# Atlantis sinks beneath the waves

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atlantis-sinks-beneath-the-waves/449769>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [May 18, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atlantis-sinks-beneath-the-waves/449769 "2008-05-18T18:32:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atlantis-sinks-beneath-the-waves/449769/1 "2008-05-18T18:32:44Z")

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[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_069.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_069.html)

Good column.

J.R.R. Tolkien had his own take on the Atlantis myth in writing about the mighty island kingdom of Numenor, or Atalante: [Númenor - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numenor)

Isaac Asimov also put the legend of Atlantis to good (punning) use in his groaner of a short story, “Shah Guido G.”: [Shah Guido G. - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Guido_G).

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**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atlantis-sinks-beneath-the-waves/449769/2 "2008-05-19T15:48:59Z")

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That’s [Shah Guido G. - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Guido_G)…

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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atlantis-sinks-beneath-the-waves/449769/3 "2008-05-19T15:57:26Z")

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I have always been partial to the idea that Plato recorded the word of mouth stories of the end of Crete’s society by volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Thera that Cecil mentioned. It seems like the likely inspiration.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atlantis-sinks-beneath-the-waves/449769/4 "2008-05-19T18:05:14Z")

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[QUOTE=John W. Kennedy]  
That’s [Shah Guido G. - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Guido_G)..  
[/QUOTE]

Thanks. It worked on preview, at least.

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**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atlantis-sinks-beneath-the-waves/449769/5 "2008-05-20T02:38:07Z")

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[QUOTE=What Exit?]  
I have always been partial to the idea that Plato recorded the word of mouth stories of the end of Crete’s society by volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Thera that Cecil mentioned. It seems like the likely inspiration.  
[/QUOTE]  
It is possible, but let us remember that Plato, writing around 360 B.C., is telling a story about Socrates hearing from Critias, around 400 B.C., how Solon, around 600 B.C. was told about Atlantis by Egyptian priests, and it’s all to make a political point.

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**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atlantis-sinks-beneath-the-waves/449769/6 "2008-05-20T11:58:57Z")

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[QUOTE=What Exit?]  
I have always been partial to the idea that Plato recorded the word of mouth stories of the end of Crete’s society by volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Thera that Cecil mentioned. It seems like the likely inspiration.  
[/QUOTE]

Actually, last week’s **Secrets of the Dead** on PBS looked at the destruction of the Minoan culture on Crete. Apparently, there’s evidence that the Theran eruption and subsequent collapse of the caldera created a 30 meter tsunami at least thirty miles wide, which slammed into the north coast of Crete. Extrapolating from the Christmas Tsunami, the geologist estimated an 80% casualty rate.