The Island of Santorini

[Darkside]

From what I understand about this, the mythical story of Atlantis has a most ardent champion with the annals of history. Apparently the island of Santorini hosted a greatly advanced civilization (archaeological remains have found evidence of flushing toilets....OMG flushing toilets what the heck ya know?) that flourished until the volcano that the island sat upon completely annihilated it. The drawings depicting atlantis are exactly identical with the topography of santorini: a crescent-shaped island, etc., etc., of course the island doesn't look like that after the eruption BUT scientists have analyzed the island's contemporary layout and have extrapolated it's possible topography from the time prior to the eruption, and it matches the drawings of atlantis. Crazy huh?

[Steel of Fury]

Interesting. The place does have a rich history.

[Stavroforos]

I have no reason to believe that Atlantis wasn't an allegory.

[Romios]

If that theory was true something that we could use as evidence would have been found by now.
I suggest you visit Thera(Santorini) in the summer and enjoy your holidays there and maybe care a little less about the myth of Atlantis.

[SepulchreUK]

Atlantis is a fable, but like all good fables it has at it's core a kernel of truth. I don't think there was some super advanced civilisation prior to the rise of Egypt or Hellenic Greece that we do not know about, but the idea of a prosperous island society being wiped out by a calamity is not beyond the realms of intelligent hypothesis.
Unfortunatey the mists of time will forever cloud the truth of the matter.

[Jessabella]

Yay, I went to Santorini last summer! The sunsets were beautiful

[removeduser_487563287433]

From what I understand about this, the mythical story of Atlantis has a most ardent champion with the annals of history. Apparently the island of Santorini hosted a greatly advanced civilization (archaeological remains have found evidence of flushing toilets....OMG flushing toilets what the heck ya know?) that flourished until the volcano that the island sat upon completely annihilated it. The drawings depicting atlantis are exactly identical with the topography of santorini: a crescent-shaped island, etc., etc., of course the island doesn't look like that after the eruption BUT scientists have analyzed the island's contemporary layout and have extrapolated it's possible topography from the time prior to the eruption, and it matches the drawings of atlantis. Crazy huh?

Or wishful thinking.

If the myth of Atlantis is based on a historical event then the Thera eruption is a likely candidate. However, for all your excitement it contradicts Plato's myth of Atlantis. It's in the wrong place, the eruption occured about 8000 years after Atlantis was destroyed.

[Akrotatos]

Plato probably created his story gathering myths. Don't forget that the eruption of Thera happened a millenium before his time. He put it in the Atlantic cause it's more exciting there.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Or at least a great unknown for contemporary Athenians. An off the edge of the map, here be monsters approach to story telling.

[rusina]

The sunsets were beautiful

I don't think that they are so special.

And people who lived there were minoans.

[conon394]

Atlantis is a fable, but like all good fables it has at it's core a kernel of truth. I don't think there was some super advanced civilisation prior to the rise of Egypt or Hellenic Greece that we do not know about, but the idea of a prosperous island society being wiped out by a calamity is not beyond the realms of intelligent hypothesis.

I think that truism is too well worn – it this case Atlantis is not a fable but a Platonic allegory I don’t see any reason to expect a nugget of truth or whatever.

Besides a much better candidate for inspiring Plato about how to do in Atlantis is probably the fate of Helike (http://www.helike.org/).

[neoptolemos]

I don't think that they are so special.

And people who lived there were minoans.

Part of the Minoan world for certain.
The island was thenfter the 10th cent) inhabited by Dorian settlers form Sparta

[SigniferOne]

It is almost 100% certain that Atlantis was the Minoan civilization. People would rather overlook it in favor of Helike or Santorini because it adds more mystery. Also, perhaps Plato took inspiration from the Helike/Santorini submersions and applied it to the Minoans, who had completely disappeared by his time.

By all accounts Crete and the Palace of Minos are the proper origin: a spectacular, highly advanced civilization, which dwarfs contemporary Greek Mycenae in comparison, and has a high degree of self-reflective greatness (painting its own warriors and athletes upon walls, etc).

[Akrotatos]

It is almost 100% certain that Atlantis was the Minoan civilization. People would rather overlook it in favor of Helike or Santorini because it adds more mystery. Also, perhaps Plato took inspiration from the Helike/Santorini submersions and applied it to the Minoans, who had completely disappeared by his time.

Santorini was a Minoan colony though

[SigniferOne]

Yes but they say that Santorini ITSELF was Atlantis, while Minoans.. were just the Minoans. You're right that Santorini was just an offshoot of the larger Minoan civilization, and I'm drawing attention to the fact that we probably know what civilization was Atlantis, and it's not so mysterious, so we can study it and understand it as if it were Atlantis, i.e. with the same impressed admiration.

But I think we would rather focus on the mysterious and the unknown instead, because as long as there are no hard facts about it, it can be as fantastical as possible (in our own minds). I.e. Why shouldn't have the Atlanteans invented space-ships and tanks? The limit becomes our own imagination.

[Akrotatos]

Yes but they say that Santorini ITSELF was Atlantis, while Minoans.. were just the Minoans.

Imo, after a thousand years the myths of Santorini's destruction and the fall and wonders of the Minoan civilisation combined and then got embellished by Plato to sell his best seller.

[conon394]

It is almost 100% certain that Atlantis was the Minoan civilization.

Huh Sig – I just don’t see what you say that. Plato needed an allegory and made one up he added a bit mysticism and quasi history by referencing Egypt, A sinking city – something not too fantastic given the fate of Helike and put it out in the Atlantic far away. Its a made up parable – no place is Atlantis.

I guess my stance would be sans an interview with Plato ala Odysseus we never going to have a real answer (until we shuffle off this mortal coil... perhaps; although Plato might have already been badgered into silence by Socrates.). As such I just do see any reason to look for a real Atlantis - its Plato's made up story that has no roots in Greek mythology - anymore than looking for the kernel of evidence in Star Trek

[SigniferOne]

Huh Sig – I just don’t see what you say that. Plato needed an allegory and made one up he added a bit mysticism and quasi history by referencing Egypt, A sinking city – something not too fantastic given the fate of Helike and put it out in the Atlantic far away. Its a made up parable – no place is Atlantis.

Nevertheless there remained in Greek consciousness the sentiment of a lofty civilization that existed and then disappeared, when their own culture was young and not so developed. Plato took this, added finishing touches to it, but underlying ideas like that don't just come from thin air. A story like the Iliad doesn't come from thin air, etc. Plato's need for an allegory was satisfied by using a powerful emotion of a long-lost civilization that affected and moved his contemporary Greeks, exactly as it continues to do so to this day.

[Dodge]

Atlantis was a mythical place, on a mythical continent.

[removeduser_487563287433]

It is almost 100% certain that Atlantis was the Minoan civilization.

No.