Professor Edith Hall

And Poseidon goes in and decides to actually set up people that, you know, it's not a proper community. It's not a proper civilization. And he goes in And he actually changes the whole geological constitution by creating this central island. And that is then surrounded by concentric marine canals. So if you can imagine a sort of circular island...

and then several alternating canals, which are just concentric rings and more blocks of land. And he creates all these places and puts bridges over them. And the reason why he wanted it like that was that he'd fallen in love with a human woman. This is very important because the Athenians are not descended from an actual sex act with a human.

and then several alternating canals, which are just concentric rings and more blocks of land. And he creates all these places and puts bridges over them. And the reason why he wanted it like that was that he'd fallen in love with a human woman. This is very important because the Athenians are not descended from an actual sex act with a human.

and then several alternating canals, which are just concentric rings and more blocks of land. And he creates all these places and puts bridges over them. And the reason why he wanted it like that was that he'd fallen in love with a human woman. This is very important because the Athenians are not descended from an actual sex act with a human.

There's a half-human element in the Atlanteans, which actually, when we go on to the ideal Athenians, doesn't quite share anything.

There's a half-human element in the Atlanteans, which actually, when we go on to the ideal Athenians, doesn't quite share anything.

There's a half-human element in the Atlanteans, which actually, when we go on to the ideal Athenians, doesn't quite share anything.

But Plato gives us, and I can only really recommend reading it, the most extraordinarily beautiful, and this is why people love it and why cartoon artists love it, detailed description of all these, especially the city centre island, which has temples carved with the most beautiful coloured murals, with incredible layers of incrustation of jewels and sanctuaries and statues.

But Plato gives us, and I can only really recommend reading it, the most extraordinarily beautiful, and this is why people love it and why cartoon artists love it, detailed description of all these, especially the city centre island, which has temples carved with the most beautiful coloured murals, with incredible layers of incrustation of jewels and sanctuaries and statues.

But Plato gives us, and I can only really recommend reading it, the most extraordinarily beautiful, and this is why people love it and why cartoon artists love it, detailed description of all these, especially the city centre island, which has temples carved with the most beautiful coloured murals, with incredible layers of incrustation of jewels and sanctuaries and statues.

I mean, it's meant to be slightly over-opulent. That's going to be part of the point that these people were gaudy and too interested in material consumption and they were flashy and they were a bit vulgar and they liked spectacle. All the things that actually Plato accuses his contemporary Athenians of, just loving spectacle. But it's a beautiful, beautiful read.

I mean, it's meant to be slightly over-opulent. That's going to be part of the point that these people were gaudy and too interested in material consumption and they were flashy and they were a bit vulgar and they liked spectacle. All the things that actually Plato accuses his contemporary Athenians of, just loving spectacle. But it's a beautiful, beautiful read.

I mean, it's meant to be slightly over-opulent. That's going to be part of the point that these people were gaudy and too interested in material consumption and they were flashy and they were a bit vulgar and they liked spectacle. All the things that actually Plato accuses his contemporary Athenians of, just loving spectacle. But it's a beautiful, beautiful read.

And that's really, I think, that and the actual cataclysm.

And that's really, I think, that and the actual cataclysm.

And that's really, I think, that and the actual cataclysm.

Yes, it's run by despotic monarchs with full power. But there's problems because there tend to be families with more than one boy. So we've already got inbuilt conflict, what the Greeks called stasis. You know, you've got a quarrelsome royal family running it. And the real problem comes after a while when they invent sea power. This is the crucial thing. Oh, they invent it. Okay, yeah.

Yes, it's run by despotic monarchs with full power. But there's problems because there tend to be families with more than one boy. So we've already got inbuilt conflict, what the Greeks called stasis. You know, you've got a quarrelsome royal family running it. And the real problem comes after a while when they invent sea power. This is the crucial thing. Oh, they invent it. Okay, yeah.

Yes, it's run by despotic monarchs with full power. But there's problems because there tend to be families with more than one boy. So we've already got inbuilt conflict, what the Greeks called stasis. You know, you've got a quarrelsome royal family running it. And the real problem comes after a while when they invent sea power. This is the crucial thing. Oh, they invent it. Okay, yeah.

They invent sea power. They invent the very first navy in the world. And there's a big description of it and how these huge, great triremes could go up and down all the channels. And this leads to growing decadence because they start trading with other nations, which makes them more greedy for money. And this is part of what leads to their moral downfall.