Atlantis: Critical Thinking Assignment: (Value = 56pts) Name: Block: Source: Davis, Dale (1986). The Bryant Press Limited: Canada
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- Name:___________________________ Block:______ Source: Davis, Dale (1986). The Bryant Press Limited: Canada. Instructions
- Alternative One: The Secret of Atlantis – Based on The Secret of Atlantis
- Questions: (Value = 24pts) Why does Muck feel that Atlantis was located in the Atlantic Ocean 2pts
- Questions: (Value = 16pts) Why does Lee compare the volcanic explosions on Krakatoa and Thera 3pts
- Questions: Value = 16pts)
Atlantis: Critical Thinking Assignment: (Value = 56pts)
Name:___________________________ Block:______ Source: Davis, Dale (1986). The Bryant Press Limited: Canada. Instructions: Read the following three alternatives on Atlantis below and answer the questions that follow each reading in COMPLETE SENTENCES! Alternative One: The Secret of Atlantis – Based on The Secret of Atlantis by Otto Muck Otto Muck is one person who believes that Plato’s story in the dialogues is true, and he explains why in The Secret of Atlantis. If by the Pillars of Hericules Plato meant the Strait of Gibraltar, then Atlantis would have been about 1200km west of Europe in the vicinity of the Azores. Indeed, crude pottery and weapons discovered on these islands suggest the area was once inhabited by Neanderthal Man, the precursor of Cro-Magnon. In France and Spain, archaeologists have uncovered weapons, artifacts, and cave paintings of red-skinned people which they credit to Cro-Magnon. They have not discovered the origin of this more advanced culture however. It seems possible to Otto Muck that Cro-Magnon traveled from the west up rivers from the Atlantic, and that these European discoveries provide evidence of the existence of Atlantean colonies. There is also evidence to suggest connections between Atlantis and other parts of the world. The striking similarities between the Egyptian pyramids and those of Central and South America are puzzling. But even more fascinating, according to Muck, is the connection between the Basques of Spain and the Mayan Indians. In Guatemala, an early Basque missionary was surprised to discover that an isolated tribe of pure Mayans understood his unique language. Other similarities included their hooked-nose appearance, the digging sticks both used to loosen the earth from planting, and a sport known to Basques as pelota. This game, played with a small, hard ball and wicker rackets fastened to the players’ hand, is practically identical to one played by Mexican natives at the time of the Spanish conquest. Otto Muck points to mature to support his belief in the physical presence of the continent itself. European eels born in the Sargasso Sea, southwest of the Azores, follow a dangerous mating pattern. For three years they float with the Gulf Stream to Europe where they make their way up freshwater rivers and streams. When they are ready to mate, ten to fifteen years later, they return to the Sargasso, According to Muck, this journey to the safety of freshwater rivers is instinctive, but was first formed around the freshwater rivers of Atlantis, a short distance away. Although the continent has disappeared, the eel’s instincts continue to guide them along the Gulf Stream until they reach fresh water. For more support, Muck refers to the oceanography of the Atlantic. The floor of the ocean is divided by a ridge 2800m high. This ridge runs from Iceland almost to the Antarctic Shelf. In the area that Muck claims Atlantis once occupied, there is a massive bulge almost 1100km long and 400km wide. Known as the Azores Plateau, it has submarine volcanic peaks that break the ocean surface. According to Muck, the size and shape of this plateau are amazingly similar to Plato’s description of Atlantis. Muck thinks it is possible that the same phenomenon that created the two enormous gouges on the ocean floor, known as the Puerto Rico Trench, might also have contributed to the disappearance of Atlantis. Plato refers to a “deviation in the courses of the stars, and the destruction by fire of everything on earth.” This deviant star, according to Muck, was an asteroid from the Adonis group. Judging from the immense scars on the ocean floor, he estimates its diameter to have been about 10km. Muck describes the catastrophe this way: “At a height of about 400km, the asteroid began to be surrounded by the red…hydrogen light. The hotter the asteroid became, the whiter and more brilliant was the light…Its gaseous tail became immense…After entering the densest part of the atmosphere…it burst.” At this point two enormous pieces plunged into the ocean; one creating the Puerto Rico the other penetrating the earth’s crust and starting a chain reaction of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. In