11500 years ago\u2026<\/p>\n
R. Vieni<\/p>\n
\u0001\u0003\u0004\u0006\u0007\u0006\b \u0006<\/p>\n
I.1<\/p>\n
Time and time again the vessel shattered<\/p>\n
against the fury of the \u201cwandering stones\u201d, and<\/p>\n
for as many times men stubbornly restarted<\/p>\n
weaving the thread of their everlasting wander.<\/p>\n
Obscure Penelopes of the knowledge, stimulated<\/p>\n
by an unequalled curiosity, they wanted<\/p>\n
to tear open the veil that divides the cave from<\/p>\n
the light, breaking the archaic code of prohibitions,<\/p>\n
whilst placing themselves as the sole<\/p>\n
part of becoming.<\/p>\n
Not by chance, the great Florentine Poet put<\/p>\n
on Odysseus\u2019s lips, the hero per excellence set<\/p>\n
against the son of Peleus whose sole feature<\/p>\n
was strength, the immortal lines \u201c<\/span>fatti non<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n foste a viver come bruti, ma per seguir virtute<\/p>\n e canoscenza\u2026<\/i><\/span>\u201d.(1)<\/span><\/p>\n On one side strength, on the other the longing<\/p>\n for knowledge. On one side the old world of<\/p>\n Atlantis and of Dorian conquerors, on the<\/p>\n other the innovation introduced by the fullness<\/p>\n and dignity of the symbolic universe of Hellenics.<\/p>\n So there are the Pillars of Hercules\u2026 and<\/p>\n there is Odysseus.<\/p>\n There is taboo\u2026 and there is the ancient<\/p>\n dream of man.<\/p>\n For us, today, the outermost frontier is represented<\/p>\n by the cosmos\u2026 our ancestors found<\/p>\n such frontier on the dark wave next to the farthest<\/p>\n barrier of that which was in those times<\/p>\n their sensible universe: at that time, an inviolate<\/p>\n and inexplicable sea.<\/p>\n For the Greeks the first geographic and cultural<\/p>\n barrier is the Bosphorus. Jason and the<\/p>\n Argonauts succeed in violating this limit.<\/p>\n Then, here is Sicily and the odyssey of the first<\/p>\n lone navigators (2).<\/p>\n It is not by chance that the poet Homer (Od.,<\/p>\n XII, 61) talks about <\/span>\f\u0007 \u0003\u000e\u000f\u0010 And these words, this epithet, remind us<\/p>\n promptly of another, more recent expression:<\/p>\n \u000f \u0011\u0012\b\u000e\u0013\u000f \u0018\u0019\u0011\u0007\u0004<\/span>–<\/span><\/p>\n \b\u001a\u0012\u0016 Finally the outermost part of Mediterranean<\/p>\n Sea, to the west .<\/p>\n I.2<\/p>\n At the end of the Wurmian Ice Age the eastern<\/p>\n part of Mediterranean was separated from the<\/p>\n western one.<\/p>\n Two huge basins whose level, compared with<\/p>\n today, was much different: approximately<\/p>\n 150\/200 meters lower.<\/p>\n The emerged lands were actually nearer to<\/p>\n each other, more so than today.<\/p>\n Moreover the eastern basin\u2019s level (presentday<\/p>\n Ionian Sea) was lower than the western<\/p>\n one.<\/p>\n A proof can be found in the bigger depth of<\/p>\n this sea together with the configuration of the<\/p>\n underwater ridge: tides and currents caused the<\/p>\n water to fall from the western basin to the<\/p>\n eastern one.<\/p>\n Such phenomenon in the middle part of Mediterranean<\/p>\n Sea, together with the one which<\/p>\n some people describe as plate sliding, but<\/p>\n which we prefer to ascribe to the gradual expansion<\/p>\n of our planet (4), brought the coasts of<\/p>\n Sicily and Calabria much closer, but also<\/p>\n caused the appearance of a wide platform in<\/p>\n the southern part of Sicily, exactly between it<\/p>\n and Tunisia.<\/p>\n Ancient Mediterranean<\/p>\n This phenomenon ended with the melting of<\/p>\n the ice at the end of the Wurmian Age, and it<\/p>\n further redesigned the outline of the mainland.