Tarshish also gave rise to a branch of the Greek people that is often identified with people who came to live in Spain with it probable that the ancient Spanish city of Tartesus on the south Spanish coast on the Atlantic side of the Strait of Gilbralter between what is now Cadiz and the Portuguese border being the main location of Tarshish. Cadiz is probably mentioned by Plato himself in his description of Atlantis as he mentions that Atlantis was near Gadira which many scholars agree is Cadiz. This place also was previously called Gades. This is mentioned by Plato in Critias 114b. Previously the Mediterranean Sea was also called the Sea of Tarshish and the Phoenicians who previously lived in an area centred on what is now Lebanon built ships for trading through the Mediterranean that were called ships of Tarshish. The people of Tarshish also built and used extensively many ships used throughout the Mediterranean and these would also have been called ships of Tarshish. It is also possible the people of Tarshish in Spain gave rise to the legend of Altantis. There was an article on the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) on June 6, 2004 that gives the most convincing association of existing ruins or physical features with the description by Plato, who is our earliest remaining source of this legend. He describes Altantis in significant detail in his dialogues Critias and Timaeus. From this BBC article is was reported that satellite observations showed remains of what matches some of the description of Plato's dialogues in southern Spain.. Dr. Rainer Kuehne, a researcher supporting this possibility believes Plato or other Greeks could have confused the Egyptian word for island with coastland which is an alternative interpretation which is also possible for the corresponding Hebrew word. This would make it possible for this location on the south coast of Spain to fit the description given by Plato. Plato is supposed to have received the account of Atlantis and its destruction from another Greek named Solon who visited Egypt and received the account from priests in the Nile Delta in as city called Sais. This was in the 26th dynasty of Egypt under a pharoah named Amasis around 570 to 526 BC according to a book on the history of Egypt called History of Ancient Egypt by Erik Hornung. Therefore the destruction of Atlantis must have been before that but I don't think it was anything like 9000 years before that like is mentioned by Plato but I think would have been between 570 BC and about 1000 BC when Solomon was still alive and was trading with Tarshish which is probably Atlantis. There was also a well documented flood in this area of southern Spain between 800 and 500 BC. I heard of this flood and its date from the BBC article by the German Professor Dr. Rainer Kuehne as mentioned above. Although he doesn't state this flood was caused by a tidal wave that is possible or it could have been caused by torrential rain. Although this is more recent that the dates sometimes given for Altantic and its destruction of about 12,000 years ago, it is still before the time of Plato and when it was on the other side of Mediterranean it could have still become legendary to Plato and the Greeks of his time and therefore uncertain about how long ago it happened.
There was an article published by a woman named Fiona Govan on January 19, 2010 giving further efforts to research possible connections with a site in Spain to Atlantis. This is in the same location in the Donana National Park on the south coast of Spain that I referred to in the previous paragraph. In the BBC article the research was being conducted by a German professor from a German university. This new archaeological effort is being led by a man named Sebastian Celestino. He says remnants of the Tartessos culture have been found on the other side of a river from this national park. This river is called the Guadalquiver River. It flows into the Atlantic so this would be an appropriate location for a place called Atlantis. In this article it is mentioned that up until now scholar had rejected the idea of Atlantis being in this location as they thought it was under water since the ice age. Now it is put forward that there is support the waters receded so that the Tartessians could build a city which was later demolished by a tsunami. This would be consistant with what Plato said about Atlantis. The Hinojos marches in the Donana national park are thought to the location of Atlantis as was also the location put forward by the German researcher on the BBC several years ago that I referred to. It is also mentioned that pictures from the air show large circular and rectangular forms that couldn't be natural in this area. These could be some of the sets of concentric circles and central temples mentioned by Plato in his description of Atlantis and that were also mentioned in the previous BBC article. This article says the Tartesian civilization was present from the 11th to the 7th centuries BC which would be consistant with references to it with King Solomon and Tyre as mentioned in this article around 1000 BC. Although this Spanish team don't want to acknowledge it there is considerable talk that they might be now on the verge of tracking down the true location of Atlantis. There might be more about this shortly.
According to the BBC article Satellite Images 'Show Atlantis' the satellite photos show rectangular ruins with concentric circles around them of about the right scale given in Plato's description. If there was a slight change in the measurements the "stade" from what is usually associated with it, the circles and structures in Atlantis would almost exactly match the sizes given by Plato in Critias and Timaeus. The two rectangular structures were a silver temple dedicated to the marine Greek god Poseidon and a gold temple dedicated to Cleito and the Greek god of the sea Poseidon. It is also interesting that according to the Bible in Genesis 10 the people of Tarshish were the descendants of Javan which is Greece and Tarshish was well known in the Bible and elsewhere as a sea going people associated with the city of Tartesus in southern Spain. The Tarshish of the Bible was also very rich through trading throughout the Mediterranean including Phoenicia (Tyre) in current day Lebanon and with Israel under King Solomon in items such as precious metals and exotic animals that are both mentioned in association with Tarshish in the Old Testament as well as about Atlantis in Plato's writings. There would also be mountains, the Sierra Morena and Sierra Nevada, surrounding a plain between these mountains and the concentric rings in the Marisma de Hinojos part of south coastal Spain on the Atlantic side of the Strait of Gilbralter between the current city of Cadiz and the Portuguese border. The Sierra Morena mountains even now provide abundant supply of copper and also has significant supplies of other metals.
The main investigator of this possible location of Atlantis, Dr. Rainer Kuehne of the University of Wuppertal in Germany, also points out in the BBC article "Satellite Images 'Show Altantis'" from June 6, 2004 that records of war between Atlantis and the eastern Mediterranean by Plato is very similiar to recorded attacks on Egypt, Cyprus and the area of Syria, Lebanon and Israel by the "sea people" and he proposes that Altantis and the sea peoples are probably the same as the people of Atlantis (and Tarshish). These attacks might not have been noticed and recorded too much in the Old Testament as they occurred in the 12th century BC which would be near the end of the time of the judges in the history of Israel when Israeli society was still very much in chaos.
