dryatlantis

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We all know Atlantis, seen the movie, read a book, saw it in a show, etc., etc. None of us are strangers to myths and stories that surround this illusive underwater city, but do we really know where the story and tale came from? Atlantis was a fictional island first mentioned in Plato’s Timaeus and Critias. Plato’s recounts of Atlantis from about 360 bc represented a place that was a technologically advanced and militarily powerful nation. Although this may seem great it was deeply plagued by corruption through material wealth and power. Plato, the founder of Atlantis, did not have a great picture to paint about his fictional nation, someone else centuries later made the legend of Atlantis what it is today. That man was Ignatius Donnelly. Donnelly was the first to create the conspiracies that surround Atlantis. He would create his own facts and ideas that would later become the myth of Atlantis and believed that all great advances in civilization and technology could be traced back to Atlantis. This was a very elusive idea and had gained many supporters, even today there are thousands of people who still believe that there is truth behind Atlantis. Although this idea may be glamorous it is safe to say that the only truth that lies behind Atlantis is the philosophical view of material wealth that Plato tried to convey.                What do you think about Atlantis now that you where it came from?

References:                                                                                                      Drye, Willie. “Explaining the Legend of Atlantis.” National Geographic, National Geographic, 21 Jan. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/atlantis/.Radford, Benjamin. “'Lost' City of Atlantis: Fact & Fable.” LiveScience, Purch, 28 Feb. 2018, www.livescience.com/23217-lost-city-of-atlantis.html.

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Cleopatra’s Palace at Sea: The Sunken Island of Antirhodos

In 365 bc there was an earthquake that created a gigantic tsunami along the coast of Alexandria, Egypt. Along this coast was the island of Antirhodos, better known as the island that held Cleopatra’s palace. Fortunately, the earthquake was a few centuries after Cleopatra’s death, so that the ruler should not see her home be submerged underwater along with the rest of the island. In the 1990s Frank Goddio excavated the location and found many intact artifacts that served to provide a history on both Greece and Egypt. These artifacts were dug out and are now touring the world in museums so that many people like you may be able to experience the palace’s history and significance.

References:                                                                                                   “Diving into Egyptian History: Cleopatra's Palace.” Underwater Photography Guide, www.uwphotographyguide.com/diving-cleopatras-palace.                    “Lost Egyptian City Found Underwater After 1200 Years.” TwistedSifter, TwistedSifter, 9 Dec. 2013, twistedsifter.com/2013/06/lost-egyptian-city-heracleion-found-underwater-after-1200-years/.                                   “Underwater Heritage in Alexandria: The Lost Palace of Cleopatra.” GoUNESCO - Make Heritage Fun!, 24 Nov. 2016, www.gounesco.com/underwater-heritage-the-lost-palace-of-cleopatra/. 

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A lesson on archaeology in Disney’s “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”

If you’ve seen the movie Atlantis you know what a great action packed movie it is with the discovery of Atlantis and wonderous shows of archaeology and Anthropology. Trust us we love any Disney movie as much as the next guy but they tend to over-glorify a few things for our, and mainly children’s enjoyment. although the movie creates a more glorified view of underwater cities and archaeology for entertainment, it does give people a great example explanation of the core of archaeology. Kida pleads to her father to allow the explorers to stay stating “if these outsiders(archaeologists) can unlock the secrets of our past, perhaps we can save our future” This shows the importance that archaeologists hold in terms of taking care of humanity’s past. The movie shows and teaches the importance of bettering our future by preserving our past, along with a few really cool action scenes.

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Underwater Resort: The Lost City of Baiae

Off the coast of Italy is the ancient city of Baiae, a flourishing city with a lot of Roman Drama. Baia was the ancient city of Campania, Italy, now located on the west coast of the Gulf of Puteoli. The people who went to Baiae were the rich, famous, powerful and elite. They were all present at the resorts having a good time with parties and liquor.  It’s been said that Baiae was like Las Vegas at the time. Some well-known vacationers to have had a vacation home, or villa, including Julius Caesar, Nero, Pompey the Great, Marius, and Hadrian. Ancient texts hold many rumors that circulated around the city. One such rumor was that the Roman senator Piso plotted to kill the emperor at his villa in order to take the spot for himself, but then had a change of heart. Another would be that Baiae is where Cleopatra escaped from when Julius Caesar was killed. Underwater archaeologist Dr. Barbara Davidde was one of the many to dive into the depth of the ocean in search of more artifacts and remains of Baiae. There were many other historians and scientists who were also apart of the search and excavation. After some time the divers shared that they had discovered many remanence of the once bustling city including: mosaics, statues, vast villas, roads, heated spas, cobbled streets and a nymphaeum  which is was a grotto for many purposes of pleasure. The city of Baiae was said to have been sunked due to the sea and the volcanic activity, causing the coastline to fall back by 400 metres inland, known as the Gulf of Naples today in Italy.

References:                                                                                                         Bernhard, Adrienne. “Travel - Ancient Rome’s Sinful City at the Bottom of the Sea.” BBC News, BBC, 5 Jan. 2018, www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180104-ancient-romes-sinful-city-at-the-bottom-of-the-sea.Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Baiae.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 30 Sept. 2011, www.britannica.com/place/Baiae.Ugc. “The Sunken City of Baia.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 21 July 2016, www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-sunken-city-of-baia-baia-italy.

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The Underwater City of Dwarka

Off the coast of India lies Dwarka, a city lost to the sea and recently found by archaeologists. Being the first marine archaeological site in India, the city was excavated for two decades. It existed around the medieval period and had many stone structures, and found scattered around the city were several anchors indicating that Dwarka was one of the busiest ports in India at the time that it existed. The flourishing city was also discovered to be a pilgrim center for the four Dharmas of the Hindu religion. The city, believed to be founded by Lord Krishna was known for its beautiful gardens, deep moats, ponds, and palaces.

Why did it sink? Legends state that the city was lost after the death of Lord Krishna, the founder. It is said that the lord was cursed as a punishment for not ending a war. This curse resulted in the death of his sons and his brother, and after his death, the sinking of his beautiful city. This story is unfortunately far more interesting than the true cause of this city sinking. Archaeological and geological evidence shows that the sinking was most likely due to tectonic disturbance, erosion, deposition, or all of the above.

References: http://drs.nio.org/drs/bitstream/handle/2264/507/Migration_Diffusion_6_56.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y                                                                                Sundaresh. “Evidence of Shoreline Shift on the Northern Saurashtra Coast: Study Based on the Submerged Temple Complex at Pindara.” CSIR-National Institute Of Oceanography, India, New India Publication Agency, 1 Jan. 1970, drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/563.