<\/p>\n This did not only happen here, but also in Aegean<\/p>\n Sea (cfr. myth of Deucalion and Pyrrha)<\/p>\n and even in the Black Sea (as proven by the<\/p>\n latest researches carried out).<\/p>\n All that happened approximately 11500 years<\/p>\n ago.<\/p>\n The fact that the Mediterranean area was usually<\/p>\n subjected to such phenomena is proved by<\/p>\n the recent discovery of the skeleton of a prehistoric<\/p>\n whale in the area between Egypt and<\/p>\n the Sudan.<\/p>\n I.3<\/p>\n As stated above, in early times the Pillars of<\/p>\n Hercules were probably to be identified with<\/p>\n \u000f\u001b<\/p>\n \u0018\u0019\u0011\u0007\u0004 \b\u001a\u0012 as Euripides called them at the beginning<\/p>\n of his Medea. Known also as \u201cCianee Islands\u201d,<\/p>\n they once were at the entrance of<\/p>\n Pontus and it was easy to crash against them.<\/p>\n As you can see, it is a cyclic image of that<\/p>\n widening horizon that from time to time redefines<\/p>\n itself toward larger and larger spaces.<\/p>\n With regard to the Canal of Sicily and the<\/p>\n whole area to the north and to the south of our<\/p>\n biggest Island, we must remember that if<\/p>\n northwards there are underwater volcanoes,<\/p>\n the biggest of which is Marsili, also southwards<\/p>\n there are important hotbeds of the god<\/p>\n Hephaestus: among them, the Island Giulia or<\/p>\n Ferdinandea or Graham that from time to time<\/p>\n makes the Canal boil, still showing a certain<\/p>\n vitality after that fateful 1831, between March<\/p>\n and August, when it almost caused an unprecedented<\/p>\n diplomatic case.<\/p>\n All that in an area going from the Aegadian<\/p>\n Islands to Mt. Etna, to the Aeolian Islands, to<\/p>\n the underwater Marsili hotbeds all the way to<\/p>\n Mt. Vesuvius and the area of Flegrea. It is not<\/p>\n by chance that here, in the vicinity of Lake<\/p>\n Averno, our ancestors had placed one of the<\/p>\n entrances to Hades.<\/p>\n But even in the ancient times this area was not<\/p>\n free from tremors (5).<\/p>\n In this regard, and in relation to the devastations<\/p>\n of nature in this geographical area, we<\/p>\n must add another element; a reference to lake<\/p>\n Pergusa whose birth, due to a tectonic collapse,<\/p>\n was certainly observed by the native<\/p>\n people of ancient Sicily.<\/p>\n This phenomenon happened in our geological<\/p>\n era, but at such a distant time that no documented<\/p>\n trace remains, only a myth (6).<\/p>\n Over centuries or millennia, the currents in the<\/p>\n Canal of Sicily have accumulated sandbanks<\/p>\n dragged by these very currents and by the<\/p>\n western waters whirlpool caused by the greater<\/p>\n depression of the Ionian basin.<\/p>\n The result was thus a pincers-shaped cost outline<\/p>\n with two almost symmetrical entrances<\/p>\n and a natural port inside <\/span>\u0014\u0007\u000f\u0019\u0004\b\u0016<\/span>, as Plato<\/span><\/p>\n says.(7). A big port.<\/p>\n Picture 1; variation of that reported by Vittorio Castellani<\/p>\n (8)<\/p>\n I started dealing with this phenomenon, even if<\/p>\n \u201cen passant\u201d, at the time of my university<\/p>\n studies in Messina; 45 years ago. And, in my<\/p>\n graduation thesis, I briefly described the phenomenon<\/p>\n in the Aegean Sea.<\/p>\n Aegean Sea<\/p>\n I am glad that I found a confirmation to this<\/p>\n hypothesis also in the central part of the Mediterranean<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n I.4<\/p>\n Now I do not pretend to state that Atlantis is<\/p>\n \u201chere\u201d or \u201cthere\u201d.