the vicinity of Atlantis, these were stupendous. Huge clouds of steam and ash rose from the red-hot magma that swelled from the earth’s crust into the Atlantic. This erupting magma created a depression into which Atlantis began to sink. In 24 hours, just as Plato reported, the island continent had completely vanished. All that remained, according to Muck, were the lava-covered peaks that we now call the Azores. The effects of the asteroid’s impact were not confined to the vicinity of Atlantis. The destruction was widespread. Each catastrophe triggered another around the globe. One of the most devastating effects was a deadly gas that took its toll wherever the wind carried it. The disappearance of tens of thousands of Siberian mammoths is evidence of its pervasive effects. Vegetation found in the stomachs of these animals indicated that Siberia was then an ice-free environment. It was only when the impact of the asteroid tilted the earth that the climate abruptly changed. The catastrophe was also responsible for the Great Deluge mentioned in the Bible. According to Muck, water condensed from the enormous clouds of steam and ash, creating the flood conditions. The magnitude of the destruction, Muck explains, is why the memory of Atlantis was lost. Those who survived the catastrophe and their descendants struggled to live under an immense cloud of volcanic ash that hovered over northern Europe. It took about three thousand years before even the rudiments of civilization were acquired. By this time, 4000 BCE, the name “Atlantis” was all that survived. Questions: (Value = 24pts) Why does Muck feel that Atlantis was located in the Atlantic Ocean? 2pts A. What evidence does Muck present to prove that the Cro-Magnon were from Atlantis? 2pts B. Did Cro-Magnon develop the kind of Bronze Age civilization that the people of Atlantis supposedly possessed? Explain your answer. 2pts How does Muck use the flow of the Gulf Stream and the mating habits of European eels to illustrate the existence of Atlantis in the Atlantic? 3pts A. What connections can be found betweencultures on both sides of the Atlantic that suggest Atlantis may have provided a link between the Old World and the New? 4pts B. Is the evidence convincing? 2pts 5. What evidence does Muck present to suggest that the area surrounding the Azores may have been the former site of the Atlantean continent? 2pts How does the argument about a large asteroid striking the earth relate to the disappearance of Atlantis in a single day and night, as described by Plato? 3pts When Muck explains other mysteries, such as the disappearance of the Siberian mammoths, is the case for Atlantis weakened or strengthened? Explain your answer. 2pts Why, according to Muck, was Atlantis forgotten for such a long time? 2pts Alternative Two: Atlantis- Based on Appendix on Atlantis by Desmond Lee In an “Appendix on Atlantis” in his translation of “Plato Timaeus and Critias,” Desmond Lee addresses two questions: Could Minoan Crete have been overwhelmed by earthquakes and volcanic explosions? Could any inkling of this catastrophe have reached Plato? The eruption that Lee has in mind is similar to the 1883 explosion in Krakatoa, but on an even grander scale. Because the Krakatoa explosion occurred in the resent past, we know a lot about it. For six or seven years prior to the explosion, several earthquakes had occurred in the area. Finally, the underground accumulation of volcanic matter or magma blew a great hole in the earth. Most of Krakatoa disappeared. The effects were almost beyond belief. The explosion was heard 5000km away in Western Australia. Clouds of volcanic ash literally turned day into night within a 250km area. The massive tidal wave had a reach of 80km where waves averaged 15m high. It was so powerful it sent a small warship, anchored in the harbour, 3km inland. Thera, like Krakatoa, lies on a major fault line. According to Lee, there is no doubt that a similar explosion occurred there in the last half of the 15th century BCE. The difference is that it is more difficult to assess events between the explosion and the destruction of Minoan sites in Crete in the latter part of the15th century BCE., however. The size of the crater at Thera is 4 times larger than the one at Krakatoa. This suggests that the distribution of volcanic ash and the size and extent of tidal waves would increase accordingly. Indeed, Lee tells us that cores taken from the seabed show widespread distribution of ash. The average depth of 20cm found in central and eastern Crete would have destroyed all vegetation and made the area uninhabitable. The size and extent of the tidal wave can only be estimated. But, as Lee points out, it would have damaged ships and harbours, at the very least. The explosion at Thera was, in all likelihood, associated with earthquakes. Similarly, the