Mistakes quite often occur in such matters, for we humans are unfortunately often prone to self-delusion. Such was apparently the case with Christopher Columbus, since he apparently chose to ignore Plato’s statement that the Peirata Ges encircled and closed the Ocean in the far west, impeding the passage to the East Indies. Had he heeded Plato, he would have spared himself a lot of pain.
Sometimes the desire to solve a difficult riddle is so great that people fall into the grip of Illusion. This type of illusion is what the wise Hindus call Maya (“Illusion”) or, yet, Kamarupa (“the embodiment of desire”). Maya and Kamarupa are what makes us see ghosts, apparitions, UFOs, greens, headless mules, and even beauty which, as Shakespeare once said, “resides in the eye of the beholder”.
With reference to Table III.1 below, it includes the main features of Plato’s text in the crucial passages of his Timaeus (24e–25a), quoted and commented above. We have also avoided, as best we possibly could, giving names or interpretations to these geographical features, except insofar as they may embody reality in themselves. ↑076
These features will next be applied to the several sites so far proposed for Atlantis, grouped by regions of the world. Please note that the features considered in Table III.1 are schematized to the utmost. And this is done on purpose. The idea is to keep the reasoning simple, so that one is not easily misled.
We again recall that by the word “pillars” the ancients usually meant any important strait connecting two seas; by “island” they often meant what we nowadays call “continent”; by “true ocean” Plato probably meant the Pacific+Atlantic Ocean; and by “Outer Continent” or “True Continent” Plato probably meant the Americas, as most experts believe.
In the schematic diagram (Table III.1) below, we do not include the many other features of Atlantis that the philosopher describes in rich detail in his two seminal dialogues on the Lost Continent, and which only fit our siting, and no other so far proposed for Atlantis. The motive is to keep the reasoning simple and uncontroversial in order to have it serve as a sort of screening test to sort out the more promising sites for Atlantis. The finer details can be added later on.
Table III.1 - The Actual Geography of Atlantis Given by Plato in the Timaeus (24e–25a) ↑077
Two Pillars (Strait)
Island of
Atlantis
(Larger than
Asia + Libya)
Many Islands in True
Ocean
Outer
Continent
Ahead
(True)
This preliminary screening allows us to discard the sitings which do not fit even these most basic requirements. We could perhaps have included other features such as: the tropical climate during the Ice Age; the many metals and gemstones produced by Atlantis; the huge popula-
0
tion; the two crops a year; the precious and fragrant woods and herbs; and so on.
Other important features comprise: the elephants, horses, bulls, and other such mighty animals; the volcanoes and earthquakes; the worship of Poseidon and the Bull Religion; the fabulous abundance of gold and silver; plus the dozens of further items mentioned by Plato.
But this inclusion would have rendered this document cluttered and tedious, and we wanted to keep it simple as some sort of preliminary screening test, easy to check and validate. In this way, these basic requirements can be verified in depth in a rather simple manner, and a pre-selection made that is rather safe and sound. The other features just mentioned may be incorporated to this tabular comparison later, as wished. But the ones used here will have to do for now.
The Case of Cuba and the Caribbean Islands
Let us now try to fit actual locations to Plato’s above description. For that purpose we base ourselves on the world map shown above and the nameless geographical features given by Plato and outlined in Table III.1 above.
We begin this section with Gibraltar Strait, the usual choice, and with Cuba, in the Caribbean region, which has been in the news a lot. The present analysis of course also applies to the other Caribbean islands, as well as to the nearby coastal regions of the three Americas.
Curiously enough, several researchers now contend for the equivocal priority of having first proposed the Americas, and the Caribbean region in particular. Even if we ignore the fact that Columbus himself was actually looking for the “Atlantic Islands”, we are still faced with the reality that there were many proponents of this dubious identity ever since the times of the Conquest itself. ↑078
In fact, the Antilles were believed to be the remnants of sunken Atlantis. These were believed to be located in the East Indies, which Columbus actually mistook for the Antilles. Among these early proponents we cite the very first chronists of America such as Fernando de Oviedo (1525), Father Bartholomé de las Casas (1527), Francisco López de Gomara (1552) and Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (1572), among several others of lesser importance.
Father Las Casas correctly identified America with the Outer Continent mentioned by Plato. And he explicitly affirms in his writings that the Caribbean islands – which he calls Anegadas (“Submerged”) – “are the probable remains of Atlantis due to their extensive shoals (bajos fondos)”.
Cuba is one of the preferred recent sitings of Atlantis, to believe certain researchers and the odd results they apparently got on the seafloor of the region. This site is among the most popular of all such ever since Cayce prophesied the return of Atlantis there, “starting in 1968”.
The fact that nothing of the sort happened then or later has led several adepts – among them John White, of Pole Shift fame, and Graham Hancock and quite a few others – to become so disillusioned as to decamp towards more viable alternatives such as mine.