<\/p>\n On the contrary I am sure that in the absence<\/p>\n of converging historical \u2013 geological – archaeological<\/p>\n data and above all in the absence<\/p>\n of findings, no one can reasonably state to be<\/p>\n able to solve this mystery.<\/p>\n But I am also certain that the information<\/p>\n given by Plato reveals very important details<\/p>\n In this particular case, geological and historical-<\/p>\n linguistic data, as we will see, agree.<\/p>\n Nor can it be a legend, as someone surmises,<\/p>\n considering the testimonies supporting the<\/p>\n data included in the two Platonic Dialogues.<\/p>\n It would seem that Plato drew from reliable<\/p>\n and competent source the news about the<\/p>\n legendary Atlantis.(9)<\/p>\n In fact you can read in Diogenes Laertius:<\/p>\n \u201cSome people say, among them also Satirus,<\/p>\n that Plato wrote to Dion in Sicily asking him<\/p>\n to buy for one hundred minas the three Pythagorean<\/p>\n books by Philolaus. They said in<\/p>\n fact that he was well-off because he received<\/p>\n more than eighty talents from Dyonysius\u201d.<\/p>\n Other people say that Plato would have received<\/p>\n these books because he managed to obtain<\/p>\n from the Tyrant of Syracuse the liberation<\/p>\n of one young follower of Philolaus (Lives of<\/p>\n Philosophers, VIII, 85, op.cit.).<\/p>\n There is also the testimony of Aulo Gellio<\/p>\n (Noctes Atticae, III, 17, 1-2) in which one can<\/p>\n read:<\/p>\n \u201cMemoriae mandatum est Platonem philosophum<\/p>\n tenui admodum pecunia familiari fuisse<\/p>\n atque eum tamen tris Philolai Pythagorici libros<\/p>\n decem milibus denarium mercatum. Id ei<\/p>\n pretium donasse quidam scripserunt amicum<\/p>\n eius Dionem Syracosium.\u201d<\/p>\n Well, the poor Plato (10) received the three<\/p>\n sacred books from the just as poor Pythagorean<\/p>\n Filolao (who apparently sold them because<\/p>\n he was in need) thanks to the generosity<\/p>\n of his friend Dion.<\/p>\n And in any case, with these 3 letters the silence<\/p>\n on the Pythagorean school ends (11).<\/p>\n It is from these three books, that did not reach<\/p>\n us, that he probably drew many of the news<\/p>\n regarding Atlantis.<\/p>\n In any case, the testimony is trustworthy and<\/p>\n refers us to that elitist and fine culture group<\/p>\n the philosopher of Samos had in Croton.<\/p>\n It concerns the general discourse on the news<\/p>\n regarding the mythical island of Atlantis.<\/p>\n Concerning the placing of the Pillars of Hercules<\/p>\n in the Canal of Sicily we find a comforting<\/p>\n rapid passage in Strabo (Geogr., III). In fact he<\/p>\n says:<\/p>\n \u201cThe Gaditans remember that an oracle<\/p>\n prophesised to the Tirii, that they should establish<\/p>\n a colony beyond the Pillars of Hercules\u201d.<\/p>\n If we consider the hypothesis that the legend<\/p>\n was originally born within the Mediterranean,<\/p>\n Phoenician area, we can also suppose that it<\/p>\n alludes to the bigger among Phoenician colonies,<\/p>\n i.e. Carthage, whose foundation, on the<\/p>\n basis of the official chronology, would date to<\/p>\n the eighth century b.C., but that, maybe,<\/p>\n should be backdated (12).<\/p>\n We know very well that the Phoenician penetration<\/p>\n to the West preceded the Greek one, if<\/p>\n we accept what Thucydides says about Greeks<\/p>\n in Sicily (VI, 2, 6); when they appeared, the<\/p>\n Phoenicians would have left most of the island<\/p>\n taking refuge in the north-western part (and<\/p>\n Thucydides alludes to a \u2013 be careful \u2013 precolonial<\/p>\n phase).