Atlantis DestroyedPlato's legend of Atlantis has become notorious among scholars as the absurdest lie in literature. Atlantis Destroyed explores the possibility that the account given by Plato is historically true. Rodney Castleden first considers the location of Atlantis re-examining two suggestions put forward in the early twentieth century; Minoan Crete and Minoan Thera. He outlines the latest research findings on Knossos and Bronze Age Thera, discussing the material culture, trade empire and agricultural system, writing and wall paintings, art, religion and society of the Minoan civilization. Castleden demonstrates the many parallels between Plato's narrative and the Minoan Civilization in the Aegean. Fired by the imagination a new vision of Atlantis has arisen over the last one hundred and fifty years as a lost utopia. Rodney Castleden discusses why this picture arose and xplains how it has become confused with Plato's genuine account. |
Contents
1 All the island and many other islands also | 1 |
2 Preludes to discovery | 14 |
the second rediscovery | 32 |
4 The bronze age city of Thera emerges | 43 |
5 Atlantean arts and crafts | 58 |
6 Theran food and trade | 66 |
7 Writing and wallpainting | 80 |
8 Art religion and society | 90 |
9 The last days of Akrotiri | 114 |
10 Atlantis destroyed | 134 |
11 Deconstruction of Atlantis | 172 |
a major controversy | 191 |
Notes | 193 |
205 | |
219 | |
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Common terms and phrases
adyton Aegean islands Akrotiri Amnisos Anatolian ancient archaeological Athenians Athens Atlanteans Atlantis Atlantis story Ayia Irini boys bronze age city Building Bull Court caldera Castleden 1989 centre century ceremonies coast colony crater Cretan Crit Critias culture Cycladic decorative destruction Dionysius Donnelly’s Doumas earlier earthquake east Egypt Egyptian evidence excavation Figure floor Fouque fresco goddess Greek mainland harbour huge ibid idea Kameini kilometres kings Knossos Knossos Labyrinth late bronze age layer Marinatos Mavor Melos Mesara metres Minoan civilization Minoan Crete Minoan trading Mycenae Mycenean Naxos painted palace Palaikastro papyrus perhaps Phylakopi pillars of Heracles Plato Plato’s description Poseidon possible pottery priestesses priests probably pumice reconstructed religious ritual Room round Salamis Sanctuary Santorini seabed seen settlement ships shows Sicily Solon Sparta Spring Fresco stone suggests survived Syracuse temple Thera eruption Therasia Timaeus town tradition tsunamis volcanic wall frieze wall-paintings Zakro