Claim/criticism: "Atlantis was between Libya and Asia not larger than Libya and Asia. Atlantis larger than Libya and Asia was just Atlantis' external sphere/empire. Plato never described Atlantis as a continent. The processes couldn't have destroyed a landmass the size of a continent."
There are many details in the Atlantis Account which individually and collectively imply Atlantis was a large island with an additional large external sphere/empire, not just a small royal island capital and external sphere/empire. The verses of the text are clear when refering to the large island of Atlantis and when refering to the external sphere/empire. Here are the details of the text which evidence that Atlantis was a large island:
- Atlantis was "larger than Libya & Asia" (Tim 25a.; Crit 109a.), which some say is about the size of the USA or Antarctica (Flem-Ath). Herodotus says in one place that Europe is as large as Asia & Libya combined/together. Theopompus says Meropis was larger than Europe & Asia & Libya. Some scholars claim that the words "larger than Libya & Asia" can be alternatively translated "between Libya & Asia", but this is a rare minority view in 2500 years of Atlantis scholarsip. One ancient source says "island equal in size to Libya or Asia" (Tertullian), but this is only one source, and it is still a largish size. The Americas is the next largest landmass after the Old World.
- Atlantis had a very large plain (Crit 118b), with "an extensive network of canals such as was never seen in Europe", and other plains too (Crit 115a), and many meadows (Crit 118c).
- Atlantis plain & city was in the mid-point of longest side of the island (Crit 113d, Crit 119d). This makes more sense with a large island than a small one.
- Gadeirus at "the extremity of the island" (Crit 114c).
- The Atlantis Account says they were self-sufficient in most all things, as the island supplied most all things they needed (Crit 114e., Crit 115c).
- Atlantis had 10 kings regions/kingdoms (Crit 109a, Crit 113d., Crit 114a., Crit 114b., Crit 114c., Crit 116d., Crit 119c & Crit 119d.)*, and "many/a-number-of parts/localities of/in the island" (Crit 115a). (* Compare 10 countries Mu? 12 parts of Amenti/Urani/Aaru?)
- Atlantis had many species of animals (Crit 115a, Crit 118c) including elephants (Crit 115a), horses (Crit 117c), and cattle/bulls (Crit 117c).
- Atlantis island had number of cities/towns and many villages (Crit 118c., Crit 120d.)
- Atlantis had a large population as also implied by the army/navy numbers given (Crit 119b).
- Atlantis had a range of mountains which were among the highest in the world then (Crit 118a-118b, Crit 118c., Crit 119b).
- A small island could not project or control such a large empire/invasion/war (Tim 25b-c, Crit 109a, 120e).
- "on/in this/the island was a great & wonderful empire ... over the whole island" (Tim 25b.)
- The Atlantis Account says "the whole island/country" (Crit 114b., Tim 25b., Crit 113d., Crit 118a-118b., Crit 118b), and rest of the country (Crit 119b). This and other points show that these size details can't just be Atlantis' external empire or occupied territory or sphere (Tim 25b, Crit 114d).
- Atlantis had many rivers (Crit 115a., Crit 118c.), and a "great/large river" (Crit 118a, Spanuth)?
- Atlantis had many lakes (Crit 118c).
- An inland sea/pelagos is possibly implied in the Account (Jim Allen)? (Confirmed to match Titicaca.)
- Atlantis had many mines/minerals in parts of the island (Crit 115a, Flem-Ath).
- Atlantis had enormous wealth (Critias 121c).
- Atlantis "sinking" left a lot of "mud" "shoal" (Tim 25e, Critias 109a)?
- The terrible quake(s) and flood(s) might also imply a large size land? (Timaeus 25d.)
- Atlantis was an "island" (Timaeus 25a, 25b, 25d, 25e; Critias 109a, 113d, 114a). "Island/isle" in Biblical/Egyptian/Classical can mean either an islet, island/isle, small island, large island, a separate landmass, surrounded by water, continent, peninsula, peloponessus, coastlands, the old world, the world/Earth/Pangaea, a planet. Compare Greenland and Australia. The "island" in the account is sometimes unclear whether they are refering to the royal island capital city or the whole landmass.
