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So it was that Poseidon
received as one of his domains the island of Atlantis and he established
dwelling places for the children he had fathered of a mortal woman in a
certain place on the island I shall describe. (ibid 113c)
There then follows a lengthy and detailed description of Atlantis. The
island was mountainous and rose straight from the sea. It had fertile
central plains with a central hill surrounded by rings of sea and land
which were created by Poseidon to protect his people. We are told that
the first king was Atlas and so the land called Atlantis and the ocean
around it the Atlantic. The race prospered over many generations and
they conquered the lands around the Mediterranean.
The land of Atlantis produced trees, metals, abundant food, and was
inhabited by many creatures, including elephants. The people of Atlantis
lived well, they domesticated animals, irrigated their crops, cities
were built with harbours and fine temples, bridges and canals with walls
and gates were constructed to join the rings of sea around the island.
These latter were then decorated with bronze and tin such was the
abundance of resources. At the centre of the city was a temple to
Poseidon which was faced with silver in its entirety and given a roof of
ivory. The whole complex was then surrounded by a wall of pure gold and
decorated with golden statues. The city had fountains of hot and cold
water, bath houses, gymnasia, a horse racing track, and a huge fleet of
warships. The population was enormous and the army could field a force
of 10,000 chariots. Religious practices are then described and these
involve the chasing and sacrifice of bulls.
Quite simply this race on Atlantis was the most populous,
technologically advanced, powerful and prosperous ever seen. Yet their
decline would be swift and dramatic:
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