http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=570&e=2&u=/nm/20040806/sc_nm/ireland_atlantis_dc By Kevin Smith DUBLIN (Reuters) - Atlantis, the legendary island nation over whose existence controversy has raged for thousands of years, was actually Ireland, according to a new theory by a Swedish scientist. Atlantis, the Greek philosopher Plato wrote in 360 BC, was an island in the Atlantic Ocean where an advanced civilization developed some 11,500 years ago until it was hit by a cataclysmic natural disaster and sank beneath the waves. Geographer Ulf Erlingsson, whose book explaining his theory will be published next month, says the measurements, geography, and landscape of Atlantis as described by Plato match Ireland almost exactly. "I am amazed no one has come up with this before, it's incredible," he told Reuters. "Just like Atlantis, Ireland is 300 miles long, 200 miles wide, and widest across the middle. They both have a central plain surrounded by mountains. "I've looked at geographical data from the rest of the world and of the 50 largest islands there is only one that has a plain in the middle -- Ireland." Erlingsson believes the idea that Atlantis sank came from the fate of Dogger Bank, an isolated shoal in the North Sea, about 60 miles off the northeastern coast of England, which sank after being hit by a huge floodwave around 6,100 BC. "I suspect that myth came from Ireland and it derives from Dogger Bank. I think the memory of Dogger Bank was probably preserved in Ireland for around 3,000 years and became mixed up with the story of Atlantis," he said. Erlingsson links the boundaries of the Atlantic Empire, as outlined by Plato, with the geographic distribution of megalithic monuments in Europe and Northern Africa, matching Atlantis' temples with well-known burial sites at Newgrange and Knowth, north of Dublin, which pre-date the pyramids. His book, "Atlantis from a Geographer's Perspective: Mapping the Fairy Land," calculates the probability Plato would have had access to geographical data about Ireland as 99.98 percent. Previous theories about Atlantis have suggested it may have been around the Azores islands 900 miles west of the Portuguese coast, or in the Aegean sea. Others locate it solely in the long-decayed brain of Plato. ---- YAY! Drac

:o|

Yeah Ireland, home of giant power crystals and ancient flying machines. This guy is gonna have to dig up some fantastic artifacts to convince me Atlantis is Ireland.

i think he will :) Drac (guinness: nectar of the gods)

Atlantis was a rediculously long time ago, the myth was untold number of years old by the time Plato heard and wrote it down. It could have happened 100,000 years ago, its just it became so distorted in time(or not), that no one could physically remember it. So any evidence may long be degraded or destroyed, or at least, very very burried.

Man, you really need to put some spaces here and there. :) Ireland as Atlantis...well, could be caused by the long term damage you get from drinking swedish Pripps Bllight beer... +P

an interesting thera..;)

Now I know why I want to return to Ireland when I eventually retire!

Oh boy ... I did an eighth grade report on just about everything that's been discussed here, but I concluded with the fact that the myth originated out of the Greek islands Crete and Thera; where Thera's volcano erupted and destroyed the island and sinking it, and Crete, being the closest island nearby, was there to spread the news.

eh.. what if Plato was a bit senile?

Alantis was Ireland, Ha ha! There was a Family guy or Simpson's episode on that. It was pretty funny.

Atlantis was in New Jersey...no, wait, I'm thinking about Atlantic City. Never mind.

I don't think so, when the Romans conquered Britian the natives they found inhabiting Ireland were hostlie savages with no technologies beyond fire.

However, there was a special on Discovery about the Bermuda triangle, and why ships and planes vanish so suddenly there, that would explain why and how Atlantis if it was located there disappeared.

There are huge pockets of methane gas, that run in a belt around the world in that location. And there are places on the ocean floor that release methane gas bubbles in small amounts, however sometimes there is a major collapse of a pocket and a huge bubble rises to the surface, this in effect changes the density and bouyancy of the water making it less bouyant and the ships sink. Only 1 percent methane in the atmosphere will cause and airplane engine to cut out and ditch.

So, if a small continent, say Atlnatis, was over one of these major gas pockets, a powerful source of unlimited energy btw, very handy for running all kinds of technology, and for some reason there was a catastrophic release of gas, the support structure of the gas pocket would collapse, the continent would fall into the vacant pocket on the sea floor and vanish without a trace, in a matter of minites, because of the change in the water density. No one would have had a chance to escape, it would have happened so suddenly.

So, I tend to go with the Discovery channel theory myself, it sounds way more plausible, imho...... PS. They showed a huge oil rig sinking in minites when a pocket ruptured very near it, it was amazing to see something that big sink so fast!

Message edited on: 08/07/2004 15:09

I'm sure I'm asking a pretty dumb question here, but how could Atlantis-which is supposedly underwater- be Ireland, which is not?

Message edited on: 08/07/2004 15:11

In otherwords, how can it be Ireland, when Ireland is standing tall and proud above water and Atlantis is not?

