Last year I wrote a script for video based on Plato's Timaeus. I have not finished all the visuals yet, but I wanted to share the written version.
NARRATOR
In the captivating pages of Plato's 'Timaeus,' we find Socrates deep in contemplation, delving into the profound exploration of the qualities that might adorn the most ideal government. Socrates envisions a society where warriors exhibit fair judgment, mercy, and fierceness. Guardians, balancing passion, and philosophy, ensure equal opportunities for men and women, fostering communal living and education for unity. Rulers prioritize citizens' well-being and worthiness. Socrates expresses excitement for its dynamic implementation, emphasizing alignment between a perfect state's training and leaders' actions. He acknowledges limitations in eloquence but highlights the value of firsthand experience. Socrates introduces Critias to everyone. He says Critias, combining education and experience, should be entrusted with unfolding Atlantis's narrative. Plato notes, from Critias' perspective, this tale is not a legend but the true story of early Athenians and their encounter with the Kings of Atlantis.
Critias speaks.
CRITIAS
In these hushed moments, let me share with you an untold epic, whispered through the ages from the lips of Solon, the most wise among the seven sages. Imagine, had Solon chosen the path of a chronicler, his tales of awe-inspiring travels through Egypt might have rivaled the fame of Homer's 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey,' or stood shoulder to shoulder with Hesiod's verses. Alas, the details of the greatest Athenian endeavor, the tale of the defeat of Atlantis, remains obscure through the sands of time.
Solon entrusted this narrative to his dear friend and uncle, my great-grandfather, who in turn passed it on to my grandfather. At age ninety Solon relayed it to me. And now, dear friends, I give the story to you.
Our journey begins with Solon venturing to the Nile's delta, where the river parts, unveiling the region of Sais. Its citizens, attributing their roots to the deity Neith, tell Solon Neith is connected to Athena. The Egyptian priest express a strong affinity for the Athenians, also claiming a familial connection. Solon receives a warm welcome in Sais. He probes the depths of antiquity, consulting the learned priests. In this pursuit, he uncovers the vast gaps in his own understanding of ancient times.
Solon attempts to share tales of ancient events, including the stories of Phoroneus the man who invented Athenian law. He beautifully narrates the sorrows of Niobe and how her own weakness killed all twelve of her children. He tries to recount his oldest stories about Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha just after the Great Deluge. The stories of their first cities and temples. Stories about Decucalion’s first efforts to rule over men. However, the priests, noting the Greeks' lack of ancient traditions, criticize Solon’s childish mindset. According to an aged priest, calamities such as fires and floods have repeatedly caused the destruction of mankind.
The Egyptian priest says Solon should understand the tale of Phaethon symbolizes celestial movements and the periodic destruction of mankind.
Phaethon, the son of Helios, tried to drive his father’s chariot, the sun, but failed. The failure resulted in the destruction of everything on Earth and Phaethon was killed in the process by a thunderbolt. Although the story appears to be a myth, the Egyptian priest tells Solon it actually symbolizes the celestial bodies sometimes deviate from their usual path and cause massive destruction on Earth.
The priest further explains that when floods occur, those in mountainous regions survive, while coastal city-dwellers are carried into the sea. In Egypt, water tends to rise from below, ensuring the preservation of ancient traditions. The Egyptian priests understood humanity flourishes where extreme weather conditions are absent. The priest asserted that the Egyptians have documented remarkable events over time, unlike the Athenians, who experience periodic intellectual setbacks due to catastrophes.
In a revelation that shattered Solon's understanding, an Egyptian priest unveils an ancient civilization predating the founding of Athens. The story highlights the Athenian people’s noble past. A past still revered during Solon’s trip in Egypt. The priest drew parallels between Athenian and Egyptian laws, showcasing similarities in societal roles. Athena, revered in both Athens and Sais, supposedly founded Athens a millennium before Sais. The priest emphasized the wisdom in Sais's strategic location. Both cities foster virtuous citizens.
