Caleb Jones

This power came forth out of the Atlantic, and for in those days the Atlantic was navigable.

There was an island situated in the front of the Pillars of Hercules.

The island was larger than Libya and Asia put together, and was the way to other islands, and from these you might pass to the whole of the opposite continent, which surrounded the true ocean, for this sea which is within the Straits of Hercules is only a harbor, having a narrow entrance, but the other is a real sea, and the surrounding land may be most truly called

a boundless continent.

Now this island of Atlantis, there was a great and wonderful empire, which had rule over the whole island and several others, and over parts of the continent.

And furthermore, the men of Atlantis had subjected the parts of Libya within the columns of Hercules as far as Egypt, and of Europe as far as Tyrrhenia, which is in central Italy.

This vast power gathered into one, endeavored to subdue at a blow our country, Egypt, and yours, Greece, and the whole of the region within the Straits.

And then so long your country shone forth,

In the excellence of her virtue and strength among all mankind, she was preeminent in courage and military skill and was the leader of the Hellenes, and when the rest fell off from her, being compelled to stand alone, after having undergone the very extremity of danger, she defeated and triumphed over the invaders, and preserved from slavery those who were not yet subjugated, and generously liberated all the rest of us who dwell within the Pillars.

But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods, and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis, in the like manner, disappeared in the depths of the sea, for which reason the sea in those parts is impassable and impenetrable, because there is a shoal of mud in the way, and this was caused by the subsidence of the island."

So that's the first one that we have, and that's the Timaeus.

And then the Timaeus goes on, but there's a second source that we have about Atlantis.

It's Critias, and it comes next in this series.

And he starts to talk about the actual, how the land is laid out and the city itself, and we get a lot of their history.

It says, let me begin by observing first of all that 9,000 was the sum of years which had elapsed since the war which was said to have taken place between those who dwelt outside the pillars of Heracles and all who dwelt within them.

Many great deluges have taken place during the 9,000 years for that is the number of years which have elapsed since the time of which I am speaking.

And then he goes on, he talks about the distribution of the earth among the gods.

He says, Poseidon receiving for his lot, the island of Atlantis, begat children by a mortal woman, which I think we've heard about, and settled them in a part of the island, which I will describe.

And it's looking towards the sea, but in the center of the whole island, there was a plane, which is said to have been the fairest of all planes and very fertile.

Near the plain again, and also in the center of the island, at a distance of about 50 stadia, there was a mountain not very high on any side.