<\/p>\n In short, the colony of Carthage, near presentday<\/p>\n Tunis, could be \u201cbeyond the Pillars of<\/p>\n Hercules\u201d only if we place them there where<\/p>\n we show: i.e. between Sicily and Tunisia.<\/p>\n II.1<\/p>\n All the above comments came as an afterthought.<\/p>\n At the beginning of my research my<\/p>\n attention was turned to a careful rereading of<\/p>\n the two Platonic dialogues; the one of Timaeus<\/p>\n and the one of Critias.<\/p>\n I dedicated the little time that various commitments,<\/p>\n from family to politics to literature,<\/p>\n left to me from October 1999 to January 2000,<\/p>\n to the linguistic analysis of the text. However I<\/p>\n am not an archaeologist and my only competence<\/p>\n \u2013 if I have any \u2013 is the historicallinguistic<\/p>\n one.<\/p>\n The rest followed.<\/p>\n Only at a subsequent moment, in fact, and<\/p>\n with the support of what Plato says, I went<\/p>\n into that above mentioned small geological<\/p>\n and geographical analysis.<\/p>\n II.2<\/p>\n The great Greek philosopher (<\/span>Timaeus 24e-<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n 25abcd, Critias, 108e-109a)<\/i><\/span>, first in a quick<\/span><\/p>\n and concise way and then in a more detailed<\/p>\n one (in Critias), relates about Atlantis the information<\/p>\n that reached him from tradition and<\/p>\n sources.<\/p>\n The story seems vacuous, as the ghost of<\/p>\n something that does not exist anymore, but<\/p>\n only apparently so; taking a closer look, there<\/p>\n are some elements that certainly can help us<\/p>\n say something more and new about this <\/span>vexata<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n quaestio<\/i><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Our attention, in rereading Plato, focused on<\/p>\n some particular glosses:<\/p>\n \n \u0019\u0012\u000f\b\u001c<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n \u0019\u0012\u000f\b\u001c<\/p>\n \n \b\u0007<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n \u0011\u0012\b\u0007 \u0006<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n \u0011\u0006\b\u000e\u0006<\/p>\n \n \u0007\u000f\u0019\u0004\b<\/p>\n \n !\b\u001a\u0012\u000f\u0013\u0006<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n “#\u0019\u0004\u0007\u0006<\/p>\n Although we did non have at our disposal a<\/p>\n critical edition, the analysis of such terms provided<\/p>\n us with important information.<\/p>\n Over the centuries, annotators assumed that<\/p>\n beyond the Pillars of Hercules <\/i><\/span>actually meant<\/span><\/p>\n beyond the Straits of Gibraltar<\/i><\/span>. We, after<\/span><\/p>\n having carefully reread Plato, are certain that<\/p>\n things are different; and we are going to explain<\/p>\n the reasons why.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start from <\/span>Critias.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Reference is made to an era more than <\/span>9000<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n year <\/i><\/span>before the one of the Author, and he says:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c\u2026<\/span>island of Atlantis, which, as we said, was<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n at that time greater in extent than Libya and<\/p>\n Asia, while now, sunk by earthquakes, is an<\/p>\n insurmountable barrier of mud that stands in<\/p>\n the way of those who sail from here to reach<\/p>\n the open sea, therefore the journey does not go<\/p>\n further\u201d .<\/i><\/span>(13)<\/span><\/p>\n Here is the first linguistic datum on which to<\/p>\n ponder.