Various groups over the past two centuries have suggested that the people of Atlantis migrated to Europe after their civilization was destroyed and sank into the sea. This includes the Nazis, who used this belief as a basis for their ideas about racial superiority. What do the facts reveal about the argument that the inhabitants of ancient Atlantis migrated to Europe?
Who were the Atlanteans?
Atlantis was a mythical island described by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Its inhabitants, the Atlanteans, were an advanced and powerful people, known for their wealth, technology, and military might. However, their growing arrogance and moral decline led to their downfall. According to Plato’s account, Atlantis was destroyed in a single day and night of catastrophic events. The island was reportedly struck by earthquakes and floods, causing it to sink into the sea.
The connection between Atlantis and Hyperborea
Researchers have attempted to use many ancient Greek sources to argue that the Atlanteans migrated to Europe.
One version of the argument comes from the idea that Atlantis and Hyperborea were the same place. Hyperborea appears in various ancient Greek records. It is a semi-mythical location where people did not need to toil for food. They did not age nor engage in battles, and there was no fear of the gods’ displeasure. In many respects, it was as if the Golden Age of Greek mythology was still active there.
Many modern sources claim that certain Greek writers placed Hyperborea in central Europe, near the land of the Celts. This may have led to the idea that some of Europe’s inhabitants were descended from the Hyperboreans.
At least one ancient record—a report by Hecataeus of Lesbos from the fourth century BCE, preserved by Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian from the first century BCE—could be interpreted as supporting a connection between Hyperborea and Atlantis.
In this record, Hecataeus of Lesbos describes Hyperborea as an island beyond the land of the Celts. Some might interpret this as a reference to an island in the Atlantic Ocean. This fits the traditional location of Atlantis.
Support from Ammianus Marcellinus
Some researchers have used another piece of evidence to support the argument that Atlanteans migrated to Europe. Ammianus Marcellinus, a Roman historian in the fourth century CE, preserved the testimony of Timagenes, a Greek historian from the first century BCE.
In his account of the origin of the Gauls (the inhabitants of what is now France), Ammianus wrote:
“The Drysidae [Druids] say that a part of the people was in fact indigenous, but that others also poured in from the remote islands and the regions across the Rhine, driven from their homes by continual wars and by the inundation of the stormy sea.”
According to this, some of the Gauls originated from remote islands. They had fled to Europe to escape wars and the inundation of the sea. Some researchers have seen this as a reference to the Atlanteans fleeing from Atlantis to Europe.
Did the Atlanteans really migrate to Europe?
When we examine these pieces of evidence more closely, it becomes obvious that they do not support the idea that Atlanteans fled from Atlantis to Europe.
Let us consider Hyperborea first. The most comprehensive description of its location comes from Herodotus, the fifth century BCE Greek historian. He places it northeast of the Black Sea, beyond the land of the Scythians.
This statement contradicts where Atlantis is traditionally believed to be, which is not in Europe. Therefore, it does not align with the supposed origin or the Atlanteans’ destination.
While some modern sources claim that Pindar places Hyperborea in the land of the Celts, there is no evidence to support this. His description is completely consistent with Herodotus’ placement of Hyperborea.
What about the reference to Hyperborea as an island beyond the land of the Celts? This cannot be a reference to Atlantis since Hecataeus refers to it as an island with a still-functioning civilisation. Most scholars take this to be Iron Age Britain.
Does Ammianus Marcellinus really describe the Atlanteans migrating to Europe?
What about the evidence from Ammianus Marcellinus? Did he clearly not say Gaul’s inhabitants came from islands that had been inundated by the sea? He did, but it is important to examine his words closely.
The quote indicates that some Gauls originated from “the remote islands and the regions across the Rhine.” The Rhine is a river extending from the Netherlands in the north to Switzerland in the south, where it has its source.
Therefore, by saying that some of the Gauls had come from beyond the Rhine, he was saying they had come from eastern or northern Europe. The islands in question might be those near Denmark. These were indeed ‘remote islands’ to the Greeks. Or, they might have been islands of the eastern Mediterranean, which were ‘remote’ to the Gauls.
In any case, Ammianus did not describe Atlanteans migrating from Atlantis to Europe. There is no factual basis for this idea.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
