Atlantis
Fictional island in Plato's allegory on national hubris.
Atlantis is a fictional island introduced in Plato’s dialogues *Timaeus* and *Critias*, written around 360 BC. The story is presented as an allegory on the hubris of nations, with Plato describing Atlantis as a powerful naval empire from the west that had conquered much of Europe and Libya. This narrative was deliberately crafted to contrast with the Achaemenid Empire, the dominant land-based power of the east, which the Greeks called Asia. In Plato’s account, Atlantis launched an ill-fated campaign against a fictionalized version of Athens, which was portrayed as the ideal state from his *Republic*. After this defeat, the island lost divine favor and was submerged into the Atlantic Ocean by an earthquake, becoming an impassable mud shoal. The allegory was intended to demonstrate the superiority of Plato’s concept of a state.
The only primary sources for Atlantis are these two dialogues, which claim to quote the Athenian lawgiver Solon, who reportedly translated Egyptian records of the island during his visit to Egypt between 590 and 580 BC. According to Critias, the island was larger than Ancient Libya and Asia Minor combined, and was originally allotted to the god Poseidon. He fell in love with a mortal woman named Cleito, and their eldest son, Atlas, became the first king, giving his name to both the island and the surrounding Atlantic Ocean. The island featured a great plain in the south, measuring about 3,000 stadia in one direction and 2,000 stadia inland, with mountains in the north. Poseidon carved a palace into a mountain and enclosed it with three circular moats and rings of land, connected by bridges and tunnels for ships. Despite its minor role in Plato’s work, Atlantis has inspired utopian literature, such as Francis Bacon’s *New Atlantis*, and later pseudoscientific speculation, notably by Ignatius L. Donnelly. Modern scholars agree on its fictional nature, though debate continues over possible inspirations, such as the Thera eruption or the Trojan War.
- field
- Allegorical fiction
- known_for
- Fictional island empire that sank into the Atlantic Ocean
- creator
- Plato
- type
- Fictional island
Lore & Background
Plato described Atlantis as a vast island, larger than ancient Libya and Asia Minor combined, situated in the Atlantic Ocean beyond the Pillars of Hercules. According to the account, the island featured mountainous northern regions and a great, oblong plain in the south measuring three thousand stadia in one direction and two thousand stadia across the center. A low mountain stood fifty stadia from the coast, which was later carved into a palace by the god Poseidon, who encircled it with three alternating rings of water and land, connected by bridges and tunnels. The Atlanteans dug a great canal to the sea, allowing ships to reach the city at the island’s heart. The island was ruled by Atlas, the eldest of ten sons born to Poseidon and the mortal Cleito, and his nine brothers governed various territories. In Plato’s allegory, Atlantis was a naval empire that conquered much of Europe and Libya before launching an ill-fated campaign against a fictionalized Athens. After losing divine favor, the island was destroyed by earthquakes and sank into the ocean, leaving behind impassable mud shoals. The story’s setting, more than 9,000 years before Plato’s time, and its location beyond the Pillars of Hercules have fueled extensive pseudoscientific speculation, though scholars today generally regard it as a fictional creation.
Reader's Guide
Despite its minor importance in Plato's work, the Atlantis story has had a considerable impact on literature. The allegorical aspect was taken up in utopian works of several Renaissance writers, such as Francis Bacon's New Atlantis and Thomas More's Utopia. In the nineteenth century, amateur scholars like Ignatius L. Donnelly misinterpreted Plato's narrative as historical tradition, most famously in his Atlantis: The Antediluvian World. This misinterpretation, combined with Plato's vague indications of time and location, gave rise to much pseudoscientific speculation. As a consequence, Atlantis has become a byword for any and all supposed advanced prehistoric lost civilizations and continues to inspire contemporary fiction, from comic books to films. Present-day philologists and classicists agree on the story's fictional nature, but debate continues on what served as its inspiration, with some scholars suggesting Egyptian records of the Thera eruption, the Sea Peoples invasion, or the Trojan War, while others insist Plato created an entirely fictional account drawing loose inspiration from contemporary events.
Did You Know?
- The island was described as larger than Libya and Asia combined.
- Plato's account states that Atlantis sank into the sea in a single day and night of earthquakes and floods.
- The logographer Hellanicus of Lesbos wrote an earlier work titled Atlantis, of which only fragments survive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Atlantis's power or role in Plato's narrative?
Plato portrays Atlantis as a dominant western naval empire that had subjugated much of Europe and Libya through military force. Its ambition ultimately drove it to launch a failed invasion of a fictionalized Athens, which proved to be its undoing.
How does Atlantis's story end?
After the botched assault on Athens, the gods withdrew their protection and the island was swallowed by the sea in a single catastrophic day and night. It sank beneath the waters of the Atlantic, leaving behind nothing but a shallow, impassable mudflat.
Why is Atlantis so culturally significant despite being a minor passage in Plato?
Although the tale occupies only a small fraction of Plato's philosophical work, it has become the defining archetype for a lost, technologically advanced prehistoric civilization. The narrative has seeded countless works of literature, speculative fiction, and popular culture over more than two millennia.
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