In this survey of Atlantis theories, Ellis (Monsters of the Sea,
1994, etc.) explains and then pokes holes in previous conjectures -
from the scientifically grounded to the plain crazy - before
tendering a few of his own It is all Plato's fault, suggests Ellis
- the mare's nest of literature, philosophy, geology, archaeology,
oceanography, ancient history, mythology, art history, mysticism,
cryptology, and fantasy that can be summed up in the word
"Atlantology." A few mentions of that fabulous island in his
Critias and Timaeus, and 2,500 years later we still haven't heard
the end of it. Ellis covers here the whole gamut of Atlantis
explanations, compares them to a strict reading of Plato's story,
and proceeds to dismember them all. The more outlandish, like
paranormal Edgar Cayce and occultist Madame Blavatsky, are easy to
dismiss as they have no truck with Plato (not to mention their
general lunacy); same goes for notions locating Atlantis in the
Crimea, the Sahara, and central France. Jules Verne and Arthur
Conan Doyle were in it for the entertainment value; even reputable
(or not so reputable) investigators and cognoscenti like Francis
Bacon, Ignatius Donnelly, Charles Pellegrino, Spyridon Marinatos,
and Angelos Galanopoulos display instances of "rash assumption,
hasty conclusions, circular reasoning, and argument based purely on
rhetoric." And his points are all well taken: Hold tree to Plato's
tale - no fiddling around with the numbers, no monkeying with the
geography - and all their speculations smell like three-day-old
fish. As for Ellis's thoughts on Atlantis: "I think it was entirely
Plato's creation," that the story is likely a parable for the
demise of Periclean Athens, its magical detailing plucked from
contemporaneous regional sources: the architecture perhaps from the
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the geologic catastrophe from the
Helice earthquake of 373 B.C. Just so: another corrupt civilization
flooded into oblivion, a story as old as time. Of course, Atlantis
is still lost, Ellis wags his head, perhaps a tad smugly. And it
always will be. So stop looking, except in your imagination.
(Kirkus Reviews)
Ever since Plato created the legend of the lost island of Atlantis, it has maintained a uniquely strong grip on the human imagination. For two and a half millennia, the story of the city and its catastrophic downfall has inspired people--from Francis Bacon to Jules Verne to Jacques Cousteau--to speculate on the island's origins, nature, and location, and sometimes even to search for its physical remains. It has endured as a part of the mythology of many different cultures, yet there is no indisputable evidence, let alone proof, that Atlantis ever existed. What, then, accounts for its seemingly inexhaustible appeal?
Richard Ellis plunges into this rich topic, investigating the roots of the legend and following its various manifestations into the present. He begins with the story's origins. Did it arise from a common prehistorical myth? Was it a historical remnant of a lost city of pre-Columbians or ancient Egyptians? Was Atlantis an extraterrestrial colony? Ellis sifts through the "scientific" evidence marshaled to "prove" these theories, and describes the mystical and spiritual significance that has accrued to them over the centuries. He goes on to explore the possibility that the fable of Atlantis was inspired by a conflation of the high culture of Minoan Crete with the destruction wrought on the Aegean world by the cataclysmic eruption, around 1500 b.c., of the volcanic island of Thera (or Santorini).
A fascinating historical and archaeological detective story, Imagining Atlantis is a valuable addition to the literature on this essential aspect of our mythohistory.
From the Hardcover edition.
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