I really pity the lay reader, endlessly assaulted by all sorts of false claims and specious results such as the ones criticized here. And this is done not only by the hastier (or greedier) researchers themselves, but also by the press and other information media, always bent on misinforming the public and in deceiving the more gullible persons.
What is even more deplorable is the fact that some academics often engage in this unethical deception of the more gullible public, motivated by personal ambitions and by sycophantism.
However, we warn the dear readers that these odd Cuban results – which, by the way, have never been published, despite the several years that have elapsed since they were first obtained – are geologically impossible. You see, these finds were made under 2,200 feet of water (670 meters), whereas sea level only dropped 130-150 meters or so (430-490 feet) during the Pleistocene. ↑079
It has been also suggested that this site actually slipped under, from shallower waters. But this is impossible. Even if such were the case, the artificial structures claimed for the site could never have been preserved in any recognizable way. They would have been shattered and buried by the piles of mud released by such a violent disaster.
What is even more incredible is the fact that such an uncanny find – actually made several years ago – simply vanished from the news in what is really a most mysterious, poorly explained riddle. The promised robotic photos and more detailed scans never materialized.
We eagerly await some further, promised disclosures. But until they are made, we remain most skeptical of these vaunted claims. And we advise our more commonsensical readers to do the same.
Any claim that specifically violates a well-established scientific fact should be looked upon with extreme skepticism by all, until it is independently verified by a number of further researchers. As they say, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof”.
A case comes to mind, precisely in relation with the Caribbean region. A few years ago an individual named Aaron DuVal – allegedly the “President of the Egyptology Society of Miami” – claimed to have found sunken pyramids just off the Bimini Islands, near the Florida Keys. These pyramids were allegedly full of strange hieroglyphic inscriptions, golden crystal caps (pyramidions) and so
on. In time, these pyramids had shrunk to a mere pile of stones pompously called “Scott Stones”.↑080
What is even worse is that these “stones” – whose actual photo can be seen here – turned out to be mere barrels full of cement dumped at the place in order to break the waves of the beaches there. The metal casing rusted away, and only the cement was left, simulating stone pillars. This fact has been denounced by several marine archaeologists. ↑081
But the news persists, as insistent as ever. We leave the decision to the dear readers, limiting ourselves to recommend a detailed analysis of the “stones” and of this article here. After this cautionary preamble, we pass to the geographical analysis of the Cuban region in question here. In the map linked here, Gibraltar is the narrow strait separating Europe from Africa at the left side of these two Old World continents. ↑082
As can be seen in the map just linked, the Caribbean region is placed right in front of Gibraltar, despite the fact that it can hardly be said to be located “close by”, as Plato specifically affirms, according to most specialists.
The proximity of Atlantis to the pillars seems to be an inescapable reality which clearly does not apply here. And hardly can the Antilles be deemed to be placed on the antipodes of Europe, since it is only 60o from the meridian of Greenwich (London), rather than 180o or so, as it should, to be considered antipodal.
Moreover, where are the many islands beyond Cuba (Atlantis), which Plato specifically mentions? Where is the “true ocean” ahead? And what about the “Outer Continent” beyond? Is it really America itself? But does not the text of Plato suggest that it is far away ahead? With this, we pass to the analysis of the actual geographical data in comparison to Plato’s data.
The results we get from a close inspection of the above map are summarized in Table III.2 next. As is clear, several things are grossly amiss here. Can Cuba – or even the whole Caribbean – really be said to be “larger than Asia and Libya put together”? Cuba is part of the tenuous strip of land placed in front of Central America in the map (the Caribbean Islands).
By “Asia”, Plato very probably meant Turkey (Asia Minor), also socalled in antiquity. And by “Libya” he very likely meant the whole of Africa north of the equator, the portion already known in Plato’s time. Are there really “many islands beyond” Cuba which would help ships to reach “the true continent beyond”, and which they would have already reached, anyway?
Table III.2 - Results for Cuba & Caribbean Region
Two Pillars (Gibraltar)
Island of Cuba, etc..
(Larger than Asia + Libya) ???????
Many Islands Beyond???
In True
Ocean
???????
Outer
Continent Ahead
(America)
Is the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico possibly the “true ocean” that Plato had in mind? Or should we instead conclude that Plato did not really know what he was talking about and was merely playing on words or freely inventing his features more or less at random?
Or, yet, did the philosopher mean something else despite the ardent hope of Columbus that the partly sunken continent he eagerly sought was actually located there, in the Americas, which he mistook for the East Indies down to the end of his troubled life?
Columbus was mistaken in his belief that the way to the East Indies was open in this region of the world, perhaps in Panama or Nicaragua. And it is not entirely impossible that it really was open in former epochs, by some sort of canal built by the Atlanteans, according to what some early traditions report.
Columbus actually mistook America for Antilia and the East Indies, which he aimed to reach. Should we also share his mistake, as so many researchers do, or should we look somewhere else for a more adequate site for Atlantis? Or is it a fact that Columbus actually knew that the fabled East Indies were indeed the remains of Paradise Lost and of the “Island of Atlantis”, its unsunken remains?