destruction in Crete- the collapse of buildings followed by fire- was the type caused by earthquakes. Desmond Lee suggests that the earthquake that damaged Crete was the same major earthquake that was associated with the explosion. This being the case, the answer to the first question is “Yes.” The destruction of Atlantis, according to Plato, occurred nine thousand years before Solon. Lee points out, however, that if Plato had misunderstood the original figures in a multiplication by 10, then the destruction actually would have occurred during the same period as the eruption on Thera. If the Solon story is possible, then., according to Lee, it is equally possible that it mentioned the destruction of a highly civilized island to the west. Communication between Egypt and Crete would probably have relayed the Thera catastrophe. Indeed, Egypt was close enough to Thera to have experienced some of the effects firsthand. Desmond Lee feels that it Plato used the story at all, it was for the catastrophe alone. There are no other similarities between Atlantis and Minoan Crete. Plato’s concern in the “Critias,” as well as in most of his other works, was the conflict between appearance and reality, between what things should be like and the way things actually are. According to Lee, Atlantis was a byproduct of this framework. Indeed, Lee suggests that the “Critias” could be considered the first essay of science fiction. Science fiction has two motives, according to Lee: One is to peer into the future to see what humans are capable of achieving; the other is to escape from reality. Although Atlantis was a civilization of the past, it was an advanced society rich in human achievement. By choosing a lost civilization of the past, Plato was also indulging in escapism. According to Lee, it could as easily been a society of the future. Questions: (Value = 16pts) Why does Lee compare the volcanic explosions on Krakatoa and Thera? 3pts Why does Lee feel that the eruption of Thera and the end of Atlantis could have happened about the same time? 2pts How, according to Lee, did the ash, tidal wave(s), and earthquake affect Crete? 2pts A. What evidence does Lee provide to prove that Plato could have known about the Thera explosion? 3pts B. What was Plato’s purpose in using Atlantis in his writing? 1pt 5. A. How does Lee regard the Atlantis story? 2pts B. According to Lee, what are the two motives of Science Fiction and how do they connect with Plato’s version of Atlantis? 3pts Alternative Three: Atlantis: The Truth Behind the Legend- Based on Atlantis by Edward Bacon Atlantis is exceptionally rich and fertile, with level plains and well-wooded mountains, producing two crops a year with the aid of hot and cold springs, protected against cold winds and intensively cultivated. Politically, it is a federation of ten kings, led by the descendants of Atlas, meeting in the ancient metropolis for conference, consultation and ritual bull-game. Technologically, it is extremely advanced with written laws, a knowledge of metalworking including the use of gold, silver, and bronze, and an exceptional grasp of engineering and architecture involved in the construction of temple, walls, long canals, tunnels, and harbour works. The inhabitants worship a number of gods, of whom Poseidon is the chief, and they also practice a bull cult. Socially, there is considerable stress on the good life, with public gardens and baths not only for men and women but also for horses. All of this is consistent up to a point; and that point is that the empire collapsed in a single day and night. That is the account given by the Egyptian priests 9000 years before the date of their conversation with Solon, which means about 9600 B.C.E. This is a glaring impossibility. For example, in 9600 B.C.E., there were no Athenians to oppose Atlantis; the Mycenaean city of Athens existed not much before the 16th century and metal-working had not been discovered anywhere in the world. The first and simplest farming communities date from, at the earliest, 7000 B.C.E. Horses were unknown in Europe until the Bronze Age and were previously confined to Central Asia. The earliest monumental architecture can be dated to not before 4000 B.C.E. In brief, Atlantis as described by Plato is so impossible that his younger contemporary, Aristotle, assumed that Atlantis was a myth, an imaginary kingdom thought up by Plato to illustrate certain political theories. But this explanation of Aristotle is not really satisfactory. Plato’s Atlantis is not a consistent myth; it illustrates no particular theory and is full of curious detail, very life a historical report, very unlike a political allegory. The characters in Plato’s dialogue find the story baffling and apparently incredible, but continue on the basis that, strange though it seems, it is indeed true historical