|
Response from the 3nd International Conference for Atlantis (Santorini 25-26/6/2011)
Correspondent: Minas Papageorgiou
|
Τhis year's conference for Atlantis was dedicated to the memory of Professor Antonis Kontaratos, who, in addition to his intense activity inside our country, excelled in many interdisciplinary programs in the USA (NASA, national energy program, national anti-AIDS program, etc.). A total of twenty lectures were given, of which ten, were given by Greek speakers and thirteen by foreigners, coming from countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Romania, Norway, Spain and Australia. It is worth mentioning that the English language was used for all presentations without exception.
The professor of Geology of the University of Patras and president of EMAEM, Stavros Papamarinopoulos, was the one who introduced the public to the "problems" faced by the Atlantis case. He argued that:
"Despite the complexity of the issue of the lost continent, Atlantis existed and, in fact, at the same time, along with a strong Athens, during the 12th pre-Christian century. The question that arises is why the historians of later centuries do not mention it ... Could all these detailed descriptions of the city of Atlanteans by Plato be exclusively imaginary or symbolic thoughts of the great Greek philosopher?"
The first purely scientific research
During this international conference, the findings of the virgin scientific study conducted in a real place to search for the legendary continent were presented for the first time. The speech was given by the Frenchman Marc-Andre Gutscher of the French National Center for Scientific Research (C.N.R.S). It presented the methodology used during explorations to the bottom of Spartel Island, just a few miles outside the Straits of Gibraltar. The scientists did not find any evidence of a sunken state, yet all in attendance noted the enormous importance of conducting a study of this level that scientifically upgrades the issue and paves the way for similar efforts in the future.
Gutscher did not fail to point out that Plato's descriptions of the destruction of Atlantis correspond to those of a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 1300 BC.
Problems with terminology
One of the speeches that caused a sensation was that of the electronic engineer and member of EMAEM, George Sarantitis. The Greek researcher raised the issue of the many and different "quality" translations of the Platonic texts (especially the "controversial" Timaeus and Critias) that create misunderstandings over time on the issue of Atlantis. He characteristically emphasized that the Greek philosopher does not speak at any point about the sinking of the lost continent, a fact that has turned the research for its search in the wrong directions all these years. In addition, Mr. Sarantitis presented a graph in which he showed that Plato uses in his texts a kind of "testing" of the reader, harmonizing (in terms of difficulty) the semantic content of his work. Finally, through a literary analysis, he "showed" the bay of Gabes on the east coast of Tunisia, as the real "Pillars of Heraklion".
For his part, Professor Papamarinopoulos pointed out the different meaning of the word "island" in antiquity, which was not completely identical with the corresponding today. For example, it was sometimes associated with the word "peninsula", a term that was interpreted differently only in the 5th pre-Christian century by Herodotus, while other times it was used to denote rivers (see Ladonas) or even cities. This fact could of course create new data regarding the search for the "island of Atlantis" by modern scholars.
The "heretical" case of Russia
One of the ... strange theories that was presented was that of the Italian Marco Bulloni who "placed" Atlantis on the Russian islands of Solovetsky in the White Sea (very close to the border with Finland)! The independent researcher from the neighboring country used a rather convincing argument that included a literary analysis of Plato's descriptions, while making the necessary comparisons from his own field research in northwestern Russia. It is worth mentioning that on the central island of the complex (the largest of the six) there are to this day labyrinthine underground labyrinths and a multitude of megaliths and petroglyphs that could have been built by an advanced civilization of antiquity. According to Bulloni, there are signs of destruction and sinking of a significant part of the island by a tsunami, while the age of this event is determined in 1300 BC.
Homer and the astronomical data!
At the conference on Atlantis we also attended some very interesting talks about the astronomical parameters of the adventures of Odysseus and the sea routes of Homer's time. The truth is that many wondered about the presence of this purely Homeric data in the program, yet in the end they understood the usefulness of these studies. The show was stolen without a doubt by the presentation of Panagiotis Antonopoulos (physicist) and Eleni Mitropetrou (archaeologist) regarding the determination of the exact time of the Odyssey events based on the combination of the literary analysis of the texts and the astronomical phenomena described. . The calculation of the return of the versatile hero to Ithaca was determined in the Autumn of 1207 BC, very close to the solar eclipse of October 30 of that year. The astronomical programs and mathematical formulas used demonstrated in the best way the valuable help that "hard science" (as it was characterized) could offer, namely physics, mathematics, geology, etc., in the work of philologists and archaeologists. Similar methods could be used in the future (even with the little data we have at our disposal) to search for Atlantis.
Faced with paraphilology
During the round table of participants, which was the last section of the Santorini conference, the question of paraphilology related to the supposed nature of the lost continent and theories about technologically advanced (with the current data) or even extraterrestrials Atlanteans was raised. Gutscher's radical proposal caused a sensation, which urged the organizing committee to invite such researchers to the conference from now on, so that their theories would be put under the ... "microscope" of the rest.
Pending a new survey
The second scientific study in search of historic Atlantis is currently underway. U.S.A. researchers are searching for the submarine and coastal area of the Costa de la Louth Peninsula in Andalusia, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River. In the subsoil of this area are believed to be the ruins of the ancient city of Tartissos, which is considered by many to be identical with Plato's Atlantis. The results of the research are expected to be completed within the next three years and will be announced during the work of the next conference on Atlantis in our country.
Where is Atlantis?
The 3rd Atlantis International Conference is now a thing of the past. The participants renewed their appointment for 2014, promising to present the new fruits of their quests in terms of searching for the lost continent. Making an attempt to detect the main trends and directions that were presented in the two days of Santorini we can summarize the following:
a) Atlantis was a real place that was destroyed by a natural disaster (earthquake and tsunami), probably during the 13th or 12th pre-Christian century, at the end of the Bronze Age.
b) Most seem to agree that it was not an island, but an area located either in southern Spain or on the northwest coast of Africa (Morocco).
c) The need for further examination of philological, geological, astronomical and archaeological data through the conduct of comprehensive scientific research, such as that on Spartel Island, was emphasized.
d) There has been reflection and discussion as to the attitude of the scientific community towards the funding of research related to mythological data, such as the case of Atlantis, despite the ... "sufferings" of the past (see the cases of Troy, Knossos and of Mycenae).
** The text was first published into Greek language in the Greek magazine "Phenomena" of the newspaper "Free Press" (vol. 38 - 16/7/2011) by the journalist Minas Papageorgiou.
Text editing and translated by Theodoros Paschos
|