Atlantis Destroyed

Plato'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. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of illustrations Acknowledgements and preface 1 ‘All the island and many other islands also’ The Atlantis legend Thera: a window onto Atlantis Eruption after eruption 2 Preludes to discovery The folklore tradition Nineteenth-century glimpses of a Minoan past The backdrop of the Cyclades Bronze age Knossos Bronze age Athens 3 Thera: the second rediscovery The discovery of Ayia Irini Mavor and Marinatos The dig at Akrotiri begins 4 The bronze age city of Thera emerges ‘I see with the eyes of my soul. . . ’ Architecture of a Late Cycladic city The island: bronze age Thera 5 Atlantean arts and crafts Pottery Stone Metal-working Textiles Furniture 6 Theran food and trade Agriculture and pastoralism Trade Ships 7 Writing and wall-painting Writing Wall-paintings Frescoes of Building 6 (the House of the Ladies) Frescoes of Building 11 (Block Beta) Frescoes of Building 12 (Block Delta) 8 Art, religion and society A panorama of Atlantis Growing up 9 The last days of Akrotiri After the eruption 10 Atlantis destroyed The Minoan trading empire as Atlantis The Knossos Labyrinth as the Atlantean Temple of Poseidon Plato and truth Plato and Sicily Plato and Sparta The source of the Atlantis story 11 Deconstruction of Atlantis The Old Atlantis The New Atlantis Appendix Dating the Thera eruption: a major controversy Notes Bibliography Index

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 explains how it has become confused with Plato's genuine account.

Library Journal

Castleden, who has written ten other books on historical topics (e.g., Minoans: Life in Bronze Age Crete, LJ 1/91), examines various events in ancient history and then attempts to prove that Plato used them to form the Atlantis tale for the purpose of creating a model world that Athenians could contemplate and learn from. He argues persuasively, offering much evidence, for instance, of similarities between Minoan civilization and the Atlantis legend. Ellis (Deep Atlantic, LJ 10/1/96) also reviews sources from Plato to the present that have contributed to the story of Atlantis, revealing what mystics, scientists, film writers, and others have added to the legend. His most interesting revelation is that Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a novel featuring an underwater Atlantis. Ellis also discusses archaeological evidence that some have used to "prove" that Atlantis existed. Castleden and Ellis write in styles suitable for adult readers, and their works are comparable to Marjorie Braymer's Atlantis: The Biography of a Legend (1983). Recommended for academic and large public libraries.Norman Malwitz, Queens Borough P.L., Jamaica, NY

"Plato'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"--Publisher marketing Legendary Atlantis long has hovered between fable and folk tale, taken as fact by some, allegory by others. Author Rodney Castleden incorporates the entire body of scholarship extant on Bronze Age cultures to demonstrate how what he calls the "myth" of Atlantis evolved. 30 photos. 50 line figures. 19 maps Plato's story of Atlantis has the unenviable reputation of being the absurdest lie in all literature.