These new translations of Plato’s narrative of Atlantis differ greatly from most others to date. As a result, they give rise to meanings and portrayals that are oftentimes widely at variance from the many that have gone before. Should the reader trust in the accuracy of the present renditions (which, as mentioned elsewhere, are the product of laborious and exacting scrutiny) and have therefore confidence in the analyses, interpretations and conclusions provided by the present author, then, plain common sense should do the rest in giving answers.
In point of fact, several ancient and recent reviewers expressed many logical reservations in regard to hitherto translations from the texts of Timaeus.
Henceforth, all such misgivings are laid to rest. Lots of information with analytical descriptions and elucidations are detailed in the book “The Apocalypse* of a Myth”.
Who truly knew where the Pillars of Heracles were?
The Greeks – Mainly from the 3rd Cent. BC and before.
The Carthaginians – From the 6th Cent. to 144 B.C. (i.e. until the annihilation of Carthage by the Romans).
The Romans were never sure of the location of the Pillars. They believed that they should PROBABLY be in the area of the Island of Gadiz (Cádiz) off Iberia. Since then, the rest of the world followed suit in this assumption. But there is not one iota of historical evidence that the Pillars of Heracles were located one at Gibraltar and the other across the strait in Africa, or that they were both in Spain, at Gadiz or anywhere else, as has been and continues to be dogmatically presumed. The Phoenicians tried and failed to locate them and proceeded to arbitrarily name the area of Gadiz as the site of the Pillars of Heracles.
On the other hand, the Carthaginians (of exiled Phoenician, Cypriot women and of Libyan stock) are known to have been aware of their exact location but, for their own reasons, did not spread the word to others of their time.
WHY WERE THE PILLARS OF HERACLES …MISPLACED?
1 After the time of Plato and Aristotle and from Ephorus (405 BC) to Eratosthenes (276 BC) and finally to Strabo (63 BC), the Pillars were “relocated” to Gibraltar.
2. Following the emergence of Carthage as a regional force to be reckoned with (6th Cent.) and the devastative Peloponnesian wars (431-404 BC), Greek expansionism came to an end.
3. The Phoenicians (of the Phoenician city of Tyre in Asia), after making three unsuccessful efforts to find the Pillars of Heracles and despite their oracle, decided and declared that the Pillars must be at the island of Gadiz.
4. The written knowledge of Egypt was thrice lost, once destroyed by Cambyses and twice during extensive damage to the library of Alexandria in 48 BC and 391 AD.
Therefore there were no documented records.
5. Climatic changes led to the evaporation (progressively from the 10.000 BC) of the seas, lakes and rivers once existing in the interior regions of Africa behind the Pillars of Heracles. As a consequence, the Pillars of Heracles lost their import as a navigational marker while Libya ceased to be considered as a peninsula but as a land the stretched all the way across from Egypt to the Atlantic Ocean, since there was no longer an aquatic border to delineate Libya from Tunis or from Atlantis (see page about the Peninsula of Libya).
It may seem hard to believe, but there are actually plenty of written testimonies from credible Ancient Greek historical sources that go against any presupposed location. Once again, the accurate retranslation of previously misrendered texts by Plato, Aristotle, Scylax, Herodotus, Diodorus and others, show that historically the Pillars of Heracles were located inside the Gulf of Gabes, with both Pillars being geographically in Africa, not in Europe. The Pillars were not actually manmade steles or columns, but natural geo-formations depicting pillars, such as characteristic tall hills or mountains. Only Euphorus has made a report on his visiting the Pillars and the associated temple of Heracles there. The temple to Heracles on the island of Gadiz was built much later by the Phoenicians, in the place where they presumed the temple would have been. It is mostly Strabo who reports on all the relative stories but there are also quite a few other ancient references as to the location of the Pillars of Heracles.
PLATO’S REFERENCE TO THE LOCATION OF THE PILLARS OF HERACLES.
Plato gives the position of the Pillars of Heracles in juxtaposition to an Atlantic Pelagos. The term Pelagos is the Greek designation for a body of marine water with certain defining properties i.e. a characteristic type of sea.
Translators have arbitrarily consistently rendered the word “pelagos” as “ocean”! In fact, even though well understood by Plato as a concept, he nowhere mentions the word ‘ocean’ in his texts! If he had meant Ocean, he would surely have written Ocean! (It must be noted at this point, that the ancient scholars were exceedingly precise in their writings and Plato was no exception. Evidently, since his is the story, his is the authority and nobody had or has the right to tamper with it).
By mistranslating and understanding the word Pelagos as Ocean, Area 1 is defined as being that where the Atlantians lived and where from ‘inside’ they emerged to the ‘outside’. Thus, Area 2 is the territories of the Athenians, Egyptians and Libyans. Apart from this mistake, many translations were found to contain several other significant inaccuracies which have been detected and subsequently corrected by G. Sarantitis.
The following analysis stems from these new connotatively accurate translations of Timaeus (Copyright protected).