fact. For some years not it has been apparent to scholars that the Atlantis described by Plato was very like what archaeology has uncovered of the High Bronze Age civilizations of the Aegean and the Near East, such as the Minoans, the Mycenaeans, the Hittites, the Egyptians, and the Babylonians, between about 2500 and 1200 B.C.E. Was there then something wrong with Plato’s date? Had the Egyptian priests of Solon confused 900 with 9000 years? If so the date of the disaster would be 1500 B.C.E. instead of 9600 B.C.E. This immediately makes the Atlantean civilization credible. Again there is a mistake with the power of ten here, it could apply equally to the large dimensions given for the empire of Atlantis. If so, the dimensions for the Royal City of Atlantis shrink to something very closely approximately the central plain of Crete, the heartland of Minoan civilization. The time would then approximate the collapse of the Minoan Empire following a series of disasters which led to the Mycenaean takeover. Furthermore, Minoan Crete was a prosperous power in close contact with Athens and Egypt, both of which were then in existence. Thera today consists of three islands. These lie around a great expanse of water in the center of which rise two relatively modern volcanic islets. The great expanse of water is about 11km from north to south and close to 8km from east to west while the depth ranges between 300 and 400m. It is in fact a gigantic volcanic crater known as a caldera formed by a colossal explosion. The most striking recent example of such a disaster is the explosion of Krakatoa in Indonesia in 1883. This explosion was heard nearly 5000 km away, some 295 towns in Java and Sumatra were wholly or partially destroyed, 36000 people perished, and the sound-waves traveled around the world three times. Tidal waves crossed the entire Pacific and were still strong enough to break anchor chains in Valparaiso, Chile. Volcanic dust rose to a height of 8km and some it fell on Japan. Now the effects of such an eruption can be calculated on the basis of the size of the caldera. The caldera of Thera had a volume about five times that of Krakatoa; and the violence of its explosion must be assumed to have been something like five times as great. Its effects in the landlocked and island-studded Aegean and its wider effects in the whole eastern Mediterranean must have been catastrophic beyond imagination. It caused the disappearance of the greater part of the previously circular island which it has already rendered uninhabitable with deposits of pumice and ash, which are still nearly 60m deep in places. It also produced tidal waves which must have swept many kilometers inland in nearby Crete with wholesale destruction and loss of life. We are therefore left with two curiously similar accounts, one of which is Plato’s. The other, the sum of the discoveries of geophysicists and archaeologists, tells us that the great empire of Minoan Crete suffered a series of natural disasters in the late 16th century B.C.E. and that these disasters were caused by fires, earthquakes, and floods which brought about the end of civilization; and that around 1500 B.C.E. a fertile island, some 100km north of Crete blew up in almost total destruction and caused widespread devastation throughout the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. These two accounts of unparalleled disaster are so similar in nature, location, and date that they must be different accounts of the same disaster. And when an archaeological expedition, led by Professor Marinatos of Athens in 1967, uncovered Minoan remains deep under the pumice of Thera, the final link was added. The identification of Thera with the ancient metropolis of Atlantis, and of Minoan Crete with the Royal City and empire of the Atlanteans, thus became virtually inevitable. Questions: Value = 16pts) Does Bacon’s description of Atlantis appear to be a civilization of the Stone Age, the Copper Age, the Bronze Age, or the Iron Age? Explain your answer. 3pts A. Why does Plato’s date of 9600 B.C.E. for Atlantis seem impossible to Bacon? 5pts B. Does Lee agree with Bacon’s conclusion about the date? 1pt 3. How does Bacon’s argument about a mistake in the power of ten relate to the size of Atlantis and the size of the central plain of Crete? 2pts 4. According to discoveries of geophysicists and archaeologists, the great empire of Minoan Crete suffered a series of natural disasters in the late 16th century B.C.E. and that these disasters were caused by what? 3pts 5. What is Bacon’s overall conclusion about the existence of Atlantis? 2pts  Directory: rhymesf rhymesf -> The Normandy Invasion/Juno Beach Who: Allied Troops (Canadians, British and United States) vs the Germans What Download 148.52 Kb. Share with your friends:
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