The mythical minotaur is a colony of a highly developed civilization of the Atlanteans that has disappeared. History of Atlantis

Chapter III. Atlantic Civilization. - Consecrated kings. - Toltec Empire

According to esoteric history, the Atlantean civilization, if you go back to its origins, spans about a million years. This first human society we are considering, so remote and different from ours, represents the fabulous humanity before the flood, about which all mythologies speak. Four floods, as we have already said, four great cataclysms, separated by millennia, gnawed at the old continent, the remnants of which disappeared with the island of Poseidonis, leaving only modern America, originally attached to its mass and which increased from the Pacific Ocean, as Atlantis, eroded from below by underground fire, sank and finally took its place at the bottom of the ocean. During these millennia, several ice ages, caused by the wobble of the earth's axis, drove people from the north to the equator and from the center to all points of both hemispheres of the Earth. There were also migrations, wars and conquests. Each geological explosion was preceded by periods of prosperity and decline, when similar causes gave rise to the same effects. Seven sub-races or varieties of the great Atlantean mother race successfully formed and dominated one after another over the other races, mixing with them. Among them were the prototypes of all modern races inhabiting the globe: red, yellow and white - the basis of a new great mother race, the Semitic-Aryan race, which jealously separated itself from others to start a new cycle in the development of mankind. Also there existed, although in subordination, the black race, which remained still in the stage of the ape-man, from which the Negroes and Malays descended.

The disorderly history of these peoples, recorded by the adepts, contains only the main directions and main events. First, she notes with the pen of Plato the phenomenon of the dominance of spontaneous theocracy and supreme government, which shows this mixture of races, not by brute force, but by natural and skillful magic. The federation of consecrated kings ruled bloodlessly for centuries, and the hierarchy of divine forces was to some extent reflected in the human masses, impulsive but submissive, in whom the sense of self had not yet engendered pride. As soon as it broke through, black magic rose up against the white one, like its fatal shadow, like its natural enemy, writhing in folds and poisonous breath, which did not hesitate to intimidate people in search of power. The two parties then shared a natural power over things, which today's man has lost. From there, all the monstrous wars that ended in the triumph of black magic and the disappearance of Atlantis. Let us give a summary overview of these vicissitudes.

The first sub-race of the Atlanteans was called rmoagalls. She came from the spurs of Lemuria and settled in the south of Atlantis, in a warm and foggy area inhabited by huge antediluvian animals that lived in vast swamps and dark woods. Prehistoric remains have been found in coal mines. They were a gigantic and warlike race, with brown skin like acajou trees, acting collectively. Its name comes from the battle cry by which members of the tribe recognized each other or frightened their enemies. Their leaders seemed to act on behalf of external forces that invaded them with waves of power and inspired them to conquer new territories. But their mission was over, the makeshift leaders returned to the ground, and all was forgotten. Only a vague memory remained, something elusive, the Rmoagalls were quickly defeated, subjugated by other branches of the Atlantean race.

Tlavatli, the same color as their rivals, the race is active, dexterous and cunning, preferring the harsh mountains to the rich plains. They were located there, as in a fortress. This people developed memory, ambition, the rights of leaders and the foundations of the cult of ancestors. In spite of these innovations, the Tlavatli played only a minor role in Atlantean civilization, although by virtue of their solidarity and steadfastness they lasted longest on the old mainland, the last remnant of which, the island of Poseidonis, was inhabited by their descendants. Scott Elliot saw the tlavatl as the ancestors of the Dravidians who still live in southern India.

The carriers of the Atlantean civilization during the apogee of its development were Toltecs, whose name was revived among the Mexican tribes. It was a people, copper-skinned, tall with features of strength and accuracy. With the valor of the Rmoagalls, with the dexterity of the Tlavatli, the Toltecs combined a more faithful memory and a deep need to revere the leaders. The old sage, the dexterous guide, the fearless warrior were revered. Knowledge passing from father to son carried the foundations of patriarchal life and took root in the people. A sacred kingship was also established. It was formed on the basis of wisdom donated by higher beings, the spiritual heirs of the primitive Manu, to persons endowed with insight and divinity. It can also be said that the priest-kings gave birth to consecrated kings. Greatness has been their strength for long centuries. It came to them from their mutual understanding and instinctive boundless hierarchical connection. This power was unshakable for a long time. Encased in its mystique, it was surrounded by religious grandeur and imposing splendor born of this era of simple feelings and strong sensations.

In the depths of the bay formed by Atlantis, some fifteen degrees above the equator, the Toltec kings founded the capital of the mainland. The Tsar-city, which is at the same time a fortress, a temple and seaport. Nature and art competed, trying to create something extraordinary. The city arose above a fertile plain, on a wooded upland, the only hill remaining from the huge chain of mountains that surrounded the imposing circus. The city crowned the temple with massive square pilasters. Its walls and roof were covered with a metal named by Plato orichalcum, a kind of bronze, shining like silver or gold, the favorite precious metals of the Atlanteans. The radiance of this temple could be seen from afar. This is where the name of the city with the golden gates came from. But the supreme miracle of the Atlantic metropolis was, according to the description of the author of the Timaeus, the water supply system. Behind the temple, a large spring sprang from the earth pure water rushing down a stream in a mountain forest. The spring flowed from the tanks through an underground channel, carrying a mass of water from mountain lake. Water rushed down in waterfalls and cascades, forming three circles of canals around the city, which served as both a means of quenching thirst and protection. A little further these channels flowed into the system of lagoons and into the sea, from where the waves brought the products of distant countries. The city was located between the canals, a stone's throw from the temple. According to Plato, stadiums, hippodromes, gymnasiums and even a special guest yard for foreign visitors rose behind the high architectural ramparts that guarded the canals.

During the first heyday of Atlantis, the city of golden gates was the point of attraction for its peoples, and the temple was a symbol of holiness and the center of religious guidance. It was in this temple that the annual meetings of the kings of the federation took place. The ruler of the metropolis convened them to resolve differences between the peoples of Atlantis, discuss common interests and resolve issues of peace and war with common enemies. War between the kings of the federation was strictly forbidden, and everyone had to unite against the one who violated the solar peace. These meetings were accompanied by magnificent religious ceremonies. In the temple stood a bronze stele, on which were engraved in the sacred language the prescriptions of Manu, the founder of the race, and the laws drawn up by his followers over the centuries. This stele was crowned with a golden disk depicting the sun, the symbol of the highest divinity. Although in those days the sun rarely broke through the clouds, he was revered as a star king. Calling themselves the children of the sun, the kings of the federation said that their wisdom and power descended from the sphere of this star. The meetings were preceded by all sorts of solemn purifications. The kings, consecrated by prayer, drank from a golden goblet of water saturated with the smell of the rarest flowers. This water is called drink of the gods and symbolized universal inspiration. Before making a decision or formulating a law, they spent the night in the sanctuary. In the morning everyone told their dream. Then the king of the main city compared them and tried to highlight the guiding thread. And only when they came to a general agreement, new law made public.

Thus, at the apogee of the Atlantean race, the intuitive and pure wisdom among these primitive peoples spread from above downwards. It poured out, like a mountain stream, like a pure waterfall and fell from channel to channel into a fertile plain. When one of the kings shared the golden goblet of inspiration with his fellows, they had the feeling that they were drinking a divine drink that revived their entire being. When a navigator approaching the shore saw in the distance the gleam of a metal roof solar palace, he believed that he sees the area of the invisible sun, which comes out of the temple crowning the city of golden gates.

