Atlantis and Greek Mythology

Atlantis and Greek Mythology

To be honest Plato's account of the story of Atlantis is not a convincing one, firstly because the philosopher was not recognised as a chronicler and in all probability had misquoted his sources. Secondly the philosopher was known to spin a bit of a yarn now and then in order to demonstrate a particular philosophical point and this very much appears to have been what had happened in the case of his Atlantis story. This philosophical discussion in question at the time had been what exactly constitutes an ideal society?

Indeed Plato's Atlantis was hardly an ideal society by today's standards anyway. The society he describes was a completely feudal one where the arable land is divided into set allotments each of which has the role of supporting a given military unit. Further it is clear the island is governed by kings and is not therefore democratic in anyway. Some may find this surprising as the age that Plato lived in in ancient Greece did in fact have many democratic ideals. The fact that Atlantis was feudal would also strongly suggest that the islanders were extremely war-like as feudalism is a system which is designed to support and maintain an active war machine.

It is accepted by students of the Atlantis legend that the lost city was named after Atlas, the Greek god and Titan. However a parallel account of the legend in Diodorus Siculus has the Atlantians being named after Mount Atlas which is situated in Africa. He tells us that this tribe was more advanced and technologically developed than the surrounding tribes of the area. However he further relates that it was an island in a large lake nearby that had disappeared during an earthquake and this island had been inhabited by Amazons. Indeed it was actually the war-like Amazons who challenged the Greeks in Asia Minor and not the Atlantians as Plato has it.

It is clearly the case that Greek mythology is consistent in supporting the account of Diodorus but not that of Plato. In Greek mythology Mount Atlas is indeed located in Africa and also in Greek mythology it is the Amazons who challenge the Greeks in Asia Minor. Many of the Amazons who fell in battle are specifically named in the Greek myths.

In my book “Atlantis, the Origin of a Legend” not only do I discuss these things but I also identify the geographical features described by Diodorus in the Africa of today. I place the scene of events in Africa's Great Rift Valley and have Lake Victoria as the remnants of the lake with the island populated by the Amazons, before an ancient seismic event altered the landscape forever. 

View my book at Amazon

Atlantis and Greek Mythology

Atlantis, the Origin of a Legend.

By Greg Alexander

Did Plato get it wrong?

Diodorus Siculus in his Library of History tells us that the Atlantians lived at the base of Mount Atlas in Africa. This tribe was more advanced and technologically developed than the surrounding tribes of the area. He also tells us that it was an island in a large lake nearby that disappeared during an earthquake and this island was inhabited by Amazons. It was the war-like Amazons that challenged the Greeks in Asia Minor and not the Atlantians as Plato has it.

Greek mythology is consistent in supporting the account of Diodorus but not that of Plato.

In Greek mythology Mount Atlas is found in Africa (the Atlantians derive their name from Atlas). And also in Greek mythology it is the Amazons who challenge the Greeks in Asia Minor.

In my book “Atlantis, the Origin of a Legend” I identify the geographical features described by Diodorus in the Africa of today. 

History / General

Trade Paperback

Publication Date: Oct-2004

Price: £10.99 UK, $12.95 US

Size: 6 x 9

Author: Greg Alexander

ISBN: 0-595-33267-6

108 Pages

Available from Ingram Book Group, Baker & Taylor, and from iUniverse, Inc


Atlantis and Greek Mythology

The Druids: A Comparative Study of Indo-European Pagan Practice.

 by G. Alexander

^{_{Even though the ancient Druids would seem as much an enigma today as they have ever been, this book very much sets the record straight. By firmly placing the Druids within the ancient Celtic socio-religious framework to which they so evidently belonged and, further, by comparing the pagan practices of the Celts with the other inhabitants of ancient Indo-Europe, much light is shed on the curious practices of this ancient priesthood.}}

^{_{This is very much a book of comparisons. By studying the pagan practices found elsewhere in ancient Europe, such as those of ancient Greece and Rome, ancient Persia and Germany, we find that in many respects the Druids were not that original but shared a common heritage, that of their Indo-European forebears. This book therefore is just as much about the ancient Indo-Europeans, formerly known as the Aryans, as it is about the Druids and the other inhabitants of pagan Europe.}}

^{_{The approach taken in this book reveals to us the true significance of the mighty oak of the Druids, the meaning of the elaborate ceremony of the cutting of the mistletoe detailed by Pliny, and even the original meaning of the Eleusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece.}}

^{_{Also revealed in this book are the mythological origins of the custom of the contention to become Rex Nemorensis at Aricia in ancient Italy, the original meaning of the swastika, and the identity of the legendary Soma plant of the Vedas.}}

Published Jan 2009, Price £9.29, Size 6x9, ISBN 978-1-4092-6094-3, 128 pages, available at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and Lulu.com.

Atlantis and Greek Mythology