Quinlen Stevens
Senior Thesis | 2025
Implementing Classical Architecture
in the Design of the City of Atlantis: Drawing Atlantis as Plato Would’ve Imagined
Quinlen Stevens
Introduction:
If you search up the city of Atlantis, I can guarantee that most of the first results that pop up will be some variation of “Is the city of Atlantis Real?” or “Finding the Lost city of Atlantis”. Now if you’re wondering what the answer to the question “Is the city of Atlantis Real?” is, my answer would be: probably not and, more importantly, it doesn’t really matter.
For centuries people have been obsessed with the idea of whether or not Atlantis existed and if we could find it. But, that was never really the purpose of Atlantis. Unless you’re a conspiracy theorist, mythologist, or really know your Plato, my guess is that you probably don’t know the actual origin of the myth of Atlantis, or really the parable of Atlantis. The origin of the story of Atlantis came from Plato’s Timaeus and Critias, where he describes an advanced civilization called Atlantis and its rise and fall. The purpose of this story was actually to serve as an allegory on the hubris of nations and was never said to have been a description of a true city. Despite a general consensus amongst historians on the illegitimacy of Atlantis’ existence, the story and public knowledge has still strayed far from fact with retellings of the story that sound more like science fiction and are based more in imagination but disguised as somewhat scientific. This is also true for any visual representations you might find. When you click on image results for the city of Atlantis or watch any YouTube video or conspiracy theory documentary, all the images are futuristic and depict a city that seems more alien rather than any sort of city that could’ve been imagined by Plato.
Images are an incredibly powerful way of communicating information and understanding the world. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, and I find that an image can often communicate something words can’t, and can help draw parallels in your mind that seem too complicated when written out on paper. I wanted to use images to craft a different narrative of the city of Atlantis, something separate from sci-fi aliens under the sea and flying vehicles that somehow defy the laws of nature. I wanted to create a series of drawings based in Classical architecture for two reasons. So that they could serve in contrast to the wildly theoretical portrayal in media and so that they could help to highlight what Plato thought of as he told the story of Atlantis. I want the drawings to reflect what Plato would’ve pictured as he recounted the allegory of Atlantis in his writings and in doing so highlight the purpose of the allegory. By showing Atlantis in Classical architecture, I aimed to highlight the similarities between Atlantis and Athens similarly to what Plato does in his writing, and provide another way to communicate that the city of Atlantis is not some mythical city to be found. But rather, the significance of the city lies within Plato’s story and allegory to warn people about the hubris of nations, and specifically to Plato, the hubris of Athens.
I chose to create these drawings digitally. Digital art allows for a level of detail that isn’t always as easy to achieve with physical painting or drawing and using digital software allowed me to really create all the smaller details and aspects of the city. Making these drawings digitally also served as a challenge for me because I typically create more physical art.
For my process, I researched a lot of Classical architecture and ancient Greek city planning to understand what makes buildings Classical and what architecture Plato would’ve been familiar with. I also read multiple translations of the Critias to understand how Plato described the city and also referred back to the original Greek to clear up any confusion created by a translator’s specific choice in a translation.
I chose to create five different illustrations to portray the city of Atlantis. The main drawing that I created is an aerial city view of Atlantis to convey the layout of the city in a more three dimensional way than a map would provide. The four other drawings I created are of the hippodrome, docks and bridges, baths, and the temple. I chose to focus on these four things because Plato highlights them in his writings by giving them long descriptions and I wanted my drawings to reflect what Plato deemed important to the description of Atlantis.
City Layout:
Aerial view of Plato’s city of Atlantis
The aerial city view of Atlantis is meant to depict the layout of the city based on lines 113-121 in Plato’s Critias. The city is made up of a series of rings, alternating water and land, surrounding a central circular island. There are two rings of land and three of water set into a plane of land. Plato describes the size of the city in stades, which are approximately 185 meters or 607 feet. The central circular island has a diameter of five stades and the innermost ring of water surrounding it has a width of one stade. The following ring of land is two stades wide and the ring of water around it is also two stades, and the outermost rings of land and water are both three stades wide. According to Plato there is also a canal running from the central island of land, through the rings and out to the ocean. The canal that runs from the outermost ring of water to the ocean is three plethora, or 90 meters, wide and a hundred feet deep. The canal that ran through the city was smaller, just wide enough to fit a warship through, so approximately 5 meters wide. Plato writes that there are stone walls surrounding all the bridges and islands of land in Atlantis, each covered in a different metal. The walls around the outermost ring are bronze, the innermost ring tin, and the wall around the acropolis orichalc1 , which is thought to be some sort of yellow metal2 .