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The dead mainland Atlantis has been worrying the minds of millions of people for almost 2,500 years. A mystery covered in the fog of millennia, hundreds of theories and hypotheses. Even despite modern technical means and scientific progress, it has not yet been possible to find not only the location of Atlantis, but also to prove its existence. It is worth noting that on the way to the secrets of the Atlantean civilization, scientists and researchers made many other discoveries. Which sometimes do not fit in the head because of their fantasticness. Many have heard of Atlantis, but few have given much thought to the culture that this great civilization is supposed to have been.

The very first mention of Atlantis is considered to be the "Dialogues" of the ancient Greek philosopher and historian Plato. In them, he casually mentioned the location of the mainland in the area of the Strait of Gibraltar. But for the most part he focused on describing the life and culture of the Atlanteans. The accuracy with which Plato describes Atlantis is surprising. Its rich cities and civilization, which has risen to the highest level of development. According to him, the Atlanteans are the descendants of Poseidon. Which, in turn, was their supreme deity.

The wealth and grandeur of the disappeared mainland is amazing. But it can only be judged from the words of Plato. In addition, other information is more interesting. It is proved that Plato himself borrowed stories about the mainland from his uncle Solon. He heard them while in Egypt. The story of Atlantis was told by one of the priests of the goddess of the sky and the mother of the Sun - Neith. At the same time, he showed inscriptions in temples, testifying to the reality of the existence of the deceased continent. It turns out that the Atlanteans knew in advance about the imminent death of their homeland. And they did everything possible to preserve the great secrets and the gene pool of mankind.

Before talking about the possible location of the sunken mainland, it is worth focusing on the achievements of the Atlanteans. The information is extremely interesting, although somewhat worn out by the eternal search for the continent itself. The researchers were so carried away by the search that they completely forgot about why they started it all. In ancient sources, there is evidence that the Atlanteans preserved their knowledge for posterity. And they saved not only information, but also themselves. Shortly before the terrible catastrophe that plunged the country into the ocean, representatives of the great race went to Egypt, Greece and even Tibet.

The information of the famous British esotericist Labsang Rampa is interesting. He claims that in Tibet, under the Potala temple, there are secret caves. In them, Tibetan monks protect three Atlanteans who are in a state of "samadhi". The state itself is mentioned in all religions of the East, so its reality can be taken for granted. Another thing is interesting. Labsang claims that the inhabitants of Atlantis had unique abilities. With the help of the "third eye" they could move heavy objects, possessed advanced science and technology.

His statements coincide with the words of the famous Russian occultist Helena Blavatsky. In her writings, she wrote that in construction Egyptian pyramids Atlanteans took part, who moved huge blocks of stone with the help of magic. Moreover, Blavatsky said that great pyramid Cheops is the repository of the knowledge of the Atlanteans. Her words are partly confirmed by modern research. Scientists have discovered hidden rooms under the base of the pyramid. Their age can be safely attributed to the tenth, and possibly the twelfth millennium BC.

Secrets of Atlantis. Disappeared mainland If we leave esotericism unattended for a while, and focus on more material things, then it is interesting to find the place where Atlantis is located today. As for this aspect of research, there are many theories and it makes sense to focus on more real ones. In the process of searching for the flooded continent, scientists have explored the entire globe and obtained information that makes us take a fresh look at the history of mankind. For the sake of justice, it is worth noting that these finds were not always somehow connected with Atlantis. Although they had a character no less important for science.

The most real among modern versions is the location of the disappeared mainland in the Aegean Sea. Researchers claim that Atlantis was associated with the Minoan civilization and existed until the 16th century BC. Around this time, a volcano erupted on the island of Santorini, and the legendary Atlanteans sunk into oblivion. Geological studies confirm the theory. Scientists have discovered underwater deposits of volcanic ash several tens of meters thick in this area. But whether the remains of a great race were preserved under the ashes, science is not able to answer. It remains to be hoped that "yet" is not able to.

Disappeared continent Another interesting theory is that the missing continent is under a two-kilometer layer of ice in Antarctica. Upon closer examination, the theory no longer seems fantastic. For starters, you should pay attention to the ancient maps of our planet. In 1665, the work of the German Jesuit Athanasius Kircher saw the light. Among other things, it featured a reproduction of an Egyptian map. The map showed Antarctica in detail without ice. This, according to the Egyptians, it was 12,000 years ago. Surprisingly, the configuration of the island on the map is strikingly similar to the outline of Antarctica, obtained using modern equipment.

In addition, ice-free Antarctica is found on many later maps. The fact remains. In the memory of the ancestors, Antarctica was present without ice. Never see her like this again. It is worth noting that many of the ancient maps depicting Atlantis are incredibly detailed and accurate to the minute. How such reliability was achieved also remains a mystery.

Any variations on the theme: "Where to look for Atlantis?" should prove how this continent could disappear in an incredibly short time. According to Plato, Atlantis went under water within a day. Obviously, no cataclysm can produce such a destructive effect. One out of two:

Either Atlantis went into the depths of the sea longer than the stated time;
. or the death of the Atlanteans came from outside.

The statement of the same Lama Labsang Rampa fits very smoothly on this hypothesis. In his writings, he stated that the catastrophe was due to a planetoid that collided with the Earth. Thus, displacing it from orbit and forcing it to rotate in the other direction. Let scientists judge the possibility of such an event, but it really explains both the shift of the continents and the disappearance of the first civilization.

The Atlantean Empire is fraught with many secrets, the clues to which are so desirable for enthusiasts. And it is safe to say that research will not subside until Atlantis is found. There is no smoke without fire. So, there is hope that the disappeared continent will come out to meet its descendants.

In the works of some ancient Greek historians, geographers, mythographers, mathematicians, theologians and astronomers, there are references to one state that has sunk into oblivion: the legendary island of Atlantis. About two thousand years ago, Plato, Herodotus, Diodorus and other respected authors wrote about him in their writings.

Ancient authors about the sunken island of Atlantis

Basic information about the lost Atlantis is contained in the writings of Plato. In the dialogues Timaeus and Critias, he talks about an island state that existed about 11,500 years ago.

According to Plato, the god Poseidon was the ancestor of the Atlanteans. He connected his life with a mortal girl who bore him ten sons. When the children grew up, the father divided the island between them. The best part sushi went to the eldest son of Poseidon: Atlan.

Atlantis was a powerful, wealthy and populous state. Its inhabitants built a serious system of defense against external enemies and built a network of circular canals leading to the sea, as well as an internal port.

Large cities were distinguished by amazing architectural structures and beautiful sculptures: temples made of gold and silver, golden statues and statues. The island was very fertile, with a varied natural world; in the bowels of the earth, people mined copper and silver.

The Atlanteans were a warlike people: the army of the state included a navy of 1000 ships, the number of crews was equal to 240 thousand people; The ground army consisted of 700 thousand people. The descendants of Poseidon fought successfully for many years, conquering new territories and wealth; so it was until Athens stood in their way.

The Athenians, in order to defeat the Atlanteans, created a military alliance with the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula. But on the day of the battle, the allies refused to fight, and the Athenians were left face to face with the enemy. The fearless courageous Greeks defeated the aggressor and liberated the peoples previously enslaved by him.

But early Greek warriors rejoiced at their achievements: they decided to intervene in the affairs of people, who had been following the inhabitants of Atlantis for the last centuries. Zeus considered that the Atlanteans had become greedy, greedy, depraved and decided to punish them to the fullest extent by flooding the island along with its inhabitants and the Athenians who did not have time to celebrate the victory.

