Atlantis

Atlantis is a lost City which dominated the Ancient world with its armies and ships, whose location remains unknown.
It was described in detail by Plato, who wrote that it was lost underwater in a catastrophe.

In Ancient Greek, Atlantis means the ‘Island of Atlas’.
Plato described Atlantis in his books, the Criteas and the Timaeus.
He may have been encouraged to write the story of Atlantis by the sinking in one night of the Greek city of Helike.
Plato says that Atlantis sank under the ocean in one day and one night, at an unspecified time after a War between Athens and Atlantis.
Plato gave the date of this War as occurring circa 9,600 years earlier, but gave no date of the Destruction of Atlantis, other than to say it took place sometime after the War with Athens.

Plato does not give a date for the destruction of Atlantis, except that it occurs some time after the War against Athens and Egypt by Atlantis.
Plato stated in the Critias, that the War between Atlantis and Athens took place 9,000 years before the date of the Dialogue in c.421 BCE, so circa 9,421 BCE.
However, in the Timaeus, 9,000 years is said to have elapsed between the founding of Athens and Solon’s visit to Sais, Egypt in circa 570 BCE. As Egypt was said to have been founded one thousand years after Athens, the War must have taken place in 8,750 BCE.
If the 9,000 years referred to were 9,000 Lunar months and not Solar years, then the date comes forward to c. 750 years before Solon’s visit to Egypt in 570 BCE, giving the date of the War between 1300-1200 BCE.

Orichalcum was also mentioned by Plato in the Critias, whilst describing Atlantis.
Plato says it was the second most valuable metal after Gold, and that there were many Orichalcum Mines in Atlantis.
Plato described the interior walls, pillars and floors of the Temple of Poseidon and Cleito in Atlantis, as being coated in Orichalcum. The Temple roof was a combination of Gold, Silver and Orichalcum. The Temple had three walls, the inner wall covered in Brass, the middle wall in Tin, and the outer wall in Orichalcum.
In the centre of the Temple there was a Pillar of solid Orichalcum on which was inscribed the Laws of Poseidon.

Plutarch
- mentions Plato’s discussion of Atlantis in the ‘Life of Solon’ 26. 1 and 32.1, and commented that it was a sad loss that Plato’s Work remained unfinished.
Diodorus Siculus
- mentions Atlantis as discussed in Plato’s Critias, in his ‘Library of History’ Book 3.
Pliny the Elder
- comments on Atlantis in Plato‘s Work, in his Natural History Book 6.
Strabo
Posidonius

Plato stated that the lost empire of Atlantis was located beyond the Pillars of Hercules, long considered to be the Strait of Gibraltar.
Plato also wrote a third Work called the ‘Hermocrates’, a sequel to the Timaeas and the Critias, which has been lost, but probably described Atlantis in detail.

Indian Ocean:
- Kumari Kandam
  - A lost continent, known as the ‘Atlantis’ of the Indian Ocean, called Kumari Kandam is referred to in Tamil Works and Sanskrit Literature.
  - It was ruled for almost ten thousand years by the Pandyan Kings before having sunk off the south coast of India and Sri Lanka.

Santorini