<\/p>\n Plato says:<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>\u0004$<\/p>\n \u001a\u0004\u0010<\/p>\n %\u000f&\b\u0012<\/p>\n \u0003\u000f\u0010<\/p>\n ‘( \u000f\b<\/span><\/p>\n *<\/p>\n \u0012#+\u0019\u0012<\/p>\n \u0012\u000f*\u000f\b<\/p>\n \u0011\u0006\b\u000e\u0012\u0017\u0017\u0017<\/span>\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n And in <\/span>Timaeus<\/span><\/i>:<\/span><\/p>\n \n \u0006\u0007\u0007\u0010<\/p>\n \u0019\u0012\u0010<\/p>\n \u0006*<\/p>\n \u001b\u0019?)<\/p>\n \u0003\u000f\u0010<\/p>\n \u0019\u0012 \b\u0007<\/p>\n \u0012#\u0013<\/p>\n \u000e\u0004)<\/p>\n \u0011\u0006\b\u0007\u0012 \u0012 \u0013\u0019\u0019\u0012\b<\/p>\n \u0019\b\u001c\u0012\u000e\u000f \n\u0011\b\u000e<\/p>\n \u0019\u0004\u0010<\/p>\n \u0012$<\/p>\n \u001b\u0011\u0012\u0013\u0012\b.\u0012\u000f \u0003\u000f\u0010<\/p>\n \/\u0013\u0012\u000e\u0004), \u0007\u0012\b \u0012\u000f<\/p>\n \u0010\u0013<\/p>\n \u000e\u0010<\/p>\n \u0012 \u0013\u0019\u0019\u0012\b<\/p>\n \u00061 \u0004<\/p>\n \n\u0004\u001b<\/p>\n \u0011\u0006\b\u0007\u000f<\/p>\n \u001b\u0019?)<\/p>\n \u0012#\u0011\u0012 \u0012\b<\/p>\n \u0011\u0006\u000e\u0012<\/p>\n \u001a\b\u0019\u000f<\/p>\n 1&\u0013\u0012\u000f<\/p>\n \u0011\u0006\u0013\u0012\u0006\u0019\u0012\b\u0004 \u0012\/\u0011\u000f\u0010<\/p>\n \u0011)<\/p>\n “\/\u0013?\b\u0011<\/p>\n \u0004<\/p>\n \u0003\u000f\u0010<\/p>\n ‘( \u000f\b- \u0006\u001b\u0013\u0019\u0004\u0012\u000f)<\/p>\n \u0012\/\u0003<\/p>\n \u000e\u0006)<\/p>\n \n ‘(\u000e\u0007\u000e\u000f\u0003\u0006)<\/p>\n \u0011\u0012\u0007\b \u0006\u0017<\/p>\n 3\u0006\b\u000e\u0012<\/p>\n \u0010\u0013<\/p>\n \u0011\u0006\u0013\u0012\b \u000f\u0019\u0006<\/p>\n \u0004*<\/p>\n \u000e\u0006\u0010<\/p>\n \u0012\/\u0003\u0012\u000f)<\/p>\n \u0011\u0012\b\u0007 \u0006 \u0004) \u0006 \u0011\u0013\u0006\u0010<\/p>\n \u000e\u0006)<\/p>\n \u000e\u0006\b\u0019\u000e\u0006<\/p>\n \u0012\u000f*.\u0012<\/p>\n \u0006$<\/p>\n \u0003\u0007\u0012\u000f)\u000e\u0012 1<\/p>\n +\u000e\u0012 45\u0013\u0003\u0007\u0012\b\u0006<\/p>\n \u000e\u0004\b\u0007<\/p>\n %\u000f&\b\u0004 \u0003\u000f\u0010<\/p>\n ‘( \u000f\b<\/p>\n \u0012\/\u0011\u000f&\u000e\u0006\u0010<\/p>\n \u0012\/\u0011\u000f\u0010<\/p>\n \u000e\u0010<\/p>\n #\u0007\u0007<\/p>\n \u0012\/ \u000f\b \u0012\u000e\u0006<\/p>\n \u0011\u0006\u0013\u0012\u0006\u0019\u0012\b\u0006\u000f \u0012\/\u0003<\/p>\n \u001a\u0012\u0010 \u0012\/\u0011\u000f\u0010<\/p>\n \u000e\u0004\u0010<\/p>\n \u0003\u000e\u000e\u000f\u0003\u0013\u0010<\/p>\n \u0011)<\/p>\n \u0004#\u0011\u0012\u000f\u0013\u0006<\/p>\n \u000e\u0004\u0010<\/p>\n \u0011\u0012\u0013\u000f\u0010 \/\u0007\u0004\u000f\u0006\u0010<\/p>\n \u0012\/\u0003\u0012\u000f)\u0006 \n \u0001\u0012\u000f\b\u001c simply \u201c<\/span>more powerful, more important<\/span><\/i>\u201d. On<\/span><\/p>\n the other side you have only to interpret Plato<\/p>\n with Plato; regarding the size of the island, he<\/p>\n tells us that its size is 3000 stadia by 2000 stadia.<\/p>\n That\u2019s all.<\/p>\n And not only this. In <\/span>Timaeus <\/span><\/i>he states that<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>that power (<\/span><\/i>\u001a\b\u0019\u000f\u0016<\/p>\n <\/span>invaded the whole of<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Europe and Asia<\/i><\/span>\u201d. Practically he repeats mirror<\/span><\/p>\n like, with another, more circumscribed<\/p>\n term, the same idea: the fact that the island of<\/p>\n Atlantis was more powerful, more equipped,<\/p>\n more important of all the reigns of that time.<\/p>\n The meaning is made clearer by that<\/p>\n \u0019\u0012 \b\u0007<\/p>\n <\/span>(<\/span> \u0012#\u0013 \u0019\u0012 \u0012\b\u0012\u000f<\/p>\n <\/span>( <\/span> \u0003\u000f\u0010<\/p>\n \/\u0013\u0012\u000e\u0004), the strength and the valour of Athens.