To determine the layout of where some of the buildings in Atlantis are, I used two diagrams from the two translations of Plato that I read3. Both diagrams are fairly simplistic and similar to each other and show only the locations of the palace, temple, baths, and the bridges, all of which I agreed with and followed. I put the temple on the acropolis in the center of the central island with the
1 Robin Waterfield, Andrew Gregory, and Plato, Oxford World’s Classics: Plato: Timaeus and Critias (Oxford University Press, 2009).
2 Miate, Liana. "Orichalcum." World History Encyclopedia.
3 Plato, H. D. P. Lee, and T. K. Johansen, Timaeus and Critias (London: Penguin, 2008).
palace to the left and the baths to the right, with the bridges running straight down the center, leading directly to the acropolis4 .
For the layout of the rest of the city I used Plato’s description which mostly describes what buildings are present, leaving their position in the city for me to decide. Plato does write about one large hippodrome, or horse and chariot racing stadium, that runs through the center of the outermost ring of land which I will describe later. He also describes barracks for guards on both sides of the hippodrome as well as some on the inner ring of land and the acropolis, which I chose to draw on the outside edges of the rings and the acropolis. Plato then goes on to describe the presence of gardens, gymnasia, and smaller temples along both the rings5. I also added several buildings that Plato doesn’t describe but likely would’ve expected to be present in an advanced city, like lodgings and houses, theaters, and the agora, which is a marketplace6 .
4 Waterfield, Gregory, and Plato, Plato: Timaeus and Critias (Oxford University Press, 2009), 159.
5 Waterfield, Gregory, Plato, 114.
6 Kathleen James-Chakraborty, Architecture since 1400 (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2014).
The Hippodrome:
Atlantean Hippodrome
I wanted to draw the hippodrome both because it’s something that Plato highlights in his writings and because Plato’s description of the Atlantean hippodrome is different from the typical hippodrome. A typical hippodrome is around 400 to 450 meters long and 130-200 meters wide and in the shape of a rectangle with a semicircle on one end and there’s ground space in the center of the hippodrome for racing and tiered seating on either side7. Like a typical hippodrome, the Atlantean hippodrome is a stade wide but rather than a rectangular shape with a semicircle at the end, the Atlantean hippodrome sits in the middle of the outer ring of land and runs along the entire length of the largest ring of land like a track, leaving a free stade of land for buildings on either side of the structure8 .
My drawing of the hippodrome shows an aerial view of one section of the ring-shaped stadium, with a view of some of the town behind it and the second range of water. The hippodrome has three tiers. The bottom tier is made up of arches which were less commonly used in Greek architecture but often used for the bottom most tier of the hippodrome. The second layer of the hippodrome is made up of columns.
In Classical architecture there are three different types of columns called orders. I chose to use the Ionic for the second tier hippodrome. The other two orders are Doric orders and Corinthian orders, though Corinthian orders weren’t created until 430 BC and were far less common in ancient Greek architecture. What differentiates the different orders is the look of the three main parts of a column: the base, the shaft, and the capital. The base of the column is the lowest part of the column that rests on the ground or platform the structure is built on. It’s circular, generally gets wider towards the bottom, and is often sculpted so that it appears like it
7 James-Chakraborty, Architecture since 1400 (University of Minnesota Press, 2014).
8 Waterfield, Gregory, Plato, 116.
has a few rounded layers. The shaft sits on top of the base and is the long middle section of the column. In classical Greek architecture, the shaft is often fluted, which refers to the vertical carved-out lines on the column. The shaft typically looks very similar in different orders of columns but the thickness will change. The capital is the generally more circular piece that sits on top of the shaft and gets wider toward the top. It is often one of the more intricate parts of the column. The Ionic order is characterized by its relatively simple base, with two or three carved out tiers, slimmer shaft, and its capital which is more intricate, with carvings that look like scrolls, called volutes, coming out from each side. In contrast, the Doric order is much simpler, with a thicker shaft, often no base, and a plain capital9 .
