1.2 Plato's Atlanteans

Although others probably have referred to a lost island before him, Plato's version of Atlantis is certainly the most famous. The details of his account will not be repeated here as it is readily available elsewhere, but some key aspects are discussed.

Plato was a man with a remarkable insight into human nature, and for instance remarked that

"… for mythology and the enquiry into antiquity are first introduced into cities when they begin to have leisure, and when they see that the necessaries of life have already been provided, but not before."

He understood very well the effects any natural catastrophe would have on the human race and its recollection of history,

" … their names [of the Gods] are preserved, but their actions have disappeared by reason of the destruction of those who received the tradition, and the lapse of ages. For when there were any survivors, … they were men who dwelt in the mountains; and they were ignorant of writing, and had heard only the names of the chiefs of the land, but very little about their actions."

What Plato did not realize was that many of the actions of the ancients were preserved in the descriptive names given to various characters in the story told to him by the priest. In this manner many of the actions of the ancients were indeed preserved for posterity.

According to Plato, the 'island' called Atlantis was bequeathed to the 'god' Poseidon. Poseidon mated with a mortal woman and begat five pairs of twin male children. He divided the island into ten portions, giving the largest and best to the firstborn of the eldest pair, and made him king over the rest. His name was Atlas and his twin brother was called Gadeirus, and also Eumelus (in Greek).  The others were Ampheres and Evaemon, Mneseus and Autochton, Elasippus and Metor, and finally Azaes and Diaprepes.

These names, along with the very name Atlantis, will next be shown to be concatenations of Greek words, with very distinct interpretations.