As Solon recounted, the priest spoke of an ancient Athenian city witnessing remarkable events now lost to time. The priest revealed a war fought nine thousand years in the past. The Athenians aiding one side, fighting against the kings of Atlantis, whose dominion exceeded the size of Libya and Asia.
The priest explains, in the ancient days, the gods peacefully divided the earth, nurturing mortal creatures like shepherds tending flocks. Hephaestus and Athena, united in philosophy and art, received Athens as their portion, fostering wisdom and virtue. However, natural disasters destroyed any record of the early inhabitants' noble deeds. Those on the mountaintops, having survived the Great Flood, lacked writing, and knew only the names of their historic leaders. They only remembered scant details about their lives. They neglected the distant past due to life's necessities. They clung to obscure traditions about the forebears' virtues and laws.
Mythology and the investigation of antiquity arise in cities when leisure becomes available once the necessities of life are secured. Solon explored the war narrative, unearthed names predating Theseus, the founder of Athens. Names such as Cecrops, a king of Attica. Erechtheus inventor of the city center and the polis of Athens. Erichthonius—a king of great wealth and prosperity. The tales extended to Erysichthon, son of Cercrops, who met his fate returning from Delos with the ancient wooden statue of Eileithuia, the goddess of childbirth. The priest, a repository of early Athenian history, knew not only the citizens but also their wives and family names, weaving a captivating tapestry of ancient life.
In ancient times, Athenian military pursuits were common to both genders. This was symbolized by the goddess Athena depicted in full armor, emphasizing the shared virtue of both men and women. The diverse classes—artisans, husbandmen, and warriors—were initially designated by exceptional individuals based on merit and not sex. Ancient Athenians thrived on communal living, equipped with all necessities for nurture and education. With no private belongings, everything was communal, and citizens sought only essential sustenance from one another.
The Egyptian priests conveyed an accurate account of the country's boundaries. In those days, the Isthmus defined the limits, extending towards the continent up to the heights of Cithaeron and Parnitha. The boundary descended seaward, encompassing the Oropus district on the right and bordered by the Asopus River on the left. The land was unparalleled globally, capable of sustaining a vast army from the neighboring regions. Even the remaining Attica, as it exists today, rivals any region globally in the quality and diversity of its fruits and the suitability of its pastures for various animals. This attests to the fertility of the land, which was even more bountiful in those times.
Asking the Egyptian priests about Athens' ancient landscape, Solon discovered that over nine thousand years, floods shaped the terrain. Unlike elsewhere, there has not been substantial accumulation of soil from the mountains. Initially, the region featured fertile plains, wooded mountains, and thriving trees cultivated for livestock. The land once benefited from annual rainfall, retaining water in compact clay, creating fountains and rivers. Sacred memorials now mark these locations. Cultivated by noble farmers, the area thrived with the world's finest soil, abundant water, and a balanced climate.
Inquiring about ancient Athens, Solon learned the Acropolis once differed significantly. A night of rain, earthquakes, and inundation reshaped it, extending from Eridanus to Ilissus, encompassing the Pnyx and bounded by Lycabettus. This expanse was covered with soil and featured a level top with few exceptions. Artisans and husbandmen lived outside, warriors around the temples. Enclosed by a single fence, resembling the garden of a single house. It was a modest blend of simplicity and function. Temples, dwellings, and dining halls adorned the north side. In summer, they used the south side with a once-abundant fountain. This was their life, safeguarding and maintaining, around twenty thousand battle ready citizens. Renowned for beauty and virtue, the ancient Athenians administered their land with righteousness.
Before delving into the narrative of Atlantis, a word of caution: you might hear Hellenic names attributed to foreigners. Solon, preparing a tale for his poem, translated the names from the early Egyptian script, preserving their meanings. I possess my great-grandfather's original writing, and if you encounter names familiar in this country, it's due to this translation. Now, turning to the Atlanteans, we find that Poseidon, receiving the island of Atlantis as his lot, fathered children with a mortal woman. He settled them in a central plain on a hill, facing the sea. This plain, considered the fairest and most fertile, was surrounded by a mountain, not very high on any side. In this mountain lived a primitive man named Evenor, with his wife Leucippe and their daughter Cleito. Poseidon fell in love with Cleito, enclosed the hill with alternating zones of land and sea, and created a haven for them.
