Atlantis to the time it reached its height, but he related that many generations passed.

The Center City of Atlantis. Illustration—Dee Turman.

Poseidon’s Center City of Atlantis

By the time it reached its pinnacle, the Center City had a great palace on its central hill (now called the “Acropolis”) with roads leading across four bridges over the three canals. At the center of the Acropolis stood the “Royal Palace,” a huge temple 600 by 300 feet in size. It was a “holy ground” where Poseidon and Cleito conceived the “ten royal lines” derived from the five pairs of twins. A “wall of gold” encircled this area and the exterior of the temple was covered in silver with gold pinnacles. The interior of the temple was covered with gold, silver, and a mysterious metal Plato called “orichalcum.” Plato wrote that orichalcum “sparkled like fire.” A massive golden statue of “God” on a chariot pulled by six winged horses was the focal point of the temple. Surrounding this impressive figure were golden statues of 100 Nereids (sea nymphs), each riding a dolphin. Circling the temple’s exterior were golden statues of all the princes of Atlantis and their wives, including the offspring of the original ten kings.

From the mountain range far to the north of the city a uniform series of canals were made that eventually led to the city. These canals were used to irrigate the fertile plain surrounding the city. Another wide, deep canal was dug from the city to the south where it emptied into the ocean, nearly six miles away. Harbors and docks were built in the circular canals and extensive maritime shipping of fruits and vegetables is described by Plato as taking place in the city.

Over time, high stonewalls were erected on the circular bands of land along the canals. The high walls allowed bridges to be constructed over all the canals linking the rings of land to the Acropolis. These were, according to Plato, so high that the largest ships could pass underneath them. Stone towers and gates were built on all sides of the bridges and along the canal leading to the sea. The stone for the projects was quarried on the island and was red, black, and white. The outermost stonewall, enclosing the entire city, was covered with brass. The second wall was coated with tin. The wall encircling the Acropolis was coated with orichalcum.

The temple of Poseidon located on the Acropolis—the focal point of the Center City of Atlantis—would have been similar in appearance to Poseidon’s Temple at Paestum, Greece. The Paestum temple, much smaller than that described by Plato, lies in partial ruins today, but this reconstruction is believed to be accurate. Source—Wonders of the Past (1923).

On the two bands of land formed by the three canals, buildings were interspersed with plantations of trees and water reservoirs. Numerous other temples were erected in these areas for the other gods along with gardens, dwellings for important people, and barracks for soldiers and guards. A horse track was made around the entire circumference of the inner band of land and many people lived inside the far outer wall of the city in modest dwellings.

Plato’s descriptions of the Center City are so detailed and grand that it’s difficult to conceive what it actually would have looked like. The amount of gold, silver, and the mysterious metal orichalcum utilized in the various constructions is staggering. Many researchers have sought to find this incredible lost city. But the search is truly similar to looking for a needle in a very large haystack. Despite all the grandeur and splendor recorded in Plato’s meticulous description of the city, one point needs to be stressed. The center city, the part of Atlantis that most people identify as Atlantis, was a mere two miles in diameter and it was located on an island that extended 340 by 225 miles.

Plato’s Description of the Island and Its People

According to Plato the remainder of the large island was inhabited by “villages of country folk,” streams and lakes, abundant timber, and animals of all kinds including many elephants. Timber was transported from the mountains to the city via the vast complex of canals. There were two growing seasons on the tropical island and farms grew a vast array of fruits and vegetables as well as providing rich pastures for animal herds. Metals of various kinds were extracted in many mines on the island.

The military of Atlantis was apparently composed of at least 100,000 horse-drawn chariots, about 600,000 men, and 1200 ships. Shields, spears, archers, and slingers (stone-throwing weapons) are all described as part of the military.

Religion and Government

* * *

Each of the ten kings ruled over the men and most of the laws in his own particular portion and throughout his own city, punishing and putting to death whomsoever he willed. But their authority over one another and their mutual relations were governed by the precepts of Poseidon, as handed down to them by the law and by the records inscribed by the first princes on a pillar of orichalcum, which was placed within the temple of Poseidon in the center of the island.

(Critias 119 C-D)

According to Plato, the rules pertaining to temple sacrifices and governing practices were written on the sacred pillar and it was there that the ten kings assembled periodically to council about public affairs. The meetings were alternatively held every fifth and sixth year. The ten kings began with a prayer and then hunted for a sacrificial bull outside the city with only staves and nooses. After capturing the bull, it was brought to the temple where its throat was cut on the orichalcum pillar. Wine was mixed with the blood and after swearing to obey the laws and punish transgressors, each king drank with the remainder of the liquid poured into a sacred fire. They then conferred through the night settling disagreements and rendering judgments, writing their decisions on a golden tablet. Plato cited their most important laws as these: They would not take up arms against each other; all kings would aid any other king who was in danger; no king could put another to death without consent of more than half of the ten; and the royal branch of Atlas was the acknowledged leader of the empire.

While many writers have described Plato’s Atlantis as a sacrificial bull cult, it is important to understand that in any eleven-year period, only two bulls would be sacrificed.

The War Against the Mediterranean and the Demise of Atlantis

Plato asserted that Atlantis existed for a vast time period covering many generations. The people of Atlantis were noble and gentle, and maintained a link to their divine nature almost until the end:

* * *

… the inherited nature of God remained strong in them, they were submissive to the laws and kindly disposed to their divine kindred. For the intents of their hearts were true and in all ways noble, and they showed gentleness joined with wisdom in dealing with the changes and chances of life and in their dealings with one another.

(Critias, 120 D)

Plato doesn’t specify precisely how the Atlanteans fell from their noble and gentle ways, but greed and the desire for more possessions and power were involved. Over time, as their wealth and power grew, “the portion of divinity within them was now becoming faint and weak …” As they gradually expanded their influence, the Atlanteans eventually began a war to take over the entire Mediterranean. Plato is silent on when this war began or on other details of it. But he related that the Greeks played a key role in resisting the Atlantean war machine. Plato ended his tale of Atlantis by saying that Zeus decided to punish the Atlanteans for this unforgivable transgression and their fall from divinity. But Plato never finished Critias, and the tale is ended immediately after Zeus gathered the other gods to tell them of his decision. The final three words of Critias, ending his tale of Atlantis, are: “he spake thus: …”

The actual destruction of Atlantis is detailed by Plato in Timaeus. As mentioned previously, Plato hinted that an object from the heavens was involved in the destruction. That idea fits the statement that Zeus had decided to punish Atlantis for its “evil plight.” There is no detail in the story hinting if the destruction came immediately after the war, sometime later, or might have served as a final blow to end the war. But in 9600 B.C., some time after the defeat of Atlantis by the Greeks,

* * *

… there occurred portentous earthquakes and floods, and on one grievous day and night befell them, when the whole body of your warriors was swallowed up by the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner was swallowed up by the sea and vanished; wherefore also the ocean at that spot has now become impassible and unsearchable, being blocked by the shoal mud which the island created as it settled down.

(Timaeus 25 D)