h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Of course it exists!!! Indiana Jones found it in the 'Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis' computer game. It was made in a few concentric cirlces and in the very center was a machine to turn humans into God-like creatures. Unfortunately by the time Indy and the Nazis got to it the machine had fallen into disrepair and it ended up killing the insane Nazi who wanted to rule the world.... Then I think the whole place (which even had a monorail that ran around the edge) collapsed in on itself.... but of course Indy and the chick got out okay.

Yeah, that was a fairly nifty game.

Must be true then, cos if its on the computer or tv it has to be true. And I saw Atlantis on tv at least three times. The most recent was an episode of Hercules, in Eric the Viking and in an old 50's film.

But seriously it is comforting to think that the place exists, it gives us something to look to. Iread somewhere out side a library I think: All that man has done, or wanted to be lies in magic preservation in the pages of books. A nice sentiment.

Uhhh, I don't think the land ruled by Terry Jones in Eric The Viking was Atlantis, even though it did fall beneath the waves. Also, the reason for it doing so is rather different from the reason that Atalntis sunk.

Oh well close enough, but it had to have been a classy place to have been on Hercules anyway!?!

As stated in the main article our knowledge of Atlantis comes mainly from Homer and his description of the wonderous island.

Unfortunately his location of the island has been misunderstood. Homer decribed the island as being in the great sea through the Pillars of Heracles.

In Homers time what we call the Atlantic Ocean was the end of the world, it did not have a name. What we now call the Pillars of Heracles (The Straits of Gibraltar) were not known by that name.

The Seas that influenced the lives of the Ancient Greeks were the Caspian and the Black seas, the "Great Sea" was the Mediterranean.

Where Homer lived on mainland Greece there were, and still are, two hills called the Pillars of Heracles. When you look out between these hills you are looking out over the eastern Mediterranean towards Crete.

Most Archaeologists now accept that Crete was the birthplace of Greek civilisation, and the Minoan civilisation of Crete was the most cultural and powerful state of the then known world.

The Palace of the rulers of Atlantis as described by Homer is exactly the same as the great palace of Knossos which has been excavated on Crete.

At the height of the Minoan civilsation in 1450 BC the island of Crete and the surrounding islands were destroyed by the cataclysmic eruption of the volcano Santorin on the island of Thera (Thira}. This volcano collapsed in on its'self causing a massive explosion as the sea rushed in.

To give you some idea of the power of the explosion, the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded time was that of Krakatoa in1883 which was the largest explosion ever known, it was as powerful as fifty nuclear bombs going off at once. The resulting tidal wave killed nearly 40,000 people and 1500 miles away parts of Australia were flooded 15 miles inland.

Geologists reckon that the explosion at Thera was at least 50 times greater than Krakatoa!

Amagine the devastation in a confined sea like the Mediterranean, and the nearby island of Crete.

That, of course, was the end of the Minoan civilisation. But the start of the myth of Atlantas.(The explosion of Thera coincides with the approximate date given in the Bible for Moses leading the flight out of Egypt.-Fire and brimstone?, 7 days of darkness?, the parting of the seas?, etc. but that, as they say, is another story).

Sorry, I meant Plato!!!!!

As the Keepeer of the Sacred Multi-Dimensional Gate I would like to forward a suggestion:

It is completely possible that Atlantis was (is) in another dimension, reachable through a gate in the middle of a sea in both dimensions. The described catastrophes could have weakened the gate to a point that it can't be used or moved it to an inaccessible place. Or the gate might still function under favorable circumstances. (The Bermuda Triangle).

(ducks in case of violent disagreements)

As the Keepeer of the Sacred Multi-Dimensional Gate I would like to forward a suggestion:

It is completely possible that Atlantis was (is) in another dimension, reachable through a gate in the middle of a sea in both dimensions. The described catastrophes could have weakened the gate to a point that it can't be used or moved it to an inaccessible place. Or the gate might still function under favorable circumstances. (The Bermuda Triangle).

(ducks in case of violent disagreements)