Atlas was the first king of the island created out of the original hill. He divided the island into ten portions. The ocean and the island were named Atlantic after the king. Poseidon, a god, easily arranged the central island, bringing forth warm and cold springs and abundant food. Atlas fathered ten male heirs, dividing the island among them. The eldest child, also named Atlas, became the king. The younger Atlas managed the island's prosperity to exceed anything possessed by his father’s rule. They extracted orichalcum from the earth, had ample wood for carpentry, maintained elephants, and the land produced various fragrant and nourishing crops. The island had an abundance of wildlife and delightful fruits. With these blessings, they constructed temples, palaces, harbors, and docks, while organizing the country meticulously. They started by bridging the sea zones around the ancient metropolis, creating a road to and from the royal palace.
Initially, the people of Atlantis built the palace in the elder Atlas habitation, enhancing it over successive generations, making it a marvel in size and beauty. From the sea, the people of Atlantis dug a canal, 300 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and 50 stadia long, connecting it to the outermost zone and forming a harbor. They divided the zones with bridges, allowing a trireme to pass from one to another, covering the channels to create a passage underneath for ships. The largest cut zone from the sea was three stadia wide, followed by a land zone of equal breadth. The next two zones, one water and one land, measured two stadia. The water zone surrounding the central island was one stadia wide. The central island was five stadia wide. A stone wall enclosed the entire area, with towers and gates on the bridges where the sea entered. The stone for this wall came from beneath the central island and the zones on both the outer and inner sides.
The citizens of Atlantis quarried three types of construction stone—white, black, and red. The entire wall around the outermost zone had a coating of brass, the next with tin, and the third, enclosing the citadel, glittered with the red light of orichalcum. The interior palaces were centered around a holy temple dedicated to Cleito and Poseidon, guarded and surrounded by a gold enclosure. It had a strange and barbaric appearance. A stadium in length and half a stadia in width, with a silver-covered exterior and gold-covered pinnacles. Inside, the roof was of ivory, adorned with gold, silver, and orichalcum, while the walls and pillars were coated with orichalcum. Gold statues adorned the temple. The central statue of Poseidon in a chariot with six-winged horses was so enormous the head touched the roof of the building. One hundred Nereids riding on dolphins surrounded the statue. The temple also housed other privately dedicated images. Statues of gold representing the descendants of the ten kings, their wives, and numerous offerings adorned the exterior. The complex also featured fountains of cold and hot water, with buildings, trees, and cisterns surrounding them.
Atlantis had fountains, one of cold and another of hot water. The fountains flowed and were wonderfully adapted for use. There were baths for the kings. There were baths for private citizens separated for men and women. There was water for the horses and cattle. Water runoff from the fountains nourished a grove of Poseidon, while aqueducts carried the rest across the bridges to the outer circles. Temples, gardens, exercise areas for men and horses, and a stadium-wide racecourse were present on both islands formed by the zones. Guardhouses were strategically placed, with the most trusted guards having residences within the citadel. The docks housed triremes and naval stores, and the entire plan reflected the grandeur of the kingdom and the temple. Beyond the palace, three harbors and a wall enclosing the whole area totaling fifty stadia was described. The densely populated area had vessels and merchants from various parts, creating a constant hum of human voices, din, and clatter.
Solon also detailed the nature of the rest of the land surrounding Atlantis. The country was said to be lofty and precipitous on the side facing the sea. The region surrounding the city was a level plain, oblong in shape, extending three thousand stadia in one direction and two thousand stadia across the center. The land looked south, sheltered from the north by surrounding mountains. The mountain range was known for its size, beauty, and numerous wealthy villages, rivers, lakes, and meadows. An abundant wood of various sorts supported both wild and domestic animals in the mountains.
