Every time we think about Atlantis—the fabled lost city/continent—we think about Plato, the man who described its existence in his work Critias and Timaeus.

But have we ever asked ourselves where does the original story from Atlantis come from?

Plato did not invent Atlantis as many believe, but the story of the existence of this ‘mythical’ city/continent can be traced back in history.

To understand more about Atlantis, we must venture out and learn more about Solon, a highly respected and well known Greek Statement who lived between 638 BC – 558 BC.

Solon was a famous lawgiver of Athens, and he was notable for his poems and writings.

As explained by Plato, Solon travels to ancient Egypt to learn more about the history of its country, and look for potential trading outposts between Greece and Egypt.

It is believed that in an ancient tale, Solon wrote about the mythical city-continent of Atlantis—an elusive empire that has captured the interest and imagination of historians, archeologists, adventurers, philosophers and others for more than two thousand years.

So, who wrote about Atlantis first?

Well, from what we are able to understand, it was An Egyptian priest of very great age, named Sonchis, Sonchis of Sais— Sais being an ancient Egyptian town in the Western Nile Delta on the Canopic branch of the Nile.

Solon, after his travels to Egypt, met Sonchis, who in turn told him a great ancient civilization that had disappeared from Earth 9,000 years ago. Among many other things, it is believed that Sonchis told Solon stories about a series of ancient empires that existed on Earth, natural catastrophes that made them crumble, and great wars that had raged civilization in the past.

During his time in the city of Sais, Solon learned great information about Atlantis from Sonchis who described the incredible size and wealth of the Atlantean empire as best as he could.

Sonchis explained that Atlantis’ capital city was elaborately constructed, where great temples and palaces were erected, adorned by exotic gardens made of silver, gold and, ivory. Sonchis further described the capital of the Atlantean empire as being made of massive walls, which in turn were surrounded by circular islands protecting the inner citadel of the metropolis.

But, let’s hold on there for a sec and look at what Plato had to say about Sais, Atlantis and the priest who allegedly introduced the world to Atlantis.

First of all, we have to mention that the existence of Sonchis of Sais is a matter of debate among experts who cannot agree whether or not he actually existed.

Having that said, in Timaeus and Critias, written around 360 BC Plato described—through the voice of Critias—how Solon traveled to Sais and met with priests from the goddess Neith. It is there where an extremely old priest tells Solon about an empire that existed 9,000 years before him, which was at war with Athens. Eventually, this empire identified as ‘Atlantis’ was destroyed by a great catastrophe.

Plato does not mention the name of the Priests who told Solon about Atlantis, but  Plutarch (46–120 AD), in his Life of Solon identified the priest as Sonchis:

Near Nilus’ mouth, by fair Canopus’ shores, and spent some time in study with Psenophis of Heliopolis, and Sonchis the Saïte, the most learned of all the priests; from whom, as Plato says, getting knowledge of the Atlantic story, he put it into a poem, and proposed to bring it to the knowledge of the Greeks.

So, this means that the history of Atlantis can briefly be resumed like this:

An empire existed 9,000 years before the life of Solon, and the Egyptian Priest Sonchis.

Atlantis eventually is destroyed by a catastrophe, and nearly all records of its existence are lost.

The only records remain are shared among priests of ancient Egypt.

Eventually, Solon travels to Sais where he meets an ancient Priest who knew about Atlantis.

Identified later as Sonchis of Sais, this priest explains to Solon that Atlantis was an extremely powerful empire that existed 9,000 years before them, and was eventually destroyed.

Solon returns to Greece where he mentions the existence of Atlantis.

Later, in Timaeus and Critias written in 360 BC, Solon traveled to Egypt and that he learned about the existence of Atlantis from an ancient Priest.

Plato writes that Atlantis was located in Timaeus:

“For it is related in our records how once upon a time your State stayed the course of a mighty host, which, starting from a distant point in the Atlantic Ocean, was insolently advancing to attack the whole of Europe, and Asia to boot. For the ocean there was at that time navigable; for in front of the mouth which you Greeks call, as you say, ‘the pillars of Heracles,’ there lay an island which was larger than Libya and Asia together; and it was possible for the travelers of that time to cross from it to the other islands, and from the islands to the whole of the continent over against them which encompasses that veritable ocean. For all that we have here, lying within the mouth of which we speak, is evidently a haven having a narrow entrance; but that yonder is a real ocean, and the land surrounding it may most rightly be called, in the fullest and truest sense, a continent. Now in this island of Atlantis there existed a confederation of kings, of great and marvelous power, which held sway over all the island, and over many other islands also and parts of the continent…” –Timaeus 24e–25a, R. G. Bury translation.