- There is no sunken/submerged landmass in the Atlantic ocean, but this doesn't prove that Atlantis was not large, it only proves that Atlantis is not in the Atlantic ocean (except for America which is in the Atlantic). We answer the "couldn't have sank a landmass the size of a continent" criticism in the Atlantis' sinking section.
- Plato's Atlantis has always been considered at large continental size landmass except for in modern theories.
- Kirchir's spurious map shows Atlantis as a large island-continent similar to North/South America.
- Atlantis was (called) a "land/country" (Critias 115b, Timagenes).
- A classical source implies that either the whole Earth was divided up between the 3 gods Zeus/Jupiter/Ammon, Poseidon/Neptune (Atlantis), & Hades/Pluto, or that there were 3 large islands in the western ocean of Zeus/Jupiter/Ammon, Poseidon/Neptune (Atlantis), & Hades/Pluto. "the gods distributed the whole earth between them .... Poseidon receiving for his lot Atlantis" (Critias 109b-109d, Critias 113c-113d). "there were 7 islands in that sea (external sea) ... and 3 others of great size, one of which was sacred to Pluto, one to Ammon, and one to Poseidon, this last being a thousand stadia in area." (Proclus).
- "a large land" / "an island of considerable size" (Diodorus Siculus).
- "a large island was swallowed up" (Marcellinus).
- "Cathaginians possessed large rich island on Atlantic called Al Atlantis" (Seculus).
- "not far to the west of Europe ... memory of a larger island" (Proclus).
- a large island in the Atlantic which the Carthaginians knew as Antilla (Aristotle).
(- The Sea Peoples came "the isles and mainland of the outer circle of water".)
(The continent Maurigosima (& king Peiru-un) of a Chinese source?)
(The 2 continents/landmasses/islands Kusa & Pushkara, or Vishnukranta in an Indian source?)
So, since Atlantis was a large landmass this considerably helps to narrow down where Atlantis can be. We are "not looking for a needle in a haystack" as Hancock's research assistant put it.
Claim: "Such an large army of 10 kings of a large island of Atlantis matching (South) America(s) couldn't be defeated by Athens".
Excuse me but the Atlantis Account itself definitly implies that Atlantis was a large island with an additional large external sphere/empire, with a large population and large army/navy and it was defeated by Athens, regardless of our matches with South America. So you are mocking the Atlantis Account not my candidate. People on one hand say the invasion couldn't be made over such great distance and on other hand say they couldn't be defeated, which is a contradiction. Maybe they were defeated because too great distance and stretch? The Account says they were decadent and arrgoant and slavers, which would weaken them and strengthen others. 1200 ships is not really that many? The Medinet Habu story about the Sea Peoples indicate that the many Sea Peoples were defeated by Egypt. In the bible the Hebrews often beat enemies who had far more numbers of people. In World War 2 Germany almost conquered all of Europe, and Japan conquered a far larger area than small Japan. Overconfidence and underconfidence can effect ones success. Not all of South America was majorly developed, it was mainly only the Andean region that was developed more than the rest of South America? It wasn't just Athens at first, it was only Athens after all others had failed or quit. The Account also says or implies that it was a dangerous enterprise for Athens (alone). There would be physical limitations and logistics difficulties for a too large a force attacking all at once together. This large Atlantis versus tiny Athens contention is only a incredulous disbelief opinion, it is not proven to be true andit doens't erase allthe stark matches that Tiahuanaco/Peru/South America has. One has to consider all the evidences not just one/some, and the more quantity & quality matches evidences overrule the few incredulous disbeliefs/doubts. Atlantis was a large island and a separate landmass to Europe, Asia & Libya/Africa, and so it must match one of the continents.