The plains surrounding Atlantis opposite the mountains were shaped by both nature and the efforts of many generations of kings over long expanses of time. It was mostly rectangular and oblong, with deviations from the straight line following an enormous circular ditch. The ditch, incredible in its depth, width, and length, gave the impression it couldn't have been artificial. Despite this, I'll convey what I was told. The ditch reached a depth of a hundred feet, with a stadia in width throughout, encircling the entire city of Atlantis. The largest outermost circle measured ten thousand stadia in length. It served as a conduit for streams from the mountains, winding around the plain and meeting at the city before emptying into the sea. Further inland, straight canals of a hundred feet in width were cut through the plain, connecting to the ditch leading to the sea. These canals, spaced at intervals of a hundred stadia, facilitated the transportation of wood from the mountains and the conveyance of earth's produce via ships. In winter, they benefited from the rains of heaven, and in summer, they utilized the water supplied by the land through streams introduced from the canals.
Regarding the citizens of Atlantis, each lot in the plain had to provide a leader for men fit for military service. A lot was a square of ten stadia on each side, and the total number of lots equaled sixty thousand. Additionally, the inhabitants of the mountains and the rest of the country, a vast multitude, were distributed among the lots, with leaders assigned based on their districts and villages.
Leaders were required to contribute to the war effort, supplying the sixth portion of a war-chariot to amass a total of ten thousand chariots, along with two horses and riders, a pair of chariot-horses without a seat, accompanied by a foot soldier carrying a small shield and a charioteer guiding the horses.
Two heavy-armed soldiers, two archers, two slingers, three stone-shooters, and three javelin-men constituted the light-armed forces. Four sailors were required for the safe navigation and operation of each of the twelve hundred Atlantean naval vessels. The military organization varied among the ten governments, with distinctions in their order. In terms of offices and honors, each of the ten kings had absolute control over the citizens in their division and city, including the power to punish and slay whomsoever they wished.
Their order of precedence and relations were regulated by the commands of Poseidon, inscribed on a pillar of orichalcum in the middle of the island at the temple of Poseidon. Every fifth and sixth year, the kings gathered at the temple, giving equal honor to the odd and even years. They consult on common interests, inquire about any transgressions, and pass judgment. Before passing judgment, they pledged to one another by hunting bulls without weapons, only staves and nooses. After they catch a worthy bull, they lead it up to the pillar. They then cut the bull’s throat over the top of the orichalcum pillar so that the blood falls upon the sacred inscription. After slaying the bull and offering prayers, they cook the limbs. They fill a bowl of wine and cast in a clot of blood for each king. They put the rest of the bull on the fire only after having purified the sacred pillar entirely with blood. Next, they draw from the bowl using golden cups. They pour the libation on the fire. They swear an oath to neither command nor obey any rule contrary to the laws on the orichalcum pillar. The pillar invokes curses on the disobedient. Each king offers this oath of himself and for his descendants. Meanwhile they continue to drink from the gold cups. Only offering them to Poseidon’s temple once they are satisfied. At night, they sit on the ground over the embers of the sacrifices and extinguish the temple fire. They receive and give judgment. The kings of Atlantis write down their sentences on a golden tablet at daybreak, dedicating it along with their royal azure robes to become a memorial.
Numerous special laws regarding the kings of Atlantis were inscribed around the temples, but the most crucial one prevented them from taking up arms against each other. The kings of Atlantis were obligated to come to the rescue if anyone attempted to overthrow the royal house in their cities. They were to deliberate collectively on war and other matters, giving supremacy to the descendants of Atlas. Any one King of Atlantis had no power of life or death over another king without the assent of the majority.
NARRATOR
We should take a moment to pause here. Solon’s information about Atlantis is almost at an end. Critias began his tale by letting everyone know this was Solon’s unfinished tale. However, much can be examined from the information provided. The battle was set up as a tale of Athena and the Athenians vs Poseidon and the Atlanteans. A story of wisdom vs the sea. In Greek mythology, Poseidon and Athena had a complex relationship described in various tales. Zeus was Poseidon’s brother and Athena was Zeus’ favorite daughter.
