The legend of Atlantis tells of how the Atlanteans waged war against the nations of the Mediterranean, and the Greeks eventually managed to subdue them. According to some researchers, this legend was inspired by the historical activities of the Sea Peoples, who waged war against many of the nations in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. However, does this theory stand up to scrutiny?
The legend of Atlantis
The legend of Atlantis first appears in the writings of Plato, a Greek philosopher of the fourth century BC. According to the Timaeus and Critias dialogues, Atlantis was the epicenter of a rich and powerful naval civilization.
At one point, its people went to war with the nations of the Mediterranean and almost succeeded in conquering them all. Of this, Plato wrote:
“This vast power, gathered into one, endeavored to subdue at a blow our country [Egypt] and yours [Greece] and the whole of the region within the straits; and then, Solon, your country shone forth…And when the rest fell off from her, being compelled to stand alone, after having undergone the very extremity of danger, she defeated and triumphed over the invaders, and preserved from slavery those who were not yet subjugated, and generously liberated all the rest of us who dwell within the pillars.”
According to this, the nations that Atlantis was attacking included Egypt. Eventually, only Athens managed to survive against Atlantis, with the Greeks ultimately defeating the Atlanteans and freeing the nations that had already been conquered.
The Sea Peoples of the Bronze Age
How might the legend of Atlantis be related to the Sea Peoples of the Bronze Age? To acquire a better understanding of this, let us briefly examine who the Sea Peoples actually were.
The Sea Peoples were a group of nations who appear in Late Bronze Age Egyptian records. According to the records, these nations came from the sea (evidently meaning from the islands and coastlands of the Mediterranean). From the period between c. 1300 until c. 1175 BC, they attacked Egypt multiple times.
There is also evidence they attacked other nations as well, such as the Hittites of Anatolia. Furthermore, they appear to have raided parts of the coastland between Anatolia and Egypt. In short, they waged war against many nations in that region in the Late Bronze Age.
Eventually, the Egyptians defeated them in the Battle of the Delta in the early 12th century BC. Thus, their constant raids against the nations of the Eastern Mediterranean came to an end.
Could the legend of Atlantis have originated from the Sea Peoples?
The legend of Atlantis, according to Plato’s dialogues, originated in Egypt. We know that the Egyptians preserved records on the Sea Peoples and maintained extensive contact with them. Therefore, the idea of the legend of Atlantis originating from a distorted memory of their war against the Sea Peoples is plausible in that sense.
Furthermore, one particular group mentioned that among the Sea Peoples were also the Sherden. Many scholars believe, with good reason, that these Sherden were likely the inhabitants of ancient Sardinia. The reason that this is significant is because Sardinia is a popular candidate for the real Atlantis.
Additionally, aside from the Sherden, it goes without saying that the Sea Peoples were primarily composed of inhabitants of islands and coastlands. In this sense, they match the legendary Atlanteans, a naval society. Finally, it is also noteworthy that similar to the legend of Atlantis, the Sea Peoples were eventually defeated.
Nevertheless, despite these connections, there are particular issues with the idea that the Sea Peoples inspired the legend of Atlantis.
Why the Sea Peoples probably did not inspire the legend of Atlantis
One major issue with this postulation is that, as we saw from the quotation from Timaeus, Egypt and Greece were both attacked by Atlantis. They both fought against it as Atlantis attempted to exert its dominance over the nations of the Mediterranean. This does not match the records of the Sea Peoples. Why is this so?
Some of the Egyptian records on the Sea Peoples make mention of a certain people called the Denyen. Scholars generally believe this is a reference to the Danaans, or Danaoí—that is, the Greeks. Another group among the Sea Peoples were the Eqwesh. Many scholars believe these were the Achaeans, or Akhaioí, another name for the Greeks.
If even just one of these two identifications is correct (and most scholars do accept the former one) then this would mean the Sea Peoples were partly composed of Greeks. DNA evidence supports this. This understanding of the Sea Peoples fundamentally contradicts the legend of Atlantis. Rather than fighting on the same side, Atlantis supposedly fought against Greece. This, in fact, is the entire reason for Plato writing about the legend in the first place.
Another major issue with this theory is that the fate of the Sea Peoples does not match up with the legend of Atlantis. According to the legend, Atlantis is able to defeat all the nations of the Mediterranean aside from the Greeks. In the end, it is Athens which defeats Atlantis and frees the other nations.
In contrast, it was the Egyptians who finally defeated the Sea Peoples. Again, this fundamentally contradicts the entire reason for Plato including the story of Atlantis in the Timaeus.
For these reasons, it is very unlikely that the historical activities of the Sea Peoples had anything to do with the legend of Atlantis.
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