João wrote:
> Well, the Atlantis myth exists literally only in Greece, but we
don''t know
> if the sources of Plato was Greek - he stated they were Egyptian.
Yes he claims it came via Solon, the Athenian Law Giver, an ancestor
of his, from a priest at Heliopolis. Despite this Atlantis has a
good Aegean feel to the name (-nt-s) being a pre-Greek place name
marker from the Caucasas to Italy. Atla- also fits into Atlas, and
is found in such names as Atalanta of Calydon.
I have an unprovable theory that Atalantoi was the name the People of
the Sea gave to themselves (tala = thalassa (Sea)). Thus the fact
that the Egyptians called tem People of the Sea, I believe, may have
been a translation into Egyptian, of what they called themselves.
Mind you, they also had a whole range of ethnic names too that the
Egyptians were good at remembering - which suggests that whatever
they called themselves they we a coalition of many peoples. This is
what Plato himself hints at when he suggests that they had ten kings
(whose names he gives).
Some have seen a consistent error in Plato's account. He is clearly
describing a Bronze Age culture beyond the Pillars of Hercules. And
yet he sets it 9,000 years earlier. It has been suggested that this
results from an Egyptian scribal error - the hieroglyphics for 900
could be read for 9,000. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the
ancient name for Crete (Keftiu) actually means "Pillar". Biblical
tradition mentions that the Philistines massed in Crete before coming
as Peoples of the Sea to invade Egypt.
One interesting thing about Platos account is that it states that
only Egypt and Athens survived the disruption caused by the
Atlantians. It is also an interesting fact that only Athens and
Egypt resisted the disruption of the Peoples of te Sea. Only in
these two areas did the Late Bronze Age culture survive.
Whatever the truth about Atlantis it is clear that Plato intended to
write more on the subject, but never did. The story of Atlantis was
composed while the philosopher was at the court of the king of
Syracuse, which was then engaged in a struggle with Carthage. Some
have seen an analogy between Carthage and Atlantis. Graves even
makes out that the Atlantians came from Libyan or Berber tribes
living close to the Atlas mountains.
Joao continues
> Similar
> legends of sinking lands are present in Celts (Ys, Lyonesse, Hy
Brazil, etc)
> and India (Rutas). The Flood myth occurs in Greece, India,
Lithuania,
> Scandinavia, Ireland, and in many non-IE people all around the
world.
I suspect that there are many overlays to these myths. Ultimately, I
believe, there are vague memories of lands lost beneath the sea as a
result of the melting of the Ice, from the last Ice Age. Of course
at such a time span this is also impossble to prove.
Regards
John