Image 1. Area 1 is INSIDE the Atlantic “Ocean” and to the left of the white border line. Area 2 is OUTSIDE and to the right of the white border line. The red line demarcates the two areas. This currently accepted supposition is in complete unconformity to what Plato has written, who is the one and only writer in history who has presented the story of Atlantis and the all-important location of the Pillars of Heracles. (Maps under Publishing Rights)
For arguments sake, an analysis of the relevant texts in Timaeus will now be made by accepting that the Pillars of Heracles were positioned across the strait of Gibraltar, one standing in Europe while the other in Africa (as per Image 1).
1) Timaeus 24.e.2, 3, 4. “… for the writings report, how mighty the force, which marched in arrogance simultaneously against all of Europe and Asia, that ventured out in force outside the Atlantic Pelagos,…”
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 1: Atlantians + Atlantic Pelagos = INSIDE
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 2: All of Europe and Asia = OUTSIDE (Egypt is in Asia) But, Iberia (Europe) is both INSIDE + OUTSIDE = Irreconcilable Conclusion 1.
Also, historically, Libya borders the Atlantic “Ocean” = Irreconcilable Conclusion 2.
2) Timaeus 25.b.1, 2, 3. “…apart from these, they also held authority in the interior of this here Libya as far as Egypt, and in Europe up to Tyrrhenia…”
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 3: Atlantians + Libya + “as far as Egypt”. This shows the sequence of the invasion. First the Atlantian lands and then Libya followed by Egypt.
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 4: This shows that the Atlantians came from the west and specifically, from the west of Libya.
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 5: The land of Tyrrhenia was the south of present day Italy. This indicates that the Atlantians probably arrived there overland from Spain and not by sea or via Sicily (because Plato writes “in Europe”).
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 6: The Egyptian priest who is recounting and says “of this here Libya”, is situated at Sais i.e. he is indeed on the border between Libya and Egypt.
3) Timaeus 25.b.4,5. “Thus this force all gathered as one attempted to enslave at one time both yours and ours and those inside the mouth every land…”
LOGICAL QUESTION: yours/ours (Egypt and Greece are OUTSIDE) – So which are the lands “…inside the mouth …” beyond the Pillars of Heracles?
LOGICAL ANSWER: They are the lands in and around the Atlantic Pelagos, Atlantis itself and also Libya!
4) Timaeus 25.c.4,5,6. “…of those who had not been enslaved, it facilitated their not being enslaved, while to the others whoever of us dwell inside the borders of Heracles it gave (us) absolute freedom…”
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 7: “us” + INSIDE the borders of Heracles = Irreconcilable Conclusion 3.
Possible exception: The area “inside” and the area of Heracles are not in the same place = Irreconcilable Conclusion 4.
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 8: There is a borderline at the place where the Pillars are (assumed to be Gibraltar).
This boundary also demarcates the Atlantic Pelagos (wherever that may be) from the Mediterranean Sea. But according to the established view, Libya is both to the left and right of this boundary = Irreconcilable Conclusion 5.
Furthermore, Iberia is also both to the left and right of this borderline = Irreconcilable Conclusion 6.
Other Logical Deductions
The Atlantic Pelagos was INSIDE the Pillars of Heracles.
The landscape of where were the Pillars of Heracles was shaped like a mouth.
There was a borderline at where the Pillars of Heracles were (assumed to be Gibraltar).
In which case, Atlantis + Atlantic Pelagos + Libya + “as far as Egypt” are all located on the same side of this borderline = Irreconcilable Conclusion 7.
The non-Atlantian countries are OUTSIDE the mouth. The area OUTSIDE of the mouth is larger than that on the INSIDE. Seeing that Area 2 is smaller than Area 1 = Irreconcilable Conclusion 8.
Now, taking Plato at his word that there was indeed an Atlantic Pelagos (and not an Ocean as arbitrarily and repeatedly mistranslated and misunderstood as referring to the Atlantic Ocean), the new and correct alternative location that is portrayed by the accurate retranslations, is that of the Pillars of Heracles being at the Gulf of Gabes.
Image 2. The accurate rendition gives Areas 1 and 2 as in the above map. Even today, Area 1 has the characteristics of a bygone Pelagos, with lakes and more seasonal lakes forming in winter. All the meanings from the texts are now evident to rational thinking and their LOGIC is straightforwardly commonsensical (Maps under Publication Rights).
1) Timaeus 24.e.2, 3, 4. “…for the writings report, how mighty the force, which marched in arrogance simultaneously against all of Europe and Asia, that ventured out in force outside the Atlantic Pelagos,…’
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 1: Atlantians + Atlantic Pelagos = INSIDE
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 2: All of Europe and Asia = OUTSIDE (Egypt is in Asia)
Iberia (in Europe) is OUTSIDE = Valid Conclusion 1
Libya did indeed border the Atlantic Pelagos = Valid Conclusion 2
2) Timaeus 25.b.1, 2, 3. “…apart from these, they also held authority in the interior of this here Libya as far as Egypt, and in Europe up to Tyrrhenia…”
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 3: Atlantians + Libya + “as far as Egypt”. Sequence = Libya and then Egypt.
