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Plato used a series of dialogues to express his ideas. In this type of writing, the author's thoughts are explored in a series of arguments
and debates between various characters in the story. Plato often used
real people in his dialogues, such as his teacher, Socrates, but the
words he gave them were his own. A character named Kritias tells an
account of Atlantis that has been in his family for generations.
According the character the story was originally told to his ancestor
Solon, by a priest during Solon's visit to Egypt.
According to the dialogues, there had been a powerful empire located to the west of the "Pillars of Hercules" (what we now call the Straight
of Gibraltar) on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. The nation there had
been established by Poseidon, the God of the Sea. Poseidon fathered
five sets of twins on the island. The firstborn, Atlas, had the
continent and the surrounding ocean named for him. Poseidon divided the
land into ten sections, each to be ruled by a son, or his heirs.
The capital city of Atlantis named Poseidonia was a marvel of architecture and engineering. The city was composed of a series of
concentric walls and canals. At the very center was a hill, and on top
of the hill a temple to Poseidon. Inside was a gold statue of the God
of the Sea showing him driving six winged horses. About 9000 years
before the time of Plato, after the people of Atlantis became corrupt
and greedy, the Gods decided to destroy them. A violent earthquake
shook the land, giant waves rolled over the shores, and the island sank
into the sea never to be seen again.
So is the story of Atlantis just a fable used by Plato to make a point? Or is there some reason to think he was referring to a real
place? Well, at numerous points in the dialogues Plato's characters
refer to the story of Atlantis as "genuine history" and it being within
"the realm of fact." Plato also seems to put into the story a lot of
detail about Atlantis that would be unnecessary if he had intended to
use it only as a literary device.
If we make the assumption that Atlantis was a real place it seems logical we should find it west of the Straight of Gibraltar near the
Azores Islands (some have suggested that the Azores are what are left
of Atlantis's highest mountain peaks). A scientific survey of the
bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, though, shows it is covered with a
blanket of sediment that must have taken millions of years to
accumulate. There is no sign of a sunken island continent.
Are there any other candidates for the location of Atlantis? People have made cases for places as diverse as Switzerland and New Zealand.
One of the most convincing arguments, though, came from K.T. Frost, a
professor of history at the Queen's University in Belfast. Later,
Spyridon Marinatos, an archaeologist and A.G. Galanopoulos, a
seismologist, added evidence to Frost's ideas.
Frost suggested that instead of being west of the Pillars of Hercules Atlantis was east. He also thought that the catastrophic end
of the island had come not 9000 years before Plato's time, but only
900. If this was true the land of Atlantis might already be a
well-known place even in Plato's time: The Island of Crete.
Crete is now a part of modern Greece and lies just south of the Athens across part of the Mediterranean Sea. Before 1500 B.C. it was
the seat of the Minoan Empire. The Minoans dominated the eastern
Mediterranean with a powerful navy and probably extracted tribute from
other surrounding nations. Archaeological excavations have shown the
Minoan Crete was probably one of the most sophisticated cultures of its
time. It had splendid architecture, and art. A code of laws gave women
equal legal status as men. Agriculture was highly developed and an
extensive irrigation system was existed.
Then, seemingly in a blink of an eye, the Minoan Civilization disappeared. Geological studies have shown that on an island we now
know as Santorinas, located just ten miles to the north of Crete, a
disaster occurred that was very capable of toppling the Minoan state.
Santorini today is a lush Mediterranean paradise consisting of several
islands in a ring shape. Twenty-five hundred years ago, though, it was
a single large island with a volcano in the center. The volcano blew
itself apart in a massive explosion around 1500 B.C.
To understand the effect of such an explosion, scientists have compared it with the most powerful volcanic explosion in historic
times. This occurred on the Island of Krakatoa in 1883. There a giant
wave, or tsunami, 120 feet high raced across the sea and hit
neighboring islands killing 36,000 people. Ash thrown up into the air
blackened the skies for three days. The sound of the explosion was
heard as far away as 3,000 miles. The explosion at Santorini was four
times as powerful as Krakatoa.
The tsunami that hit Crete must have traveled inland for over half a mile destroying any coastal towns or cities. The great Minoan fleet of
ships were all sunk in a few seconds. Overnight the powerful Minoan
Empire was crushed and Crete changed to a political backwater. One can
hardly imagine a catastrophe more like Plato's description of Atlantis'
fate than the destruction of Crete.
Many of the details of the Atlantis story fit with what is now known about Crete. Women had a relatively high political status, both
cultures were peaceful, and both enjoyed the unusual sport of
ritualistic bullfighting (where an unarmed man wrestled and jumped over
an uninjured bull).
If the fall of the Minoans is the story of Atlantis, how did Plato get the location and time wrong? Galanopoulos suggested there was a
mistake during translation of some of the figures from Egyptian to
Greek and an extra zero added. This would mean 900 years ago became
9000, and the distance from Egypt to "Atlantis" went from 250 miles to
2,500. If this is true, Plato, knowing the layout of the Mediterranean
Sea, would have been forced to assume the location of island continent
was squarely in the Atlantic Ocean.
Not everyone accepts the Minoan Crete theory of the story of Atlantis, but until a convincing case can be made for some other place,
it remains science's best guess.>
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Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries had its humble beginnings as an idea of a few artisans and craftsmen who enjoy performing with live steel fighting. As well as a patchwork quilt tent canvas. Most had prior military experience hence the name.
Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries.
Vendertainers that brought many things to a show and are know for helping out where ever they can.
As well as being a place where the older hand made items could be found made by them and enjoyed by all.
We expanded over the years to become well known at what we do. Now we represent over 100 artisans and craftsman that are well known in their venues and some just starting out. Some of their works have been premiered in TV, stage and movies on a regular basis.
Specializing in Medieval, Goth , Stage Film, BDFSM and Practitioner.
Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries a Dept of, Ask For IT was started by artists and former military veterans, and sword fighters, representing over 100 artisans, one who made his living traveling from fair to festival vending medieval wares. The majority of his customers are re-enactors, SCAdians and the like, looking to build their kit with period clothing, feast gear, adornments, etc.
Likewise, it is typical for these history-lovers to peruse the tent (aka mobile store front) and, upon finding something that pleases the eye, ask "Is this period?"
A deceitful query!! This is not a yes or no question. One must have a damn good understanding of European history (at least) from the fall of Rome to the mid-1600's to properly answer. Taking into account, also, the culture in which the querent is dressed is vitally important. You see, though it may be well within medieval period, it would be strange to see a Viking wearing a Caftan...or is it?
After a festival's time of answering weighty questions such as these, I'd sleep like a log! Only a mad man could possibly remember the place and time for each piece of kitchen ware, weaponry, cloth, and chain within a span of 1,000 years!! Surely there must be an easier way, a place where he could post all this knowledge...
Traveling Within The World is meant to be such a place. A place for all of these artists to keep in touch and directly interact with their fellow geeks and re-enactment hobbyists, their clientele.
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