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the Greek word <\/span>\u0019\u0012\b be reverted to the Sanskrit root <\/span>MAG\/<\/span><\/i>M$<\/span>G<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n from which also <\/span>\u0019\b.\u0006\u0019\u000f- derives and this in turn, in an agglutinated<\/p>\n way, must be reverted to <\/span>\u0019<\/span>\u0001<\/span> makes it clear, had it been necessary, that<\/p>\n fighting is a typical and honourable activity of<\/p>\n man. Alexander himself was called \u201c<\/span>Great<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n not for his height, obviously, but for his great<\/p>\n achievements. Therefore the image of an island,<\/p>\n which seemed huge to everybody and<\/p>\n which, thought time, gave birth to the most<\/p>\n fantastic hypothesis, should be scaled down.<\/p>\n (14)<\/p>\n Moreover there is a rather interesting datum:<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>while now, sunk by earthquakes, is an insurmountable<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n mud\u2026<\/i><\/span>\u201d. Already in Plato\u2019s time, it<\/span><\/p>\n was still possible to notice some traces of what<\/p>\n happened and of what remained of that island.<\/p>\n This is important, and the language of the philosopher<\/p>\n reflects faithfully, reconstruct, testify,<\/p>\n describes with precision if not the exact location,<\/p>\n contained in ancient texts, that we lazy<\/p>\n modern readers refer to, at least its location in<\/p>\n Mediterranean, in that big quagmire where so<\/p>\n many people, just like frogs, look on. And he<\/p>\n then adds: \u201c<\/span>that stands in the way of those<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n who sail from here to reach the open sea<\/p>\n (<\/span>\u0012\/\u0011\u000f\u0010 express <\/span>\u0011) Here we must stress that, when talking about<\/p>\n the sea <\/i><\/span>in the mentioned passages, Plato uses<\/span><\/p>\n three terms only apparently similar: one, generic,<\/p>\n \b\u0007\u000e\u000e<\/span>; then <\/span>\u0011\u0012\b\u0007 \u0006 open sea<\/i><\/span>; finally <\/span>\u0011\u0006\b\u000e\u0006 sea suitable for coastal navigation<\/i><\/span>. And it is<\/span><\/p>\n not by chance that the first, primitive term, is<\/p>\n feminine and indicative of the maternal and<\/p>\n uterine mood; the last one, masculine, corresponding<\/p>\n to the behaviour of Hellene and non-<\/p>\n Hellene sailors, who dared defy the waters and<\/p>\n the uncertainties of new journeys; the second<\/p>\n term is neuter because it is and represents the<\/p>\n sign of the divinity and of the unfathomable<\/p>\n mystery beyond the visible horizon. Now,<\/p>\n when in the passage in question Plato talks<\/p>\n about <\/span>open sea<\/span><\/i>, it means that he wants to<\/span><\/p>\n compare the inland sea, for example the Aegean<\/p>\n or another inland sea, where coastal<\/p>\n navigation made it possible to reach every island<\/p>\n and any nearby land, with another, wider<\/p>\n and open, sea, without immediate and visible<\/p>\n references, which some people today ingenuously<\/p>\n call \u201cocean\u201d.<\/p>\n Translating the Platonic text everybody says<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>coming forth out of the Atlantic Ocean<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n (<\/span>\u0011\u0012\u0007\b \u0006 Plato never used the term <\/span>\u201cOcean\u201d<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n It is necessary to state, in order to avoid any<\/p>\n misunderstanding, that the term \u201c<\/span>ocean<\/span><\/i>\u201d is our<\/span><\/p>\n own, and it would be wrong to read the past<\/p>\n according to our present cognitive and symbolic<\/p>\n parameters.