I specifically chose Ionic columns for two different reasons. My first reason was that these columns are on the second tier of the structure rather than the first. Doric columns are often used on the bottom tiers of structures because of their plainness and thicker shaft which creates a feeling of sturdiness. However, these columns are on the second tier of the hippodrome and don’t need to give off as much of an impression of being sturdy, they can be more decorative. My second reason for choosing the Ionic order over the Doric order is because the hippodrome is a horse-racing stadium. The hippodrome has an elevated status and importance as a place of competition, a place where you can win honor. It makes sense that the building be a little bit more ornate if it’s a place to win honor, so the Ionic columns would provide the decoration that Doric columns do not.
The third tier is also made of columns and for this tier I chose to use Doric columns. These columns are half the size of regular columns and purely decorative in nature, so I chose to use 9 Robert Chitham and Calder Loth, The Classical Orders of Architecture (New York, NY: Taylor and Francis, 2007).
Doric columns because they would not need the small and already decorative columns to be very ornate.
Dock and Bridge:
Atlantean Dock and Bridge
The drawing of the dock and bridge is meant to illustrate the Atlanteans advanced water system. With its ring-design and alternating rings of land and water, much of Atlantis is water and because of that, the Atlanteans have a complex and relatively advanced water system, both in terms of plumbing and uses for transportation. My drawing shows one of the bridges that connects the rings of land as well as Atlantis’ internal dock and canal system and plumbing, all of which Plato describes.
There is a series of bridges and canals running from the sea to the central island of Atlantis that allows for both walking transportation and easy access to the city for boats and warships. There’s a series of bridges, one going across each ring of water so there are three bridges total that form a straight path from the outer ring to the acropolis, and at the end of each bridge there are two guard towers and a gate. The bridges and canals are designed so that at the spot where the bridges connect with the ring of land, the land is hollowed out to create a covered canal from the outermost ring of water all the way to the innermost ring. Plato also describes a system of embedded docks within the city that allow for internal storage of ships. The docks are made on either side of each ring of water by hollowing out the edges of the ring of land to create an internal system of covered docks. The Atlanteans also had a plumbing system throughout the city and the pipes that guide excess water outside of the city and to the sea are shown in my drawing, running alongside the bridge10 .
10 Waterfield, Gregory, Plato, 116.
The Baths and Springs:
Atlantean Baths
The baths were another aspect of Atlantis that Plato highlights in his writing. He describes the baths as being the result of two water springs on the acropolis, one of hot water and one of cold water. He writes that the water springs also help to create rich land for growing crops and creating the prosperity that sustains the advancement of Atlantis and in that way the baths are a symbol of the wealth of the Atlanteans. Not only have they made significant engineering and science advancements to channel the water from the springs into baths and create heating systems for warm baths, but they also have the leisure time to use the baths. Plato also describes a multitude of baths. There are some covered baths that can also be used in the winter and some that are open air and used in the summer. There are heated baths and cold baths. There are also private baths and public baths, another example of the wealth of the Atlanteans11 .
My drawing only focuses on one of the many baths which I chose to do in order to focus on the details of the bath and show some of the springs and trees that Plato describes, another testament to the richness of the land in Atlantis. I drew an open air bath because covered baths are often just stone blocks on the outside and much less ornate, while the open air baths are made of columns and more decorative. I used the Corinthian order for the columns around the bath. The Corinthian orders are characterized by a slimmer shaft and an even more ornate capital, decorated in acanthus leaves and volutes12. I chose the Corinthian order for the baths because the baths are a symbol of prosperity and status and the ornateness of the Corinthian order reflects that. The Corinthian order also appears more delicate than the Ionic and Doric orders and because the baths have no roof, there’s less need for them to appear sturdier and structural.