Here is what Plato writes about Atlantis in his two writings. At first glance, this is just a beautiful legend, an interesting fairy tale. There is no direct evidence for the existence of Atlantis in ancient times, nor any reference to authoritative sources.

But these two dialogues survived not only Plato himself, but also two millennia more - during this time many disputes and theories regarding the lost state arose.

Plato's student Aristotle, who listened to the speeches of the Platonist philosophers for about 20 years, eventually categorically rejected the existence of Atlantis, stating that the dialogues "Timaeus" and "Critias" are just an invention, the nonsense of an old man.

It was because of Aristotle that Atlantis was talked about reluctantly, in an undertone until the end of the 18th century. After all, this venerable philosopher enjoyed unquestioned authority in Europe, especially in the Middle Ages. All statements of Aristotle were perceived by Europeans as the ultimate truth.

So why was Aristotle so sure that Atlantis was fiction, because he did not have irrefutable evidence of this? Why was he so harsh in his judgments? Some sources claim that the philosopher simply did not like his mentor, so he decided in this way to spoil the authority of Plato in the eyes of his admirers and admirers.

Mentions of Atlanteans in the writings of other ancient authors

Other ancient authors wrote very little about Atlantis: Herodotus claimed that the Atlanteans had no names, did not see and were defeated by troglodytes - cavemen; according to the stories of Diodorus, the inhabitants of Atlantis fought with the Amazons. Posidonius, who was interested in the causes of land subsidence, believed that Plato's story was plausible.

Proclus in his writings reports on one follower of the ancient thinker: an Athenian Krantor.

Allegedly, he specially went to 47 years after the death of the philosopher to find evidence in favor of the existence island nation; returning from a trip, Crantor said that in one of the ancient temples he saw columns with inscriptions retelling the historical events described by Plato.

Search for Atlantis

It is quite difficult to indicate the exact location of the lost Atlantis: there are many hypotheses about where the flooded state may be.

Plato wrote that a huge island was once in the ocean behind the Pillars of Hercules (i.e., behind Gibraltar). But his search in the Canary, Balearic, Azores and british isles led to nothing.

Some researchers suggest looking for the remains of the material culture of the Atlanteans in the Black Sea, linking the flooding of the island with the "Black Sea flood" that occurred 7-8 millennia ago - then the sea level in less than a year rose, according to various estimates, from 10 to 80 meters.

There is a hypothesis according to which Antarctica is the lost Atlantis. Scientists who adhere to this theory believe that Antarctica in ancient times was shifted to the south pole due to a lithospheric shift, or a sharp shift in the earth's axis as a result of a collision of our planet with a large cosmic body.

There is also an opinion that traces of Atlantis can be found in South America or Brazil. But most interpreters of Plato's dialogues are sure: the lost island must be sought only in Atlantic Ocean.

In recent decades, the lost state has been looking for many expeditions, most of which returned empty-handed. True, from time to time the whole world is disturbed by news about the found traces of a flooded island.

Have the Russians found Atlantis?

In 1979, a Soviet expedition, while testing a diving bell, accidentally discovered some objects in the Atlantic Ocean that looked like the ruins of an ancient city.

The action unfolded just behind the “Pillars of Hercules” indicated by Plato, 500 km from Gibraltar, above the Amper seamount, which protruded above the surface of the ocean many millennia ago, but then for some reason went under water.

Three years later, the Soviet ship "Rift" went to the same place to explore the ocean floor with the help of the Argus submersible. The aquanauts were amazed by what they saw; from their words, they opened the panorama of the city ruins: the remains of rooms, squares, streets.

But the expedition that took place in 1984 did not live up to the hopes of the researchers: an analysis of two stones raised from the ocean floor showed that it was just volcanic rock, solidified lava, and not the creation of human hands.

The opinion of modern scientists about Atlantis

Atlantis is a fantasy

Most modern historians and philologists are convinced that Plato's dialogues are just a beautiful legend, of which the philosopher has many. There are no traces of this state either in Greece, or in the west of Europe, or in Africa - this is confirmed by archaeological excavations.

The opinion of scientists that Atlantis is just a figment of the imagination is also based on the following: the philosopher writes about the network of canals built on the island, about the inner port, but such large-scale projects in ancient times were beyond the power of people.

Plato indicated the approximate date of the island's sinking into the ocean depths: 9000 years before he wrote the dialogues (i.e., approximately 9500 BC). But this contradicts the data of modern science: at that time, humanity was just emerging from the Paleolithic era. It is not easy to believe that somewhere in those days there lived a people who overtook the entire human race in their development by thousands of years.

Many scientists are convinced that Plato, when writing his works, took as a basis some of the events that took place during his lifetime: for example, the defeat of the Greeks when they tried to conquer the island of Sicily and the flooding of the town of Gelika as a result of an earthquake followed by a flood.

Other researchers believe that the basis for the works of the philosopher was the volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini, which subsequently collapsed on the coast of Crete and other islands. mediterranean sea tsunami - this catastrophe led to the decline of the developed Minoan civilization.

The version is supported by the following fact: the Minoans really fought against the Archeans who inhabited Greece in ancient times and were even defeated by them (just like the Atlanteans were defeated by the Greeks in the dialogues Timaeus and Critias).

In general, many researchers of the thinker's works believe that Plato, being a utopian idealist, with his writings only wanted to call his contemporaries to build an ideal exemplary humane state in which there would be no place for dictatorship, violence and tyranny.

However, the philosopher himself in the dialogues constantly emphasizes that Atlantis is not just a legend, but an island state that once really existed.

Plato doesn't lie

Some researchers nevertheless admit that there is a grain of truth in the writings of the ancient thinker. Excavations carried out in last years archaeologists, helped scientists to obtain new information about the life and technical achievements of our ancestors, living 5-10 thousand years ago.

Modern archaeologists find the remains created by ancient people grand buildings everywhere: in Egypt, Sumer, Babylon. Tunnels for collecting groundwater, many kilometers of galleries, stone dams, man-made lakes- all these structures operated long before the birth of Plato.

Consequently, the philosopher's dialogues cannot be attributed to fiction only on the grounds that mankind 11 millennia ago was unable to build a network of canals and bridges: recent archaeological excavations prove the opposite.

In addition, since the works of Plato rewritten more than once have come down to us, it is likely that over the two millennia there has been a confusion with dates.

The fact is that in the system of Egyptian hieroglyphs, the number "9000" is indicated by lotus flowers, and the number "900" - rope knots; supporters of the existence of Atlantis believe that the later scribes of the dialogues could easily confuse symbols so similar to each other, thus pushing back the historical event several thousand years ago.

On top of that, Plato, who belongs to a highly revered family in ancient Greece, in his dialogues refers to his ancestor: the wisest of the "seven wise men" legislator Solon. And the ancient Greeks were very kind to their roots, tried to protect the sacred memory of their relatives. Would Plato, given his moral qualities, refer to Solon in his works, because if the whole story with Atlantis is just a fiction, he would tarnish the name of the wisest representative of the family?

Afterword

Atlantis has been shrouded in a halo of mystery for many centuries. People have been trying to find the suddenly disappeared state for almost two thousand years: some - wanting to take possession of the treasures described by Plato, others - out of scientific interest, others - just out of curiosity.

In the 50s of the last century, even a doctrine called "Atlantology" appeared, its main task is to identify true information about Atlantis in historical sources and mythical legends.

The debate about whether the mysterious land once existed or the ancient Greek thinker simply invented it does not subside to this day. Various theories are born and die, conjectures appear and disappear. Some of them are supported by science, while others are more like a beautiful fairy tale.

