• @jordanlund
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    27 days ago

    “The island was greater than Libya and Asia put together”

    This is the common translation, but there is an alternative:

    “The island was between Libya and Asia.”

    https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/physis/plato-timaeus/atlantis-athens.asp?pg=5

    “ἐκεῖ πέλαγος· νῆσον γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ στόματος εἶχεν ὃ καλεῖτε͵ ὥς φατε͵ ὑμεῖς Ἡρακλέους στήλας͵ ἡ δὲ νῆσος ἅμα Λιβύης ἦν καὶ Ἀσίας μείζων͵ ἐξ ἧς ἐπιβατὸν ἐπὶ τὰς ἄλλας νήσους τοῖς τότε ἐγίγνετο πορευομένοις͵ [25a]”

    Google says:

    “There is a sea there; for there was an island before the mouth which you call the Pillars of Hercules, as you have seen, and the island was both Libya and Asia Major, from which passengers could then sail to the other islands, which were then made to sail [25a]”

    Drawing a straight line between Libya and Turkey pretty much runs right over Santorini, but also Crete and a number of other islands.