THE HISTORY OF ATLANTIS ATLANTEAN ARMOUR (MEXICAN TYPE) (From a figure found in a Mexican grave). [Frontispiece THE HISTORY OF ATLANTIS BY LEWIS SPENCE " AUTHOR OF " THE PROBLEM OF ATLANTIS " ATLANTIS IN AMERICA," THE GODS OF MEXICO," ETC. WITH SIXTEEN FULL-PAGE PLATES LONDON: RIDER & CO., PATERNOSTER Row, E.G. 4. PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY PDRNELL AND SONS PAULTON, SOMERSET, ENGLAND TO MY DAUGHTER RHODA PREFACE The History of Atlantis may, in the light of our present knowledge of Plato 's sunken island, appear as a somewhat presumptuous title for a work, the object of which is to present a general outline of what is known concerning Atlantean civilisation. But it is my earnest wish to place the study upon a scientific basis, and in so doing I attach the description of "history" to this work in the hope that the mere invocation of such a name will endow it with the spirit which should inspire all histories a desire to arrive at fundamental truth by every available means. The volumes which I have already published on the subject have met with such widespread acceptance, and for the most part with such kindly and catholic criticism, that I am emboldened to proceed a step farther, and to attempt to cast the evidences of Atlantean civilisation, which I have already gathered into something resembling a historical narrative. Such an account, I am the first to admit, must have as many lacunae as it has facts, and must rely in large measure upon analogy and often upon pure surmise. But in the first chapter of this volume I have explained my reasons for employing certain methods of approach which may seem too unfamiliar to the his- torian to meet with his ready acceptance. In the present volume I have arrived at many conclu- sions, and have brought forward much evidence which did not appear in my former works on the subject of Atlantis. For example, I have shown that the story of Atlantis, as painted upon the peplum of Pallas at the vii viii Preface Athenian festival, has a very definite bearing upon the credibility of Plato's narrative, pre-dating it as it did by more than a century. I have also demonstrated that, so far from being mythical, the Egyptian sources from which Plato drew his material were very real indeed, and that he himself visited Egypt. Again, I have, I think, thrown much new light on the character of the Atlantean invasion of Europe, on the exact site of Atlantis, and especially on the great amount of evidence for the former existence of the island-continent which survives in British and Irish folklore and tradition. British tradition, indeed, is the touchstone of Atlantean history, and the identification of Lyonesse with Atlantis, and the grouping of Atlas with the British gods, Albion and Iberius, should go far to prove the ancient association of our islands with the sunken continent. But it is from the acceptance of my theory of the exist- ence of a definite Atlantean culture-complex, embodying certain peculiar and associated customs, that I hope to gain converts to the belief in a former widespread Atlan- tean civilisation having cultural outposts in Western Europe and Eastern America, and connected with the motherland by way of the intervening islands. It is in this theory, I feel, that the strongest case for the pre- existence of Atlantis resides, and I confidently present it to my readers in the certainty that they will favourably consider a hypothesis which I devoutly believe approaches within measurable distance of the truth. LEWIS SPENCE. 