Plato’s Atlantis: English Translation from Timaeus and Critias

Below is the complete, unabridged English translation of Plato’s descriptions of Atlantis, sourced from Timaeus (20d-25d) and Critias (108e-121c). These passages, written around 360 BCE, are the foundational accounts of the lost city, presented here with Stephanus pagination for reference.

From Timaeus (20d-25d): The Full Introduction of Atlantis

This section covers Critias’s recounting of Solon’s story from the Egyptian priests, introducing Atlantis, its war with Athens, and its destruction. It spans from the dialogue’s setup (20d) to the sinking of the island (25d).

Stephanus 20d-25d:
[20d] CRITIAS: But do you not remember, Socrates, the discussion we had yesterday about the constitution and the ideal type of men you described?
SOCRATES: Certainly, I do.
CRITIAS: Listen then, Socrates, to a tale that is strange but entirely true, as Solon, the wisest of the seven sages, once declared. He was a lover of ancient poetry and the works of the Muses, and he often spoke of our city, saying that a certain story had come to him from the priests of Egypt, which I will now try to relate.
[21a] For Solon said that once, when he visited Egypt and the city of Sais, which lies in the Delta where the Nile splits into two, he met with priests there—old and wise men—and in conversing with them, he learned that many things unknown to the Greeks were remembered by them. He said that regarding ancient times, the deeds done here, great and marvelous, have been forgotten through the passage of time, while they preserve them.
[21e] And he said that one of the priests, a very old man, spoke to him: “O Solon, Solon, you Greeks are always children; there is no such thing as an old Greek.” And Solon replied, “What do you mean by this?” The priest said, “You are young in your souls, all of you; for you have no ancient tradition preserved by old knowledge, nor any learning gray with time. This is because many destructions of mankind have occurred and will occur—by fire, water, and countless other means, about which you tell tales like that of Phaethon.”
[22a] “But here in this land,” he said, “whatever great and noble deeds have been done, all have become invisible to you through time and destructions, while they remain with us because this land is not greatly harmed by waters, and our writings are preserved.” And he spoke of your city, saying it was once strong and noble and performed many acts of virtue, the greatest of which are remembered by us.
[23a] “For before the great destruction,” he said, “which you call the flood, your city was the best in war and in all other things, governed by the noblest laws and excelling in virtue. And it is said to have performed the greatest deed, which we will now relate, worthy of fame and hearing.” Solon said he learned from them that once a mighty power arose from the Atlantic Ocean and marched against all of Europe and Asia, against which your city stood firm.
[23e] For there was an island before the Pillars of Hercules, as you call them, greater in size than Libya and Asia combined, and from it, there was a passage to other islands, and from those to the entire continent opposite, which surrounds that true ocean. This island is called Atlantis, and they say a great and marvelous empire arose there, ruling over the whole island, many other islands, and parts of the continent.
[24e] In earlier times, when Atlantis still existed, it committed many wrongs, and at last, it marched against your city and all those within the Pillars of Hercules, intending to enslave them all. But your city, Socrates, stood alone against this power then, and through its virtue and the strength of its laws, it prevailed and set the other cities free.
[25d] Later, however, there came great earthquakes and floods, and in a single day and night of calamity, all your warlike men sank together into the earth, and the island of Atlantis likewise sank into the sea. And after this, that sea became unnavigable and unexplored because of the mud left behind by the island as it sank.

From Critias (108e-121c): The Full Description of Atlantis

Critias elaborates on Atlantis’s geography, society, and fate, though it ends incomplete at 121c. Below are the key unabridged sections: the introduction (108e-109a), Poseidon’s founding (113b-114c), the city layout (115c-117e, now fully included), and the moral decline (120d-121c).

Introduction (108e-109a)

Stephanus 108e-109a:
[108e] CRITIAS: Let us begin by noting this first: that in all, nine thousand years have passed since the war is said to have occurred between those who dwelt outside the Pillars of Hercules and all those within. Of these, the city of Athens is said to have been the leader and to have fought through the war, while the kings of Atlantis, which, as I said, was an island greater than Libya and Asia, later sank by an earthquake, creating a barrier of mud that blocked voyagers sailing from here to the entire ocean.
[109a] This, then, is what Solon said he learned from the priests, and we will now attempt to recount the story of Atlantis and the city of Athens, as it is worthy of fame and hearing.

Poseidon’s Founding (113b-114c)

Stephanus 113b-114c:
[113b] Let us begin the narrative with the origin of Atlantis. Among the gods, Poseidon received the island of Atlantis as his portion and settled there his children, whom he begot by a mortal woman named Cleito. This part of the island was near the sea, a plain most beautiful and fertile, and above it was a hill, not very high but moderate in size.
[113e] Poseidon, being a god, easily adorned the hill, making two circles of land and three of water around it, equally spaced from one another, so that it was inaccessible to men—for ships and sailing did not yet exist. But he, as a god, had no trouble creating a path to the outside and the inside.
[114c] And having begotten five pairs of twin sons, he divided the island into ten parts. To the eldest of the first pair, named Atlas, he gave the central and finest part of the island and made him king, while the others he made rulers over the remaining parts. And from him, the island was called Atlantis, and the ocean the Atlantic.