11 Waterfield, Gregory, Plato, 116.
12 Chitham and Loth, Classical Orders of Architecture (Taylor and Francis, 2007).
The Temple:
Temple of Poseidon and Cleito at Atlantis
The temple is one of the key features that Plato describes about Atlantis and a representation of Plato’s emphasis of the grandiosity of the Atlanteans and their richness in access to materials. The temple sits at the very top and center of the acropolis and is dedicated to Poseidon and Cleito, the Atlantean wife of Poseidon. Plato describes the temple as non-Greek like, however, not due to its structure or architecture, but its sheer size which is three stades wide in comparison to the one stade width Parthenon. The outside of the temple is covered entirely with silver aside from the gold acroterion, which is a decorative structure that sits on the top of the pediment of the temple. The pediment is the triangle shaped top of the temple. The ceiling is described as being ivory decorated with gold, silver, and orichalc. Orichalc also covers all the interior pillars, walls, and pavements. Inside the temple there is a large golden statue of Poseidon standing on a chariot with six winged horses, tall enough for the statue's head to touch the ceiling. Poseidon is surrounded by smaller statues of Nereids on dolphins and there are many other statues inside the temple which were dedicated by private individuals. The outside of the temple is surrounded by more golden statues of the ten Atlantean kings and their wives and the temple is surrounded by a low gold wall13 .
In my drawing I chose to illustrate the outside of the temple. I wanted to show the outside of the temple because while we are all more familiar with seeing the outside of a Classical temple, the Atlantean temple is completely silver while typical temples are bare stone and along with the gold walls and statues outside, I thought the excessive use of metals demonstrates the wealth that Plato describes is crucial to Atlantis.
I chose to use Doric columns for the temple despite the characteristic of ornateness that Plato describes of the temple. I chose Doric columns for multiple reasons, one reason being the
13 Waterfield, Gregory, Plato, 115.
size. The temple is three times larger than the Parthenon and the Doric columns are the most sturdy looking order. I also chose Doric columns because that’s what the Parthenon and most Athenian temples used, so Plato would’ve been accustomed to the idea that the large temple on the acropolis would be made of Doric columns. Contrary to the Parthenon, I designed the Atlantean temple as being dipteral rather than peripteral. Dipteral temples, like the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, simply have two rows of columns rather than the single row of columns that peripteral temples like the Parthenon have14. I chose to make the Atlantean temple dipteral once again due to its size and also to add an element of richness that the temple isn’t gaining from the use of more complex orders like Ionic or Corinthian.
14 Margaret Melanie Miles, A Companion to Greek Architecture (Boston, Massachusetts: Wiley Blackwell, Credo Reference, 2018).
Conclusion:
Through my digital drawings I aimed to reframe our perception and understanding of the city of Atlantis. By researching Classical Greek architecture and studying descriptions of Atlantis in the Critias I was able to draw a version of Atlantis and several of its main architectural features that emphasizes its context within Plato and what Plato was trying to teach through his allegory of Atlantis. By using Classical Greek architecture, I was able to illustrate the similarities between Athens and Atlantis that Plato described in order to transfer his own warning on the hubris of nations to Athens. Plato’s story of Atlantis was meant to describe the dangers of a nation with excessive pride, ambition, and desire for material goods and territory rather than strong moral character. Atlantis, a nation that was once virtuous, lets its hubris take over and ultimately lead to its downfall and the great power and wealth, reminiscent of Athens, was intended to showcase that if Athens were to give into their hubris, they too could fall like Atlantis.
References
Chitham, Robert, and Calder Loth. The Classical Orders of Architecture. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis, 2007. James-Chakraborty, Kathleen. Architecture Since 1400. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2014.
Lawrence, A. W., and R. A. Tomlinson. Greek Architecture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996.
Miate, Liana. "Orichalcum." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified December 07, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/Orichalcum/.
Miles, Margaret Melanie. A Companion to Greek Architecture. Boston, Massachusetts: Wiley Blackwell, Credo Reference, 2018.
Plato. Platonis Opera, Volume IV: Cleitopho, Respublica, Timaeus, Critias. Edited by J. Burnet. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1903.
Plato, H. D. P. Lee, and T. K. Johansen. Timaeus and Critias. London: Penguin, 2008.
Waterfield, Robin, Andrew Gregory, and Plato. Oxford World’s Classics: Plato: Timaeus and Critias. Oxford University Press, 2009.