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Is North America ancient Atlantis?
As more and more became known of the geography of the world numerous commentators saw North America as the “perfect” answer to the Atlantis mystery. To them it had neither sank nor disappeared but just been forgotten. Ignoring Plato’s assertion that it lay just “opposite the Pillars of Hercules” - the modern Straits of Gibraltar - they saw North America as the rediscovered Atlantean continent.
Extraordinary efforts.
In his book History of Atlantis author Lewis Spence writes as follows: “Equally curious are the attempts made to identify the lost Atlantis with America. Treatises on the subject began to appear shortly after the discovery of America and extraordinary efforts seem to have been made to attach the name of Plato’s island to the new continent.”
Spirit of fantasy
In 1583 Gomara in his Historia de las Indias unhesitatingly identified America with Atlantis and eight years later Guillaume de Postel drew attention to the similarity of the native name for Mexico Aztlan with that of Atlantis which he proposed to confer upon the new world. Bacon in his Nova Atlantis identified America with Plato’s isle although certainly in such a spirit of fantasy as might be employed by J.M Barrie.
Map of colonisation.
In 1689 geographers Nicholas and Guillaume Sauson became so convinced that North America was Atlantis that they published an atlas depicting which areas of the continent had been assigned to the various kings of Atlantis, “who had issued from Poseidon the father of Atlas and displaying those portions of the Old World which, according to Plato’s story they had succeeded in colonising.
Persistent idea.
According to author Lewis Spence the idea of an American Atlantis persisted for quite some time. He writes “So late as 1762 Robert de Vaugoudy produced a similar Atlas in verification of the Sauson’s, to the accompaniment of Voltaire’s ribald and inextinguishable laughter. Even Stallbaum, the serious critic of Plato’s Timaeus and Critias upheld the identity of America with Atlantis, and thought it probable that the ancient Egyptians had knowledge of the Western Continent.” Lewis Spence continues: “Kircher, Ginguene, Mentelle and others believed that the Atlantic Islands were the remains of the sunken continent and Buffon argued that Ireland, the Azores and America had once been portions of the great isle of Plato.”
Evidence against it.
Beguiling though the theory of a North American Atlantis really is the weight of evidence goes against it. It is also in flat contradiction of Plato’s account. As we have said elsewhere in this site it is necessary to take certain elements of his story at face value or we are left with a completely different account. In any case Plato actually gives a description of North America calling it “the whole opposite continent” that lay beyond Atlantis.
Further links.
See also our feature Where was Atlantis?
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