An island equal in size to Europe, rich with natural resources,boasting with exquisite cities, a center for trade and commerce with huge technological advancements and utopian government... subjected to a great catastrophe and reduced to rubble that sank to the ocean floor, gone forever. The legend of Atlantis has existed for centuries and, however truthful it may be, it can rightfully claim a noble legacy: its earliest proponent being Plato.
The Legend came from the records of the Greek ruler Solon, who came to know of Atlantis through the teachings of an Egyptian priest. It was then passed down to Plato who in two of his dialogues ,Timaeus and Critias said that the island lay in the Atlantic Ocean in the vicinity of the Straits of Gibraltar until its ruin 10,000 years ago.
In Timaeus, Atlantis is described as a nation with the objective of expanding its domain: "Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire which had rule over the whole island and several others, and over parts of the continent," he wrote, "and, furthermore, the men of Atlantis had subjected the parts of Libya within the columns of Heracles as far as Egypt, and of Europe as far as Tyrrhenia."
Plato continues on how the Atlanteans made a grave mistake by aiming to conquer Greece. They could not withstand the Greeks' militia, and following their defeat, a natural disaster sealed their fate. Timaeus continues: "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."
Interestingly, a more supernatural and detailed tale of Atlantis is told in Critias. There the lost continent is described as the kingdom of Poseidon, the god of the sea.
Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman named Cleito. He created a domicile for them at the top of a hill near the centre of the island and surrounded it with rings of land and water to protect Cleito.
Cleito bore five sets of twin boys who became first rulers of Atlantis.The island was divided among them with Atlas (the eldest) being given authority over the central hill and surrounding areas. This Atlantis in Critias was a benevolent, sophisticated society that reigned in peace for centuries, until self satisfaction and greed set in. Infuriated by their fall from grace, Zeus, god of all gods, chose to punish them by destroying Atlantis.
