Many great and wonderful deeds are recorded
of your State in our histories. But one of them exceeds all the rest in
greatness and valor. For these histories tell of a mighty power which
was aggressing wantonly against the whole of Europe and Asia, and to which
your city put an end. This power came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean,
for in those days the Atlantic was navigable; and there was an island
situated in front of the straits which you call the columns of Heracles;
the island was larger than Libya and Asia put together, and was the way
to other islands, and from the islands you might pass to the whole of
the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean; for this sea which
is within the Straits of Heracles is only a harbor, having a narrow entrance,
but that other is a real sea, and the surrounding land may be others truly
called a continent.
Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire
which had rule over the whole island and several others, as well as over
parts of the continent, and, besides these, they subjected the parts of
Libya within the columns of Heracles as far as Egypt, and of Europe as
far as Tyrrhenia. The vast power thus gathered into one, endeavored to
subdue at one blow our country and yours and the whole of the land which
was within the straits; and then, Solon, your country shone forth, in
the excellence of her virtue and strength, among all mankind; for she
was first 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 subjected,
and freely liberated all the others who dwell within the limits of Heracles.
But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a
single day and night of rain all your warlike men in a body sank into
the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared, and
was sunk beneath the sea. And that is the reason why the sea in those
parts is impassable and impenetrable, because there is such a quantity
of shallow mud in the way; and this was caused by the subsidence of the
island.
SOURCE: THE WORKS OF PLATO, Translated into English
by B. JOWETT, The Dial Press NEW-YORK