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Since Plato describes Athens as resembling his ideal state in the Republic, the Atlantis story is meant to bear witness to the superiority of his concept of a state. [4] [5] Despite its minor importance in Plato's work, the Atlantis story has had a considerable impact on literature.
Plato's Atlantis described in Timaeus and Critias. Essentially the story is about a good city and a city gone bad and the divinely arranged, therapeutic punishment of the bad city by its defeat at the hands of the good.
Critias proceeds to tell the story of Solon's journey to Egypt where he hears the story of Atlantis, and how Athens used to be an ideal state that subsequently waged war against Atlantis (25a). Critias believes that he is getting ahead of himself, and mentions that Timaeus will tell part of the account from the origin of the universe to man.
A number of classical scholars have proposed that Plato's inspiration for the story came from the earthquake and tsunami which destroyed Helike in 373 BC, just a few years before he wrote the relevant dialogues. [17] The claim that Helike is the inspiration for Plato's Atlantis is also supported by Dora Katsonopoulou and Steven Soter. [18]
Sonchis of Saïs or the Saïte (Ancient Greek: Σῶγχις ὁ Σαΐτης, Sō̂nkhis o Saḯtēs; fl. 594 BC) was an Egyptian priest, who is mentioned in Greek writings for relating the account of Atlantis. His status as a historical figure is a matter of debate.
Solon is Plato's source for the story of Atlantis. After completing his work of reform, Solon surrendered his extraordinary authority and traveled abroad for ten years, so that the Athenians could not induce him to repeal any of his laws. [26] [c] Within four years of Solon's departure, the old social rifts re-appeared, but with some new ...
The story of Atlantis is the starting point for a lexicographical study of Plato's conception of muthos, or myth. Plato was the first to use this word to refer to a fictional story. The second half of the book concerns logos, which Plato used in contrast with muthos and regarded as the superior of the two. [2]
The Ring of Gyges / ˈ dʒ aɪ ˌ dʒ iː z / (Ancient Greek: Γύγου Δακτύλιος, Gúgou Daktúlios, Attic Greek pronunciation: [ˈɡyːˌɡoː dakˈtylios]) is a hypothetical magic ring mentioned by the philosopher Plato in Book 2 of his Republic (2:359a–2:360d). [1]