Lost city of Atlantis

Posted: October 17th, 2013

Lost city of Atlantis

Name:

Course:

Institution:

Instructor:

Date:

Lost city of Atlantis

            The lost city of Atlantis is a mystery to people. No one is sure whether it is real or a fantasy. According to scientists’ opinions, it would be bigger than the present Asia and Libya when combined. A group of archeologist and geologist claim they have found the city. It is said to be located north of Cadiz and it was submerged by a tsunami. Some photos have been taken to show the submerged city. They show certain objects, which were made by the people who lived in the city. The researchers who found it claim it is below some mud flats in Spain (Flinders, 2010).

The prominent sacred being in Atlantis is the god of sea called Poseidon. He built the city after falling in love with a mortal woman. The city was built on a hilltop, which people call Atlantis. This city was occupied by intelligent and beautiful people and it was one of the reasons, which made him fall in love with his wife, Cleito. The city was surrounded by hills, moats and pillars. The legend continues to state that the sea god was distrustful of his wife’s loyalty so he placed the moats and pillars around it.

Some of the sacred objects in this city were a temple built by Poseidon’s sons. It had a spiral roof, which towered high up to the clouds. His sons also built a statue of their father riding on a chariot. The statue was made of gold and it was kept at the temple. The hills around the city could also be considered as sacred objects (Childress & Braun, 2006). The sea god chose to build the city on a hill because he found it the best. It was also the biggest hill of all of them and it appeased him.

People of Atlantis used the temple to worship the sea god. The statue of Poseidon on a chariot was a symbol of honor and respect to him. Building the statue in gold symbolized high social status and power, this was associated with Poseidon. In today’s world, the temple is still used as a house of worship. Religions like Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism use temples as places of worship. Temples are considered sacred because people claim God’s presence is manifested in these temples. Some believers perform rituals like offerings and sacrifices in these temples (Childress & Braun, 2006).

Many temples are characterized with statues of deities and gods. For instance, Hindus have different gods and deities in their temples. They are placed in strategic areas depending on people’s beliefs. The hills are also seen as sacred to some cultures in the world. Believers use them to worship or perform sacred rituals. If they are far from the sacred hill, they will pray facing its direction. Such people tend to believe God’s manifestation is found in high places. Hence, they consider hills and mountains are holy places.

The use of gold in making the statue has a similarity with how gold is used currently. Gold is a symbol of wealth and power in today’s world. Therefore, it is used to make statues of gods and deities to symbolize power, respect and high status (Flinders, 2010). These characteristics are attached to the gods and deities on the statues. Today, gold is used in many ways like trading and making ornaments. Its value is still high hence making it a scarce commodity. Only the wealthy people own it.

The sacred objects and beings in this city are an indication of existence of religion in the earlier eras. Its mystery raises many questions in people’s thoughts and they want to find out more. Thus, archeologists and geologists had gone to find out whether this city exists. Its story triggers fantasy in people’s minds. They imagine its beauty and the tall temple built by Poseidon’s sons. Some researchers say they found this city and it is under water in Spain. If anyone would like to visit this place, he or she will have to dress in a diving suit and travel under water to the location of this city (Flinders, 2010).

Reference:

Childress, J., & Braun, C. (2006). Lost city of Atlantis. Kempton, Ill: Adventures Unlimited Press.

Flinders, B. (2010). The lost city of Atlantis. Burbank, CA: Flinders Press.