Perhaps our children or grandchildren will solve the riddle of Atlantis. But it may turn out that another two thousand years will pass, and the mystery lost island will remain undisclosed, and our descendants, just like we are today, will be tormented by conjectures and assumptions.

ARTICLE IN VIDEO FORMAT

More than one generation of researchers has been arguing about the existence of Atlantis - the mighty ancient state vanished from the face of the earth once and for all. Interest in this topic arose after the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato saw the light. It was Plato who first wrote about Atlantis, described the ancient civilization, the strength and power of the Atlanteans. Whether it was a deliberately and skillfully created myth, or we are dealing with a description of the real facts of the ancient history of human civilization - remains a mystery. Neither before nor after it was possible to obtain and find evidence of the existence of the Atlantean state. The secrets of Atlantis remain unsolved until now, forcing historians to put forward new hypotheses, and researchers to look for the place of the disappeared island-state on the planet's map.

The civilization of Atlantis is a source of controversy

Today, a huge number of works have been written about the disappeared mighty civilization of the ancient world, starting with poetic essays and literary descriptions, ending with serious scientific treatises.

mi. In each individual case, you have to deal with a huge set of assumptions and hypotheses that the ancient world looked different than today's map of the world looks like. Another new hypothesis gives rise to a new myth, which instantly acquires new details, assumptions and details. Another thing is the complete absence of facts capable of answering the question: did Atlantis exist in reality or not. This meager research material remains the lot of science fiction writers and atlantologists. Skeptics believe that the history of Atlantis is an artificially created phenomenon in modern historical science.

It is necessary to consider the problem of Atlantis in two aspects: from the point of view of the historical epic, and using scientific approach. In the first case, one has to deal with the evidence base and materials, the existence of which is never disputed by anyone. The palm in this area belongs to the works of Plato. The ancient Greek philosopher mentioned the mighty state of antiquity in the dialogues Critias and Timaeus, which were compiled on the basis of the diaries of another prominent ancient Greek philosopher Solon, who was Plato's great-grandfather. With the light hand of Plato, the name of the ancient state appeared, and its inhabitants began to be called Atlanteans.

In his notes and books, the ancient philosopher relied on a legend according to which the ancient Greeks fought against the state of the Atlanteans. The confrontation ended with a grandiose cataclysm that led to the death of Atlantis. According to the ancients, it was this catastrophe that led to the fact that the city-island of Atlantis disappeared forever from the face of the planet. What catastrophe on a planetary scale has led to such consequences is still not known and has not been proven. Another question is that in the scientific community on this moment there is a point of view that 12 thousand years BC. the world really suffered a major catastrophe that changed the geography of the planet.

Plato's dialogue "Timaeus" quite accurately indicates the location of the country of the Atlantes, is full of descriptions of the details of the culture and life of the Atlanteans. Thanks to the efforts of the ancient Greek philosopher, the lost civilization is being persistently searched for in the Atlantic Ocean. Just one phrase "opposite the Pillars of Hercules", recorded by Plato, indicates the location of the legendary country. There are no more accurate data on the location of the mysterious ancient state, so many researchers on this topic believe that Atlantis could be located in any other part ancient world.

The inconsistency of many of the facts set forth in the works of Plato raised a number of questions for subsequent generations. The main secrets of Atlantis are as follows:

whether there is a high probability of the existence of an island of such a large size, traces of which are almost completely absent today;
what catastrophe that occurred in antiquity could lead to the instant death of a large state;
could there have existed in such ancient times a civilization with such a high level of development, which is attributed to the Atlanteans by ancient and modern researchers;
why today there are no real traces from the past, indicating the existence of Atlantis;
whether we are descendants of a highly developed culture of the Atlanteans.

How did the contemporaries of the ancient Greeks see Atlantis

Studying Plato's works, one can briefly summarize the information that has come down to us. We are dealing with the history of existence and mystical disappearance large archipelago or a large island, which was located in the west of the then ancient world. The central city of the superpower was Atlantis, which owes its name to the first king of the state, Atlantis. Island location explains state structure empire. Probably Atlantis, like many cities of ancient Greece, was a union of island rulers united under imperial rule. Maybe there was another in Atlantis political system, however, in the dialogues of Plato, the names of the kings are given, in honor of which other islands of the empire are named. Hence, ancient civilization took the form of a union or confederation.

Another question is detailed description Plato of the life arrangement of a mysterious power. All the main buildings and structures of the state are located on the central island. The acropolis, royal palace and temples are protected by several rows of earthen ramparts and a system of water channels. The inner regions of the island are connected to the sea by a huge shipping channel, so we can safely say that the power of Atlantis was focused on achieving sea power. Moreover, according to Plato, the Atlanteans worship Poseidon (the ancient Greek god, the ruler of the seas and oceans - the brother of Zeus). In Plato, the temples of the Atlanteans, their architecture and home improvement shine with luxury and wealth. Reaching the shores of Atlantis, surrounded on all sides by water, and the path to the island lay only by sea, was not an easy task for sailors of that time.

Plato in his narratives is very fond of describing the improvement of the capital of the Atlanteans. The most interesting thing in this aspect is that the descriptions of the ancient Greek philosopher strongly resemble the descriptions of other ancient Greek cities found in other ancient sources. The described infrastructure, weapons, ships, religion and lifestyle of the inhabitants of Atlantis look like the height of human perfection and a model of well-being.

The mystery of Atlantis in Plato's descriptions is present at every turn. Is it not surprising that people live far from the centers of civilization known to the then world, but they have a fairly high level of development, they can make long sea voyages, trade with everyone around, eat spices and other cultures. The Atlanteans have a powerful army and a numerous fleet capable of confronting the armies of the ancient states of the Mediterranean.

This should be the point. Only Plato was able to describe the life and structure of the legendary state in such a clear and detailed way. To find other sources that would point to such facts was not, is not, and probably will not be. Neither the Sumerians nor the ancient Egyptians say anything about a large state in the Western Hemisphere. The ancient ruins of the Indian civilizations of North and South America are silent about interaction with the mysterious and powerful state. How many years ago could such a powerful civilization be located in the central Atlantic, about which there is still no real evidence.

Secrets of Atlantis: myths and legends against real facts

Some researchers continue to feed the world with illusions that Atlantis really was. Following the lead of Plato, who indicated the exact location of the island, researchers in search of Atlantis check the territory in the Azores, in the Bahamas. This is facilitated by the consonance of the names of the Atlantic Ocean and the legendary island.

According to one version, Atlantis was located in the Azores. Studies of the seamount Ampere, located on the way from Europe to America, and the adjacent areas of the Atlantic mid-ridge did not give any results. The geological and morphological structure of the seabed does not give grounds to believe that a large geological formation existed in this area of the earth's crust in ancient times. Even a gigantic cataclysm that wiped out such a large island or archipelago from the face of the earth would have left behind indisputable evidence. If the island sank as a result of a successive chain of earthquakes and floods, then its remains could be found today.

Modern scientists do not have data on a major geological and tectonic catastrophe that befell the earth in antiquity. The biblical data about the global flood that befell the Earth and mankind take us to a completely different era. All information, events and facts that speak in favor of the existence of Atlantis in this part of the globe do not stand up to criticism, if you rely on the theory proposed by Plato.

