Chapter 5 – The Atlantean Period

“Philosophy begins in wonder – for the sense of wonder is the mark of the philosopher”- Plato

Book Extract……………………………..

Plato

Now we have established that Homo Superior (Cro-Magnon Man) were the legendary Atlanteans that lived on the North European Peninsula we now call Doggerland and the ancient Greeks called Atlantis. We can consequently, use Plato’s writings, genetic DNA techniques and archaeological evidence to attempt an understanding not only who these people were, but moreover, how they lived from day-to-day, and allowing us to examine their philosophy of life.

Plato’s writings not only concentrated on the history and the location of the continent of Atlantis, but he also gave us clues about some characteristics of the Atlanteans which made them historically unique. This single extract probably gives us more information on these people’s philosophy of life:

“For many generations, as long as the divine nature lasted in them, they were obedient to the laws, and well-affectioned towards the god, whose seed they were; for they possessed true and in every way great spirits, uniting gentleness with wisdom in the various chances of life, and in their intercourse with one another. They despised everything but virtue, caring little for their present state of life, and thinking lightly of the possession of gold and other property, which seemed only a burden to them; neither were they intoxicated by luxury; nor did wealth deprive them of their self-control; but they were sober, and saw clearly that all these goods are increased by virtue and friendship with one another, whereas by too great regard and respect for them, they are lost and friendship with them.”

This paragraph probably tells us so much more than any archaeological finds could ever reveal. The first passage that catches the eye is “they despised everything but virtue, caring little for their present state of life and thinking lightly of the possessions of gold and other property.” One of the great misnomers of academic history is the discovery and use of metals in the past.  For we have historically judged the sophistication of civilisations by what metals they possessed and labelled their sites and time periods accordingly.  This linkage to these metals as weapons of destruction has fed the perception that our ancestors were blood thirsty, war like, savages – which clearly, is not the case according to Plato.  

But why have we judged these civilisations so wrongly?

What we have uncovered through our investigations is a great lost civilisation, probably the world’s first collective society and possibly its greatest, actually existed for over 10,000 years – twice as long as our own current culture (if we accept that it started in the ‘Neolithic Revolution’ period, when we accepted a new kind of agricultural society based on food and property) without wiping out each other through the development of metal weapons or property disputes. 

The Atlanteans did not believe in possessions, gold, silver or any metals, for they believed in a ‘Virtuous’ society (Latin: virtus, Ancient Greek: ἀρετή “arete”) is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness.

This was a self-sustaining civilisation that lived and prospered with just food, water and shelter without the need to damage or destroy the environment – for they were living in their ‘Garden of Eden’, ten thousand years ago. These people were carpenters and crafters using wood and reed to make the same items we manufacturer today in plastics, metals and china, which are extracted from the earth at great cost to the environment. Moreover, all the items made by Homo Superior were ‘biodegradable’ and naturally disappear into the same ground they grew from – this was their whole world philosophy of living off the land in perfect equilibrium. 

Was this the peak of our humanoid evolutionary process and is this the distant ancestral memories we call ‘Eden’, ‘Utopia’ and ‘Paradise’? 

The priests of Sais (who were probably Homo Superior decedents, as were the Pharaohs and their families of Ancient Egypt) saw how different societies had changed since the ‘Neolithic revolution’ which resulted directly in property ownership and the possession of rare metals – was it a change in mentality and virtue that created the greedy world leaders and common place enslavement of people to effectively tend this newly acquired land for profit and personal gain? Plato uses a strange phrase when he tells us about the Atlanteans; “as long as the divine nature lasted in them” consequently, does this sentence attempt to convey that these virtuous people changed over the course of time?

Plato seems to be quite positive about this civilisation at the commencement of his dialogues, as he calls them the “noble and fairest of men” as well as a ‘virtuous’ and a ‘honourable civilisation, who shunned personal and material wealth’.

So when Plato states that they ‘despised everything but virtue’, what exactly does that mean?

Virtue

As we have shown the Atlanteans ‘seeded’ the Grecian civilisation, and no doubt passed on their ethical and social beliefs. Therefore, if we look to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle could we get a more accurate Post-Atlantean definition of this ‘virtue’?

“Virtue is a pattern of thought and behaviour based on high moral standards. Virtues can be placed into a broader context of values. Everyone has a core of underlying values that contribute to his or her system of beliefs, ideas and/or opinions. Integrity in the application of a value ensures its continuity, and this continuity separates a value from beliefs, opinion and ideas. In this context, a value (e.g., truth or equality or creed) is the core from which we operate or react. Societies have values that are shared among many of the participants in that culture. An individual’s values typically are largely, but not entirely, in agreement of the values of his or her culture.”

So it seems that Homo Superior valued ‘Truth and Equality’ above all other qualities, including ‘life’. It is clear that their disdain for possessions complements this desire for equality, if we are all without possessions, are we not all truly equal? For without belongings or the craving for wealth through property, the virtue of truth becomes much easier, because you have nothing to lose, you have no reason to lie, unless it’s to defend others from harm, which in itself is a ‘noble’ virtue.

When Plato mentions ‘Noble’ in his texts, he means: having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honour.

 This is reinforced in a claim found elsewhere in his chronicle, which suggests that “neither were they intoxicated by luxury […] other property, which seemed only a burden to them […] but they were sober […] by virtue and friendship with one another” – which seems to indicate a kind of ‘Amish’ (A religion formed in Europe) existence – living off the land in peace and harmony, while rejecting any new technology discovered from their simple trading, as it may diminish the community and social aspect of their society.

As we have shown previously, this original attitude towards possessions probably originated from their past cultural hunter-gatherer tendencies. It’s altogether likely that these people would have met regularly and feasted together, sharing their food jointly in an expression of community, which can still be seen even today in a few third world tribes. Is this ‘fellowship’ what we see in Plato’s writings when he says, “for they possessed true and in every way great spirits, uniting gentleness with wisdom in the various chances of life, and their intercourse with one another”. This shows they were a community of free speech and gatherings – these were the original ‘gentle giants’, showing us what is good and unique within mankind.

However, contained in this statement there is a profound contradiction. “For many generations, as long as the divine nature lasted in them, they were obedient to the laws” The careful way Plato has worded this is to show that this was their past, but it did not always remain so – clearly things changed and he continued. “[…]whereas by too great regard and respect for them, they are lost and friendship with them”.

The only conclusion we can sensibly make from this sentence, is that the Atlanteans changed over time and this transformation can plainly be seen at the end of Critias when Plato writes “Zeus, the god of gods, who rules according to law, and is able to see into such things, perceiving that an honourable race was in a woeful plight, and wanting to inflict punishment on them, that they might be chastened and improve,” and hence he created the flood which destroyed Atlantis.

The ideas of king and virtue does not mix in conventional forms, as virtue is made up of ‘equality’ and historical kings are often seen as dictators above all else. However, one of our most famous tales comes from Arthurian legend which tells of a ‘virtuous king’ and his ‘noble knights’ who showed their moral devotion to ‘Courage, Generosity and Honour’ and were appointed to a round table by a virtuous king. The round table is very significant in Arthurian mythology as it’s symbolises that the knights were equal with the King who is just another member of this equal society (first amongst equals).

We also see this in written history during the Viking period (I will be brave and put my head on the line, for my instinct tells me the word Viking, which is Germanic in origin, could possibly mean ‘VIrtuous KING’? Although I have no absolute proof of this idea, but it’s an amazing coincidence, and I don’t believe in coincidences.)

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