In another gripping tale, Poseidon and Athena clash over a beautiful mortal. Accounts suggest Poseidon assaulted a beautiful mortal, named Medusa, in Athena's temple. This sparks Athena's wrath. Athena, in retaliation, transformed Medusa into a monstrous being with a gaze that could petrify. Ovid's “Metamorphoses” vividly captures this clash, making it one of the most influential disputes in Greek mythology. Athena is later associated with the Aegis Shield featuring Medusa's head. Hesiod’s “Theogony” details the shield was crafted by Hephaestus, the blacksmith god, and given to Zeus as a powerful protective device. The modern concept acting “under someone’s aegis” means doing something under the protection of a power, knowledgeable, and benevolent source.
Poseidon's symbols include the trident, dolphins, horses, fish, seashells, waves, and water itself, all representing his dominion over the sea. Nevertheless, he was responsible for great earth-bound creations as well. Poseidon is credited with creating the horse by striking the ground with his trident.
Poseidon acquired the trident after the Titanomachy, a ten-year series of battles known also as the Clash of the Titans. Desiring a powerful weapon befitting his dominion over the seas, the trident was forged in the depths of the Cyclops' workshop. The Cyclops were skilled blacksmiths known for crafting potent weapons for the gods. Poseidon's trident represents his authority over the oceans, rivers, and lakes, as well as his ability to control and manipulate water itself.
Ultimately, this was the family dynamic in the pantheon of Olympic Gods entering the war of the Athenians against Atlantis. While the narrative was never committed to paper a brief story structure based on a monomyth outline can be created to cover the time in question.
Title card
A long time ago in a land far, far away…
The Fall of Atlantis
Screen crawl
We traverse through the age-old archetypes and timeless themes.
Our hero receives a mysterious call. Fate has chosen them for something extraordinary. The magnitude of the task at hand seems insurmountable.
Along the way the hero will meet a mentor. With newfound wisdom and confidence, our hero crosses the threshold into a realm of wonder and danger.
A treacherous path unfolds, riddled with obstacles and evil foes. The tale you are about to witness is…
…the GREATEST STORY NEVER TOLD.
Title Card
ATLANTIS
CRITIAS
In the heart of the prehistoric world, where gods and goddesses play puppeteers with mortal lives, Poseidon and Athena, each a force of their own, clash in a battle that would shake the heavens. We meet our innocent hero going about an ordinary day.
Poseidon, the tempestuous god of the sea and earth, is not content. He is upset with Athena, the cunning goddess protecting the Athenians. They find themselves entangled in a divine dispute. Athena sends a messenger to call upon and mentor our simple Athenian hero. The mentor explains to our hero that the rift between Athena and her uncle Poseidon could escalate into a fight that causes the genocide of the Athenian people. The mentor tells our hero they need to travel to the city of Atlantis and confront the ten kings. Our hero, however, refuses the call to adventure. Our hero seems to lack a virtuous quality of some sort.
Poseidon, craving dominance, commands a tempest upon Athens. He unleashes a furious storm that ravages the city. Chaos and destruction paint the landscape as the sea god seeks to assert his reign. The hero’s ordinary life is thrown into chaos as people he loves and cares for die in the catastrophe.
The mentor using Athena’s strategic mind and unyielding spirit, stands firm against Poseidon's onslaught. The mentor demonstrates an ability the hero wishes to obtain. Although our hero does not feel ready, he takes a bold step forward. He travels beyond the pillars of Hercules to confront Atlantis. The hero begins to gather a legion of loyal warriors and mystical creatures. Our hero begins to train with the mentor. Athena may enlist the wise owl to help the mentor train our hero. Meanwhile, Athena may also temp the remaining Gorgons with challenging quests that will ultimately come to aid our hero in battle. Along the road of trials our hero meets the goddess Athena in person who imparts some wisdom for the trials ahead.