Supporters of another hypothesis, the Mediterranean one, have stronger evidence in their favor. However, there are also a number of points that cause controversy. What were the real boundaries of such a powerful union, and where could such a large island or a small mainland be located. Western border known to people that time of the world, runs along the Pillars of Hercules - now the Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic. Why, with such eventfulness and crampedness, the ancient world did not have cartographic data on the location of a large state that influences the political and economic structure peace. On the maps compiled by the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians and Egyptians, which have come down to our times, famous areas limited to the Mediterranean region, the territories of Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Many atlantologists increasingly agree that a civilization of this size could exist in the Eastern Mediterranean, in the explored sphere of political and economic interests of ancient states. The disappearance of the island and the death of the country of the Atlanteans can be tied to the catastrophic eruption of the Santorin volcano, which erupted around the 17th century BC. This hypothesis takes place, since it is during this period that the heyday of the Cretan state falls. According to this theory, the volcanic eruption not only destroyed half of the island of Thera, but also destroyed the numerous city-states that existed in this region. If we put aside the question of names and the link to Plato's statements about the Pillars of Hercules, such a picture of the ancient world has the right to life.

In this context, the version of the existence in ancient times powerful state, competing with the ancient Greek city-states. The facts of the strongest cataclysm of that time were also noted in ancient sources. Today, volcanologists and oceanologists reasonably consider this version of the death of Atlantis to be quite real. Scientists have found evidence that the Minoan civilization really had a huge military power and had a high level of development, allowing it to confront the Greek states.

Sparta and Athens are located 300-400 kilometers north of the islands of Thira and Crete, which are ideal for the location of the Atlantean state. The explosion of the volcano, which destroyed a mighty state in one night, destroyed the balance in the world that existed until that moment. The consequences of such a large-scale disaster affected the entire southern Europe, North Africa and the coast of the Middle East.

Versions in favor of another location of the legendary power today have no basis. Researchers are increasingly linking the existence of Atlantis with Plato's philosophical view of the existing world. This is echoed by other sources in which the land of the Atlanteans is associated with other mythical territories and states that existed in the imagination of the ancient Greeks.

Hyperborea and Atlantis - ancient mythical states

When asked where to look for Atlantis today, the answer may sound prosaic. You have to search everywhere. Relying on ancient sources is possible only in cases where the question is raised about cultural heritage that has come down to our times. In the sense in which we perceive Atlantis today as an imaginary country and highly developed civilization, the ancient Greeks at one time represented Hyperborea. This mythical country, located in the far north, a thousand kilometers from the coast of Ancient Greece, was considered by the Greeks as the habitat of the Hyperboreans, the descendants of the gods. Is this not the Atlantis that Plato wanted to tell the world about when writing his treatises?

Hyperborean lands, according to modern scientists, should have been located on the territory of the current Scandinavian countries: in Iceland or in Greenland. The Greeks directly pointed out that even Apollo himself, the god of the sun, was considered the patron of this people. What are these lands, do they really exist? It was assumed that Hyperborea is a fictional country for the ancient Greeks, where perfect and powerful people live, the gods rest. The country that Apollo regularly visits may be the same Atlantis - the state that the ancient Greeks aspired to in their development.

It is not necessary to assume that only seas and lakes disappear and appear. In the same way, islands appear and disappear. The best example of this is history of Atlantis, an island that was larger than Libya and Asia combined. History of the island of Atlantis.

Atlantis Island

Of course, in the time of Plato, (more:) they represented the size of both Libya and Asia in a different way, but still Atlantis island was not small.

The ancient Greek scholar Plato was the first to talk about Atlantis. The hypothesis of Atlantis begins with Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias. In them, the great ancient Greek scientist talks about the once existing big island in the Atlantic Ocean, which was swallowed up by the abyss of waters. But what does Plato say? ancient legend or your own fantasy about a mythical island? Or maybe he tells real facts the existence of an ancient civilization, information about which came to him by chance? So what is this story of Plato - legend, hypothesis, reality? Since the first half of the 4th century BC, attempts have been made to answer this question. But there is still no definitive answer.

Legends of Atlantis

Legends of Atlantis inspired many writers and poets.

Remember the Julvernian Captain Nemo, who, with his arms crossed over his chest, looks at a beautiful city illuminated by an underwater volcanic eruption. Before him is the dead Atlantis...
From the golden top of the giant pyramid, spacecraft resembling huge eggs take off to carry away the last Atlanteans from the raging elements to distant Mars. And the waves of the ocean are already licking its foot, and the tremors of a raging earthquake are absorbing the legendary “City of a Hundred Golden Gates”. You probably remember this picture, it was painted in Aelita by Alexei Tolstoy.
And here's another thing: Aksa Guam, a priest who rebelled against the almighty priests on the pages of Alexander Belyaev's story "The Last Man from Atlantis", steps on the rocky coast of Europe.

And this list could be continued almost endlessly, a list of beautiful fictions generated by an ancient legend.

Atlantis in scientific literature

There are about Atlantis literature and others. No less fantastic in content, but claiming the right to be called scientific literature. One of these books was rather self-confidently called "The History of Atlantis". And the author of the other was Schliemann - the grandson of a man who discovered the stones of the legendary Troy from under the layers of many centuries. Shamelessly speculating on the name of his famous grandfather, he titled the book very pretentiously: "How I found the lost Atlantis." Both of these books are from the stream of so-called "occult literature" that shrouded the problem of Atlantis in such a thick mystical fog that for other scientists it still obscures scientific significance of this problem. real science is interested in the problem of Atlantis, because it has countless questions waiting to be solved:

Here, it would seem, is a science very far from the problem of Atlantis - botany. Where is the birthplace of the banana - a plant cultivated so long ago that it can now only be propagated by cuttings? How did bananas become cultivated in America and Africa?
Where is the birthplace of maize - a plant that is now included in the famous "troika" of the main breads of mankind along with wheat and rice? Modern corn is completely incapable of propagating by self-sowing, and plants that could be considered its ancestors have not been found. Meanwhile, corn has long been known not only in America, but also in Africa. So where did this plant come from in the cultivated cereals of the two continents?
Here is comparative linguistics. How did the roots of Greek words get into the Mayan language - one of the Indian peoples that inhabited Central America?
How did the word "atlas" get from America to Europe? From North Africa, this word passed into the name of the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, it has nothing in common with European languages, but in the Pagua language, which has long lived in Mexico, words with the same root mean "water", "sea", "death".
Why did the myths of the American continent preserve stories about the death of the land located across the ocean in the east, and in the legends of European peoples about the sunken land across the ocean in the west?
History of culture. Why were ancient sculptures of lions and other animals not living in America found in Peru, and no less ancient images of saber-toothed tigers that died out here about 300 thousand years ago in Europe?
Why was the custom of making mummies widespread not only in Egypt, but also among the Maya in Central America?
Ethnography. Why do Cro-Magnons, the ancient ancestors of Europeans and some Indian tribes have a close anthropological resemblance?
Zoology. Why eels from the rivers Western Europe go to spawn in the Sargas Sea, whose algae are related to the Mediterranean?
Wild horses were known in Europe during the Paleolithic era, they were used as a hunting item by cavemen. Then their traces disappear, and in the Bronze Age, a domestic horse appears. Who carried out this domestication?

It seems that these and many other questions do not give the right to an unconditional denial of the existence of Atlantis, although they do not give the right to assert that Atlantis existed. Therefore, again and again, researchers turn to the primary source of information about the sunken mainland, to two dialogues of Plato.

The history of Atlantis in Bryusov's poem

One of the first in modern times made an attempt to investigate the history of Atlantis by a remarkable Russian poet.