Crete, Cyprus, Malta and Other Mediterranean Locations
Let us now tackle Crete, another all-time favorite, particularly within the academic community. This preference is due both to its famous volcano (Thera) and because the place is such a delightful tourist resort. Yes, academics and archaeologists are human too, and love spas.
The Thera volcano provides a highly convenient framework for the destruction of Atlantis, even though this site fails every other facet typical of the Lost Continent: wrong size, wrong location, wrong date, wrong traditions, wrong people, etc..
But the resort is charming, and the researchers love to do some wellpaid vacationing with their families while at work on the site. And the Greek islands are among the best places in the world to enjoy a prolonged vacation or a sabbatical year. So, they cling to the place, and will never give it up unless they are forced to do so.
The present analysis also applies to Cyprus and to Malta and other Mediterranean islands and locations. These sites were recently again reconsidered as a prime location for Atlantis with some refurbished research currently being done along the more scientific canons of submarine research which we introduced starting three decades ago.
And it further applies to Syrtis, in Libya, and to “Troy” in Turkey, also often considered as possible sites for Atlantis by several researchers. And so to any other site in the Mediterranean region or in the nearby seas such as the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, for instance.
Curiously enough, the most recent of the many proponents of Cyprus affirms that it fits essentially all of Plato’s many clues given in his two texts on Atlantis. According to the author of this unscientific proposal “Cyprus fits 51 out of 53 features proposed by Plato”.
But this is an obvious hoax which I have already denounced in detail as scientifically impossible. For instance, we fail to see how this may be possible at all, given the fact that Cyprus does not even comply with the most basic of exigencies outlined in the above passage of Plato’s Critias.
As we shall be arguing next, Plato’s main exigency for Atlantis is the one of it being placed outside the “Pillars of Hercules”, no matter where this feature may in fact be located in this vast world of ours. Another basic requirement is of it being located in the Atlantic Ocean, not the Mediterranean.
One should also note that none of the ancient and the Renaissance explorers ever looked for the fabled Atlantic Islands inside the Pillars of Hercules, in the Mediterranean region. Were they all wiser or simply more foolish than these Atlantologists themselves are?
It is clear that, as its very name indicates, the legend of Atlantis is connected with the Atlantic Ocean, no matter what meaning this name may have had in the minds of the ancients. Plato specifically affirms this fact himself. So, regardless of how many features may actually fit any such Mediterranean theory, it has to cope with this requisite first of all.
We of course fail to see this as possible at all. Even if we accept that the “Pillars of Hercules” were those of the Bosphorus, as some traditions specifically affirm, we still have to cope with the reality that Cyprus and Malta and Crete, etc. are not Atlantic locations, no matter how we reinterpret the meaning of the term “Atlantic Ocean”.
As we have just said, the word “ocean” (Okeanos, Oceanus, Aśayana), to the ancients invariably meant – since the times of Homer and probably far earlier – the idea of something that encircles or surrounds, more or less as does the Serpent Ouroboros. ↑083
The Ouroboros Serpent was the mythical (and mystical) counterpart of the Ocean itself, and its symbolic representation, in Classical antiquity. This quaint symbolism is originally Hindu, as we have managed to show. It belongs to the Serpent Shesha, alias Vritra or Varuna. These names – which date from Vedic times – actually mean “encircler”, much as does the word “Ocean” itself.
This idea of “encircling” in fact applies to the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. These two oceans are actually coterminous and in fact encircle the Americas from one pole to the other. And the word “Atlant
ic” means “of Atlantis”, as Plato himself affirms. So, strictly speaking, these two oceans are really one and the same, the “Ocean of Atlantis”.
And this is precisely what Plato has in mind when he call his “Atlantic Sea” the “veritable Ocean” (alethinos pontos). Hence, we are actually allowed to look for Atlantis in both the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. But such is patently not the case with the Mediterranean Sea.
Of course, it is also difficult to see how Cyprus could have been tropical during the Ice Ages, when it is not so even now, in the present Interglacial. Today, temperatures have globally climbed by about 15oC or so, according to the most recent climatological research.
We will be discussing the case of Cyprus next, due to the novel features of the proposal of the alleged researcher who, by the way, apparently now gave up on his entire undertaking, since he simply vanished from the media, along with most of his undersea scans, after his bombastic expedition to the claimed site.
For the present analysis, we again resort to the world map already shown above, or any other map that the dear reader may prefer. Crete is the tiny island barely visible at the center of the Mediterranean Sea, just beneath Greece. The island of Cyprus is the even tinier island below Turkey, in the Eastern Mediterranean. These islands can better be seen in this map of the Mediterranean region linked here. ↑084
If we insist that it is essential to consider Plato’s “as you say, when talking in public, Pillars of Hercules” to be Gibraltar Strait, his dialogues on Atlantis fail to make any sense at all, at least insofar as reality is concerned. If so, we had better drop the whole search, as we already stated.
Atlantis the Lost Continent Finally Found Page 23