Poseidon rallies the Kings and mortals of Atlantis. All one hundred Nereids come to Poseidon’s aid against the hero. Other sea creatures and loyal followers from the ocean depths answer Poseidon’s call. Poseidon and Atlantis become a formidable force to oppose our hero. Poseidon sends five kings of Atlantis out to conquer and destroy the Athenians. Each of the five kings leave Atlantis separately with their own army. Each king forms a wave of carnage that tests the hero. Our hero continues to blaze a path towards Atlantis conquering all tests and slaying the first five Kings of Atlantis. Meanwhile our hero gathers allies along the way. He learns more about Athena’s virtue from the mentor.
As both sides prepare for further battle, Athena's wisdom guides her in devising a secret strategy to seduce and corrupt the kings of Atlantis to counter Poseidon's fury. Her warriors, honed through rigorous training, begin adapting new tactics. Poseidon counters by increasing the intensity of his destruction. Our hero and his mentor continue to approach the innermost workings of the Atlantean civilization.
The clash erupts both on land and sea. Athena's warriors face Poseidon's forces, both gaining and losing ground. The powers clashing in an epic display of might. The sea god's dominion proves a formidable challenge, yet Athena's strategic prowess provides her forces with crucial advantages. The hero faces his worst fears and continues to learn ways to overcome them from his mentor.
The conflict escalates into a full-blown massacre, with both sides evenly matched. Beloved warriors are lost on both sides. Then there comes a turning point. Athena has been using her superior knowledge to weaken Poseidon's sea kingdom from within. Athena’s secret plan tempting the Kings of Atlantis suddenly becomes a major factor. It is revealed that Athena has weakened the remaining kings of Atlantis with visions of absolute power. The lack of virtue among the kings of Atlantis begins to turn the tide for our hero. Our hero seizes the opportunity to gain the upper hand. The kings of Atlantis begin to plot against one another instead of working together to attack our hero. As our hero and the mentor reach the edge of Atlantis the kings refocus and position themselves for battle. Two kings form a bond and decide to protect the outer ring of Atlantis. Our hero and the mentor enter the ring and struggle to kill both kings. The combat is hard fought but our hero and his mentor are victorious.
With the mentor’s help our hero enters the deepest abyss to face the final three kings of Atlantis. Our hero enters the abyss exhausted. Two of the three remaining kings of Atlantis form a bond and together they attack our hero and his mentor. The struggle is evenly matched. The hero and his mentor defeat the two kings, but the mentor is mortally wounded. The hero has come to rely on his mentor. The mentor has been his companion for the entire journey. The mentor has helped get him to this point. The mentor has taught the hero about Athena. The hero has come to rely on the mentor to replace everything that was missing in his life. Just as our hero is facing the darkest enemy, his mentor dies. Our hero is alone. Our hero is knocked to the ground. He faces the dark night of the soul. Everything is lost and veiled in darkness. The hero looks deeply into the abyss and sees his own failure of virtue.
Athena and Poseidon engage in a fierce one-on-one battle, their divine powers colliding in a spectacle of cosmic proportions. The hero from Athens accepts his fate and atones for his failures of virtue. The last king of Atlantis now stands as the harbinger of death in front of our broken hero. The king of Atlantis appears godlike wielding a divine tool gleaming of bright red forged in the orichalcum metal of Atlantis. The hero is now at peace with himself, the loss of his mentor, and certain death. Regardless of the tragic outcome, our hero chooses to stand. He finds a new strength bursting forth from within.
The two mortal foes began to fight the bloodiest hand to hand battle ever fought. Their bodies clashing and opposing one another to the fullest extent of their flesh, muscle, and bone. The fight lasts longer than any fight before or since. With more intensity and aggression than had ever been seen or ever will be seen between two men. The king of Atlantis with the power of Poseidon begins to look as if he will slay our battle-damaged hero. Nearing a certain death our mortal hero reaches out to Zeus. He only appeals to Zeus with the single word “virtue.” The word “virtue” echoes through the halls of Olympus.