In this verse in Judges 5 there is the clearest description of these possible attacks on Israel in the 12th century in the Bible. Dan and Asher were two of the tribes of Israel with land bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Dan on the south part of the Israeli coast near the land occupied by the Phillistines and Asher further north nearer to what is now Lebanon and what was then Phoenicia. In verse 17 of this chapter there seems to be a record of an attack by a sea going people on the coasts of Israel. Since this attack was about the time stated for the attacks by the "sea peoples" that is quite likely from Atlantis, Tarshish or Tartesus these are probably attacks by the fleets of Atlantis or Tarshish. These tribes of Israel and Israel's ships seem to be intimidated as it is stated that Dan remained in ships (and didn't fight it is implied) and Asher continued on the sea shore and abode in his breaches (harbours) (and also didn't fight the "sea people" or fleets of Atlantis or Tarshish which could easily overpower the navy or forces of Israel at that time since Israel under the judges was usually in moral and political chaos and would be no match in an attack by a powerful outside armed force. The scripture reference in Judges 5 of this possible attack by the "sea people" on Israel and Israel's timid response is as follows:
Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in breeches (harbours). Judges 5:17
In Genesis 10 there is a comprehensive table of the nations as they descended from Noah although it is given by their Hebrew or ancient names in the King James version of the English Bible but these can be linked to modern peoples and regions with some research or notes. Verse 1 says that these peoples were descendants of Noah and his sons after the flood which puts some time constraints on their origin. Since the flood, from a literal interpretation of the Bible, probably occurred around 3100 BC or about 5000 years ago. In verse 4 of this chapter it is stated that one of the sons of Javan, who is known to refer to people of Greece and that area, is Tarshish. Tarshish later in the Old Testament is associated with a mighty sea going people of the Mediterranean that was especially powerful in the time of the Phoenicians and Israel under King Solomon although it is mentioned in Ezekiel of the glories of Tyre that was attacked by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in the sixth century but the prophecy in Ezekiel 26 of its defeat was of the then future in the fourth century by the Greek leader Alexander the Great. Finally in verse 5 of Genesis chapter 10, it is mentioned by these previously named people, including Javan (Greece) and his son Tarshish, the islands or coastlands of the Gentiles or nations were divided. This would also apply to southern Spain, the location of Tarshish and probably of Atlantis or the "sea people" which was a coastland and part of the nations. The scripture reference in Genesis 10 of Tarshish (Atlantis or the "sea people") is as follows:
Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meschech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphah, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. By these were the isles (or coastlands) of the Gentiles (nations) divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. Genesis 10:1-5
Some of the things the Bible describes as King Solomon the riches and most famous and one of the most powerful kings of Israel as receiving from Tarshish and her ships were precious metals such as gold and silver and exotic animals or their products such as apes and peacocks and ivory, probably from elephants that are all consistant with Tarshish on southern Spain at that time and with Plato's description of Atlantis. It is also worthy to note that the times between trips was about three years so it would have to be some distance from Israel as well as to transport all the goods into the ships and have them ready for shipping. A location on the Meditteranean is also supported by the cooperation of Huram, probably Hiram of Lebanon or Tyre or Phoenicia who was a good friend of King Solomon and who supplied cedar tries and other material and labourers to help King Solomon built the temple for the God of Israel in Jerusalem, since Huram (Hiram) and Tyre were also on the Meditteranean and did much of their trading there. The scripture reference of King Solomon's tradiing with Tarshish (Atlantis or the Sea People) in 2 Chronicles 9 is as follows:
For the king's (King Solomon's) ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram (Hiram): every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 2 Chronicles 9:21
In Plato's description there were many riches described as being in abundance in Atlantis. This included many metals such as silver and gold although there were many other riches mentioned as well. Tarshish which in the Bible is usually in reference to southern Spain and almost exactly the same location as Atlantis is also pictured as having much riches. In Ezekiel 27 the great trading fairs of Tyre or Phoenicia is pictured with the different goods it imported from many different countries or peoples including from Tarshish. From Tarshish principally different metals are mentioned although from 2 Chronicles 9 with Israel under King Solomon, it is clear Tarshish also traded in exotic animals as well. The metals mentioned that Tyre received from Tarshish on the Atlantic side of the Strait of Gilbralter in southern Spain near the former site of Tartesus and with the previously mentioned archaeological evidence and other reasons the site of Atlantis are silver, iron, tin and lead. They could have also traded in mercury ores if the ancients used these as I have found this region of southern Spain is still a principal resource source for the metal Mercury in the world. The next verse mentions that the ships of Tarshish were broken by the east wind. This would require that the winds came over a considerable distance over water from the east. This means that this reference in Ezekiel 27 is unlikely to refer to Tarshish ships from Arabia as this would not be applicable over the Red Sea since it is quite narrow in an east west direction although the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean is a much larger body of water. However the east storm or Euroclydon is mentioned in the New TEstament in Acts 27:14 with the shipwreck of the Apostle Paul. This was definitely in the Mediterranean Sea as it was on his trip from Joppa to Rome so the east wind when referring over a body of water is probably also referring to the Mediterranean Sea as well. The scripture reference from Ezekiel 27 of the goods namely metals traded of and received by Tyre from Tarshish probably Atlantis and the ships of Tarshish sometimes being broken by the east wind on the Mediterranean on the way to Spain are as follows:
Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made glorious in the midst of the seas. Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas. Ezekiel 27:12, 25-26
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