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The Egyptians weren’t the first to build Pyramids. An ancient civilization in America, more precisely Peru, built stunning pyramids 500 years before the Ancient Egyptians. This ancient culture is considered as the oldest ‘developed’ civilization in America, and it predates by up to 1,500 years, other advanced cultures in America like the Olmec civilization in Mexico.

Over 5,000 years ago, an ancient civilization in Peru created incredible Pyramids equally stunning when compared to the Pyramids erected by the ancient Egyptians. The Pyramids of Peru are believed to predate the Pyramids of the Giza plateau by at least 500 years.

Caral is an archaeological site where we find the remains of the main city of the ancient civilization of Caral.

Located in the valley of Supe, 182 kilometers north of Lima (Peru), 23 km from the coast and 350 meters above sea level, this ancient civilization existed in the region more than 5,000 years ago and is considered the oldest city in America.

So far, nowhere in America have archaeologists discovered the remains of a city with temples, monuments, and Pyramids with such a vast diversity.

The ancient city of Caral has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The ancient civilization of Caral is contemporary with other ancient civilizations such as those of Egypt, India, Sumeria, China, but unlike them (which participated at least partially with the external world), Caral was developed in complete isolation.

In America, it is the oldest of the pre-Hispanic civilizations, surpassing by 1,500 years the Olmec civilization, another important civilization located in Mesoamerica.

The age of the civilization of Caral was confirmed through 146 radiocarbon dating tests performed by laboratories from the United States. According to these, Caral is approximately 5,000 years old, meaning that it developed more than 1,500 thousand years before any other major culture in America.

The Pyramids of Caral are another reason why this culture is more than extraordinary.

We find Pyramids of various sizes at Caral.

There are 7 large pyramids in Caral surrounded by several smaller ones, adding up to 32 structures in total.

Its builders organized the city in 2 sectors: one to the north and another one to the south.

An old dry cause divides both sides.

In the upper sector, there are 6 main pyramids surrounding an empty space.

In the lower sector the Pyramid of the Amphitheater and several minor buildings aligned with it stands out.

Each of the Pyramids of Carl served different functions, each fulfilling a different role in the social and religious order of its inhabitants.

The Pyramids of Caral:

The Main Pyramid or ‘Piramide Mayor’ is 153.52 meters in length, 109.42 meters wide, and has a height of 28 meters. It consists of a stepped pyramid and a circular square attached to its façade. A long staircase 9 meters wide ascends 28 meters in height.

The so-called ‘Piramide de la Cantera’ has 78 meters in length, a width of 56 meters and a height of 13.40 meters.

The Lower Pyramid or ‘Piramide Menor’ has a length of 45.80 meters, a width of 37 meters and a height of 7.50 meters.

Caral also features the so-called ‘Piramide de la Galeria’ which is 110 meters in length, it has a width of 80 meters and a height of 17 meters.

The Pyramid of Huanaca has a length and width of 55 meters, and a height of 12 meters.

The Amphitheater Pyramid of Caral is the largest one with a length of 155 meters. IT is 81 meters wide and has a height of 11 meters.

The smallest of the Pyramids at Caral is the Pyramid of the circular altar which is 42.60 metes in length, it has a width of 28 meters, and a height of only 4 meters.

In addition to the fact that Caral is one of the oldest ancient civilizations in America, and features some of the oldest Pyramids on Earth, their culture is equally stunning because of their technological development.

Caral was one of the most advanced ancient cultures on Earth, 5,000 years ago.

As noted by andina.com.pe:

“As for energy exploitation and fluid mechanics, Caral took advantage of the wind, now known as the Venturi Effect, by channeling it through underground ducts in order to achieve high temperatures through bonfires.”

“As for pharmacology, we found that Caral inhabitants used willow —containing the *active chemical ingredient in aspirin*— to relieve pain such as headaches.”

Website andina.com.pe further notes:

“Another highlight was the civil engineering, which continues to amaze since scientists applied the seismic resistance technology to the over-5000-year-old constructions.”

One of the most important things worth mentioning about Caral is that no weapons, mutilated bodies or any signs of warfare are present on the site. This according to scholars, points to the fact that Caral was a diplomatic and highly developed culture.