<\/p>\n Let us continue with the analysis of the Platonic<\/p>\n text.<\/p>\n So, <\/span>coming forth out of the Atlantic \u201csea\u201d <\/span><\/i>Atlantis<\/span><\/p>\n invaded the whole Europe and Asia. In<\/p>\n those days that sea was navigable <\/i><\/span>(an indication<\/span><\/p>\n that in Plato\u2019s time \u2013 or at the time of the<\/p>\n writer who told the event \u2013 it was no more),<\/p>\n and in front of that entrance\u2026 <\/i><\/span>Here it is, finally!<\/span><\/p>\n Just in front of that entrance (the presumed<\/p>\n Pillars of Hercules<\/i><\/span>) there was the island<\/span><\/p>\n of Atlantis. And from it, <\/span>it was possible<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n to reach the other islands\u2026 and from<\/p>\n the islands to the entire opposite continent<\/p>\n that surrounded that true sea<\/p>\n (<\/span>\u0011\u0012\u0013\u000f\u0010 Here the first distinguishing report. It is an<\/p>\n inland sea, but because of its depth and dangerousness<\/p>\n the philosopher, and the people of<\/p>\n those times, view it as a real sea.<\/p>\n And here was Atlantis. It is the first sufficiently<\/p>\n detailed information.<\/p>\n But does <\/span>
\n\u0011\u0012\b\u000e\u0013\u000f
\n\u0014\u0015\u0016\u0017<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u0018\u0019\u0011\u0007\u0004 \b\u001a\u0012<\/p>\n
\n\u0014\f\u0007 \u0003\u000e\u000f\u0010<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>. Same etymon, same meaning . <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u0014\u0011\u0012\b\u000e\u0013\u000f\u0016<\/span>,<\/span>
\n<\/span>the \u201cdark Symplegades\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u000e\u0004),\u001a\u0012<\/p>\n
\n–<\/p>\n
\n\u0019\u0012 \u0012\b\u0012\u000f<\/p>\n
\n0<\/p>\n
\n1\u0019<\/p>\n
\n\u0012#2?\u0012<\/p>\n
\n0<\/p>\n
\n\u0010\u0013<\/p>\n
\n–<\/p>\n
\n–
\n\u001b\u0019\u0012\u000f)<\/p>\n
\n\u0004*<\/p>\n
\n–<\/p>\n
\n\u000e?)
\n\u0004\b\n<\/p>\n
\n\u000e\u0006\u0010<\/p>\n
\n\u0011\u0006\b\u000e\u0006\u0017\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>\/<\/span>
\n\u0019\u0012\u000f\b\u001c? <\/span>does not mean \u201c<\/span>larger<\/span><\/i>\u201d, but<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u0019\u0012 \b\u0007<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>) and by that<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u0019\u0012 \u0012\b\u0012\u000f<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>) refer to<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>must<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>meaning \u201c<\/span>to fight<\/span><\/i>\u201d,<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>+ <\/span># ? <\/span>which<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u000e\u0006\u0010
\n\u0011)
\n\u0011\u0012\b\u0007 \u0006<\/span>)\u201d. It would be better to<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>with \u201c<\/span>in each direction<\/span><\/i>\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>to show the<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>to indicate a <\/span>bound<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>)…\u201d. Obviously they are wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u000e\u0006\u0010
\n\/\u0007\u000f\u0004\u0006\u0010
\n\u0012\/\u0003\u0012\u000f)\u0006
\n\u0011\u0006\b\u000e\u0006
\n<\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n