Oh thank the Gods of Renderosity who in their wisdom created the timeout feature for posting - as It took over an hour to write my witty and entertaining (well, at least half so) reply it is irretriveably lost as is much of Plato's documentation of Solon's description of Atlantis - what still exists of it is only a few pages long and far from complete . ... Speaking of Plato I have always wanted to read the Republic which as far as I now understand is more about censorship, dising Socrates guardian class in an ideal city and recognizing the condition of slavery than it is about anything to do with Atlantis, "Bikermouse Jones and the Treasure of the Sierra Madre" or where the "Pillars of Hercules" are. Anyrate it should be entertaining if nothing else - Thanks for the link! - TJ

lol Rochr - us Norwegians call that beer very politely Uhm... Oh, well never mind ! g Very interesting theory, and I'm guessing as valid as any other Atlantis theory. For some reason, Ireland seems too "cold" :) But I think that the most important scientists can do these days is to think "outside the box"; which is one of the reasons I just love Thor Heyerdahls work!

Thor Heyerdahl does have some very interesting work. My eight grade history day report was about his "Kon-Tiki." You all should read it. He proved that Polynesia was colonized by Peruvians by sailing across the Pacific in a raft. Strange old man.

Can you imagine being a in raft floating to Polynesia? Are we there yet? Next person who says that swims back home!

C'mon guys! Can anyone answer my question here?

lol SevenOfEleven well, The documentary movie made from the Kontiki fare is the only Oscar Norway ever has won. :) if you watch that movie, you will see that one of the guys actually fell overboard, and they almost lost him. That is how strong the currents in the Pacific is. That resulted in that the capt. Heyerdahl said... "nobody is moving on that deck without a rope attached to them". MoonGoat; My oldest daughter has a bachelor in Anthropology. I have one in History and Journalism; and trust me; the combination of the fields, added with my admiration for Heyerdal makes for some Hmmm... "lively" discsussions!!! lol Anthropologists do not beleive in Heyerdahl. ! :)

Ardiva... I certainly can't. And to me; the most "valid" documentation we have about Atlantis would be Platon. No? According to him it DID sink into the sea; - it was a whole continent that disappeared. Not just an island. So if we are to beleive Platon; it was a continent that was between Africa and the Americas.. Or maybe it was a continent that used to be where the mediteranina ocean is now.... To me; it doesn't really prove anything that Ireland is the only island that fits the description. Ireland is not a continent; and never will be. I strongly believe that the seafarers back then knew the difference between islands and continents; which was part of what Heyerdal has proven with his work.

Thank you, brittmccary for your answer to a very complexing problem I've been thinking of. Much appreciated and noted. :)

Did i just tune to that crazy "coast to coast" art bell show?!

I thought it was in another galaxy, and you needed extra input from a naqueta generator to get there..;)
Hey, I just noticed the name Kevin Smith..this isn't the same guy who did Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike back, etc?..;)

Message edited on: 08/07/2004 23:28

What a load of rubbish! The only place in the world that has not been properly examined as a possible site for Atlantis is Antartica....

We underestimate the abilities of the ancient people. So many holes in our knowledge of the past. I wonder what we would have learned if that library of Apollo (forgot the real name) had not burned down. If we add Von Denekin (sp?)(Ancient Astronauts) to the mix we can have some real fun. I had both books way back when.

"What a load of rubbish! The only place in the world that has not been properly examined as a possible site for Atlantis is Antartica...." Well, that was EXACTLY what Mr. Barbiero done, with an excellent work of study (even if, I have to admit, his book can be very taxing on the culture of the average man - I was able to understood the chapter in wich he explains the mechanic of a meteor hitting the earth and changing his axis and speed of rotation only with the help of a book on phisical vectors and such... But, the dude was an engineer and Navy Admiral :P) And three scientific expeditions on one of the Antartic isle and peninsula found some VERY interesting phisical clue... BTW, I deleted the post because,in all its horrible english translation, it was not able to convey meaningful info on the subject... :P

Och I always knew there was more to my ancesters. 8) I think Ireland as Atlantis is an excellent idea and I believe. lol 8)

I still hold to my theory,.......Atlantis is where they buried Jimmy Hoffa's body,........I think it's also the location of Amelia Erhardt's aircraft. I do find this Ireland business slightly interesting,.......anybody ever notice the similarities between what has been called the "Atlantian" spiral motif and Celtic spirals ?

Mr. Hoffa's Body is in the Meadowlands football stadium somewhere. > anybody ever notice the similarities between what has been called the "Atlantian" spiral motif and Celtic spirals < Maybe survivors went to Ireland and other places. It was an old and garbled story when Plato used it.

Seven: Everybody knows that Jimi's body is on the Marie Celeste! (Along with Lord Lucan)

actually, the 'myth busters' checked out the stadium story, and it doesn't pan out..;) Amelia Earhart was found in the Delta Quadrant, after being hijacked for slave labor the 37's..episode 1, Season 2..dang..I watch too much Star Trek..;)

My money's on the Grassy Knoll..........