Plato and Atlantis.

e can, by making the link between Plato, Cayce and Atlantis, get a better idea of Atlantis with its inhabitants and where it should be. Let's begin with Plato:

Plato, who lived in Athens from 427 until 348 BC, was a Greek philosopher and disciple of Socrates. Nicknamed the “divine Plato”, he is often considered one of the first great philosophers of western philosophy. Platonic philosophy is characterized by its extreme wealth. We have the impression that there were no problems or issues that Plato hadn't already raised. Plato turned both to political philosophy than to moral philosophy, theory of knowledge, cosmology, or aesthetics. His positions are often discussed or defended by contemporary philosophy. The most obvious characteristic of the Platonic texts is that they are written in the form of dialogues. There are two approaches to this. The first approach argues only an external feature without importance on Platonic conceptions. The second approach, on the contrary, considers that the form of dialogue is important for understanding the texts themselves and is not a simple literary.

Plato had referred to Atlantis in two of these: the Timaeus and Critias dialogues. In both, Plato deals with the description of an ideal city. The Greek philosopher continues in these two works a specific purpose: to demonstrate to men of his time that the ancient Greece had been able to defeat powerful enemies, commanded by fabulous kings. The first part is in the dialogue of Timaeus, which was either incomplete or partly lost for ever. The second part is in the dialogue of Critias where the description of Atlantis does occupy only a small part of this whole dialogue. These books are therefore cautioned against a possible decline of the Greek city, if it abandons the principles that have been its strength.

The social organization related to Solon by the Egyptian priest is told by Critias in the Timaeus dialogue:

« ...How your city destroyed once insolent power which invaded at a time throughout Europe and throughout Asia and rushing on it back from the Atlantic. Because, at that time, you could cross the sea. There was an island in front of this passage you call, as you say, columns of Hercules. This island was larger than Libya (today known as the part of Africa west of Egypt, North Africa, thus) and Asia (our current Middle East) combined. And travelers of that time could move from this island on other islands, and from these islands, they could gain the whole continent, on the opposite shore of the sea that really deserves its name (Atlantic). Because on the one hand, within the strait we speak, it seems that there is a harbor with a tightened entrance, and the other, to the outside, is this true sea and the land that it surrounds and what we can truly call a continent. However, in this Atlantic island, kings had formed a great and wonderful empire. This empire was the master of the entire island and also of many other islands and portions of the continent. In addition, on our side, they took Libya to Egypt and Europe to the Tyrrhénie. (Western Italy) This power began to enslave your country, ours and those who are on this side of the strait but the power of your city shined out to the eyes of all his heroism and energy. Since it won. First-leading the Greeks and then abandoned by others, they defeated the invaders, freed all other peoples and ourselves who live within the columns of Hercules. But at the time that followed, there were earthquakes and extraordinary floods, and in the space of one day and one terrible night, all you had of fighters were swallowed in one go into the ground, and the island Atlantis, crashing in the sea, disappeared as well. That's why, even today, this sea is impractical and unexplored, navigation is hampered by muddy sea beds that the island has left in subsiding... »

In the Critias dialogue, Plato elaborates on the organization of the kingdom of Atlantis. In addition, he states that the Egyptians were the first to write this story. That it has happened in Greece, no wonder: there were constant relationships between the two bordering countries of the Mediterranean.

It's still Critias who speaks:

« ...The gods divided, by drawing lots, the whole Earth into parts, the largest here, smaller elsewhere. Poseidon (God of the Sea) installed, in some place of this island, the children he had posed a mortal woman. (...) Lived then on a mountain one of the men who, in that country, was in originally born on Earth. His name was Événor and he lived with a woman, Leucippe. They gave birth to a single daughter Clito (...) Poseidon wanted and united with her. However, the height on which she lived, the god fortified and isolated it in a circle. To this purpose, he created walls of sea and land, large and small (...) Poseidon embellished the island, he made two sources of spring water, one hot and one cold, and grew on the land plants of food of all kinds. There, he became father and raised five generations of children of male twins. He divided the island Atlantis into ten parts. The eldest son became king, above all others. He made them vassal princes. (...) In all, he imposed names: the oldest, the king, received the name that was used to designate this entire island and the sea which is called now Atlantic, because the King's first name was Atlas... »

As for the other nine brothers of Atlas, first son of the first five pairs of twins that Poseidon had with Clito, their names mirror the qualities of the people of Atlantis:

• Eumélos (“the beautiful sheep”), twin brother of Atlas;
• Amphérès (“properly fitted on both sides”, speaking of a rudder);
• Évaimon (“good race”);
• Mnéséas (“who wants”);
• Autochtonos (“born of the earth, indigenous”);
• Élasippos (“leader of horses”);
• Mestor (“advisor”, one of epiclesis Zeus);
• Azaès (“with dark skin”);
• Diaprépès (“the beautiful”).