66 Arden Street, Edinburgh. CONTENTS CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ATLANTEAN AND OTHER HISTORIES INSPIRATION IN HISTORICAL SCIENCE THE USES OF ANALOGY FOUNDATIONS OF ATLANTEAN HISTORY PLATO'S NARRATIVE NOT ALLEGORICAL THE VALUE OF TRADITION THE ATLANTEAN COMPLEX SPECIAL NEEDS OF ATLANTEAN RESEARCH CHAPTER II THE SOURCES OF ATLANTEAN HISTORY I. The Writings of Plato PLATO'S "TIMUEUS" AND ITS CONTENTS His "CRITIAS" His ACCOUNT OF ATLANTIS, ITS TOPOGRAPHY, ITS CAPITAL CITY, POPULATION, CANALS AND TEMPLES ITS GOVERNMENT, ECONOMY AND RELIGION CHAPTER III THE SOURCES OF ATLANTEAN HISTORY II. From the Fourth Century B.C. Onwards. DlODORUS SlCULUS ON AMAZONS AND ATLANTEANS THEOPOMPUS'S ACCOUNT THE KINGS OF ATLANTIS STRABO'S ISLE OF MEROPIS THE CONTINENT OF SATURNIA MARCELLUS ON ATLANTIS ARNOBIUS' REFERENCE SUMMARY OF REMAINING CLASSICAL DATA PLATONIC AND ALEXANDRIAN NOTIONS OF ATLANTIS MODERN THEORIES FROM THE SIXTEENTH ix x Contents PAGE CENTURY ONWARD THEORIES OF OLIVIER, RUDBECK, BAILLY, GOMTE DE CORLI, VOLTAIRE, DELISLE DE SALES AND BARTOLI THEORY THAT ATLANTIS WAS AMERICA ATLASES OF ATLANTEAN GEOGRAPHY THE THEORIES OF KIRCHER, GINGUE"NE", BUFFON AND DE LA BORDE ...... 24 CHAPTER IV ATLANTEAN HISTORICAL SOURCES EXAMINED MODERN THEORIES ON THE SUBJECT OF THE SOURCES PLATO'S STATEMENTS REGARDING THE AUTHENTI- CITY OF His ACCOUNT PLATO IN EGYPT SOLON'S EGYPTIAN VISIT CONNECTION OF SAIS WITH ATHENS ARCHAEOLOGICAL FACTS SQUARE WITH PLATO'S ACCOUNT CLUE TO THE HISTORICAL CHARACTER OF PLATO'S ACCOUNT THE PEPLUM OF PALLAS JUSTIFICATION OF PLATO'S STATEMENTS ATLANTEAN ASSOCIATIONS IN THE ODYSSEY TESTIMONY OF CLASSICAL AUTHORS REGARDING IMPASSIBILITY OF ATLANTIC OCEAN MOORISH " " EVIDENCE DETAILS OF THE CRITIAS ELEPHANTS AND COCONUTS IN ATLANTIS WORSHIP OF THE vBuLL THE "CRITIAS" NOT AN ALLEGORY OF THE PERSIAN WAR THE ACCOUNT OF DIODORUS " AMAZONS AND AZILIANS CLASSICAL GEOLOGICAL" OPINION REGARDING ATLANTIS PHILIP SMITH ON ATLANTEAN THEORY PLATO'S CHRONOLOGY M. BUTAVAND ON THE SAME 39 CHAPTER V THE GEOGRAPHY OF ATLANTIS GEOLOGICAL PROOF OF ITS EXISTENCE THE QUATER- NARY EPOCH M. P. TERMIER'S ESSAY PLATO'S THEORY "HIGHLY PROBABLE" PROF. SCHUCHERT ON THE AZORES PROF. SCHARFF'S BELIEF IN ATLANTEAN MAN PROF. HULL ON BEGINNINGS OF LIFE IN ATLANTIS "COMPARATIVELY RECENT" LAND-MASS IN THE ATLANTIC MR. W. H. BABCOCK'S OBJECTIONS ATLANTIC SOUNDINGS MR. BABCOCK ON SUBMARINE BANKS "A CON- Contents xi PAGE SIDERABLE ISLAND ABOVE WATER" EVIDENCE FROM BIOLOGY ANIMAL LIFE ON THE AZORES EUROPEAN CHARACTER OF THEIR REPTILIA SLUGS AND MOTHS OF THE ATLANTIC ISLANDS AUTHOR'S FORMER CONCLUSIONS TABULATED THE SARGASSO SEA THE SITE OF ATLANTIS .... 52 CHAPTER VI THE RACES OF ATLANTIS WAS ATLANTIS INHABITED ? THE GSNITCH STADIUM OF PENCK AND BRUCKNER THE AZILIAN RACE DISCOVERY OF ITS REMAINS IN FRANCE ITS CULTURE ITS "ALPHABET" SPREAD OF THE AZIHAN RACE PYGMY FLINTS THE CAPSIAN CULTURE WHENCE CAME THE AZILIANS? PERIOD OF THEIR ARRIVAL AGREES WITH PLATO'S DATE FOR ATLANTEAN INVASION THE CR6-MAGNON RACE "PAL/EOLITHIC GREEKS" THEIR EXTRA- ORDINARY ART A HIGH TYPE OF HUMANITY \^ BELIEF IN A FUTURE LIFE PAINTING AND SCULP- ^ TURES SUPERIOR TO THE EGYPTIAN SUCCESSIVE INVASIONS OF EUROPE FROM THE ATLANTIC PROFESSOR MACALISTER ON EXTRA-EUROPEAN ORIGIN OF THE CRO-MAGNON RACE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GUANCHES OF THE CANARY ISLANDS, THE VESTIGES OF ATLANTIS RIPLEY'S THEORY OF THE CR6-MAGNON LANGUAGE ORIGIN OF CRO-MAGNON MAN OF AZILIAN MAN . 