Plato's Timaeus has Critias tell Socrates what the aged Critias heard from Solon. Solon's source was an Egyptian priest who told him of Atlantis. The story refers to earlier destructions by fire, water, earthquakes and other disasters, leaving later generations without continuous records or oral traditions. It is part of Plato's Atlantis myth, not independently verified history.
Plato's Timaeus relays an Egyptian priest's catastrophe account through Solon and Critias
Key facts
- Critias addresses Socrates and recounts what the aged Critias heard from Solon; Critias is not speaking to Solon.
- Solon had heard the story of Atlantis from an Egyptian priest.
- The account mentions earlier destructions by fire, water, earthquakes and other disasters, causing histories and oral traditions of early generations to be lost.
- The lost-civilization material is part of Plato's Atlantis myth, not an independently established history.
Sources
Extract from Plato's Timaeus and Critiasing.iac.es
The narrator is an Egyptian priest talking to Solon. It is supposed to describe a historical war between the ancient Athenians and the legendary ...
ATLANTIS: Decoding the dialogues Timaeus & Critias of Platoresearchgate.net
The dialogues “Critias” & “Timaeus” describe the meet- ing of Socrates, Critias, Critias, then started to describe the visit of Solon-the famous ruler of ...
Timaeus by Platoclassics.mit.edu
Timaeus, of Locris in Italy, here is Critias, whom every Athenian knows to be no novice. And what is this ancient famous action of the Athenians, which Critias ...
Timaeus (dialogue)en.wikipedia.org
Critias proceeds to tell the story of Solon's journey to Egypt where he hears the story of Atlantis, and how Athens used to be an ideal state
Atlantis in Plato's Timaeus and Critias - The Gold Scalesoaks.nvg.org
Critias: Listen, Socrates, to a tale which, though strange, is certainly true. It was attested by Solon, who was the wisest of the seven sages.
CHARACTER, PLOT AND THOUGHT IN PLATO'S ...brill.com
Critias then tells a story of a war between ancient Athens and the vanished empire of Atlantis-a. Solon, who heard it from an old priest in Egypt. Solon was ...
Plato's Atlantis Myth: "Timaeus" or "Critias"?jstor.org
by TG Rosenmeyer · 1956 · Cited by 45 — The guess appears to become a virtual certainty when we look at the introductory section of the Critias which clearly alludes to the Timaeus as the dialogue ...
Book Club | September 2020: Plato Timaeus and Critiaskosmossociety.org
Our September Book Club selection comprises two dialogues of Plato which include discussion of the myth of Atlantis: Timaeus and Critias.
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