Then follows the physical description of the kingdom:

« ...The kings had wealth in abundance as was never before possessed by kings and potentates, and is not likely ever to be again. The island provided them with all the hard or soft metals that can be extracted by mining. First, that we know no more but the name, orichalque¹; was the most valuable, after gold, metals that existed at that time. The island provided with all the prodigality that forests can provide materials specific to the work of carpenters. It also provided all sufficiency to eat for domestic or wild animals. It gave again and cultivated fruits, and seeds that have been made to feed ourselves and from which we draw the flour. Thus, collecting their ground all these riches, the people of Atlantis built temples, palaces for kings, ports... »

But, as always, after the summer of splendor comes the fall of decadence:

« ...For many generations, the kings listened to the laws and remained committed to the divine principle which they were related to, but when the divine came to fall in them by the effect of the cross with many mortals, they fell into indecency... »

The narration of Critias ends there. No one knows whether Plato ever wrote the following, or if these writings were lost. However, it's certain that the remainder, in which Plato was to detail the war of the Athenians against Atlantis, does not exist.

It's Cayce who also relates the fact that the Atlantean society was in full decline towards the end. There were, according to him or those in charge to decipher his “readings”, even cases of human sacrifice, like the Mayas and the Incas did have.

Another interesting aspect of Atlantean society is that some custom seems to have been preserved to this day. This is a custom, known to us all and with which some of us disagree, which is practiced mainly in Spain and southern France: the bullfight. The only difference with the bullfight, is that the bulls are killed during capture here and during a sacrifice in Atlantis. The Atlantean kings knew in fact a religious custom, which was to catch a bull from a herd in semi-liberty in order to undergo a religious sacrifice. These same kinds of sacrifices existed in ancient Egypt and in ancient cultures of Latin America.

What Critias said about this:

« ...In this temple they gathered every five years or every six years, alternately, giving the same honor at the pair and the impair. In this meeting, they deliberated on matters of common interest, they inquired if one of them broke the law and thought. When to wear their trial, they first gave to each other tokens of their faith in the following way. There were inside the temple of Poseidon bulls in semi-freedom. The ten kings, left alone, praying to their god to capture the victim which would be nice, then they began hunting with sticks and lassos, without iron. They then led to the column the bull that they had taken, slitting its throat of at summit and let the blood shedding on the inscriptions. On the column, besides the laws, an oath was engraved, well so terrible imprecations against those who disobey. So when they had sacrificed following their laws, they devoted the whole body of the bull, then filling a crater of wine, in which they threw in the name of each of them a blood clot and wore the rest into the fire after have purified the periphery of the column. Then drawing in the crater with cups of gold, they made a libation on the fire by swearing that they consider it in accordance with the laws inscribed on the column and would punish anyone who violated earlier, that in future they don't infringe voluntarily any of the written requirements and don't command and don't obey but in accordance with the law of their father. When each had made this commitment for himself and his descendants, he drank his bowl and dedicated it in the temple of the god; then they started with dinner and necessary ceremonies. When darkness came and the fire of sacrifice was cooled, each of them wared a dress of dark blue and all beauty, then they sat on the ground in the ashes of the sacrifice where they had sworn, and during the night, having extinguished all the fire in the temple, they were tried or judged, if someone accused another of violating a requirement. Their judgments, they wrote, the return of light, on a table of gold, and dedicated them with their robes as a memorial... »

Another interesting fact is that Plato is referring to how the story told by Egyptian priests to Solon, were translated by them. According to the words of Critias in the dialogue of Timaeus, not only text but also the names, weights and measures were translated into contemporary Greek of Plato. These are in fact the facts that some scientists use to defend their dissertations in which they translate the figures forwarded by Plato to better match their theories. The example most often cited is the theory that the island Thera was Atlantis. Again we can prove that Thera was Atlantis by dividing some figures by ten, some by hundred and others by thousand, depending the need.

Critias said what about this:

« ...But, before going on, I still have a detail to explain, so you do not be surprised to hear of the names applied to Greek barbarians. You will know the cause. As Solon was thinking of using this story for his poems, he inquired the meaning of names, and he found that the Egyptians, who had written the first, had brought in their own language. He, in turn reflecting the meaning of each name, transported transcribing it in our language. These manuscripts of Solon were at my grandfather and are still at my home at the time being, and I learned by heart as a child. So if you hear names like those of us, that this does not surprise you because you know the cause... »

So we see in this little extract a small sentence of enough importance, which could mean that the story of Atlantis is not only a legend passed on orally, but it was actually a written document. Especially when Critias says: “These manuscripts of Solon were at my grandfather and are still at my home at the time being, and I learned by heart as a child.” What is remarkable is the fact that Critias had made the effort to learn it all by heart, which could mean that he attached great importance to it.

We don't know to this day if this manuscript, about which Plato spoke through intermediary in the dialogues of Critias and Timaeus, still exists or have been lost as many other ancient manuscripts have.