Message #218143

[Qoais]

As I pointed out before, he mentions the 9000 years ago, at least 3 times so I don't think we're in doubt as to the timeline he's placed the story.

Actually, we're completely in doubt as to when he places the story, and that is the one issue that everyone pretty much agrees on.  Namely because:

1.  Neither the Greeks or the Egyptians were officially a civilization at that point so there was no way they could keep records.

2.  No writing system at all was even in place back then, for any civilization.

3.  There is no way that the story could have been passed down verbally as there was no official language for anyone either.

4.  There was no way that Plato could have possibly known, given all those points.

I prefer to think of it as a storyteller simply stating, "once, a long time ago," (which the 9000 years was used as, in other writings) and that is how we should regard the reference to 9000 years. 

Once we all accept this, it opens up myriad possibilities. And it somehow makes the whole Atlantis story more plausible as well.

It is precisely for these points that prove Atlantis didn't exist and Plato made up the story.  Plato didn't know the history of Greece.  He didn't know the history of Egypt.  He didn't know when ships were invented.  He didn't know when the horse was tamed, he didn't know when chariots were invented, and he's just put it all together as he knew it, of his time.   It's been said before, that 9000 years just meant "a long time ago", well that's the whole point isn't it?  That's what the Egyptian priest was pointing out, that the Greeks were children when it came to their history, because they knew nothing of it.   It IS like "once upon a time" because that's how fairy tales start.  And the rest fits as well.  Once upon a long time ago, in a land far, far away.  Perfect.  Atlantis was supposedly out in the Atlantic Ocean, yet the eruption of Thera destroyed her.  How does that work? 

I've tried to make a case for many locations, but you don't have to go that far to find that Atlantis didn't exist.  There's no point in trying to make a case for any location, unless you have some facts that can be established first.

How can you make a pretty good case for the Minoans being the Atlanteans (and not just the inspiration for the story) when Plato says Atlantis was in the Atlantic Ocean?  You have to justify what he said, and it can't be done.  You can't change the time line to suit yourself, because  - and again I repeat myself - he said three times - 9000 years.  He could just as easily have said any other number.  He could have said 3000 years, or he could have said no number at all.  He could have said many thousands of years ago.  But he didn't. He said 9000.