Atlantis Origins of Civilization

The story of the lost island of Atlantis is recorded by Plato over two thousand years ago. But even in his time it was already an ancient legend going back over nine thousand years. If he is right, the island disappeared about 11-12000 years ago. These are the facts that Plato has to say about Atlantis: When the Greek gods divided the earth among themselves, Poseidon, the god of the ocean and waters received the island called Atlantis and settled it with his children from a human woman. The first son of Poseidon was Atlas who was the first king on the island and after whom the island came to be called Atlantis and the ocean surrounding it Atlantic. At the heart of Atlantis stood the temple of Poseidon. In the middle of the temple stood a pillar of orichalcum with the laws of Poseidon inscribed by the first kings. Beside the text of the law, the pillar also recorded an oath invoking severe curses on the disobedient. The kings of the various regions of the island would gather around this pillar and pledge to obey and uphold the law by performing sacrifices. This idyllically perfect state lasted for many generations until the kings and their people obeyed the laws of Poseidon. They were respectful and affectionate towards the gods and had great spirits in every respect. They possessed virtue and wisdom and valued the true things in life, such as friendship and knowledge. They did not put much weight on gold and property and, although they had wealth and luxury, they did not ...