“Virtue”
NARRATOR
At this point we can go back to Plato’s description in “Timaeus” for the devastating conclusion. Critias continues.
CRITIAS
For many generations, while the kings of Atlantis were honorable men, the gods were well-affectioned towards the citizens of Atlantis. The kings possessed great wisdom, uniting gentleness with wisdom, despising material wealth, luxury, and excess. However, when the king’s virtue faded away, their behavior became unseemly. The kings became obsessed by avarice and tyranny.
Zeus, being the god of gods, saw Atlantis in decline and wanted to pass a judgment. He gathered all the gods into their most holy habitation, on Mount Olympus. After the gods came together, he spoke words that have been lost to time.
Afterwards violent earthquakes and floods occurred in Atlantis; and in a single day and night of misfortune all warlike men from Atlantis sank into the earth. The city of Atlantis was washed into the sea. There is a shoal of mud now that makes those parts impassable. The shoal was created by the sinking of the island.
NARRATOR
Critias’ account of Atlantis ends there. Atlantis, if it ever existed, has never been heard from since.
There is another voice from Greek antiquity that can help connect a few final thoughts. Proclus Lycius was a philosopher who wrote a commentary based on a student of Plato’s writing. The student was named Crantor and Proclus had this to say about his belief in Atlantis.
Voice of
For those who believe in its historical accuracy, Crantor's interpretation holds significant weight. According to Crantor, Plato merely transcribed what the Egyptians had already recorded about the history of the Athenians and Atlanteans, giving credit where it was due. Crantor adds, that this is testified by the priests of the Egyptians. The Egyptian priest told Crantor, that the proof of the story was inscribed on pillars that still stood during the time of Solon’s visit.
However, there are those who argue that this story is nothing but a fictional narrative, devoid of any factual basis. They argue that it merely symbolizes the unceasing and generational facets of the world. Yet, they fail to consider Plato's firm statement that the story, although incredibly astounding, remains true in every aspect. Plato makes it clear that something which is true in all regards cannot be partially true or false based on mere appearances alone.
NARRATOR
One final character we should examine is the narrator of Solon’s unfinished epic: Critias. Just who was he? And what were his experiences with education and government? And why did Socrates entrust Critias to describe a real-world scenario?
Critias was a common name in Socrates time but there was one “Critias” who had a complicated history with Socrates. Plato was acutely aware of this fact. Critias, son of Callaeschrus, became infamous during Socrates’ lifetime, as the poet turned tyrant. Moreover, Socrates was seen as the person who corrupted Critias by teaching him to question authority, religion, and everything presented as truth. While Critias and Socrates were living in Athens, the Spartans subjugated the Athenians. At Sparta’s heavy-handed suggestion, a new pro-Sparta ruling body of thirty was selected. Critias was chosen to lead this group. The group quickly became known as the Tyranny of Thirty. Critias developed a dark worldview during his brief rule. He fell out of favor with Socrates during this transition. Critias advocated for a rule by absolute power. Critias developed a belief that shrewd men created laws and gods to put fear among the common people. That the strong should control the weak and religion is the most effective tool the ruling class can use to maintain power and drive their agenda. Many people opposed Socrates because they thought his teachings corrupted the mind. They argued Critias’ dark descent to tyranny as the best example of this corruption. This “corruption” charge eventually manifested in a “corruption of the youth” trial that led to Socrates’ execution.
In “Apology”, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates and shows his mentor favorably. Plato writes about Critias the tyrant in his work “Charmides.” Plato knew Critias had shortcomings in virtue as a ruler. These shortcomings possibly mirrored the lack of virtue Zeus saw in Atlantis.
CRITIAS
From Solon to Critias. From Critias to Plato. From Plato to you, the story of Atlantis has been passed down over the span of twelve thousand four hundred years. Atlantis is depicted as an advanced civilization that ultimately fell out of favor with the gods, leading to its destruction. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris and the importance of virtue.
Title Card
While some theories propose that Atlantis may have had some basis in real events or locations, there is no conclusive evidence to support these claims…
yet.