1. ATLANTIS :Rreaction Paper
Clint Gargantiel
For a masters course in ancient history, ‘Greek stories of utopia’, I have studied the Atlantis myth
as portrayed in Plato’s works. An important remark that hasn’t been made yet, is that amongst
philologists (people that study texts) there is modern day general consensus that the myth of Athens vs
Atlantis was in fact a complete fabrication by Plato to present current state of affairs in the Athenian
state: the mythical tale was a form of self-reflection of socio-political behaviour of the imperial Athenian
state.Plato favored a Spartan way of living (autonomous, land-based, blut und boden) over the golden
age Athenian imperial way that was without moderation and had been corrupted by the sea (a lost self-
identity because of many different cultures, overzealously confident). In his day and age Athens had just
performed a failed attempt to capture colonies on the coast of Sicily and the golden days were beginning
to wane. Plato was convinced that the Athenian empire, grown by the favor of the sea, was creating its
own doom and that it needed to go back to its original ‘utopian’ land based form as described in the
philosophical discussions of the Politeia, most realistically mirrored by neighbouring Sparta.This sea/land
dichotomy is mirrored in the mythical war between Atlantis and Athens. But mind you, this is not a war
BETWEEN states, but a war WITHIN. Atlantis stands for the golden age Athenian empire, while utopian
Athens is Athens as it should be in the eyes of Plato. Thus the myth is a tale of how modern day Athens
is caught in a moral fight with its utopian self deciding its identity and fate, through this construct both
criticizing imperial Athens as promoting Plato’s ideal state with the philosopher-king as head of
state.There are many parallels to be found in the mythical war in relation to Plato’s present. Atlantis’
posing as imperial Athens water based (both have a giant navy) splendour (fe the highly embellished
Akropolis vs the riches of Atlantis), multiplicity (many cultures trading in the harbour of Piraeus just as
they do in Atlantis), having in possession enormous stretches of land (Atlantis has conquered a great deal
of Europe, which Athens has done through the Attic-Delian imperial league), the power of the multiple
(10 kings of Atlantis vs the 10 democratic people’s assemblies of the Athenian demes) versus a landbased
(inland Athens) simple society (three classes; common people, soldiers and the philosophers
harmoniously living together, each playing their part) without a harbor, living as one, controlling a small
surrounding territory and ruled by the wisest few and not the majority who use instinct over wit. Not
surprisingly, utopian Athens prevails in the war and symbolically wins on land (their strength) while
Atlantean Athens loses and their continent/reign goed under in the sea, from which they got their original
strength (like a snake biting its own tail).
For it is related in our records how once upon a time your State stayed the course of a mighty
host, which, starting from a distant point in the Atlantic ocean, was insolently advancing to attack the
whole of Europe, and Asia to boot. For the ocean there was at that time navigable; for in front of the
mouth which you Greeks call, as you say, 'the pillars of Heracles,' there lay an island which was larger
than Libya and Asia together; and it was possible for the travelers of that time to cross from it to the other
islands, and from the islands to the whole of the continent over against them which encompasses that
veritable ocean. For all that we have here, lying within the mouth of which we speak, is evidently a haven
having a narrow entrance; but that yonder is a real ocean, and the land surrounding it may most rightly be
called, in the fullest and truest sense, a continent. Now in this island of Atlantis there existed a
confederation of kings, of great and marvelous power, which held sway over all the island, and over many
other islands also and parts of the continent.