The history of Atlantis was described in his writings by the Russian poet Valery Bryusov. He was an amazing person, a poet, writer, mathematician, a great connoisseur of ancient history, an expert in research in various fields of the natural sciences. The problem of Atlantis interested him literally from childhood. In his youth he worked on poem "Atlantis". In the years of creative maturity, he wrote a cycle of poems dedicated to the same problem. He published a large scientific work "Teachers of teachers". The poet-scientist called the ancient inhabitants of Atlantis, in which

all knowledge originated

and in which

everything that is possible, comprehended the first children of the Earth.

(lines from the "Atlantic" cycle of Bryusov's poems are in quotation marks). He made an attempt to trace their influence on the most ancient peoples of the world, and first of all on the Cretan-Mycenaean culture. After analyzing the stages of development of ancient cultures, including the Egyptian and Aegean, Bryusov comes to the conclusion that their initial stages are strange and incomprehensible. Egyptian culture begins mysteriously: the most ancient pyramids are also the highest. The origins of their arts are unclear, they suddenly appear before the astonished world, like Pallas Athena, who arose in dress and weapons from the head of Zeus. Bryusov also sees something similar in the Cretan-Mycenaean culture. The legendary labyrinth appears as if suddenly. Before him, only the remains of people who had not yet left the Stone Age could be found on the island. Shouldn't this leap be explained by someone's influence that spread to the culture of peoples living on different continents? Does not all this testify to the existence in ancient times of a people who became a universal teacher,

teacher of teachers?

It was after these arguments that the poet-scientist moved on to that culture that could claim the honor of being called

teachers teachers.

Tradition prompted him the right name - Atlantis. And in search of an answer, Bryusov turns to Plato's Dialogues. Based on contemporary data about Atlantis, analyzing the messages of Plato, Bryusov comes to the conclusion (lines from the work "Teachers of Teachers"):

If we assume that the description of Plato is a fiction, we will have to recognize Plato as a superhuman genius who managed to predict the development of science for thousands of years to come, to foresee that someday learned historians will discover the world of Aegeia and establish its relations with Egypt, that Columbus will discover America, and archaeologists will restore the civilization of the ancient Mayans, etc. Needless to say, with all our respect for the genius of the great Greek philosopher, such insight seems impossible to us and that we consider another explanation simpler and more plausible: Plato had at his disposal materials (Egyptian), descended from ancient times.

The method adopted by Valery Bryusov is simple and logical: he read Plato's dialogues and compared them with the objective level of knowledge of the ancient philosopher as a man of his time. Based on this, the poet comes to the conclusion that Plato could have obtained most of the information contained in the Dialogues only from people who knew about the existence of Atlantis. Well, for example,

Plato, like all Greeks, knew nothing of the Aegean kingdoms, which preceded the Hellenic on Greek soil. Therefore, Plato could not have had any reason to imagine a strong state in Attica many centuries before the beginning of Greek history.

Plato writes that Atlantis was located on the islands beyond the Pillars of Hercules (i.e., beyond the Strait of Gibraltar) and from it it was possible, sailing further west, to get to another "opposite" mainland. But the ancient Greeks knew nothing about America! Does this not indicate that these data also reached Plato from some competent source? Having established in such a way that on the very first pages of his dialogues Plato makes two brilliant discoveries in different fields of science - in history and geography, Bryusov is convinced that Plato is surprisingly close to the truth even in seemingly insignificant details. This applies, say, to the unknown metal orichalcum. After there was no place for him in the periodic table, his very existence became doubtful. Bryusov believed, however, that this unknown metal could be aluminum. True, to obtain it, an electric current is used, which the Atlanteans did not know about. Or maybe they knew another method for obtaining aluminum? To this we can add historical fact, reported by the ancient historian Pliny: in the first years of our era, an unknown master brought a metal bowl that shone like silver, but extremely light, to the Roman emperor Tiberius. The master said that he received this metal from clay earth. Tiberius, fearing that the new metal would devalue his reserves of gold and silver, ordered the master's head to be cut off. It is quite possible that we are also talking about aluminum.

Ancient historian Pliny. Scientists believe that orichalcum could be a natural alloy of copper and zinc, according to modern brass. Occasionally there are ores containing both of these metals at once. Such an alloy also corresponds to the color of orichalcum - "red, having the color of fire." In Plato's "Dialogues" we learn about the flora and fauna of Atlantis. They are amazingly realistic. Apparently, the most fantastic in the fauna of Atlantis can be considered elephants and horses. According to Plato, the Atlanteans had horses and elephants in their colonies in Africa and America. But this does not contradict the truth at all: both horses and elephants in America died out relatively recently. In "Teachers of Teachers" Bryusov, getting acquainted with the description of the capital of Atlantis - the City of the Golden Gate, believes that he

also does not go beyond the scope of the possible ... The statue of Poseidon, described by Plato, was huge, but even it approaches in size the statue of Olympian Zeus, sculpted by Phidias ... And in general, in the whole description there is not a single feature that would expose deliberate fiction. ..

Bryusov writes. Does Plato's description of Atlantis correspond to new scientific data? After Bryusov, scientists returned to this issue more than once, who found new amazing coincidences. Well, for example, two springs feeding Plato's Atlantis - hot and cold water - could really be on an island associated with the active activity of volcanoes. Scientists also found a mysterious, maybe even for Plato himself, a tree,

which gives drink, and food, and ointment.

It could be a coconut palm, which really gives both "drink" - coconut milk, and "food" - the pulp of a nut, and "ointment" - semi-liquid coconut oil. Even Plato's remark that the walls and towers of the City of the Golden Gate were built of stone of three colors: white, black, red - found interesting confirmation: it is from such stones that the cities on the Azores are built; they are sometimes considered the mountain peaks of the sunken Atlantis. Studies carried out in recent years have confirmed the date of the tragic catastrophe indicated by Plato, when the remains of a giant transatlantic island that once connected two great continents sank to the bottom of the ocean. What does not confirm such an ancient date? Changing currents? Ocean currents to one degree or another determine the climate of the continents. Perhaps their appearance and disappearance is the rocket, at the signal of which the glaciers begin their movement? As the glaciers melt, they expose the earth's surface, leaving giant blocks of boulders, as if abandoned in a panic of retreat. Well, why do sea currents arise and disappear? Atlantologist E. F. Hagemeister suggested that the end of the last ice age was caused by the outburst of the warm Gulf Stream into the cold Arctic Ocean. And it happened, she believes, this is because

Atlantis sank to the bottom of the ocean and opened the way for the Gulf Stream.

Academician fully agreed with this assumption. V. A. Obruchev. He wrote:

The sinking of Atlantis again cleared the way for the Gulf Stream, and in the north, its warm waters gradually stopped glaciation around the North Pole.

The remains of living beings found in the sediments at the bottom of the ocean can tell a lot. Here, for example, is what foraminifers testify to. The coils of foraminiferal shell spirals are twisted to the left in heat-loving forms, and to the right in cold-loving forms. Studying the soil columns taken in the North Atlantic, scientists came to the conclusion that about 10-13 thousand years ago, the waters of the North Atlantic warmed sharply. This is also associated with the breakthrough of the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. But when did it happen? Russian hydrogeologist , examining soil samples from the bottom of the polar seas, found that for the first time the hot flow of the Gulf Stream penetrated into the northern seas about 12 thousand years ago. This was shown by radioisotope analysis.

Russian hydrogeologist M. M. Ermolaev - conducted a radioisotope analysis of soil from the bottom of the polar seas. Similar results were obtained by American scientists. They studied volcanic ash found in sediments at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. And it turned out that he appeared here about 12 thousand years ago. This once again confirmed the legendary date of the death of Atlantis: the island sank to the bottom of the ocean under the thunderous fireworks of volcanic eruptions. Most of Bryusov's work is devoted to the connections between the most ancient civilizations of our planet. Special attention gives the poet-scientist Cretan-Mycenaean culture. His book was printed when the excavations in Crete had not yet been completed. This gave her an additional interest, which the author could not ignore. Well, today, does science confirm the existence of such connections?

