Story Of Atlantis

^{Full
Story Of Atlantis}
^{When the great gods divided the Cosmos between them, Poseidon the Lord
of the Ocean took}
^{possession
of a chain of islands stretching from Spain to central America. The largest
of these islands was}
^{as
big as the whole of Asia Minor.}
^{When Poseidon inspected his new domain he found the islands to be more
beautiful than anywhere else in}
^{the
world. Every leaf on every tree glistened as brilliantly as an emerald,
and the rolling pasturelands were}
^{as
sleek and green as the waves of a summer sea. The flowers were so richly
scented that they made the}
^{warm
air as intoxicating as wine. Great herds of tame cattle grazed the pastures,
the water in the streams}
^{was as clear as crystal and as fragrant as clover, while the hillsides
shone with veins of white, black, and}
^{red
marble and with deposits of every kind of precious metal.}
^{The great god discovered that the people of the islands were singularly
handsome and intelligent, but so}
^{newly created that they had no leaders or social organisation. They had
not even given a name to their}
^{island home.}
^{As Poseidon explored the land he came to a hill rising from the very center
of the largest island, and he}
^{climbed through its flowering forests until, close to summit, he found
the abode of the most beautiful}
^{woman he had ever seen. She told him her name was Cleito. The dazzling
glance of her sea-blue eyes,}
^{and the sumptuous beauty of her face and form, aroused such lust in the
potent deity that he conquered}
^{her without delay. She responded ardently to his power and splendour and
in due course bore him ten fine}
^{sons. They named the firstborn Atlas, and Poseidon named the islands and
the surrounding ocean in}
^{honour of his son. They became Atlantis while the oceanis the Atlantic.}
^{Poseidon is the most violent and most jealous of the gods, distrustful
of all mortals including Cleito, and so}
^{he isolated her upon her hill by digging three great moats around it. Each
was about a kilometre wide, and}
^{separated
from the others by a circle of land of the same width. Thus the Hill of
Cleito was surrounded by}
^{great
concentric circles of land and water.}
^{When Poseidon's ten sons grew to maturity he made them all into kings,
each with responsibility for}
^{one-tenth of Atlantis. Under his orders they formed themselves into a council,
led by Atlas, to rule the}
^{nation for the benefit of all its people.}
^{The Atlanteans were so vigorous and intelligent, so adept at developing
their arts and technology and so}
^{industrious in exploiting the resources of the islands, that they soon
established the world's first and finest}
^{civilisation. With Poseidon's permission, and under the guidance of the
ten kings, they built a magnificent}
^{city upon the circles of earth surrounding the Hill of Cleito. Atlantean
architects used the red, black and}
^{white marble of their county to design buildings of dazzling splendour,
with the three colours artfully}
^{blended or contrasted to attract and please the eye. On the hill of Cleito
they built her a great palace, and}
^{this together with the palaces of the ten kings and the temple of Poseidon
all blazed with inlays of gold and}
^{precious stones. The principle temple to Poseidon was the wonder of all
the world. The pinnacled roof}
^{was so high that clouds drifted around its spires, and it contained an
enormous image of Poseidon riding in}
^{his chariot attended by sea nymphs and dolphins.}
^{The
unique beauty of the city, on its circles of land linked by great bridges
across the circles of water, was}
^{further enhanced by brilliant gardens, groves of flowering trees, and innumerable
sparkling fountains.}