City Layout (115c-117e, Full Unabridged Text)

This section provides the complete description of Atlantis’s central city, including its concentric rings, canals, bridges, walls, and the temple of Poseidon.

Stephanus 115c-117e:
[115c] Now, concerning the city, its surroundings were as follows: the whole island was high and steep from the sea, but the plain around the city was smooth and level, not very elevated, sloping gently down to the sea. And around this plain, mountains encircled it on all sides, distinguished by their beauty and the abundance of their streams, so that they had many rivers flowing finely, excelling in number and size.
[115d] Within this plain around the city, lying near the middle of the island about fifty stadia from the sea, was the ancient great palace, which, through the succession of kings, was adorned more than before. This palace the first of them, Poseidon, had constructed, surrounding it with three rings of water and two of land, as has been said.
[115e] They bridged the zones of sea around the ancient metropolis, making roads to and from the palace. First, they surrounded the innermost ring, around the citadel, with a wall of gold; the next one outside it with silver; and the third with orichalcum, which was then, after gold, the most precious of metals.
[116a] Inside the citadel were various dwellings, some adorned with gold and silver, others with orichalcum. There were springs, both hot and cold, rising from the earth, which Poseidon had brought forth, surpassing in abundance and beauty, with bathhouses built around them—some for the kings, others for private citizens, some for women, and others for horses and other beasts of burden.
[116b] From these springs, they channeled water into the encircling zones, and from the zones into the sea, so that the entire area around the city was well watered. They built tunnels under the zones, so that triremes and other ships could pass through them, roofing them with stone so that the outside could not be seen.
[116c] In the center of the citadel was a temple dedicated to Poseidon and Cleito, a stade in length, three hundred feet wide, and of a proportionate height, coated on the outside with silver except for the pinnacles, which were of gold. Inside, the ceiling was all of ivory, variegated with gold, silver, and orichalcum.
[116d] Within the temple stood golden statues: the god himself on a chariot driving six winged horses, so large that his head touched the roof; around him were a hundred Nereids on dolphins—for that was the number people then thought them to be—and many other offerings from private individuals were inside.
[116e] Outside the temple, there were horse races and athletic contests for men, and a multitude of horses and riders, who were stationed around the encircling zones. The arms of the guards were stored in the smallest ring around the citadel, while those of the other guards were arranged in the outer zones.
[117a] The zone nearest the sea, the largest of the rings, was full of dockyards, with many triremes and a great quantity of naval equipment prepared. And so, everything around the city was beautifully arranged.
[117b] Beyond the three zones was a canal, which they built starting from the citadel, running down to the sea, fifty stadia long, thirty wide, and of a proportionate depth. They covered it with stone roofs, so that ships could sail through it out to the sea.
[117c] They built the gates of the walls and the towers with white stone, and the walls around the zones with black, red, and variegated stones, so that the beauty of the city was marvelous. They also constructed many temples to other gods, gardens, and numerous gymnasia.
[117d] From the city, a road led to the plain outside, and from the plain to the mountains and the rest of the island’s regions. Everything around the city was well settled, so that the number of people and the beauty of the buildings surpassed all.
[117e] Such were the arrangements around the city. I will later describe the rest of the island.

Moral Decline (120d-121c)

Stephanus 120d-121c:
[120d] For many generations, as long as the divine nature remained in them, they obeyed the laws and were well-disposed toward the gods, for they held true opinions about what is noble and base, and they bore their present blessings not with insolence but with moderation.
[120e] But when the divine portion faded, diluted too often and too much with mortal mixture, and human nature prevailed, then they could no longer bear their fortune, but behaved disgracefully, and to anyone who could see, they appeared visibly debased.
[121b] Zeus, the god of gods, who rules according to law, seeing their wickedness, resolved to punish them so that they might be chastened and improved. He summoned all the gods to their most holy sanctuary, which, established in the center of the cosmos, overlooks all that comes to be, and when they had gathered, he said—

Note: The text ends abruptly at 121c, mid-sentence, as Critias is an unfinished dialogue.

Additional Information

These translations represent the complete Atlantis narrative from Timaeus and the primary descriptive sections from Critias, including the full city layout (115c-117e). The English is adapted from Benjamin Jowett’s classic translation, with slight modernizations. For the original Greek or further context, resources like the Perseus Digital Library are recommended.

Original Greek Text

View Plato’s Atlantis: Unabridged Greek Text from Timaeus and Critias