The oldest civilizations of our planet

It is the question ancient civilizations our the planet is dedicated to the book of A. A. Gorbovsky “Riddles ancient history". Some of Gorbovsky's conclusions may be questioned, but the facts he cites are, as a rule, accurate. And they most often relate to the most ancient ideas about the structure. Well, for example:

The thought of plurality inhabited worlds for which Giordano Bruno was burned. It turns out that Egyptian texts, the sacred books of ancient India and Tibet, expounded it as an indisputable truth. Gorbovsky quotes the ancient Sanskrit book Vishnu Purana:
Our Earth is only one of thousands of millions of inhabited worlds similar to it, located in the Universe.
He further refers to the words of the archaeologist J. A. Masson:
The idea that creatures like people live on distant stars was also common in ancient Peru.
Another example - The ancient Egyptians knew about it.
"The earth was in front of me like a round ball"
This quote is from the Leiden Demotic Papyrus. The Aztecs depicted the planets as small circles or balls played by the gods.
In the Middle East, in ancient Egypt and India, the year was divided into 12 months. But why did the same subdivision exist in South America? Why was the ancient Mayan year, which had 360 days, still used in ancient Egypt, Babylon and India?
The ancient Greeks, Indians, Celts, Mayans divided the history of mankind into four periods, and each of them was considered to be colored with a special paint. Surprisingly, they all considered the last, fourth, period to be painted with black paint.
Another example. The biblical myth about the construction of the Tower of Babel and the subsequent confusion of languages is well known. It is not surprising that the Babylonians have a similar story: the creators of the Bible simply stole it. But where did this legend come from? Ancient Mexico? And they talk about it like this:

They built high tower... But their languages suddenly mixed up, they could no longer understand each other and went to live in different parts of the Earth.

And more, and more... You can often read that the legends about the "global flood" are common only among coastal peoples and that these are memories of previous floods. In reality there is no such ancient people who would not have this tradition. Everyone knows the story of the Bible. Many people know that it is borrowed from the ancient Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh. But the English ethnologist reports that of the 130 Indian tribes of North, Central and South America, there is not one that does not have a myth of great catastrophe.

English ethnologist J. Fraser. In the fifty post-Bryusov years, this list has lengthened almost to infinity. It would be fair to consider that the work of Valery Bryusov "Teachers of Teachers" summed up the first period of studying the problem of Atlantis, turning the legend set forth in Plato's dialogues into a scientific document. Approximately this is how the author himself assessed the result of his work: “From now on, the “problem of Atlantis” goes out of the realm of fortune-telling, becomes a certain historical hypothesis and must share the usual fate of scientific hypotheses, depending on whether the newly discovered facts will refute or confirm it.” And yet, it would not be entirely fair if, having paid tribute to the merits of Bryusov's work, we keep silent about its fatal flaw: carried away by a charming legend, he recklessly considered the culture of the Atlanteans to be super-high.

Over the course of millennia, their power increased and their culture developed, reaching a height that, perhaps, was not reached by any of the earthly peoples after that.

Such an assessment, obviously, was also facilitated by the influence of the books of occultists, who believed that the Atlanteans knew aeronautics, rocketry, etc. Scientists, in particular N. F. Zhirov, have carefully analyzed the question of how high culture Plato describes. What metals is Plato talking about? About gold, silver, lead, iron, about the mysterious orichalcum? But gold and silver are found in native form, and their abundance in the capital of the Atlanteans does not indicate that these metals were widely used in the life of the city. Iron, which is mentioned only once in Plato, was probably meteoric. Indeed, in the "Dialogues" there is no mention of iron or bronze weapons or tools. Metals were used only for facing giant stone walls or for decorating temples. All this cannot be considered evidence of the onset of the copper or, even more so, the bronze age. Both weapons and tools, say, for cultivating the land, and household products were made only of stone and bone, which is quite consistent with the Stone Age. Plato does not mention lime, cement, gypsum as binding building materials. To fasten the blocks of walls, obviously, metals were used, primarily copper. This also corresponds to the first period of the transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age. There is nothing contradictory in Plato's story about the gigantic size of the temples. It is at this stage of development that many peoples of the world gravitate towards gigantism in architecture. A number of authors associate with the Atlantean culture megalithic structures scattered almost along all sea coasts of the globe. Especially a lot of them in the west of Europe. Megaliths are structures made of unhewn or semi-hewn giant blocks of stone, laid in rows or circles. They were built so long ago that even the legends about it are silent. But they are known in Europe, South America, Palestine, Ethiopia, India, Japan, Madagascar. There is only one doubt - these structures were supposed to be built by people of the Stone Age.

Megaliths - structures made of unhewn or semi-hewn giant blocks of stone - scientists associate them with the culture of the Atlanteans. The high culture of agriculture, by no means, does not contradict the general assessment of the level of development of the people of Atlantis, given by N. F. Zhirov. By the way, agriculture, apparently, arose 30-20 thousand years ago, which coincides with the date of the heyday and death of Atlantis. The Russian scientist, Doctor of Chemical Sciences N. F. Zhirov, can rightly be considered the greatest atlantologist. He appeared with articles in newspapers and magazines, on radio and television, and published several books. The last of these, Atlantis, came out in 1964, a few years before his death. According to N. F. Zhirov, the question of the existence of Atlantis should be solved by science. In particular, oceanology has the final say here. It is she who must answer whether there could be and whether there was a sufficiently large island in the Atlantic Ocean, opposite Gibraltar, several millennia ago. Yes, N. F. Zhirov answers these questions. Atlantis could exist. The data of modern science indicate that in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean there is an underwater North Atlantic Ridge, which could exist subaerially (above the surface of the water) at times close to those indicated by Plato in his legend. It is possible that some of these areas of land existed until historical time. So, maybe it makes sense to look for traces of Atlantis on these islands? The islands of the Atlantic Ocean have long attracted the attention of atlantologists. Unfortunately, there was nothing like a large complex expedition that would conduct thorough archaeological excavations, record everyday rituals and legends, study flora and fauna in detail, etc., on these islands. Although, according to many assumptions, it is here that the key to Atlantis should be sought. Curious legends are associated with some of the Azores.

So, on the island of Corvo, an equestrian statue was allegedly found. The person depicted on it extended his hand to the west. This fact is reported, in particular, by the German scientist R. Hennig.
On other islands, gravestones were found with inscriptions in an unknown language.
On one of the islands of Cape Verde, a dolmen and rock inscriptions in the Berber language were found.
Population canary islands some experts consider the direct descendants of the Atlanteans. After a brutal war waged by the Spaniards against the population of the islands, who did not know any metal, let alone firearms, the twenty thousandth population of the islands was destroyed. By 1600, not a single purebred native remained alive. Palaeanthropological studies have shown that the natives belonged to various ethnic groups. These conclusions were made by the French scientist R. Vernot, who excavated the corresponding burials. The Guanches, as it is customary to call the inhabitants of these islands, spoke languages of Berber origin. Two types of rock inscriptions have also been found. It is believed that one of these types is related to the hieroglyphs of Crete. But not a single inscription has yet been deciphered or read. During one of the first visits to the islands by the Portuguese, a statue of a man holding a ball was discovered here. She was taken to Lisbon, but her whereabouts are now unknown.

Not a little interesting conceals the bottom of the ocean.