^{Great universities, observatories, libraries, laboratories and academies
for people of all ages showed that}
^{Atlantis
was the well-spring of human arts and sciences.}
^{Portions
of the city were devoted to commerce and industry, because the Atlanteans
used the discoveries}
^{of
their scientists and technologists as the basis of a flourishing trade
with other nations. They dug a great}
^{canal from the city to the sea, so that ships could sail right up to the
water-circles and pass from one to}
^{another
by tunnels dug through the land-circles.}
^{Visitors
to the city wrote enthusiastically of its beautiful women and handsome
men; of the freedom they}
^{enjoyed under the laws of the ten kings; of the skilled craftsmen who wrought
in base and precious}
^{metals, and of fresh sea breezes which cleared the smoke of their foundries
from the air; of the busy}
^{markets
where countryfolk sold the rich and colourful produce of their farms; and
of the frequent festivals}
^{which brought throngs of Atlanteans singing and dancing into the streets.}
^{The greatest of these festivals was staged once every five years, when
the ten kings assembled in}
^{Poseidon's
temple for their quinquennial parliament. While they deliberated, stockmen
drove a number of}
^{splendid bulls in from the outlying ranches and corralled them within the
temple grounds. Great crowds}
^{assembled
to admire these monstrous animals with their sleek hides and sword-like
crescent horns, while}
^{warriors
and nobleman prepared for the bull-hunt. When the parliament was over,
the bulls were released}
^{and the hunters chased them barehanded through the temple grounds, dodging
their charges as they}
^{attempted to seize one and throw it to the ground. At last a group of hunters
would manage to corner a}
^{bull and wrestle it to the ground, and the animal was then sacrificed to
the glory of Poseidon. The other}
^{bulls were taken back to their ranches and the festival concluded with
a great public banquet.}
^{The scientists and technocrats of Atlantis were not jealous of their skills
and learning. They acted as}
^{industrial missionaries who spread their knowledge all over the known world.
They taught the Egyptians}
^{and the Mayans how to build pyramids and the Greeks how to construct Atlantes,
the sculptured figures}
^{of males which support the architraves of temples and other buildings.
They spread their knowledge of}
^{metallurgy, astronomy, medicine, magnetism, and many other arts and sciences,
wherever the ships of}
^{Atlantis could sail. They invented reading and writing, mathematics, agriculture,
architecture, and all the}
^{concepts of human civilisation. It was rumoured also that Atlantean scientists
expected to discover the}
^{mystic force which powers the Cosmos, and that when they had harnessed
this force there would be no}
^{limit
to human achievements.}
^{For many centuries, Atlantis was the center of the world. The peace and
security of the nation were}
^{protected
by a great army and navy, too strong to be challenged by any other country,
and the Atlanteans}
^{enjoyed
long contented lives of achievement and prosperity.}
^{But,
about 1200 centuries ago, the parliament of the the Ten Kings began to
alter its attitude towards the}
^{outside world. In one of the quinquennial parliaments, the kings decided
that it was not enough for the}
^{Atlanteans
to spread their civilisation far and wide. Those who benefited from the
Atlantean technocracy}
^{should
also become its subjects and pay tribute to their imperial masters.}
^{Thus the Atlanteans embarked upon the conquest of the world. their ships
took expeditionary forces to}
^{Central and South America, where they overwhelmed the Incas, Aztecs, and
Mayas and sent rich booty}
^{back
to Atlantis. Another force conquered the whole of North Africa, and regrouped
in Egypt so that they}
^{might
invade Greece and then sweep eastwards through the kingdoms of Asia.}
^{In about 9500 BC, a great Atlantean invasion fleet sailed into the bat
of Athens, where a vastly}
^{outmubered force of Athenians waited to resist them. When the two armies
clashed the arrows flew in}
^{such
clouds that they darkened the sky, the hooves of the chariot horses were
like thunder upon Olympus,}
^{the
brazen armour of the Atlanteans dazzled the eye and their spearheads seemed
as multitudinous as}
^{wheat
growing in a field. But the Athenians fought desperately in defence of
their city-state and at last the}
^{massed batalions of Atlantis faltered, fell back, and turned in headlong
retreat towards their ships.}
^{The Atlantean fleet was about to set sail when the whole sky turned the
colour of dry blood, and a mass}
^{of black clouds swept across it with such a dreadful sound as had never
been heard before. The seas rose}
^{in gigantic waves which swallowed the entire fleet, while the whole world
reverberated with earthquakes}
^{and the ocean roared and rushed from one sea to another like water swilling
around in an immense bowl.}
^{For days on end it seemed the whole Cosmos would fly apart. The skies deluged
the earth with water, the}
^{mountains shuddered and cracked apart, the oceans were a torment of monstrous
waves. When at last the}
^{seas became calm again a few battered ships crept into port. They brought
the news that Atlantis had}
^{disappeared, and that the Atlantic Ocean rolled over the place where this
magnificent empire once}
^{flourished in all its glory.}
^{Ever since those days, historians have debated the reason why Atlantis
was obliterated. Some say that}
^{Poseidon was angered by the Athenian victory, and punished his people with
total destruction. Others say}
^{that an Atlantean scientist had discovered the forbidden secrets of the
Cosmos, and released the forces}
^{which may eventually destroy the whole of mankind.}

                         Theory Of Atlantis
                         Where Was Atlantis
                         Timaeus and Critias
                         Vital Statistics Of Atlantis
                         Index