75 CHAPTER VII THE STONE AGE IN ATLANTIS CAN BEST BE RECONSTRUCTED FROM THE LIFE OF ITS COLONISTS IN EUROPE AREA AND POPULATION OF ATLANTIS EARLY HUMAN SOCIETY IN ATLANTIS TEMPLES THE CENTRES OF LIFE COSTUMES AND ORNAMENTS OF EARLY ATLANTEANS TOOLS AND WEAPONS THE SOLUTREAN CULTURE STONE HOUSES BUILT RETURN OF GLACIAL CONDITIONS V MAGICAL IMPLEMENTS ATLANTIS THE HOME ~v OF MIGHTY ARTISTIC IMPULSES KNOWLEDGE xii Contents PACK OF METALS NOT ESSENTIAL TO CIVILISATION ATLANTEAN CIVILISATION DEGENERATED IN EUROPE Bio A GREAT PREHISTORIC CIVILISATION EXIST? PARTLY CORROBORATED BY ARCHAEOLOGY CULTURAL CHANGES IN ATLANTIS ATLANTIS ITSELF INVADED BY AN AFRICAN RACE RESULT, A GROSSER RELIGIOUS OUTLOOK WHEN DID ATLANTIS SINK? CENTURIES OF CULTURE BEHIND AURIGNACIAN ART CONCLUSIONS ... 87 CHAPTER VIII THE KINGS OF ATLANTIS THE SONS OF POSEIDON ATLAS URANUS AND His CHILDREN DIODORUS APPLIES WAR OF GODS AND TITANS TO MYTH OF ATLANTIS CULTURAL AND POLITICAL CHANGES IN ATLANTIS No ICE AGE IN ATLANTIS AZILIANS THE RACE OF POSEIDON POSEIDON THE CULTURE-BRINGER His ORIGINAL HOME SKETCH OF HISTORICAL EVENTS IN ATLANTIS THE SEVERAL CATACLYSMS POSEIDON, AND TALES SIMILAR TO His MYTHS DIODORUS ON THE KINGS OF ATLANTIS BASILEA "THE GREAT MOTHER" ATLAS THE ASTROLOGER CITY OF ATLANTIS PROBABLY FOUNDED IN His REIGN QUESTION OF ATLANTEAN ARCHITECTURE AZILIAN STRUCTURES IN SPAIN ANGLO-SPANISH SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY ATLANTEAN ARCHITEC- TURE IN ANDALUSIA SATURN AND JUPITER DISPUTE THE THRONE OF ATLANTIS THE ELEMENTS OF UNREST BEGIN TO MANIFEST THEMSELVES IN JUPITER'S REIGN POSEIDON, ATLAS, SATURN AND JUPITER POSSIBLY THE FOUNDERS OF DYNASTIES VNoT GODS, BUT MEN DEIFIED AFTER DEATH ZEUS DISPLEASED WITH THE ATLANTEANS END OF PLATO'S ACCOUNT DISSENSIONS AT HOME DIVERTED BY CONQUEST ABROAD INVASION OF EUROPE. ..... 101 CHAPTER IX ATLANTIS IN BRITAIN CORROBORATION OF ATLANTEAN CONDITIONS FROM WELSH AND IRISH LITERATURE ANALOGIES OF Contents xiii PAGE CATACLYSM FROM THESE SOURCES THE "WHIRLING CASTLE" THE ATLANTEAN CIRCULAR PLAN ATLANTIS AND AVALLON PLATO'S ACCOUNT AND THE WELSH SAN GREAL SUBMERGED LOCALITIES OF BRITISH CELTS ATLAS, ALBION AND IBERIUS THE MYTH OF GERYON BRITISH PARALLELS WITH ATLANTIS PLUTARCH ON THE LESSER ISLANDS OF BRITAIN ATLANTEAN MEMORIES IN IRISH TRADITION 122 CHAPTER X THE TRADITIONS OF ATLANTIS ATLANTEAN TRADITION IN EUROPE THE ISLE OF ^ SEVEN CITIES THE LEGEND OF Ys DARDANUS DEUCALION, THE GREEK NOAH ATLANTEAN PARALLELS IN AMERICAN MYTH THE CATACLYSMS OF AZTEC TRADITION PERUVIAN AND BRAZILIAN FLOOD-MYTHS BRINTON ON AMERICAN TRADI- TION OF DELUGE A MIXTEC LEGEND MEXICAN ^ MYTHS TLALOC COMPARED WITH POSEIDON DIVINE VISITATIONS ON THE TOLTECS QUETZAL- COATL THE CULTURE-BRINGER HlS CONNECTION WITH ATLANTIS COMPARED WITH ATLAS . 145 CHAPTER XI LIFE IN ATLANTIS ^ RECONSTRUCTION OF CONDITIONS ON ATLANTIS CANALS DESERT REGIONS ARCHITECTURE THE PLAN OF THE CITY OF ATLANTIS THE PYRAMID AN ATLANTEAN FORM FOOD-SUPPLY COSTUME AND DRESS LITERATURE AND WRITING THE AZILIAN ALPHABET OBVIOUSLY PICTURE-WRITING No REASON TO DENY ATLANTEANS THE ART OF PICTURE- WRITING MANNERS AND MORALITY OF ATLAN- TEANS REMINISCENCES OF THEIR PROFLIGACY IN EARLY MYTH ......