A Swedish oceanographic expedition aboard the Albatross discovered freshwater diatoms in one of the columns of soil west of Africa raised from the bottom. Maybe they were washed into the ocean by the waters of the Congo or Niger River? But in this case, freshwater species would be mixed with marine ones. It is more logical to assume that the soil column was taken where a freshwater lake was once located.

Unfortunately, so far, scientists have not been able to raise any statues of Poseidon, or even a fragment of his trident, from the site of the death of Atlantis. However, there have been findings...

In the mid-1950s, a sea dredge raised about a ton of very strange formations from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean south of the Azores. These were limestone discs with a recess on one side, which gave them the appearance of plates. On average, the diameter of these discs reached 15 centimeters, and the thickness - 4 centimeters. Their outer side was relatively smooth, but the inside of the depressions was rough. The strange shape of these formations testifies to their artificial origin. It was possible to establish the age of these "sea biscuits". It turned out to be equal to 12 thousand years, which corresponds to the date of the death of Atlantis. It was possible to establish something else: the "biscuits" were made in atmospheric conditions. By whom? For what? How did they get to the top of the seamount?

N. F. Zhirov in his book mentions the custom that existed among some Caucasian peoples to sacrifice food to the spirits on the tops of the mountains. Maybe the found "sea biscuits" - plates for similar sacrifices made by the inhabitants of Atlantis? These are the few pieces of evidence for the existence of Atlantis. They could have been cited incomparably more. Well, in general, what can be said about the problem of Atlantis from the level of modern knowledge?

First of all, the fact that located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean mountain range is the center of numerous earthquakes. This indicates a high seismic activity in the area.
In the Atlantic Ocean there are a number of areas that were relatively recently dry land, and
for all these places
- notes N. F. Zhirov, -
we do not exclude the possibility of the existence of islands even in historical time; some of them may have been inhabited.
The scientist compares information about the islands that existed in historical times, which are available on modern maps. Surprisingly, they are identical. However
there is every reason to assume the possibility of subsidence of individual islands and banks of the North Atlantic in our historical time, which had the character of a cataclysm.
By this Zhirov explains the impossibility of carrying out such an identification in a number of cases.
However, according to Plato, there is a lot of evidence of the existence of Atlantis exactly where it should be expected. Thus, relatively recently, a piece of coral was lifted aboard the ship Mikhail Lomonosov from one of the peaks of the North Atlantic Ridge. As you know, corals live only at relatively shallow depths. And since the coral was raised with a piece of bedrock from a depth of two and a half kilometers, it remains to be assumed that the mountain range has recently sunk at least two kilometers into the depths of the ocean here.
And although many scientists categorically deny the possibility of the existence of large areas of land in the Atlantic Ocean in historical time, there are specialists who assert with equal conviction: yes, Atlantis could have existed and disappeared precisely in the time period that Plato spoke of, i.e., about 12 thousand years ago. In any case, it was precisely at this time that serious changes took place in the Atlantic Ocean, accompanied by breaks in the earth's crust, volcanic eruptions, a change in ocean currents, perhaps the warming of the entire northern hemisphere, which caused the end of the ice age.

More than half a century has passed since Bryusov wrote the work “Teachers of Teachers”. Unfortunately, even today the general attitude of scientists to this issue has not essentially changed. Most still treat Plato's story as unsubstantiated fiction. Evidence of this is that "such fabulous tales, as you know, are full of narrations of ancient writers." There have been no new confirmations of this over the past years. And the quotation given here refers to the very beginning of our century. Often there is an impression that the "opponents of Atlantis" did not read the works of Bryusov. However, this is also possible. Bryusov's work was published only once, in 1917, in a magazine that was published in an insignificant circulation. Time did not contribute to his fame either: the world then shook World War. Russia stood on the eve of the revolution. Lively Problems modern life were incomparably more important than the history of the mainland that drowned thousands of years ago. And very soon the article "Teachers of teachers" became a bibliographic rarity. And she did not have the opportunity to convince readers that a particular "fabulous tale" contains too much information that Plato could not have, and this requires a more condescending attitude towards him. It remained the property of only specialist atlantologists who came to the same conclusion in their own ways.

But we must not forget another. The world has entered the era of the scientific and technological revolution, capturing ever new areas of knowledge. The ocean succumbed to this irrepressible pressure of science. Researchers have already reached its limiting depths in bathyscaphes. Yes, and without descending into the abyss of the ocean, scientists can already study its bottom in order to find the ruins of giant temples, the remains of city walls and surrounding canals. There is almost no doubt that these search for Atlantis will be undertaken in the near future.

Search for Atlantis. What machines, devices, devices will they work with? Of course, clumsy, clumsy bathyscaphes are not very suitable for working on the ocean floor. But, perhaps, bathyscaphes will not be needed for this. Perhaps the search for Atlantis will be carried out by atlantologists-scuba divers. Atlantologists scuba divers?! At a depth of more than 3 thousand meters?! Are such depths available for scuba diving? Or will they be available? It is difficult to answer this question. After all, scuba gear as a means of underwater work appeared quite recently, in 1943, J.I. Cousteau believed at first that this invention of his would help a person master a maximum of two to three tens of meters of water. But ... Here are the record dives for the post-war 30 years. It must be said that in our time, today's record becomes a public value tomorrow. This can be confirmed, say, by an increase in the speeds of cars and airplanes. Probably, everyone remembers the story of overcoming the sound speed by aircraft. Was it a long time ago?! And today, supersonic passenger aircraft have become an everyday reality in many countries of the world. The same thing happens with the records of the diving depth achieved by scuba divers. So, the first tens of meters are available for an amateur scuba diver who has put on an aqualung for the first time. But it is necessary not to cross the permissible physiological threshold. This threshold is breathing with highly compressed air. In this case, the blood is supersaturated with oxygen and nitrogen dissolved in it. Oversaturation with oxygen causes convulsions, and with nitrogen - intoxication and leads to decompression sickness. At the same time, nitrogen dissolved in the blood begins to be released directly in the veins and arteries. And people often die. To prevent this from happening, divers rise from the depth extremely slowly, and then the blood has time to free itself from excess nitrogen. At the same time, the ascent from a depth of a hundred meters is delayed for 5-6 hours. The witty idea of a Swiss scientist helped to defeat decompression sickness Hansa Keller A. The essence of this idea is to use various gas mixtures when lifting from great depths. Once, while testing his idea, he rose from a depth of 222 meters in just 53 minutes! But the record for diving in a diving suit was only 180 meters, and the ascent from this depth took 12 hours. Keller descended to a depth of 400 meters. It was in 1960-1962. In 1970, English scuba divers descended to a depth of 457 meters. But at the end of the same year, the French moved it beyond the half-kilometer mark, they reached 520 meters! And in 1972, an even greater depth was taken - 565 meters. The next step is striking in courage and magnitude. Four American volunteers descended to a depth of 1520 meters, spent 4 hours at the indicated depth and rose to the surface without any harm to themselves. True, the last experiment was carried out in a pressure chamber, but the essence of the matter does not change from this. Depth reached! It remains to double, triple it, and the depths of Atlantis will be in the power of scuba divers. They will be able to search for sunken land and, without returning to the surface of the ocean, relax in special underwater houses. Today, underwater houses of various designs are being tested in the USA, Holland and Italy, Japan and Cuba. It is possible that Atlantis will be open not with the help of heavy, bulky deep-sea suits and bathyscaphes, which carried out the first reconnaissance of great depths, but with light, mobile, dressed only in a woolen suit under a thin rubber cover, specially trained deep-sea scuba divers.