V.—Some Remarks on the Atlantis Problem.

Extract

Since the dawn of early history the question of the existence of a continent beyond the “pillars of Hercules” has occupied the mind of man. Our very earliest records of this mythical land were derived from a narrative which has been handed down to us by Plato. According to it, Solon is said to have visited Sais in Egypt, and there to have heard from priests of the ancient “Empire of Atlantis” and of its overthrow by a convulsion of Nature. This Atlantis was then spoken of as a vast land lying beyond what we now call the Straits of Gibraltar, and it is supposed to have been inhabited by a mighty race of people. Plato's story has called forth quite a flood of literature, not only in ancient times; even within the last score of years many pamphlets and books have been published dealing with this attractive problem. Some authors have sought to discredit the veracity of Plato's assertions, while several, and among them Humboldt and Sir Daniel Wilson, were of opinion that the tale rests on some historic basis. Others, again, have utilised the original story and connected it with their own ideas of a land-bridge stretching right across the Atlantic from Europe to America.