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 4: Apparently obvious that the Atlantians came from the west.
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 5: Tyrrhenia was the south of today’s Italy. This indicates that the Atlantians probably had come overland from Spain and not by sea or via Sicily (because Plato writes “…in Europe…”).
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 6: The Egyptian priest states “…of this here Libya…” while situated in Sais. He is actually at the border between Egypt and Libya.
3) Timaeus 25.b.4,5. “Thus this force all gathered as one attempted to enslave at one time both yours and ours and those inside the mouth every land…”
Yours / ours = Greece and Egypt (Asia) are OUTSIDE = CORRECT 1. In which case, “… those inside the mouth every land…” are the lands in and around the Atlantic Pelagos, Atlantis itself and also Libya = CORRECT 2.
4) Timaeus 25.c.4,5,6. “… of those who had not been enslaved, it facilitated their not being enslaved, while to the others whoever of us dwell inside the borders of Heracles it gave (us) absolute freedom…”
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 7: “us” + INSIDE the borders of Heracles = CORRECT 3.
Possible exception: The area “inside” and the area of “Heracles” are two different places = there is NO Exception = CORRECT 4.
LOGICAL DEDUCTION 8: There is a borderline at where the pillars are located.
This is also the boundary between the Atlantic Pelagos (wherever it may have been) and the Mediterranean Sea.
Libya is on the one side of this boundary = CORRECT 5.
Also, Iberia is OUTSIDE this border line = CORRECT 6.
Other Logical Deductions and Conclusions.
The Atlantic Pelagos was INSIDE the Pillars of Heracles.
The place of where the Pillars of Heracles were was shaped like a mouth.
There was a border at the place of the Pillars of Heracles.
According to the above, Atlantis + Atlantic Pelagos + Libya + “as far as Egypt”, are all on the same side of this borderline i.e. the white border line in Image2! = CORRECT.
The non-Atlantian lands are OUTSIDE the mouth. The OUTSIDE of the mouth is larger than the INSIDE. Again, this is CORRECT since Area 2 is indeed smaller!
If only the previously mentioned references by Plato were taken into logical consideration, the Pillars of Heracles would never have been historically thought of as being at Gibraltar or Gadiz or anywhere else. Incredibly, there are several more testimonies in contradiction to these latter sites. Characteristically, herewith is a previously erroneous translation of a report made by Aristotle, which has now been accurately retranslated and which unmistakably gives the precise location of the Pillars of Heracles.
ARISTOTLE: De Mundo – 393.a.16 to 393b.4
“Firstly then it is said that the Pillars of Heracles are found embraced on the right as one navigates inwards, to the two types of the so called Syrtes (plural of Syrti), of which the one they call great, whereas the other small; and oppositely on exiting the bay not in the same way (as when entering), are formed (in the region outside the bay) three pelages (seas), the Sardinian and that which is named Galatikon (Gallic) or Adrian and following on from them dissecting them sideways vertically is the Sicilian, after this is the Cretan, and following from this, on the one (side) the Egyptian, the Pamfilian and the Syrian, and on the other the Aegean and the Myrtoan”.
In one translation there is the blatant rendition “… as one comes from the Straits of Gibraltar…” (!) There is no such reference in the original writings nor could there have been, since the name Gibraltar is a relatively recent designation, not an ancient one known by Plato so that the translator could safely assume that it was Gibraltar that he meant..! This is a classic example of a grossly arbitrary translation which inexorably misleads and confuses.
Image 3. It is clearly obvious that the described route is inwards and outwards from Gabes. Pelagos (sea) #3 is indeed vertical as to #1 and #2. The red dotted line shows the approach to the Syrtes area while the yellow line the way of exiting from the Pillars. A: Greater Syrtis B: Lesser Syrtis. The Pelages (seas) found on exiting the Pillars of Heracles are: (1) Sardinian (2) Gallic or Adrian (3) Sicilian (4) Cretan (5) Egyptian (6) Pamfylion (7) Syrian (8) Aegean, (9) Myrtoan.
(Maps under publication rights)
It is crystal clear that the true location of the Pillars of Heracles written of by Plato was at the Lesser Syrtis at Gabes, where even today there is a river which flows from the vanished Pelagos in the interior behind the gulf. Even now, in summer, there are many places in the desert where boats lie on the sand, moored to a stake. Should the winter rains fall, the desert converts partially to a Pelagos once more.
Many additional analyses and explications are provided in “The Apocalypse* of a Myth”. However, the above representative data is convincing evidence in support of the assertion that the Pillars of Hercules referred to by Plato, were nowhere else but at today’s Gulf of Gabes. Missing, for the moment, is archaeological evidence. Proof positive, is that no such evidence has for 2.000 years been found to substantiate the location of the Pillars of Heracles as having been at the island of Gadiz or elsewhere in that vicinity. The present author is confident that fairly soon there will be proof in the coming for the Gulf of Gabes (certainly sooner than 2.000 years from now)