Atlantis
Fictional island in Plato's allegory on national hubris.
Atlantis is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works Timaeus and Critias as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In Plato's account, Atlantis was a naval empire from the west that conquered most of Europe and Libya, but after an ill-fated campaign against a fictionalized Athens, it lost divine favor and submerged into the Atlantic Ocean. The story, though minor in Plato's work, has had a considerable impact on literature and has become a byword for any supposed advanced prehistoric lost civilization.
- field
- Allegorical fiction
- known_for
- Fictional island empire that sank into the Atlantic Ocean
- creator
- Plato
- type
- Fictional island
Lore & Background
Plato's vague indications of the time (more than 9,000 years before his time) and location ('beyond the Pillars of Hercules') gave rise to much pseudoscientific speculation. While present-day philologists and classicists agree on the story's fictional nature, there is debate on its inspiration, with suggestions including the Thera eruption, the Sea Peoples invasion, the Trojan War, or contemporary events such as the failed Athenian invasion of Sicily or the destruction of Helike.
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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